Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, Monster Jam!

Last year, Kev and I went to the Jam with our friends Seth + Loren and we had a B.L.A.S.T.!  (In full disclosure, it was my second Monster Jam experience since I’ve lived in Atlanta.  I’m super into this event.)  This year, Monster Jam will be even more exciting (how can that be possible??) as they’ll celebrate Gravedigger’s 30th anniversary!  More on Gravedigger HERE.

go, gravedigger, gooooo!

Fact: Monster Jam is the single best people watching opportunity in Atlanta.  (NASCAR is a distance second to this.)  Here’s a sneak peak at what’s in store for you shot from yours truly last year…

overalls EVERYWHERE

And, here are a few more for your viewing pleasure:

monster jam 2011

Tickets are cheap.  Beer is…also cheap.  And, this is an out-of-the-ordinary event that is sure to spice up your MLK weekend!  Ticket information here: Let’s go to MONSTER JAM!!

Coming from a girlie-girl raised going to the ballet and to see musicals, I’m tellin’ you that you DO NOT want to miss this!  (Consider that a warning…)

xx, L

Set to open this month, Lauren + I were recently able to take a sneak peak into the contemporary Mexican restaurant to try out some of their tasty bites!

When it officially opens, Alma Cocina will serve lunch + dinner and provide catering services to the downtown Atlanta area.  The restaurant accommodates about 200 guests for traditional dining room seating, accented by two distinct bar areas with large booths and communal tables which spill out into the beautiful One Ninety One Peachtree Tower atrium.

We sat at the bar, which was a spectacular choice, because we got to spend two full hours with the fabulous bartender Tony – who, get THIS, plays a zombie in AMC’s The Walking Dead seasons 1+2!  We love him.  MEET him.

I started off with a skinny girl margarita called “Just Wear Black”: Herradura silver tequila, agave syrup, and hand-squeezed lime juice.  It was goooooooood.  Made perfectly.

Lauren opted for some amazing-looking rum drink.  I missed the name of the cocktail, and admittedly, the ingredients - but I DO know this: Lauren liked it a lot.  And, it comes in a cool glass.  Witness, por favor:

Our man Tony ordered us some traditional Guacamole: tomato, lime, cilantro, red onion, and serrano.  It was good.  Although we didn’t try it, we thought the Guacamole & Butternut Squash on the menu sounded pretty cool.  It’s seasoned with chipotle and queso fresco.

Lauren and I decided to share everything – small plates and entrees.  We certainly brought our appetites.

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the Yellowtail Ceviche: pickled mango, cucumber-serrano water, coconut granita, Fresno chile, and micro cilantro.  So fresh – so light and unexpected at a Mexican restaurant. 

Next up, Braised Lamb Taquitos: cucumber-mint salsa, fire-roasted salsa, queso cotija, and pomegranate seeds.  We thought the pomegranate seeds were such a nice touch, and they added a unique flavor to this creative dish.

We moved on to the Huitlacoche Empanada: corn truffle, charred tomato, jalapeno, queso Oaxaca, epazote, and salsa ranchero.  It hit the spot.

Tony stopped us there and informed us that we needed a wee bit more to drink.  (Did I mention that we loved Tony?!)  He whipped up a blended pina colada with ginger for us to share.  It tasted like Christmas in Mexico!  And, you MUST know by now how we feel about umbrellas in our drinks.  We couldn’t have been happier if we tried. 

We made Tony take a picture of us with it…

And, also a Roasted Chicken Mole Oaxaca: mashed plantains, grilled green beans, and sesame seeds.  I pretty much ate all of the plantain mash.  SO good.  Sorry, Lauren…

To finish off our grande meal, we shared a few bites of the refreshing Grapefruit-Mint Sorbet: rum-marinated pineapple, guajillo chile sauce. 

I’m fully aware that that was a lot of food for two lovely ladies, and I’m being completely honest when I say that we ate most of it and we weren’t in a food coma when we left the restaurant.  The plates were smallish – perfect for sharing – and many of them were lighter than you’d expect at a Mexican restaurant.  We LOVED Alma Cocina + we’re thrilled to add it to our Fifth Group favorites list!  Heck, we’ll even drive downtown to eat there…  Anytime.

Welcome, Alma Cocina!  Ay! Ay! Ay!  We’ll be back soon.

xx, L

Alma Cocina
191 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30303
http://www.alma-atlanta.com/

Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday.

And get down we did.

First stop: We picked up Ellen and Matt…otherwise known as BarChila…who came well-prepared for the evening:

Next up: Amazing pizza at Pizzeria Vesuvius.

We started with breadsticks (Joy: they are cheesy!) and the Greek salad (the dressing was super interesting…I liked it.) and then we went for the following:

Vesuvius
Our spicy buffalo pizza with smoked chicken breast, mozzarella, blue cheese, jalapenos, celery and buffalo sauce.

The Mighty Vesuvius

Kilauea
Grilled chicken, red onions, roasted red peppers and barbecue sauce.

Alpine
Ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheeses, sprinkled with fresh oregano and olive oil.

The Vesuvius was my favorite (I’m a sucker for buffalo sauce and blue cheese, what can I say?), followed closely by the Alpine. The Kilauea was a little too BBQ Sauce-y for Terch and me, but the boys did not agree. Gotta love a guy who loves a condiment.

After dinner, we went downstairs to the “Music Room” for a little ping pong action

Ellen demonstrated the proper ping pong stance

and I attempted my first Plank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were also privileged to hear the musical stylings of “Mumford’s”– a very interesting, very spirited band with a lot of brass and apparently a cult-like following! By the end of their show, 75% of the players were shirtless and the boys had purchased their last 2 t-shirts for Ellen and me.

Mumford's newest fans!

All-in-all – huge fan of Pizzeria Vesuvius. Bonus: there’s a ScoutMob right now!

Were we done? Oh no we were not. Our ping pong itch had not been scratched, so we headed a block over to Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium.

In the interest of full disclosure, this place is VERY religiously irreverent and I can appreciate how some could be easily offended by the tongue-in-cheek, sacrilegious artwork and elements such as a confessional booth turned-photo booth, but I have to tell you – I LOVED the general flavor of this place and some of the artwork really made me laugh.

Just like mama always said

Plus, we made some really great friends waiting for the ping pong table upstairs. Next to a Q+DD Koozie, this is about the coolest thing I have ever seen:

Seriously...where can I get one of these?

What a totally random and fabulous night in Edgewood!

I love you, Atlanta.

xx, L

“We originally thought we would do authentic Tex Mex and Mexican-inspired dishes,” said a Fifth Group rep.  “But after our travels + discussions with the creative leadership within Fifth Group Restaurants, as well as those who would be our regular guests, we decided to focus more on contemporary Mexican cuisine infused with the many flavors of Latin America.  Then we found Chef Chad Clevenger and knew for sure this was the right direction.”

Clevenger has 14 impressive years of culinary experience that includes work with some ultra famous chefs.  He was the executive chef at Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, and owned award-winning restaurants + a street cart focusing on global pork dishes in Denver.  He moved to Atlanta in mid-July to begin training with the Fifth Group team, as well as to focus on Alma menu development.

CCC: chef chad clevenger

Alma Cocina will serve lunch + dinner and provide catering services to the downtown Atlanta area.  The restaurant will accommodate about 200 guests for traditional dining room seating, accented by two distinct bar areas with large booths + communal tables which will spill out into the beautiful One Ninety One Peachtree Tower atrium.

 Um, YUM!  Not going to lie, just writing all of this is making my tummy growl…  Can’t wait to meet you, Alma Cocina!  Welcome to the A!

xx, L

Every day from 2:00 – 9:00 p.m. in Atlanta Grill or Lumen lobby bar at the Ritz Downtown, chef Brian Jones is offering boozy snow cone cocktails for $12!   These sweet summer treats are made with locally sourced fruit purees.  And, here’s what you can expect to see on the menu:

Watermelon with Lime + Anejo Tequila
Passion Fruit with Lemon + Bourbon
Blackberry with Honey + Moonshine  (yep, you read that right!)

Dang, Ritz-Carlton, you sure are sexy this summer!  I CAN’T WAIT to try these!! 

xx, L

Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (Downtown)
181 Peachtree St. NE
Atlanta, GA  30303
404.659.0400
http://www.ritzcarlton.com

I saw Ryan Bingham for a sold out show at The Loft on Friday + he definitely fell into the “even better in concert” drop box for live performances.  Smoking + drinking on stage didn’t affect his perfectly raspy voice in the least, in fact it made it even richer.

The new Anthropologie was a warm + welcomed escape from the cold on Saturday.  If you haven’t been to the Howell Mill location yet, you need to check it out.  The store is just great + there’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on about the dressing rooms that makes me want to try on the entire store.

Slick + I chowed down on some “gator bites” at Six Feet Under on Saturday afternoon.  Kinda tasted like chicken…don’t be a’feared.

And then we fell in love with this handsome little guy at the Atlanta Humane Society.  We aren’t in the market for a furry friend right now, but this pup (Charlie Bucket) stole our hearts.  Adopt him!

Feeling brave enough to take on a potential tornado, we warded off cabin fever by spending a few hours at the Georgia World Congress Center for the 2011 Atlanta International Auto Show.  This Camaro caught our eye, but the Lotus stole the show in my opinion.

I went with LK + some lovely ladies to see Red Riding Hood on Sunday. 

I went in with seriously low expectations + ended up actually pretty pleased with the film.  Although that wasn’t the general consensus of the group, I think keeping your expectations low is oftentimes the best way to approach things.  Just sayin’…

We drew the weekend to a close at Mellow Mushroom in Sandy Springs for dinner.  Couldn’t have imagined a better way to end it.  MM truly is “happiness as expressed in pizza…”  Will always love my Pizza Sundays!

Slick did some shopping at Richards Variety Store + picked me up a Lite Brite (never had one as a kid) which kept me busy until I hit the hay.  (It’s certainly not an iPad 2, but it will do for now…)

It wasn’t the craziest weekend we’ve ever had, but it was super relaxing + now I’m rested for the excitement ahead. 

So, bring it.

xx, L

Of course, I have an affiity for costumes and theme parties in general…so imagine my delight when darling Amy Bananananananasack decided to have her birthday at this Polynesian wonderland located inside the Hilton Downtown Atlanta (on Courtland Street)

Happy Birthday, Amy!

I was not at all surprised to find this crowd embracing the experience 100% - decked in leis and birthday hats, coconut drinks in hand! 

To be totally honest, I didn’t sample any Trader Vic’s cuisine. But the other 29134715 people who were in our party did and said it was delish.  Plus, the service was fantastic – so attentive and so adorable!

I did, however, indulge in a coconut cocktail! The drinks really stole the show at TV’s.  First of all, the menu is massive.  Witness:

Secondly, the 2 bartenders on staff that evening worked together like a well-oiled machine.  You can tell they knew their way around a mai tai.  I couldn’t even get a good picture, they were so much on the move!

And you know, I don’t love a mixed drink. Vodka on the rocks or red wine usually does me just fine – but with ceramic coconuts and the other fun accoutrement…

…like rock sugar and tiny fertility dolls…

wait. what?!

…how could I resist?!

I couldn't!

All in all, it was a fantastic night that may or may not have ended up at

ok, so it did.

So, happy birthday, Amy! As they say in the tropics…

“May your coconuts always hang higher than your grass skirt!”

xx, L

Trader Vic’s
255 Courtland St NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
www.tradervicsatlanta.com

After one of my thousands of meals at The Sound Table, we popped across the street to the new-ish roofdeck bar above Café Circa, “The Reserve” for a nightcap!

Lucky for us, not only was CWPR there, but we also had the pleasure of meeting master Mixologist Ava Kopieczek who whipped us up a batch of the Reserve’s signature drink: A Thyme for Change

Ava (middle) Adrienne (right) and me (blonde, duh.)

Thyme, cucumber, raspberries, St. Germaine’s, Hendriks gin and lime juice….deeeelish!

She also let us sample one of the upcoming bar offerings for fall… I am here to tell you that it was delicious. Just like Thanksgiving in a glass.

Is it weird that a vodka cocktail made me homesick?

(Don’t judge me.)

xx, L

The Reserve at Cafe Circa
(404) 477-0008
464 Edgewood Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
www.cafecircaatl.com

Many of Downtown Atlanta’s finest dining establishments were selected to take part in this fabulous food event!  There are no passes to buy, coupons to carry or cards to punch.  You simply attend the restaurant of your choice during Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week and select from a special three-course dinner menu, for $25.00 and $35.00 per person, plus tip, plus tax.  Restaurant Week runs from July 26 – August 8.  Don’t miss out!

Make a night out of it and book your VIP Hotel Package here:
http://www.atlanta.net/darw/packages.aspx

Slick + I are finally in town this coming weekend, and definitely planning to take advantage of the great deals at at least one of these restaurants:

$25 Restaurants
Avanzare (Hyatt Regency Atlanta)
No Mas! Cantina
Rise Sushi Lounge
French American Brasserie – FAB (love!!)
Paschal’s Atlanta
ROOM (Twelve Centennial Park)
Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery
Peasant Bistro
Sear (Atlanta Marriott Marquis)
Meehan’s Public House
Pittypat’s Porch
Social
Spoon
STATS
Terrace on Peachtree (The Ellis Hotel)
Thrive
Truva

$35 Restaurants
Atlanta Grill (Ritz-Carlton)
BLT Steak (W Hotel)
Durango Steak House
Glenn’s Kitchen (The Glenn Hotel)
Il Mulino
Legal Sea Foods
Ray’s in the City
Ruth Chris Steak House (August 2-8 only)
Sun Dial Restaurant, Bar & View

Download menus here:  http://tiny.cc/mh5k9

You know us, we can’t resist a good deal on a great meal! 

clean plate club

Just LOVE Restaurant Week!  See y’all downtown! 

xx, L

• The Sound Table

Of all the restaurants in Atlanta, Top Flr will always hold a special place in my heart.  I have never had a bad meal or a bad time there…and you’ve just got to love a place like that.

So, as you can imagine, I was very excited to give The Sound Table, Darren Carr’s new restaurant in the Old Fourth Ward, a try.  Bonus: (and I don’t want to name-drop…but I’m-a gonna)  Greg and I enjoyed our meal with supercute and understated-yet-ultrafabulous DanaPop.com, the Atlanta editor of Daily Candy (!!!!!) and her hilarious and adorable hubs, Dan.

Here’s the Q+DD on The Sound Table: I absolutely loved it. The concept is “street-to-table”, focusing on the exploding street food trend and like Top Flr, TST is also a small-plates restaurant.  The vibe is laid-back and trendy and the food was, in my opinion, superb.

Dan and I both started with the Pho (pho real!) which came with fun little bowls of condiments: oxtail, bean sprouts, cilantro, and shitake mushrooms (while I gingerly played with these items…Dan happily dumped them all in at once, announcing, “everybody in the pool!”)  we each followed it up with the steamed pork belly buns… both dishes were per-fection.

Other memorable dishes on the table included a citrus-y ceviche, a shrimp salad, the chorizo burger (actually, it was 2 chorizo sliders…cute AND delish!) and my favorite, the Arancini. If you’re not familiar with Arancini, they’re basically fried balls of risotto and The Sound Table’s were made with black truffle, pecorino, and roasted garlic.  YUM.

Note: The Sound Table is located on Edgewood at Boulevard and the signage is not great.  In fact, we drove right past it several times before Dan had to come out and wave us in.  FYI: this is what you’re looking for:

juuuuust a little TOO discreet, if ya ask me!

Also, parking is a little bit difficult.  You MIGHT get lucky and get a spot in the lot right next door, otherwise…don’t forget your quarters.

All in all, I give it two freshly manicured thumbs up.  Can’t wait to go back!

The Sound Table
483 Edgewood Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
www.thesoundtable.com

NEXT:

• Miller Union

Miller Union opened up late last year, so it definitely falls under the New(ish) category or just plain old New to Me; and though neither La, Dr. Amy or I had ever been, Miller Union somehow seemed like a perfect place to celebrate…and we had a LOT of celebrating to do. Dr. Amy finished residency, had an outrageously gorgeous baby girl, and returned home to Atlanta just as darling La announced her pregnancy!

The 3 of us with "our" new addition...and one on the way!

I know this is a bold statement to make about a restaurant I have merely tried once, but I think that Miller Union could easily become one of my favorite restaurants in the city.

I dig rustic-chic décor and I always love a scene-y bar (and believe me, it was scene-y.)

So immediately upon walking in the door, I had high hopes. From the time we were seated at our enormous wooden farm table, my expectations were met.  First of all, the cocktail menu is amazing.  I tried not one but TWO specialty cocktails…very unlike me as usually I tend not to stray from vodka or red wine…but they were both outstanding.  First, the Miller Thyme: miller’s gin, lemon, thyme syrup then the Gold Digger: muddled tomatoes, gin, lemon, and ginger-honey syrup

get down girl, go 'head get down

I didn’t have one BITE that wasn’t outstanding.

Every part of this meal was fresh and fabulous.  We started with the grits fritters with country ham (to DIE for) and the simple yet delicious feta snack…

Then, between the 6 of us, we had the rest of the menu pretty well covered.  My favorite dishes were probably the grouper, the NY strip, and the pork loin…

scamp grouper, summer squash, sweet corn, fennel, tomato

grilled pork loin, field peas + tomato salad

but I think the best part of the meal, for me, were the fresh vegetables.  I want a VAT of their succotash to eat at home at my leisure.  If someone could make that happen for me, I’d be forever in your debt.  The food just did me right; it actually felt good.

You guys, I LOVED Miller Union. It was a great place for a large, somewhat rowdy group such as ours, but I saw several love-birds there on romantic dates as well.

Great times, GREAT restaurant. I recommend it 100%.

Miller Union
999 Brady Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30318
www.millerunion.com

Ok, that’s it for now!  Stay tuned…more to come!

xx, L