Another Downtown Bar

My birthday was 2 weeks ago; I didn't really blog about it since I had all my Austin stories and pictures to post. Well, I kind of mentioned it since I spent the entire morning, afternoon, and evening trying to get home.

I turned 25 on the 25th of February and 28 hours of travelling made it not a great day for me. But thanks for my family and friends, they made sure I celebrated it in style - albeit not on my actual birthday.

Friday I worked, but spent my lunch hour celebrating with my family. My dad made linguini and meatballs and my mom bought a Cheesecake Factory cheesecake (Yummy!). As gifts, they gave me a funny his-hers mug set (I just need to find a "him" to use it.) and a wonderful stainless steel Martha Stewart pot and pan set. My previous pot and pan set from JCPenney's Phillipe Richard line, with less than 6 months of use, started chipping Teflon into our food. I think it was out of health concerns that my mom decided to purchase this generous gift for me (and roomie). Thanks to my family for a delicious lunch and very nice gifts. And thanks to Roomie for a pink sauce pan, funny day calendar, and beautiful flowers.

On Saturday, Staci and Amy helped celebrate my birthday in true Erie fashion. We headed downtown to a bar - but not just any bar - a NEW bar. We had dinner and drinks at Nelson's Tavern (1033 State St). This new establishment shares owners with Docksider's, but you wouldn't know that from the looks of the corner bar and restaurant.

I first learned about Nelson's from a yep! Happy Hour. It, like most downtown bars, has maintained the historic bones of the structure but updated it with modern lighting, furniture, and decor. Since Nelson's serves food, the dining and drinking area is smoke free, but is has an enclosed smokers' room. And let's talk about the food; one word: delicious.

On the menu there definitely seems to be an effort to keep it healthy and all-natural, with Amish Chicken, Grass Fed Beef, and more. We started out with spicy hummus and fresh pitas; it was incredibly fresh and tasty and was a generous portion for $5. We also shared the goat cheese pierogies in a mushroom sauce. These 4 or 5 pierogies could have easily been someone's entree and were an awesome value at $6. They were rich and filling and the mushroom sauce was served with many chucks of a variety of shrooms.

Amy had a caprese chicken sandwich; she didn't care for the pesto sauce but liked it otherwise. Staci had a huge garden salad with fresh chunks of mozzarella cheese. I had a wild mushroom risotto; the essence of truffles with a little strong for me but it was tasty.

Here's a picture (courtesy of Staci) before we chowed down. I had a great time with the girls and at Nelson's. I would recommend Nelson's to anyone looking for something new in Erie. It has a fun, modern look and delicious food at affordable prices.

Of course, after Nelson's we went up half a block to the Plymouth for $3 cosmos and crunchy, salty popcorn.

It was a fantastic night! It certainly helped end my birthday week on a high note.