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A Few of My Favorite Things

05/10/2011 in Birmingham, Deals + Steals, Guilty Pleasures, Hair, Jewelry, Spa, Where we're Shopping by Lauren | 4 comments

Ok, so I’m not Oprah. (ssssigh.) but I did make it home to Birmingham over the weekend where I did some SHOPPING at Gus Mayer….so have a few recent Favorite Things to share with you!

Without further ado, here are the loves of my life right now:

Brightly Twisted Scarves

Check out these gorgeous one of a kind hand tie-dyed summer scarves:


I am obsessed. Gus has an amazing supply, but you can get also these darlings at Intermix or Tootsie’s here in Atlanta.

Oribe Hair Products

Ok I have blogged about the Anti-Humidity spray before (check it) and I still swear by it… I just picked up some “beautiful color” shampoo and conditioner and it’s amazing.

My color looks great, my hair feels super healthy and This. Stuff. Smells. Incredible.

Shoes!: I am the proud new owner of a couple of pairs of fantastic wedges for summer!

First, to continue the tie dye trend – I scooped a pair of these bad boys by Bacio 61:

Bacoli Tie Dye Wedge in Lily Purple

I happened to wear a pair of white pants and a black top Saturday when I spotted these and they complimented my outfit so much – I asked Katie to box up my Torys so I could wear them out! Who (past the age of 6) does that?

I also scored super cute pair of black and raffia Franco Sartos I plan to LIVE in this summer:


Trish Beauty Booster Cream with SPF15

I’ve officially replaced my regular SPF15 moisturizer with this marvelous “Anti-Fatigue” cream, which acts as a moisturizer and primer while brightening and firming… and protecting you from the sun’s harmful rays. Talk about a bang for your buck!

(Helpful hint for Alabamians: All of the above can be found at Gus Mayer at the Summit in Birmingham!)

Other recent MVPs:

The gorgeous and perfectly neutral Kendra Scott earrings I wore with my watercolor Halston Heritage dress to Camp Dance:

(Scored them at Nordy's)

My new Laura Mercier lipstick/gloss combo:

Hibiscus Bloom Gel Lip Color/ Bellini Lip Glace

and the Triple Oxygen facial at Bliss Spa.

I’ve blogged about it before, and I’ll blog about it again. Go to the midtown location inside the W Hotel.  Ask for Anila. Tell her I sent you.  You can thank me later.

And that, as they say, is that!

Enjoy!

xx, L

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The Best Thing I Ever Ate…

08/30/2010 in Birmingham, For Men, Where we're Shopping by Lauren | 6 comments

…is the heirloom tomato salad at Hot & Hot Fish Club in my hometown of Birmingham, AL.  True story.

Heirloom tomatoes. Fresh peas. Fried okra. Corn. Applewood smoked bacon. Balsamic vinegarette. Chive aioli. (+ crack cocaine?)

Of all the great restaurants in all the cities in which I’ve lived – NYC, Austin, Atlanta and Birmingham – The Hot & Hot is still the reigning king of my little wanna-be-foodie heart.

It’s always my first choice when I’m home to visit.  I love everything about it. I love the open counter with a direct view of the chefs in the kitchen wearing long-brim fly-fishing hats,

the historic building it’s in (once was the home of “the Upside Down Plaza” – apparently a seedy, yet supa-popular nightclub from “back in the day”), the AMAZING amount of hometown gossip you can glean from loitering in the ladies’ room long enough, and, of course, the SPECTACULAR food that I’ve enjoyed there for years.

BONUS: Last night we got to have a little chat with chef and owner Chris Hastings!  He’s such a cool guy – we chatted restaurants and food and he filled me in on his favorite Atlanta spots and asked me about mine.  We had a brief convo about restaurants with beautiful food and snotty service, during which Chris made a comment that “Food church is dead.” I couldn’t agree more…  these days it really is all about good food and an earnest attitude – which is exactly how I’d describe his restaurant.

Food church may be dead, but chef as a celebrity certainly is not.  I heart you, Chris Hastings!

Chris Hastings and Greg!

If your travel plans ever take you to Birmingham (or you have an extra couple of hours to spend on a dinner commute from Atlanta) I suggest Hot & Hot 100%.

Hot & Hot Fish Club on Urbanspoon

Sidebar: in other Birmingham news…

1.    Gus Mayer is moving to the Summit somewhere around February 2011 and the plans for the new digs are unREAL.


2.    Speaking of Gus Mayer, I came home with the MOST amazing Pour la Victoire black suede pumps, Mark Nason over-the-knee boots, and most importantly, I GOT GREG IN SOME PSYCHO BUNNY! Happy day!


3.    Last but not least, some Jewish Guilt: My gorgeous Grandmother is one of our #1 readers and casually dropped the fact that though she reads daily, her mug has never graced the pages of the Q+DD.  Well, Miss Henni?  This one’s for you!

Love that my grandmother will sip bloodys with me on a Sunday morning..

What a wonderful weekend.  I miss Sweet Home Alabama already! Thanks DK+DK!

xx, L

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A Little Taste of Heaven

08/27/2009 in Birmingham, Buckhead, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 4 comments

I had my first taste of heaven in Birmingham.  It was delicious and I wanted more. 
 
When I was back in the Ham a few months later, I had it again.  And I was officially hooked.
 
Chicken Salad. 
 
It’s another one of life’s great delicacies that I’d never had growing up – like mangoes, sweet tea, pimiento cheese, coffee ice cream, guacamole and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  How could I not have known how delicious it is after all this time?!  However, I quickly learned that much like Lean Cuisines (my lunch staple), not all chicken salad is created equal.  In fact, after a considerable amount of purely scientific research, the only chicken salad that I actually love is from Zoes Kitchen.  As I eluded to previously, I first tried it at Zoes in Birmingham w/ Jen - then in Jacksonville w/ Slick’s fam.  I just love it there!
 
Zoes! Zoes! Zoes!

Zoes! Zoes! Zoes!

Much to my sweet surprise, Zoes opened in Atlanta a few months ago in the Peachtree Battle shopping center.  (Someone IS listening to my prayers!!)  Christine and I went today for lunch and it was absolutely packed with Buckhead bankers, Midtown lawyers, soccer moms galore and your grandmother.  Yes, she was there.  Anyway, we each had my favorite: the Chix Salad & Fruit Plate and it was delish – as per usual!
Chix Salad & Fruit Plate

Chix Salad & Fruit Plate

I just feel so good about eating fresh, relatively-healthy food for lunch - and then going back to work to sit behind a desk all day…  It’s a bit challenging to find a good parking spot nearby the restaurant in the PTB shopping center, but it is worth the walk if you have to park far away.  Don’t forget to try their chix salad!  (I’ve heard good things about their pita pizzas, too!) 
 
Viva Zoes!
 
xx, L
 
Zoes Kitchen 
2333 Peachtree Rd
Atlanta, GA 30305-4147
(404) 233-9637

Zoes Kitchen Peachtree Battle on Urbanspoon

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