Festivals

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Yeah, you heard right…  I’m talking about the other white meat.  A whole lot of it, too.

peace out, wilbur

DAD’S GARAGE THEATRE PRESENTS
THE 10TH ANNUAL BACONFEST
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010

 
The Annual Fundraiser Features Local Bands: Futureshock, Mike LaSage and the Stumbling Troubadours, The Jaguars, Nine Inch Neils, Baron Saturday of Judi Chicago DJ Set, and Performances by Dad’s Garage House Bands, The Fingering Brothers and Bases Loaded
 
Tickets On Sale Now + All Proceeds to Benefit Dad’s Garage Theatre Company


 
THE Q+DD ON BACONFEST: 
The 10th Annual Dad’s Garage BaconFest, a one-day event featuring live music, improv, games, beer, bacon and more, will be held on Saturday, March 27 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company in Inman Park.  A neighborhood tradition, each year BaconFest raises funds for the treasured mid-sized theatre that is devoted to elevating awareness about the arts in Atlanta.
 
Founded by Dad’s Garage co-founder George Faughnan in 1995, the meat-centric festival has grown to cult-like status, attracting a diverse and devoted legion of Atlantans each year.  Building its following off a simple foundation of combining bacon, beer and bands, the festival also includes nonstop games.  Past favorites include; Hunt an Improvisor, Guitar Hero Challenge, fortunetelling, X-rated face painting, and a malt liquor taste test challenge.  Live music performances at this year’s event include local artists: Futureshock, Mike LaSage and the Stumbling Troubadours, The Jaguars, Nine Inch Neils, and a special DJ set by Judi Chicago’s Baron Saturday.  Dad’s Garage’s house bands The Fingering Brothers and Bases Loaded will also make appearances.
 
In addition to the fun and games at BaconFest, festival goers can bid on an array of silent auction items donated by local businesses.  This year’s silent auction will feature items donated by Dad’s Garage, Alternative Apparel, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Only You Tattoo, Third Half Studios, and many more.
 
Tickets for the 10th Annual Dad’s Garage Baconfest are sale now and are available from $15 to $45.  Dad’s Garage will offer three ticket level categories: General Admission, Mid-Level and VIP.  Mid-Level and VIP tickets will be available in limited quantities at $35 and $45, respectively.  The VIP ticket will include a special improv performance following BaconFest at 5:00 p.m.  Advanced tickets can be purchased online at the Dad’s Garage Ticket Office or at the gate the day of the event.

Visit www.dadsgarage.com for additional information, updates and directions. 


ABOUT DAD’S GARAGE THEATRE:
Founded in 1995, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company has grown from a small volunteer led organization to a thriving mid-size theatre led by professional artistic and administrative staff that includes over 300 volunteers and performers.  We now entertain more than 30,000 people each year at our two-theatre facility in Inman Park, public events across the state, and at improv festivals across the continent.  In addition to outrageous original productions, Dad’s Garage produces improv shows 52 weeks per year, educates young improvisers in a year-round high school outreach program, and facilitates on-site classes and workshops for the general public.  Dad’s Garage is committed to elevating the awareness of the arts in the Atlanta community through the production of original theatrical works, education and the creative outlets found through improvisation.

BACK TO ME…
My good buddy, Goldie, makes his famous BACON EXPLOSION on the most special of occasions.  Ironically, Goldie + I are friends from Jewish sleep-away camp…

goldie + me

Although I hear about it all the time (does it reeeeeeeally exist?), I’ve not yet had the supreme honor of feasting on this artery-clogging beast. 

Goldie's BACON EXPLOSION!!

not kosher

However, I am positive that BaconFest 2010 will be an absolutely excellent substitute! 

Gosh, I’m the world’s worst Jewish girl…  :)

xx, L

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Yesterday was Slick’s birthday.

the birthday boy

We celebrated @ One Star Ranch in Buckhead, and then hit up Five Paces.  Slick and I got our traditional it’s-your-birthday-late-night-pizza, but…

"you only turn 27 once!"

…he’s feeling like THIS now:

uh oh

Obviously, it’s time to catch a second wind for Oysterfest this afternoon @ Steamhouse Lounge.

First, y’all have to see this: Cari Barocas from Sugar Sugar made Slick the most incredible birthday cake ever!

Happy Birthday!

Isn’t that amazing? They are cupcakes!! :)

Check out all the other delicious treats Cari’s made recently @ www.doublethesugar.com

"Honey...Oh, Sugar Sugar"

xx, L

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Slick got some good news over the weekend and a celebratory dinner was in order.  If I’d received news worthy of celebrating, I would make a b-line for Bacchanalia faster than you can say “American Kobe Short Ribs.”  However, Slick’s favorite food is BBQ – so we decided that Fat Matt’s Rib Shack would be a perfect spot to grub-it-up in his honor.

perfect-o

First, we went to Tara Cinema to see Crazy Heart.  We both thought the movie was amazing, and we’ve been listening to the incredible soundtrack + Ryan Bingham downloads almost non-stop since we saw it.  It’s sort of like The Wrestler, but about country music and with The Dude.  Awesome.  We really liked the movie’s message, too.  Everyone, please see it soon!

"it's funny how fallin' feels like flyin'...for a little while"

Back to BBQ:  Fat Matt’s is my personal favorite place to get BBQ in Atlanta.  It’s a relatively small restaurant with lots of character.  In fact, Fat Matt’s was mentioned in the movie, Up in the Air, as the main character’s favorite place to get BBQ because it happens to be the director, Jason Reitman’s, favorite BBQ joint.  In return, the restaurant gave Jason a V.I.P. card entitling him to a lifetime of free ribs!  So freaking cool. 

Moving on…

Fat Matt's

We get to the restaurant and grab some beers while we wait for another couple to meet us.  And who do we see chowing down on Fat Matt’s famous ribs??  None other than Serpas executive chef, Scott Serpas

Scott Serpas, Serpas True Food

(Who vaguely resembles my favorite Modern Family character, Cameron…  Love him!)

CAMERON!!

Obviously, we were in excellent company.  Our friends arrived shortly thereafter and we ordered. 

Fat Menu

Three of us selected the tasty pulled pork sandwiches on white buns – and Slick got the ribs.

Fat Kitchen

My pulled pork was predictably delicious, but I’d never had anything else at Fat Matt’s to compare it to.  Slick let me try one of his ribs – and it was heavenly.  I’m adverse to fat on BBQ, I’d almost rather it be tasteless than bite into fat on meat – the texture weirds me out.  Thankfully, I had no reservations about Fat Matt’s ribs, which were both pretty lean and flavorful.

Fat Ribs

Fat (but not fatty) Ribs

We inhaled our BBQ and washed it down with some Sweetwater beer, all while enjoying the live blues band.  Don’t forget to tip them!

Fat Music

Fat Music

It was a perfect celebratory dinner for Slick!  (He was in hog heaven… Get it?  Get it??)  And today, Slick has another reason to celebrate…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 

Jeff + Slick

More BBQ is on tap for tonight + Oysterfest @ Steamhouse Lounge tomorrow! 
Get your Oysterfest tickets here: http://www.ticketalternative.com/Venues/500.aspx

Fat Party

xx, L

Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
1811 Piedmont Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA  30324
404.607.1622
www.fatmattsribshack.com

Fat Matt's Rib Shack on Urbanspoon

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1.  Brunch with Maura.  I started out at Apres Diem for brunch with adorable, happy little Maura. If someone can think of a better way to kick off a Saturday, I wish they would tell me. I have never spent any time with her when I didn’t leave in a fabulous mood and Saturday was no exception.  Fact. Plus, Apres was doing a lively brunch business!

2. SHOPPING.  After I left Maura, I was in such a good mood that I proceeded to SPEND. ALL. MY. MONEY.  If you are looking for my benjamins, you can find them at the following places: Mitzi and Romano, Paper Source, Barney’s Co-Op and, of course, Nordy’s.

Mitzi + Romano in the Highlands

Mitzi + Romano in the Highlands

3. Super Amazing Chili Cookoff. I found FoodieBuddha (crying in his cocktail over Michigan’s loss…) and we made our way to the Atlanta Brewing Company for the 3rd Annual Liberty Park Chili Society Cookoff hosted by Jimmy who writes the blog Eat It Atlanta.

(Sidebar: Y’all.  I have blog friends now.  !!!!.)

The scene at Atlanta Brewing Company

The scene at Atlanta Brewing Company

It. Was. Awesome. There were a GRILLION different kinds of chili.  Traditional chilis, creative chilis, superspicy chilis, chocolate-based (mole) chiles, chilis with all kinds of fabulous toppings (hello, pimento cheese on chili!) chilis with various proteins: beef, chicken, turkey, venison, bison, bean (vegetarian)….I mean…I was on chili overload.  CIMG1025The best part for me, though, was the shameless lobbying that each charismatic chili chef was doing for their own chili.  Loved it. I think it was safe to say that equal parts moxie and chili were served that evening.  The Buddha felt like personality weighed heavily on the way he would cast his vote and I had to agree.  Eventually all votes were cast…

brilliant.

brilliant. I straight up stole this picture from Eat It, Atlanta.

And tallied…

(counting ballots)

(counting ballots)

The ultimate winner was, as I predicted, Cowboy Hat Chili. Dude had on a cowboy hat and reminded voters of his moniker as he doled out ladlefuls.  Sage advice from the musical Gypsy, “you gotta get a gimmick if you want to get ahead…”

"Don't forget Cowboy Hat, y'hear?"

"Don't forget Cowboy Hat, y'hear?"

Jimmy + friends raised a chunk of change for Project Open Hand and everyone seemed to have a blast…I know we did!

My new chili friends.  Hi!

My new chili friends. Hi!

4. Post-Chili Beverages. The Buddha and I decided to wash down our chili with a few drinks at the Bookhouse on Ponce.  CIMG1064Y’all: I adore this bar. It’s low key and cozy and funky and just a perfect little place to hang out.  We were, of course, NOT eating, but the menu looked pretty darn good.  Gastro-pubby.  You know.

I ordered a flight of delicious beer, mostly selections from the specials menu:CIMG1079

hand-crafted beer thingy

hand-crafted beer thingy

and FB got a super-manly Cape Cod:

The umbrella was a nice touch, thanks!

Our adorable server. The umbrella was a nice touch, thanks!

Fab fab fab.  Thanks for taking me, FoodieBuddha! Even though you make me take pictures by myself, you’re a riot and you show me great places, so I forgive you.

The BookHouse Pub
(404) 254-1176
Ponce de Leon Place
Atlanta, GA 30306
www.thebookhousepub.com

The Bookhouse Pub on Urbanspoon

5. Face-time with 4 Gorgeous Faces. Bonus!  On my way home, I popped over to Eclipse di Luna to say a quick hello to these lovely ladies…

My friends are cu-u-u-u-ute!

My friends are cu-u-u-u-ute!

…before they danced the night away at the newly-opened Gold Room on Piedmont.

It was a fabulous little Saturday…have I mentioned I love this city?

xx, L

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Cabbagetown’s Annual Chomp + Stomp Chili Cook-Off + Festival was a blast yesterday!  Probably my favorite festival of the year, in fact.  It was so simple, too. 

All we needed was a Gorgeous Day +

+ Chili Spoons

+ Chili Spoons

+ Cups for Beer

+ Cups for Beer

Sweetwater

+ Sweetwater

Music

+ Some Tunes

+ Vendor Tents

+ Lots of Hungry Folks

IMG_5900

+ Friends in Vendor Tents

+ Interesting Chili

+ Interesting Chili

+ Incredible Chili

+ Incredible Chili

+ Scary Chili

+ Scary Chili

+ Papal Chili

+ Papal Chili?

+ Shirts to Ruin

+ Shirts to Ruin

+ Good Friends

+ Good Friends

+ Nearby Roof

+ Nearby Roof to Climb

= Chomp Stopm 2009

= Chomp + Stomp 2009

What a fun day!  (If you missed it, I strongly recommend going next year! )

P.S. Just love Cabbagetown! :)

xx, L

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It’s here! Cabbagetown’s annual Chomp and Stomp Chili Cook Off + Festival is this Saturday, November 7th. Created to celebrate both the heritage and local flavor the neighborhood as well as benefit Cabbagetown Park, Chomp and Stomp was voted by Creative Loafing as the “Best Annual Event” in 2008.cabbagetownThis legendary event is the perfect combination of a few of my favorite things: crisp fall weather, live music, chili, beer, and one of Atlanta’s most beloved funky little neighborhoods.

The chili cook off will be judged by some local celeb chefs – Kevin Rathbun (of Rathbun’s and Kevin Rathbun Steak), Shaun Doty (of Shaun’s Edgewood Social Club) and Kevin Gillespie (of Woodfire Grill who is incidentally also kicking some tail on this season’s Top Chef.)

Kevin Gillespie

Kevin Gillespie

There will be a separate contest for restaurant competitors (Fox Brothers won last year) and individual/group competitors. There is even a category for vegetarian chili! (Last year’s winner? Nathan Minor with “Nate’s Unholy Frijoles.” That is a winner for me based on the name alone.)

sweetwaterThere will also be SweetWater on tap, an art market, and live music which will pay homage to Cabbagetown’s history of “old time mountain music.” The “Park Stage” will feature traditional bluegrass and string band music and the “Conroy Amphitheatre” will be devoted to more general American music while “mixing in some blues, folk, alt-country and a little bit of rock n’ roll.”

BONUS: At 8am the 4th annual “Romp and Stomp” 5K race will take place. romp-posterBeginning at the Milltown Arts Tavern (located at 180 Carroll Street), all runners will get free admission to the festival and all proceeds go to support the Cabbagetown Park.

All of this for a mere $5 ticket (all-you-can-eat chili is $25) Can’t beat it.

The festival starts runs from 10AM-6PM and is located at Cabbagetown Park, Tye Street and Kirkwood Avenue. Go to the Chomp and Stomp website (which is VERY cool, by the way) for more information.chompandstomp

If for whatever reason you can’t make it this weekend, why don’t you try my very own Turkey Chili recipe?

Regardless of my usually sub-par culinary abilities, I make a pretty mean turkey chili, believe it or not.

Now it’s not winning any contests, but it is fairly healthy and I think it’s delicious. Oh, and easy. Can’t forget easy.

To make LK’s Not-So-Famous (but still delicious) Turkey Chili you’ll need the following:
1lb ground turkey (I go with 98% fat free)
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 can Rotel
1 can red kidney beans
1 can white corn (the little squatty can)
1 packet of chili seasoning. I usually use McCormick, but last night I used Kroger brand and it was a-ok.
1 yellow onion (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
1 green pepper (diced)
1-2 jalapeños (seeded and diced) A word to the wise: its smart if you use some rubber gloves when handling jalapeños. Especially if you are wearing contacts that need to be removed later…
Minced garlic
1 beer (or 2 or 3.  Whatever.  I’m not here to judge.)

Ok here’s whatcha do:

1. Open your beer and drink it as you prepare to cook
2. Brown the turkey meat with some minced garlic and the veggies (please do not ask me how much minced garlic. I simply employ the “dump” method.)
3. Stir in the seasoning packet
4. Dump the rest of the ingredients in (including a few pours of your beer. Feel free to open a new one.)
5. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 10 minutes
6. You can serve immediately, but it’s better the next day
7. If I am feeling fancy I will garnish it with some cheddar cheese and sliced scallions

Voila!

Voila!

xx, L

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All I did over the weekend was hunt for a Halloween costume and gorge myself on terrible/ delicious, carb-loaded food (bye bye swimsuit season...).  So naturally, it made sense to end it accordingly at Taste of Atlanta (www.tasteofatlanta.com) on Sunday afternoon in Tech Square… 

Community-HorizontalTOA

We arrived around noon 30, paid our entrance fees and casually strolled in trying to figure out how the seemingly small number of tasting tickets we purchased were going to allow us to (1) try all the food we wanted and (2) ever possibly fill us up.  After tastings at about three or four booths, we realized that these were absolutely ridiculous concerns.  We were already starting to get full…  Our strategy transitioned to trying to find all the booths we seriously wanted to taste (4th & Swift, Holeman + Finch, Top Flr, etc.), walk around enough that we would digest and get hungry again and remember to get Lindsay a Nutella + banana crepe from Cafe Intermezzo’s booth on the way out.  Fine I said it: “I love crepes!!”  We all grabbed a Yuengling and went along our merry little way…  

IMG_5585

 

Here are a few ToA 2009 Highlights:

Ritz Carlton’s Pumpkin Carving

IMG_5577

Pani Puri from Bhjoanic

IMG_5576

Cooking Lessons from 2009 Top Chef Finalist, Carla Hall

IMG_5575

Waffle House…waffles for one ticket?  Don’t mind if I do…

IMG_5571

Pumpkin Ice Cream (straight from the source) from 5 Seasons Brewing Company

IMG_5579

Lindsay’s Crepe from Cafe Intermezzo! YUM.

IMG_5588

Jon & Sarah Locate a Nap Station  (Brilliant!)

IMG_5582

T’was a beautiful day for a food coma! 

IMG_5580

If you didn’t get the chance to go this weekend, definitely plan to do so next year.  We are very lucky to have such a robust and diverse culinary scene in Atlanta - and it’s awesome to meet some of our best local chefs and walk around outside on a pretty day trying their delicious offerings.  Don’t miss it again!

Now for the gym…

xx, L

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The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Piedmont Park today was super fun – and SUPER hot.  Here are some of the highlights:

Red Bull Soapbox Race - Atlanta

Red Bull Soapbox Race - Atlanta

Finish Line

Finish Line

Make-shift grand stands

Make-shift grand stands

Christine and me

Christine and me

Beer garden

Beer garden

Christine and Robi

Christine and Robi

Piedmont Park

Piedmont Park

The Fur Bus car was our favorite - we loved the yellow banannahammocks!  It was also awesome that Project Runway Atlantan, Mychael Knight, was a judge for the race.  Such a fun afternoon – now for some AC!

xx, L

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(Who’s afraid of a little rain?  Not us!!)
This weekend, Atlanta plays host to the first Red Bull Soapbox Race in the Southeast, a national race for amateur drivers fueled by creativity and competition – but all in the name of fun. The main draw for these adrenaline addicts is speed, so it’s no surprise that the handcrafted, non-motorized cars can reach speeds of up to 40 mph. More than 200 applications were submitted, but only 50 teams were selected to line up at pit row, all hoping to cross the finish line first to claim bragging rights and prizes. The human-powered dream machines must be less than 6 feet wide and 20 feet long, no more than 7 feet high and cannot weigh more than 176 pounds. With such strict limitations, the racers just may have to sprout wings before the day’s done. (creativeloafing.com)
Go, Speed Racer!  Go!
Go, Speed Racer! Go!

Q+DD on the Red Bull Soapbox Race:

 
When:
Saturday, August 29
Pits open: 11:00 a.m
Race: 1:00 p.m.
Where:
10th Street at Piedmont Park
Best Part:
It’s FREE!
More Deets:
 
See you there!
 
xx, L
 
 

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