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New(ish) and Noteworthy

08/02/2010 in Baby Chic, Cocktails, Downtown, Midtown, Westside, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 1 comment

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 novel…here 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 up.  Can’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 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
Miller Union on Urbanspoon

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

xx, L

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Re. the weekend.

07/12/2010 in Random Musings, Westside, What we're Doing, What we're Watching, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | No comments

As anticipated, my little bro and I had an exhaustingly amazing weekend!  :)

We checked off almost everything on his Bucket List, with the exception of a visit to The Varsity, which we both decided was just not possible this trip (him) or ever (me).  We did, however, visit some of my favorites – which are now some of his:  Holeman + Finch, Bakeshop, Antico Pizzeria, Pancho’s, Rosebud and Ormsby’s.  The poor kid had never been to a Trader Joe’s, either!  We scheduled in a special trip to show him what Texas is missing… 

After we got back from Lake Burton on Saturday, we met some folks at Antico and then hit up Midtown Art Cinema to see Cyrus w/ Slick + the Barocai.  Michael and I thought it was really well done – very smart + funny.  (Know before you go:  Cyrus is a SXSW + Sundance film – so the humor is a bit different from the other movies in Jonah Hill’s catalog.)

Here’s the Q+DD on Cyrus:

Cyrus is a comedy drama film written and directed by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, and starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener.  The main character, John, is seven years divorced from his wife and is having trouble adjusting to his new life.  After meeting Molly at a party, he thinks that maybe he has found the perfect person again.  There’s just one problem: Cyrus, Molly’s grown son.  John must find a way to make his romance with Molly work despite intentional and unintentional interference by Cyrus.  The film has received generally positive reviews.  Review aggregate, Rotten Tomatoes, reports that 80% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 69 reviews, with an average score of 6.7/10.  The critical consensus is: “While it may strike some viewers as slight, Cyrus is a successful hybrid of mainstream production values and the mumblecore ideals of directors Jay and Mark Duplass.  (www.wikipedia.com)

Catch it @ Midtown Art:  http://tiny.cc/hialo

I’d also like to mention that we destroyed Ormsby’s maple cotton candy on Sunday.  It was one of the few things on the menu that I hadn’t tried before.  We had some serious yumz on our hands – and it was only $3!

In a flash, it was gone…

It was super fun to eat + a perfect treat for the end of the World Cup!  Viva Espana!

Also in other Ormsby’s news, the owner told Slick + Michael that they are in the process of building a ping pong (beer pong?) room downstairs.  AND, there’s a new bathroom downstairs, too.  Thank you for being so incredible, Ormsby’s!  I’m really likin’ what you’re doin’.

Miss you already, MR.  Come back to visit again soon!  (I promise to at least consider a Varsity run…)

xx, L

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Nail in the Coffin.

06/29/2010 in Westside, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 4 comments

I am officially over burgers. 

I’ve eaten a pretty impressive amount of red meat since this whole burger boutique trend started when Flip Burger opened, and frankly I’m done. 

I know where to find my three favorite burgers in town: Bocado, Holeman + Finch and Farmburger.  I’ve tried the best, and I really don’t need to try anything else.  Burgers are so over.  SHOW ME SOMETHING NEW FOR THE LOVE OF LADY GAGA!!

How did the nail finally get hammered into the velvet-lined coffin of my burger boutique experiences?  Simply, I visited Yeah! Burger, Shaun Doty’s newest venture, on Friday.

@ yeah! burger...

My friends, Nick + Todd, were in town from Kentucky, and we met for lunch on Friday afternoon with a colleague friend of ours from work.  I insisted on trying Yeah! Burger, and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.  So, we all drove to Howell Mill, parked in the White Provisions parking deck and stood in an insanely long line (approx. 30 minutes) to order what turned out to be pretty mediocre food. 

To me, the line was long not because there were a ton of people there hoping to try out the new restaurant (which there actually were), but rather because they only had ONE person taking everyone’s orders at the register.  Should have thought that one through, Mr. Doty.  It’s a workday, we are in suits and it’s 95 degrees outside!!  Doesn’t make for happy customers, does it?  Moving on…

The menu was simple and straightforward, which I appreciate, encouraging you to customize your burg w/ your preference of patty, bun, toppings and sauce.  Yeah! has a number of organic, gluten-free and farm fresh items on their menu: gluten-free white buns + french fries, organic chopped/ sliced or grilled Vidalia onions, cage-free fried eggs, nitrate-free bacon, organic Muir Glen ketchup, etc. 

Everyone I was with ordered simple beef burgers and fries.  Jen’s is pictured above.  I ordered the bison burger w/ pimento cheese, whole wheat bun, lettuce, dill pickles and honey mustard – which is pictured below.

Todd got the fried pickles, and although he didn’t finish them, he said that they were quite good – which led us into a discussion about how anything fried tastes “quite good.”  We were hard-pressed to brainstorm what would not taste good fried.

The consensus was soap.

So listen, I ate everything, but I wasn’t impressed.  The burger was blah – the pimento cheese, especially, did not taste housemade.  It was runny.  The fries, usually the item to draw me in, were kind of a let down, too.  I appreciate the farm-friendliness of the restaurant, but it seemed a little contrived when I found myself flipping through the brochure of the farm that supplies the restaurant, which was displayed for our reading pleasure while we were waiting in the horrendously long line to order.

That being said, here are five reasons why you might want to try Yeah! Burger:

1 – You are gluten-intolerant.  They have a lot of gluten-free options for you here - more so than I’ve seen at other restaurants in Atlanta.

2 – You want a burger on a Sunday afternoon, but don’t want to drive to Decatur to hit up Farmburger.  Holeman + Finch burgers aren’t available on Sundays after 3:00 p.m., and Bocado isn’t open.  If Decatur is too far for you to travel for burger bliss, Yeah! Burger is conveniently located on Howell Mill + 14th Street.

3 – You have two hours to eat lunch during the week OR just enjoy waiting in really, really long lines…  (No, clearly I am not over it.)

4 – You want to try one of their Concretes: Vanilla soft-serve ice cream blended at high speed with your favorite mix-ins – hot fudge, cookies + cream, peanut butter cups, chopped peanuts, peanut brittle, Heath candy bar, chocolate almond bark or chocolate espresso beans.  Sounds like a fancy McFlurry - yummmmmmm!  FYI: They start at $6.00.

5 – Howell Mill is happening.  WESTSIDE!

I really don’t want to detract readers from this restaurant merely because I’m so over the whole burger thing, but I just had to say that the burgs @ Yeah! were far from the best I’ve had in Atlanta – and I will never willingly stand in that long line again.

Bye, bye burgers – it’s time to go…

xx, L

Yeah! Burger
1168 Howell Mill Road, Suite E
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.496.4393
www.yeahburger.com

Yeah! Burger on Urbanspoon

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OMG…SKEEBALL.

06/25/2010 in Random Musings, Sports, Westside, What we're Doing by Lindsay | 5 comments

ORMSBY’S!  I love you so much!  How is it possible that you keep getting better + BETTER every time I go?!

I threw a bocce ball event last night at Ormsby’s, one of my favorite Atlanta hangouts.  Much to my surprise, they’ve recently beefed up their downstairs games w/ two skeeball machines!  So much FUN!  I was more than a little happy to show everyone how much of a skeeballer I happen to be after years and years of practice at North Dallas’ finest Chuck E. Cheese’s. 

Please witness my fierce skeeball stance.  Just look at that form!

My high score:

total skeeBALLER.

What a blast!  I just HAD to call in LK as skeeball-backup.  (She was pretty darn good, too!) 

exhibit a

exhibit b

She even hit the 10,000!  There is a very, very slight chance that I might end up at Ormsby’s again this evening after our Q+DD Happy Hour at the W Buckhead, and if I do – clear the way, people.  I’m on a serious mission to break 30,000…

xx, L

Ormsby’s
1170 Howell Mill Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.968.2033
http://www.ormsbysatlanta.com/

Ormsby's on Urbanspoon

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This little piggy went to the farmstand…

06/17/2010 in Health, Tricks of the Trade, Westside, Where we're Eating, Where we're Shopping by Lindsay | No comments

Slick and I have been spending more time now than ever in the Westside Provisions District.  While strolling around the area one afternoon + waiting on our sandwich orders at Star Provisions, I walked out to the front of the complex and was surprised to see a quaint, little farmstand in front of the building.

Is this cute or what?  I didn’t realize that it was there!  So unexpected in such an industrial area.

Here’s the Q+DD on The Local Farmstand:

The Local Farmstand at the Westside Urban Market is the joint effort of two local farmers: Nicolas Donck of Crystal Organic Farm and Joe Reynolds of Love is Love Farm.  The Local Farmstand offers delicious, healthy produce from both farms, as well a selection from other trusted local farmers, including Jenny Jack Sun Farm, Double B, Evie’s Country Garden, Walker Farms, Featherwise Farm and Riverview Farm.  The knowledgeable staff can assist with your selection, and even help you plan the preparation.  TLF strives to provide the finest variety from trustworthy sources, as well as relevant information about our products and happenings around the Atlanta foodshed.

The Local Farmstand is more than a reliable, convenient and trustworthy produce stand, it’s a community touchstone – a place where you can become a part of Atlanta’s growing local food movement.

farm fresh veggies

cucumbers

peaches

Everything looked incredibly fresh and delicious.  :)

Later that day, I went home and did some online research on The Local Farmstand.  What a great idea!  What aren’t there more of these?  My favorite part of the stand’s website is their “In Season” page: http://snipurl.com/xi5yc.  Eating local means eating seasonal, and this chart gives you an idea of what to look out for at the farmstand each month. 

The Local Farmstand is open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Love!

xx, L

The Local Farmstand
1198 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.423.8639
www.thelocalfarmstand.com

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Bean to Bar

06/17/2010 in Chocolate, Gifts, Westside, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 3 comments

Farm to table?  Psssht, old news! Now, I’m all about Bean to Bar! The other day, whilst lunching at Star Provisions, Julie, Dana, and I were lucky enough to stumble upon an Olive + Sinclair CHOCOLATE tasting!


Ok, here’s the Q+DD on Olive and Sinclair: O+S is a “bean-to-bar” chocolate maker based in Nashville, TN. Per their blog, “our Chocolate is made with select single origin cacao beans, slow roasted, stone ground with only Pure brown sugar for a robust flavor unique to Southern Artisan Chocolate™”

Scott Witherow, the “Founder – Owner – Maker” at Olive and Sinclair was there handing out bites of his seriously delicious and VERY unique chocolates

I tasted the Sea Salt, the Coffee Bean and the Salt and Pepper and while each one was better than the last…(and while Julie and Dana couldn’t get over the Salt and Pepper) my FAVORITE definitely the Cinnamon Chili (“Mexican style”) chocolate.  I am begging you to run over to Star Provisions and try this chocolate.  It blew. my. mind.  Fact.

Listen, there is just no way to describe how good this stuff is, but I can tell you that each of us left with a bag FULL of bars of all varieties.   Not only are they outrageously amazing but they are dressed really well, too !  Witness:

They make really cool and memorable gifts! Julie doled them out as host and hostess presents and I’m bringing a stack of them tied with a simple piece of twine home with me (along with a bottle of Square One vodka) to Birmingham this weekend to give to DK for Father’s day…I know Pops will be THRILLED.  (Not to worry: My dad reads this blog quarterly- I’m not giving anything away!)

Plus, I LOVE that it’s a southern product made by nice, down-to-earth folks. Scott couldn’t have been sweeter (pun intended) or more gracious and, well, you know how I feel about things named Olive!

(even though we had her boyfriend Oscar in tow instead that day!)

Go, give them a whirl, then become a fan on Facebook by clicking HERE, follow them on Twitter – @OliveSinclair, and check out their blog by clicking here and enjoy!

DOUBLE DANG!

xx, L

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You Little Devil…

06/15/2010 in Westside, What we're Cooking, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 6 comments

Believe it or not, I had my first deviled egg yesterday.

(I know…I know…where was I raised?  The country?  A barn?)  I guess maybe if that was the case, I would have already had my fill of deviled eggs…  I tried them for the first time during lunch yesterday with colleagues at Bocado.  And, I thought that they were soooooooo delicious!  (Seriously, why have I not tried these until now??)

deviled eggs @ bocado

The DEs at Bocado had very fluffy + creamy + flavorful yokes.  When I called Slick to tell him that I had just tried my very first one and loved it, he told me that he personally prefers them when they aren’t so fluffy + creamy.  Whatever.  These babies tasted loaded up with mayo (which I loved!) - and I wanted MORE!  So much so, in fact, that I looked up DE recipes all night.

This one was my favorite: http://snipurl.com/xg0z1

I also really liked these two…

Sun-Dried Tomato + Chive Deviled Eggs: http://snipurl.com/xg10b

Bacon Horseradish Deviled Eggs: http://snipurl.com/xg11b

Yummmmmmm!!  :)

inside bocado

Also worth mentioning: On the Blissful Glutton’s advice, I tried the Bocado hamburger + french fries for my lunch entree.  They were both were absolutely amazing!!  The hamburger was very similar to H+F’s mouthwatering 10:00 p.m. burger w/ its mixture of meats + double patties…but the fries!  OH, THE FRIES!  They were particularly incredible!  Not too greasy + tasted like soft baby potatoes.  (It was v. hard for me to share a bowl of them with my colleagues.)  Extremely hard. 

bocado burg

Thanks, BG for the excellent recommendation! 

I will definitely be back at Bocado soon for more deviled eggs, burgs – and to test out their creative tapas list!

xx, L

Bocado
887 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.704.5850
www.bocadoatlanta.com

Bocado on Urbanspoon

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Urban Pl8: What I 8.

05/27/2010 in Pampered Pooches, Westside, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 3 comments

After a night of fiercely competitive Jenga at Ormsby’s on Saturday…

(That's my sister's game-face)

…Sunday morning Greg and I decided to revisit the general scene of the crime for sustenance: back to the Westside for brunch at Urban Pl8.

Well, that and because we had both a Scoutmob AND a Groupon for Urban Pl8. (For the record: we had been dying to go there anyway.  I am seriously TRYING not to let SM and Groupon dictate all my activities but it’s just becoming so darn hard not to!  Especially with the iPhone apps!)

Anyway, after calling to see if Urban Pl8 is dog-friendly…

(they are!)

…we made our way over to the decorator district. Now, you should know that Urban Pl8 is all the way down Huff Road in a bit of a random location.

Luckily, we knew where it was because we had both, on separate occasions, tried (unsuccessfully) to dine at Urban Pl8 during their afternoon siesta (please note somewhat funky hours of operation below.)

Here’s the Q+DD: Urban Pl8 was opened last July by chef and owner Betsy Pitts, former sous chef at Bacchanalia and Floataway Café.  Betsy aimed to create a restaurant that focused on “high quality, affordable food in a casual, cool, friendly atmosphere…an everyday kind of place with exceptional food and service.” She says, “It’s about local, sustainable products, healthier options, and affordability.”

I REALLY enjoyed my brunch.   After we checked in on Four Square,

Greg ordered a bloody mary

I snapped a photo just in case you forgot what a bloody mary looks like. Ta dah!

I opted for a Greyhound.  (I forgot about Greyhounds!   Vodka + grapefruit  = perfect brunch cocktail!)  They also offer “bottomless” mimosas for $10 and “bottomless” bloody marys for $15.  Hello!

Our food was delish. Greg had the grilled chicken pesto omelet:

made with 3 farm eggs, goat cheese, roasted red peppers and pesto

Which was served with a whole wheat English muffin and creamy polenta. Not grits. (in case you thought they were secretly the same thing…a la Superman/Clark Kent…: Polenta = yellow cornmeal.  Grits = hominy. Thanks, TK!)

I had the veggie burger

made with pinto beans, jalapeños, shitake, roasted corn, and cilantro topped with mixed greens, spicy tomato salsa, and spicy sour cream

I don’t know if the consistency would be for everyone – but I liked my v. burg a LOT. It was served with a fresh little green salad with golden raisins and sunflower seeds and I thought it was perfect.

We also split a slice of the peanut butter French toast which was To. Die. For.

I took this pic with my glorious iPhone to send to TK to make him jealous...it worked.

I don’t really have words for this.  I just think you should try it.  And bring me with you. Please.

There were a lot of things on the menu that I’d like to try, plus, the menu changes almost daily – I am excited to go back for any meal!

Also worth mentioning: the crowd was really cool.  Funky little hipsters brooding over coffee, a table full of mimosa-swilling girlfriends, cute couples of all varieties, post-church patrons, solo brunch diners– it was a nice little slice of Atlanta life there at Urban Pl8 that day.

"Europe? I know that place."

Plus, I loved that the patio served as a patch of green among all the surrounding buildings. Sort of a little urban garden.  All-in-all, it was a lovely brunch – a gr8 way to start the day! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

xx, L

Urban PL8
1082 Huff Road, Atlanta, GA 30318
404-367-0312
Hours:
Lunch – Tuesday – Friday 11-2:30
Brunch – Saturday + Sunday 11-3
Dinner – Wednesday – Saturday 6:30 – 9:30

Urban pL8 on Urbanspoon

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Putting on Our Fancy Pants

04/08/2010 in Buckhead, Guilty Pleasures, Hotels, Midtown, Spa, Westside, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 7 comments

Slick and I just had our one year anniversary, and we celebrated it in style.  :)

we are wearing fancy pants

On the actual day of our anniversary, we had an amazing dinner at Bacchanalia.  I love the Star Provisions restaurants, of which Bacchanalia is my favorite.  In fact, it is my favorite restaurant in Atlanta.  And, you can quote me.

are you my mother?

Dinner at Bacchanalia is an incredibly fancy meal, but somehow it feels laid back.  It’s white tablecloth, but jackets are not necessary in the restaurant – in fact the folks sitting next to us were wearing jeans.  The service and food are both incomparable in Atlanta in my humble opinion. 

bacchanalia

Quinones, Bacchanalia’s private room, is an outstanding meal, but the restaurant and the overall dining experience felt a tad geriatric to me when I had the honor of eating there a few years ago.  Personally, I prefer the youthful energy at Bacchanalia.  Without further adieu, here’s what we ate…

Cocktails:
Predictably, I ordered a vodka Gimlet (Would have gotten an Aviation, but they said they didn’t have maraschino cherry liquor…)  Slick got a filthy martini.

Appetizers:
Gulf Crab Fritter, Citrus, Thai Pepper Essence
Wine Pairing: Riesling, Waterbrook, Columbia Valley 2001

Kumamoto Oysters
Compressed Cucumber, Caviar
Wine Paring: Champagne, Piper Heidsieck, Cuvee 1785, Reims, France

Entrees:
Local Berkshire Pork Loin, Crispy Belly, Anson Mills White Grits, Fresh Andouille Sausage, Summerland Farm Greens, Pot Likker Jus
Wine Paring: Pinot Nior, Archery Summit, Premier Cuvee, Williamette Valley 2007

Wood Grilled Lamb Loin Chops, Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans, Fiddlehead Ferns, Pickled Onions
Wine Paring: Merlot, Chateau Preuillac, Bordeaux 2005

Cheese + Compliment:
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, Medjool Dates

Chantal, Jumbo California Asparagus, Soft Farm Egg, Bread Crumbs Chervil

Desserts:
Orange Souffle, Tarragon Custard, Pistachio Florentine

Valrhona Chocolate Cake w/ Mint Ice Cream

anniversary dinner @ bacchanalia

The meal was so wonderful.  In between each of the prix fixe courses, the chef sent out a little intermezzo course.  So needless to say, when we left the restaurant we were stuffed beyond belief.  It was a super special evening. 

thank you, BY!

To make it even more memorable, Slick, who knows by now that I’d much rather have an “experience” gift over a “material” gift, surprised me and told me that we were going to continue the celebration over the weekend at my favorite hotel in town, the gorgeous St. Regis!  To say that I was very excited would be a gross understatement…

We’d stayed at the St. Regis in September for the Shapiro’s wedding and I fell deeply in love with it. 

@ the st. regis for the shapiro wedding in september

The rooms are gorgeous and everything is incredibly luxurious about it - but my heart truly belongs to the beautiful pool piazza.

st. regis pool piazza

Slick was on a roll.  On Saturday, we checked into the hotel and when I went up to the room it was filled with surprise goodies for me.  Pirate’s Booty, a nice bottle of wine, gorgeous flowers, champagne, truffles + strawberries…Slick had been very sneaky planning all of this! 

waiting for us in our room

starting off the weekend just right

We threw some champagne into our OJ and almost immediately made a B line for the pool.  We spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon poolside enjoying the gorgeous weather. 

@ the st. regis pool

Later that evening, we had dinner at Lobster Bar – which is walking distance from the St. Regis.  It was my first time at the restaurant and I really enjoyed my meal. 

We had an enormous amount of food from the prix fixe lobster menu.  I mean, there was probably enough food to feed four people – and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t make a serious dent in it. 

lobster bar

As much as I enjoyed stuffing myself with lobster, I have to say that the desserts were the highlight of the meal for me.  We had the bread pudding, the toffee cake and the creme brulee.  (Don’t judge…)  They were all divine.

desserts @ lobster bar

Unfortunately, though, I think I may have recently developed a lobster allergy.  For the third time after a lobster-heavy meal (not sure why it’s taken me this long to admit it), I got pretty violently ill.  I still thought the meal was great, though!  However, I’m officially OFF of lobster…

@ lobster bar prior to my face-in-toilet episode :(

On Sunday, we ordered brunch into our room and watched Nat Geo to our hearts content.  Mid-morning, we made our way downstairs for a couples massage at the St. Regis’ spa, Remede.  I’ve been to spas all over Atlanta, Blue Med Spa is my favorite, but the massage I had at Remede was the best I’ve ever had in my life.  I’m not exaggerating.  If you are in the mood for a super luxurious spa day, I strongly recommend Remede.  It was as close to heaven as I’ve ever been.

paradise

Slick had to leave shortly thereafter to play golf with some buddies, but I wasn’t ready to leave quite yet.  Instead, I parked myself at the pool for the following four hours or so. 

exactly how i spent the remainder of my time @ the st. regis pool...

Pretty much, it was the greatest weekend ever.

i'm a v. lucky girl, indeed

Happy one year anniversary, Slick!  Thank you for such an amazing celebration! 

xx, L

Bacchanalia
1198 Howell Mill Road NW
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.365.0410
www.starprovisions.com

Bacchanalia on Urbanspoon


Lobster Bar
70 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.262.2675
www.chopslobsterbar.com

Lobster Bar on Urbanspoon


St. Regis Atlanta
88 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.563.7900
http://bit.ly/KZyph

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Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me?

02/13/2010 in Midtown, Westside, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 6 comments

I tried boiled peanuts for the first time @ Ormsby’s last night!

(I’m still trying hard to become a fixture there.)

boiledpeanutsimagecopyrighted1

yum!

The texture was sorta weird, but I really liked them!  How did I not know about these before?

Also, Ormsby’s is the perfect place to spend a snowy winter night!  That’s all.   :)

xx, L

Ormsby’s
1170 Howell Mill Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.968.2033
http://www.ormsbysatlanta.com/

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All The Rage…

02/04/2010 in Athens, Sports, Westside, What we're Doing by Lindsay | 10 comments

Bocce ball is so hot right now.  All the cool kids are playing it.

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Leon’s has a court, Ormsby’s put theirs inside and now a construction crew is ripping up the outside of the 999 Peachtree building preparing for the new Hugh Acheson restaurant, Empire State South’s, court.  (He’s the chef I love from Five & Ten in Athens!)  Friends, it is time to become an expert on bocce ball.

Bocce Ball

Bocce Balls

Here’s the Q+DD on Bocce Ball:

Bocce is a precision sport belonging to the boules sport family, closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire.  Developed into its present form in Italy, it is played around Europe and also in overseas areas that have received Italian migrants, including Australia, North America and South America, initially amongst the migrants themselves but slowly becoming more popular with their descendants and the wider community.  The sport is also popular in the former Yugoslavian countries of Slovenia, Croatia (predominantly in the coastal regions), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.  Bocce ball is traditionally played on natural soil or asphalt courts approximately 20 to 27 meters in length and 2.5 to 4 meters wide, sometimes with wooden boards of approximately 15 centimeters in height surrounding the court.  Bocce balls can be made of metal or various kinds of plastic.  Unlike lawn bowls, bocce balls are spherical and have no inbuilt bias.  (www.wikipedia.com)

Court @ Ormsby's

Court @ Ormsby's

Now that you know what it is, here’s how you play it:

A game can be conducted between two players, or two teams of two, three or four.  A match is started by a randomly chosen side being given the opportunity to throw a smaller ball, the jack (called a pallino or a boccino in some areas), from one end of the court into a zone about 5 meters in length, ending 2 meters from the far end of the court.  If they miss twice, the other team is awarded the opportunity to place the jack anywhere they choose within the prescribed zone.  The side that first attempted to place the jack is given the opportunity to bowl first.  Once the first bowl has taken place, the other side has the opportunity to bowl.  From then on, the side which does not have the ball closest to the jack has a chance to bowl, up until one side or the other has used their four balls.  At that point, the other side bowls its remaining bocce balls.  The team with the closest bocce ball to the jack is the only team that can score points in any frame.  The scoring team receives one point for each of their balls that is closer to the jack than the closest ball of the other team.  The length of a game varies by region, but is typically from 7 to 13 points.   Players are permitted to throw the ball in the air using an underarm action.  This is generally used to knock either the jack or another ball away to attain a more favorable position.  Tactics can get quite complex when players have sufficient control over the bocce ball to throw or roll it accurately. (www.wikipedia.com)

 raos_bocce

Well, there you go.  Now you’re officially cool.  You’re welcome.

xx, L

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A Good Place to Be.

01/25/2010 in Midtown, Westside, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 4 comments

Ormsby’s is Atlanta’s new hot spot. 

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I went on Saturday evening with some folks, and was sold after only taking approximately four steps into the door.  I am already rallying troops to go back on Friday evening.  Yes, I’m already making my Friday night plans at 1:30 p.m. on Monday…

Here are my Top 5 Reason’s Why Ormsby’s is My New Favorite Bar – and Will Soon Be Yours: 

5- Creative Food Menu:  As soon as you walk into Ormsby’s, you see people chowing down on hand-cut fries and massive ale battered onion rings.  They were delicious, as were the hand-dipped corn dogs that melted in your mouth.  Check out the “Bangers, Links & Wieners” section of the menu, too.  I devoured Aunt Naumi’s arugula salad and The Richard, which was a very tasty classic club.  The Bruno burger looked hearty and delicious, as well.  Hands down, our favorite item on the menu was the house-made cheese whiz dipping sauce for the fries.  Trust me on this one.

Ormsby's upstairs restaurant + bar area

Ormsby's upstairs restaurant + bar area

4- Killer Atmosphere:  As Lauren says, the crowd at Ormsby’s is very PLU: lots of “people like us.”  Everyone seemed laid back, not too dressed up but still lookin’ nice, folks were friendly – apologized when they bumped into you at the bar, and – single ladies – there were a lot of lookers.  The crowd seemed to be about 70% male. 

Ormsby’s is located in the same building as Abattoir on the West Side of Midtown off of Howell Mill and 14th St. - which is a really cool area in my opinion.  Much like Abattoir, Ormsby’s decor incorporates a lot of wood and heavy furniture.  Cozy nooks around the tavern make you feel like you’ve been hanging out there for years.  Free parking is just icing on the cake.

3- Indoor Bocce Ball Court:  This is so amazing.  Bocce ball is “so hot right now.”  It works at Leon’s, but it’s outside.  Ormsby’s took it a step further and designed their bocce ball court below the dining area in the tavern’s basement.  There was a substantial crowd waiting in line for their shot at the court, but we had no problem finding a place to stand and watch a game.  Absolutely brilliant idea.  Also available at Ormsby’s, you’ll find pool, darts and backgammon.

Orsby's indoor bocce ball court

Orsby's indoor bocce ball court

2- Impressive Craft Beer + Wine/Cocktail List:  18 creative beers on tap and nearly 40 in bottles.  Everyone I was with drank something different – and they were all worthy of a taste.  I think that is at least 50 good excuses for a visit to Ormsby’s.  Albarino by the glass didn’t hurt my opinion of the tavern, either…(predictable, I guess.)

Beer @ Ormsby's

Beer @ Ormsby's

1- TABLETOP SHUFFLEBOARD!:  This made my entire night.  Tabletop shuffleboard is my favorite game ever – and (sorry Slick) my impressive shuffling skills proved dominant once again in a heated boys vs. girls tournament.  The shuffleboard table is nice and too new to be warped or low on sand, which has always been my complaint about the tables at Twain’s.  (Love you, Twain’s.)  The line to play was shorter than expected, too. 

Tabletop Shuffleboard @ Ormsby's

Tabletop Shuffleboard @ Ormsby's

Ormsby’s tagline accurately sums up my experience, suggesting that it’s “a good place to be.”  I’d take it a big step further, though, and say it’s the best place I’ve been in Atlanta in a long time.  I know you are all going to like Ormsby’s as much as I do.  See you there soon – I’ll be the one racking up points at the shuffleboard table!  :)

not messing around...

not messing around...

xx, L

Ormsby’s
1170 Howell Mill Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA  30318
404.968.2033
http://www.ormsbysatlanta.com/

Ormsby's on Urbanspoon

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