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This sounds like a Dali-vine event to me! 

Check it out:

Single Mingle
September 9, 2010, 6-9 p.m.
Robinson Atrium – HIGH Museum of Art

Muy Caliente!  Meet fellow singles and learn to salsa with live music + salsa lessons from the Salsambo Latin Dance & Entertainment company.  Your ticket includes one drink ticket and admission to Dalí: The Late Work.

Fine print: $20 admission ($10 for High Museum members)  Additional beverages and nibbles available for purchase.  Advance tickets recommended.  Space is limited.

Ay!  Ay!  Ay!  :)

xx, L

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It’s coming up THIS Friday, people!  Do you have your ticket(s) yet or what??

Here’s the Q+DD on The Atlanta Food Rave:

THE EVENT:  The Atlanta Food Rave is a new high-energy event that brings together an eclectic mix of Atlanta’s finest culinary talent.  Expecting an interactive night of food, fun, cocktails and live entertainment, attendees are invited to sample chef offerings and catered fare that will be placed throughout the expansive host venue, the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery.  Adding a bit of competition to the occasion, attendees are also encouraged to vote for their favorite chef of the evening, helping him/her to win The 2010 Rave Review, an award reserved for the chef that is best in show.  The evening will also feature a premium open bar with signature alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty beverages, live entertainment and a number of surprises.  The menu will be revealed upon arrival and vegetarian options will be present.  A percent of the proceeds from The Atlanta Food Rave will be donated to The Atlanta Community Food Bank.

DATE & TIME:  Friday, August 27, 2010, 7-11 p.m.
 
VENUE:  Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery  (if you haven’t been before, it’s fabulous!)
                      199 Armour Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30324

The 24,000-square-foot Mason Murer Fine Art gallery has become an art and special event destination, hosting  several exhibitions a year and showcasing a wide range of work from the Southeast and around the world.  Its  unique interior has made the gallery an in-demand venue for corporate parties, non-profit fundraisers, cultural  events and the perfect location for The Atlanta Food Rave to create a delicious evening to remember for all of its  guests. 

Check it out:  www.masonmurer.com
 
FEATURED CHEFS:  The Atlanta Food Rave will give food and cocktail lovers the opportunity to mix and mingle with an eclectic group of  Atlanta-based chefs in an informal and fun atmosphere.  With a goal to showcase some of Atlanta’s best culinary  talent, this year’s chef lineup includes:

Chef/Owner Alex Friedman of P’cheen International Bistro & Pub

 

Executive Chef Delroy Bowen of the Georgia International Convention Center

Executive Chef Keira Moritz of Pacci Ristorante and AltoRex Rooftop Lounge

Executive Chef Lance Gummere of The Shed at Glenwood

Personal Chef/ Caterer Latoya Starks of Noorish Personal Chef and Catering  

GIVING BACK:  The Atlanta Food Rave is proud to donate a portion of the proceeds from the event to The Atlanta Community Food Bank.  With a mission to fight hunger by educating, empowering, and engaging the communities of Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, The Atlanta Community Food Bank currently distributes nearly two million pounds of food and other grocery items each month to more than 700 non-profit agencies and 38 counties in the Atlanta area.  Visit www.acfb.org for more information.

TICKETS:  Tickets are on sale now and are $55 per person for ages 21 and up.  Tickets are available at www.atlantafoodrave.com and 404-856-0157.  Tickets will not be sold at the door.    

PARKING:  Complimentary valet parking will be available.

FOR MORE INFO:  Visit www.atlantafoodrave.com or e-mail info@atlantafoodrave.com                  

We’ll see you there!  :)

xx, L

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Slick + I had friends in from New York and Austin this weekend, and we decided to spend a rainy Friday night w/ everyone at RiRa Irish Pub in Midtown.

leibs + sunshine

V

V + laur

rira irish pub

I hadn’t been to RiRa in a while, and it was bumpin’.  We had a really great time + loved the live band!

The best part of the night?  I met the Captain!!


And so did Sarah…  :)


Also BIG:  RiRa now has late nite Irish eats available by the front door to grab before that long cab ride home.

we had the cheese + onion chips. rexy, i know.

Don’t forget about RiRa when you are making your weekend plans.  There’s nothing quite like partying like the Irish! 

xx, L

RiRa Irish Pub
1080 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.477.1700
www.rira.com

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I have too many coupons in my purse.  I’m very quickly turning into my mother.  (Love you, mom, but still.)  So, I’ve made a promise to myself to stop hoarding coupons, Living Socials, Groupons, Scoutmobs and the like, and use/shed at least one a week.  This week, I used my Groupon for Tierra.  (NOT to be confused with Terra Grille, Mr. Shap…)

I drive by Tierra every workday on my way home.  However, in the 6+ years I’ve lived in Atlanta, I’ve only been there once about five years ago.  Tuesday night was my second time.  (The suspense builds…)  :)

Here’s the Q+DD on Tierra:  Tierra is a Latin American + Caribbean bistro featuring cuisines of South + Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico.  Tierra is the first and only authentic restaurant of its kind in Atlanta.  It has received high ratings from Zagat, which listed it among its “Top Restaurants in America.”  Tierra has consistently been included in the AJC’s “Top Fifty Restaurants” and has been on Atlanta Magazine’s ”Best of Atlanta” list every year since it opened.  Tierra’s recipes have been featured in Bob Appetit, Flavors and Atlanta Magazine.

So, there’s some hype.

The restaurant itself is teeny-tiny (only a few tables), but very cozy.  When we arrived, I’d forgotten how small it actually was.  We sat down, ordered some Malbec and started to make some dinner decisions.  Stacey and I relied heavily on the ingredient cheat sheets on the table to decode the menu, which I thought was actually kinda fun.  It’s the little things, people…  The boys started with the black bean soup w/ apple cured bacon, platanos fritos + creme fraiche.  It smelled delicious.

I wanted small plates for dinner, so I opted for the mussels in pasilla pepper broth w/ corn, jicama + cilantro (which was featured in Bon Appetit)…

tierra's famous mussels

…and the pionono – platanos filled with beef picadillo.

pionono

I have to be honest.  The mussels tasted kind of bland to me, but I LOVED the pionono.  The flavor + texture was absolutely superb.  Stac ordered a caesar salad + chilled cucumber soup, and the boys both chose the shrimp sauteed w/ garlic-lime sauce + served with coconut rice + kale as their entrees.  They ended up with spotless plates.

We decided to order dessert, and allowed our server to talk us into the tres leches cake.  She informed us that it was award-winning, but honestly, it didn’t look like much at all when it was delivered to our table.  It didn’t have to – it TASTED like heaven.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was literally gone in a flash.   We honestly debated getting another piece.  At one point, Stuart said that this was the most amazing dessert he’d ever eaten.  And you can quote him…

tres leches cake

All in all, I thought Tierra was good + I’m glad I went, but I wasn’t obsessed with it.  It was a bit too small for me, maybe a little too quiet, and frankly I was disappointed in the mussels.  I will, however, be back for the tres leches cake.  (I’ve been thinking about it ever since we devoured it.)

Tierra is a well-respected restaurant that has received a number of accolades – they are clearly doing something right.  Just because it wasn’t necessarily for me, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying.  Give it a shot – who knows, it could end up being your favorite restaurant.  And when you do, order the second piece of cake. 

xx, L

Tierra Restaurant
1425 Piedmont Ave NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.874.5951
www.tierrarestaurant.com

Tierra on Urbanspoon

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So, rumor has it that Empire State South is finally going to open in my building (999 Peachtree) sometime around the end of this month!

As a reminder from my previous post about Empire State South, ESS is a community restaurant focusing on southern food - meat + three-style w/ a coffee shop, bar, bocce ball court + a selection of great Bourbons.  Not only is it super exciting for us to finally get a restaurant in my building, but ESS is brought to us by James Beard award-winning chef, Hugh Acheson, of Five & Ten in Athens.  Love 5&10.  Love.

Mr. Acheson, himself.

I’m really excited, so I harnessed my inner-Inspector Gadget + did a little detective work today.  It’s not the greatest photo ever taken, but if you look REALLY closely, you can see people building + constructing things inside of the ESS space…which is great b/c it’s been sitting empty for the past six months.

Well, maybe you just can kinda see a ladder…  Whatever.  Things are HAPPENING + that’s all that matters!  (Just take my word for it.)

And, that’s the bocce court they built outside of the restaurant for patrons to hang out + chill around while they wait for a table.  No ball yet, but soon!  Uch, I can’t wait to happy hour there!

The sign is up at least!  THIS is going to be great!  I’ll keep y’all posted re. progress.  Promise.  :)

xx, L

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Slick and I just got back from lunch at Highland Bakery – Midtown w/ the Benators.  Y’all just HAVE to see this incredible B+D+A…

(before)

(during)

(after)

AHHH!  I couldn’t believe he finished it!!  I’ve known Ryan B for quite a while, but I’ve never had more respect for him than I do now after watching him down that enormous helping of  peanut butter french toast.  Fact.

In case you were wondering…

HIGHLAND BAKERY’S PEANUT BUTTER FRENCH TOAST:  challah bread filled with peanut butter, dipped in batter, encrusted with bran flakes + topped with caramelized bananas = A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!  It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted.

I heart Highland Bakery so much!  Welcome (again) to Midtown!

xx, L

Highland Bakery – Midtown
1180 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.586.0772
http://www.highlandbakery.com/

Highland Bakery on Urbanspoon

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I’ve been doing a LOT of eating out lately and not enough writing (or working out for that matter…) I’ve hit up quite a few new (or new to me) restos that are definitely worth mentioning.   In light of the fact that this is a blog and not a novelhere are 2 for now:

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 upCan’t wait to go back!

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

NEXT:

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 cocktailsvery 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 debtThe 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
Miller Union on Urbanspoon

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

xx, L

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I broke one of my cardinal rules last night and went grocery shopping after my Body Works class at L.A. Fitness Atlantic Station where I diligently worked up a v. serious appetite for dinner.  (Rule #84: NEVER grocery shop while hungry.)  Oh well, at least I went to Trader Joe’s, and not Taco Bell…

In retrospect, I feel like I did pretty well for having extremely hunger-impaired judgement in the TJ’s aisles.  I wasn’t thrilled with my decision to pick up a loaf of freshly-baked raisin walnut bread or TJ’s rice pudding (insert Adam Lambert’s ballad “What Do You Want From Me?!”)…

trust me - shopping while hungry can be a recipe for disaster...

but I DID end up with some healthy staples: flattened bananas, hearty trail mix, frozen shrimp and organic blueberries.  My three most impressive items, however, seem pretty unhealthy, but actually aren’t that bad when you really look at the nutritional breakdown:

Trader Joe’s Fat Free Crumbled Feta (recently featured in the AJC)

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1 oz
Calories: 35 g
Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 1 g
Sodium: 260 mg
Protein: 7 g

Trader Joe’s Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1/8 container, 2 Tbsp
Calories: 45 g
Fat: 3 g
Carbs: 2 g
Sodium: 170 mg
Protein: 6 g

Trader Joe’s Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips

hi, i'm blurry.

Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 10 oz, 7 chips
Calories: 130 g
Fat: 8 g
Carbs: 13 g
Sodium: 50 mg
Protein: 6 g

Not too terrible, huh?  The items that took the cake, though, were definitely THESE guys:

love

love even more!

Moral of the story:  It’s always smart to follow my Rule #84 (just here to help, y’all!) and avoid the grocery when you’re feeling hunger pains, but if you absolutely HAVE to go  – go to Trader Joe’s.  The healthy nutritional content of your seemingly-bad-for-you-thrown-into-the-cart-in-a-hunger-rage loot just may surprise you!  :)

xx, L

Trader Joe’s – Midtown
931 Monroe Dr. NE  30308
404.815.9210
www.traderjoes.com

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Big news, y’all:  On our way out of town this weekend, Slick + I were driving down 14th Street and almost got into a wreck when we spotted the new Highland Bakery location at 14th Street + Crescent! 
(Thanks for reminding me, JenBen!)  Never been to Highland Bakery before?  You may know the shop’s work from such mouthwatering goodness as:

red velvet cupcakes

peanut butter french toast

turkey sausage + egg + cheese on a croissant

peanut butter + chocolate cupcakes

mini cinnamon rolls

Highland Bakery’s Old Fourth Ward location on Highland Ave. is consistently delicious – and always packed.  So predictably packed that I’ve started completely avoiding it on Saturday and Sunday mornings for brunch…  However, my carb-craving prayers have been answered with Highland Bakery’s new Midtown location, which officially opened last week.  Food blogs were listing the opening date as “the last quarter of the year,” but I called the OFW location this morning to confirm that I did, in fact, see people eating in there on Friday.  And, I did.

Visit Highland Bakery – Midtown in the 1180 Peachtree Building around the corner from TAP, where TROIS used to reside.  And, please, do yourself a favor and go ahead and order that cupcake.  It’s worth it.  :)

P.S. All you Midtown suits:  H. Bakery is great for a quick workday lunch, too!

xx, L

Highland Bakery – Midtown
1180 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.586.0772
http://www.highlandbakery.com/

Highland Bakery on Urbanspoon

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Last night, I threw an event at the HIGH Museum of Art + Table 1280.  It’s an annual event that is always relatively well attended, but this year we used every single ticket NOT because there is an exciting exhibit at the HIGH right now – there’s not (cars are gone + Dali arrives mid-August) – but rather because the chef at Table 1280, Tracey Bloom, recently represented Atlanta on Top Chef  Season 7.

T. Bloom

Out of the four years I’ve thrown this event, I’ve never seen Table 1280 as packed as it was last night.  Way to go, Tracey!  We had cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the bar area, which I think is just perfect for a smaller event, and then headed back to my personal favorite room at Table 1280 (the one to the left of the entrance) for a seated dinner.

table 1280

Simply, dinner was delicious.  We had a large group of people, and the folks at my end of the table ordered some pretty yummy starters to share, of which this one was my favorite:

Serrano Ham, Manchego, Piquillo Pepper, Arugula, Breadstick  (loved!)

I also had a bite of a brisket slider and someone’s organic salad – and both were great, too.  For dinner, most of the table ordered one of three items: the wild salmon (which came very highly recommended from our fabulous server, Lynn), the pork chop and the ribeye.   Everyone raved about all three!  I knew that my salmon was very tasty, but I was floored that there was such a strong positive consensus about the food from this very opinionated group of mine.  To finish off the dinner, I had the lemon panna cotta with Georgia blueberries.  It. was. heavenly.

What was the best part of the evening you ask?  Well, let me think…meeting Tracey Bloom was kind of awesome!

!!!!!

We found her to be very personable, and we got a kick out of her Top Chef stories.  It was particularly interesting to hear about the filming of the show, as well as some tidbits regarding producer-created drama among the contestants.  Although Tracey will not reign as season 7’s “top chef,” she is doing some pretty stellar things at Table 1280.  No longer will I consider this restaurant merely a pre-HIGH Museum destination.

P.S. If you throw an event at Table 1280, make sure that you order the miniature quesadilla with chorizo and manchego + the truffle chix salad on a crostini as hors d’oeuvres.  They are really, REALLY addictive!

xx, L

Table 1280
1280 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.897.1280
www.table1280.com

Table 1280 on Urbanspoon

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This is a pretty sweet deal, y’all.  Park 75 is delish!  Such a great place to escape the heat/ see + (most importantly) be seen this summer.  And, seriously, is there really a need to eat anywhere these days w/o some sort of deal, coupon or discount?  I think not…

(P.S.  Aren’t I getting so much better w/ my flyer-posting skillz?  Baby steps…baby steps…  Thanks, LK!)  :)

xx, L

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Greg and I are going to see Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute tomorrow night at the Alliance Hertz stage and I am excited because:

1. I love Neil LaBute. I just do.  I fell in love with his writing in college when, in a particularly great scene study class, I was given a part from The Shape of Things.  Love his writing, love his exploration of our society’s idiosyncrasies, love his humor, love his dark side, love it all.

2. The name of the theatre company is great:   Pinch n’ Ouch. I think it’s funny and cute all on it’s own, but, as a student of the Meisner acting technique, which calls for organic reactions to imaginary circumstances, I think the name is brilliant.

3. I have a really cute date :)

4. I always feel so proud of Atlanta when I visit the Woodruff Arts Center

5.  Tomorrow is closing night!  Get tickets here.

xx, L

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