Christine!

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Monday night was Atlanta Magazine’s BEST OF ATLANTA party and you better believe Christine, Lindsay and I were in attendance. The Q+DD on BoA is this: zillions of superawesome Atlanta restaurants serving miniature plates of signature dishes + wine, beer, and liquor companies with samples to share + silent auction + live music…and all the proceeds go to Camp Twin Lakes. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend.

Here is our night…in pictures!

First things first. We made a beeline for Holeman and Finch…duh. They were dishing up miniature versions of their FAMOUS burg! Of course, they weren’t quite as good as the full-sized version…but they were pretty darn close. After a cocktail at the Ciroc vodka stand we dashed over to the Infinity VIP lounge to fulfill our volunteer duties greeting VIP guests:

Brian: "we're here to welcome you to VIP. As less important people, we welcome you!"

We schmoozed and sipped wine and and were entertained by local magician, Joe Turner. (Who, incidentally, was not employed by Camp Twin Lakes, Room and Board, OR Infinity. Just a really nice magic dude!) After we were sprung, we proceeded to consume…121957249581 calories in both food and alcohol and made lots of new and interesting friends!

Witness:

"all night long! all night long!"

(we love bacon, too.)

Our favorites included tacos from Nuevo Laredo, cookies and crème cupcakes and peanut butter truffles from Highland Bakery, sushi from Nori Nori, bacon and maple popcorn from the Porter, experimental pizzas from Mellow Mushroom, and we all went back for seconds at Sublime Donuts. To. Die. For.
Buckhead Life, though? Fail. The emperor has no food!

Kyma Fail.

Fish Market Fail.

Buckhead Diner Fail.

The biggest laugh I had all night was we walked by the GA Aquarium booth and Lindsay said she hoped they weren’t serving fish

Sushi?

We had a BLAST, everyone did! Can’t wait for next year!

xx, L

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Listen. It’s Friday. And while my body may be here at the office, my brain is already out for the weekend. The forecast is spectacular and I just want to leave you with a few notable things before I peace out of here in favor of finding a nice patio on which to drink cocktails:

1. Last night Doc Hollywood and I FINALLY saw the Da Vinci exhibit at the High. It’s closing weekend, and I am officially suggesting you rush over there to view it before it’s gone.

In the interest of full disclosure, the collection is small and the Good Doctor was expecting a bit more sculpture, but I was absolutely fascinated by the early drawings and sketches. Even the teeny tiny ones were drawn with such meticulous detail, it really was, well, genius. DH’s favorite was a spectacular silver piece but I suspect his real favorite part was his entertaining creative narration:

"I am telling you! The red M&Ms taste much better than the brown ones!"

We were only slightly more mature than my last visit to the High. If you haven’t seen this post, I am begging you to do so.

We finished our night at One Midtown Kitchen: mussels, duck, ravioli and a fantastic SUPER TUSCAN (which is so much cooler than meritage just by name alone, yeah?). Now that? Is a perfect LK kind of night.

2. I know I am always looking for creative excuses for my punctuality problem, but last night, I didn’t need to fabricate anything because 85 was a nightmare due to Zebra Traffic. That’s right: a ZEBRA on the loose in downtown Atlanta. A ZEBRA, y’all.
3. Slick informed Linds and me that that today is the anniversary of the first day Mr. Rogers was nationally televised.
As you know, it is also Slick’s birthday. That is a truly remarkable coincidence. Happy birthday, Slick!

4. LuckyFest is right around the corner. 03/13/10.

More details to come, but use promo code “kraselsky” (no caps) for 20% off your ticket. They are $10 right now, but you know the drill. They increase leading up to the event and will eventually be $30.

ShamROCK it out, yo.

5. Atlanta Magazine’s Best of Atlanta Party (Benefiting Camp Twin Lakes!) is MONDAY. Um, It’s only my 2nd favorite CTL event of the year! Lindsay, Christine, and I will be hostessing the VIP lounge from 7-8p, but before and after we will be swilling delicious wine and cocktails, checking out the silent auction, and sampling the tasty vittles offered by Holeman and Finch, Sublime Donuts, Craft + Craftbar, BLT Steak, and other fabulous restaurants (for a complete list of participating bars and restaurants click here.)

Atlanta Magazine’s Best of Atlanta Party
Monday, February 22
6:00 p.m. VIP/Early Admission
$125 per person online
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. General Admission
$60 per person online, $70 per person at the door

Click here for tickets.

OK! That’s about it. Happy Friday, everyone! I hope we all get out early!
xx, L

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So, I had been DYING to try Dynamic Dish since I heard about the all organic, all vegetarian restaurant and yesterday at lunch, Christine made my veggie dreams come true!

Though I consider myself a carnivore, truthfully, my diet is largely vegetarian. I’ll often opt for the meat-free option on the menu and my protein of choice is definitely fish. I love soy, I love vegetables, and I can be very, very weird about chicken.

Additionally, I spent two years of my life dating a strict vegetarian and I can tell you first-hand how difficult it is to find a satisfying, delicious vegetarian restaurant.

I kid, I kid!

So obviously I was amped about DD. Every time I turn around someone (vegetarian or otherwise) is talking about how amazing it is and I am here to tell you that it’s worth the hype.

The Q+DD on DD (wow.) can be summed up in their mission statement:

Our mission is to provide fresh, nutritious meals for the modern/urban lifestyle. We offer food made of natural and organic ingredients, obtained from local and multi-cultural, natural resources and create tasty, imaginative meals that have a positive result on the well being of all ages.
~ David Sweeney


It’s this teeny little restaurant off Edgewood
, and very simple in it’s décor. Currently, the art on the wall is that of local artist Jeff Hyde:
The menu changes daily and consists of only handful of choices which they broadcast via Twitter. Yesterday, C got the crimini mushroom soup with croutons + chervil and the salad which was mixed Georgia greens with pear, red onion, radicchio, and spiced pumpkin seeds. Both were DELICIOUS. I opted for the smoked trout salad sandwich with avocado and cucumber on “forbidden rice loaf with a side of dandelion, apple + pumpkin seed salad. AMAZING. Our server educated us on “forbidden rice loaf,” even showed us a little piece of literature but since I left that there, I can’t remember a thing. What I can tell you is this: it was fabulous and hearty and its made by some kind of short grain rice at Georgia’s first certified organic bakery, Magnolia Bread Company.

We were feeling so virtuous about our choices that we decided to reward ourselves and split a lemon cupcake and an almond coconut cookie dipped in chocolate. YUM.

It should probably be noted that the hours are a little quirky:

Tuesday 11-3
Wednesday 11-3
Thursday 11-3, 6-10
Friday 11-3, 6-10
Saturday 11-3, 6-10
(saturday is organic pizza night!)
sunday + monday = closed

But the verdict? I loved Dynamic Dish. I can’t wait to go back. It’s so good that even the biggest carnivore would appreciate. Oh, and its BYOB! You know how I love that.

xx, L

P.S. Please do not be overly concerned about my iron intake. I rounded my day out with a cheeseburger and fresh garlic fries at Bocado that evening. More on that later…

Dynamic Dish
www.dynamicdish.net
427 Edgewood Avenue Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 688-4344
Dynamic Dish on Urbanspoon

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It’s that time again!

This SATURDAY, February 13th is Midtown’s Original OysterFest!oyster12pm at the Park Tavern in Midtown Atlanta

Here are 5 reasons you should attend:

5. Discounted tickets. When you buy your tickets at www.spiralentertainment.com enter promo code “kraselsky” (no caps) for $5 off. They are currently $20 online right now and will likely increase Thursday night at midnight.

4. If it rains, as it did last year, it’s an excellent excuse for WELLIES: wellies(Last year some dude stopped me to tell me my “kicks” were “whimsical” and that he appreciated that.)

3. Live music. Performances by Nine Inch Neils (Neil Diamond Tribute Band), Justin (80’s and 90’s cover band), and Gurufish (Funk, R&B, Rock.) So, ummmm, you’re pretty much covered.

"Haaaaands....holding haaaands....."

"Haaaaands....holding haaaands....."

2. It’s the day before Valentine’s day and every restaurant in town will be on a prix fixe menu while you are downing OYSTERS. oysters

Steamed. Fried. However you like ‘em (as long as you don’t like ‘em raw.) There will be other food there too, obvi. Bonus: they also won’t make you leave clutching a single red rose in your paw.

1. It is really, REALLY fun and the whole city of Atlanta will be there. Fact. Plus, one of my favorite pictures of all time was taken at Spiral’s Oysterfest last year. Witness: oysterfest1
Soooooo…..see you at the Park!

xx, L

Park Tavern
www.parktavern.com
500 10th St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 249-0001

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“I’m not only the president; I’m also a member.”

clean_plate_club_founding_member_tshirt-p235711334523575540q9rd_400

Christine, Terry and I had ourselves a nice little workday lunch at Tamarind Seed on Friday.  When Tamarind moved from its former location and added “Seed” to its name, no one was really sure how the restaurant would fare in the cursed Colony Square space it took over.  Well, let me tell you – it’s doing just fine. 

Tamarind Seed

Tamarind Seed

I showed up at 12:15 p.m. sharp for lunch and every single table, except for one, was filled with suit-ed up business lunchers.  FILLED.  I had no idea I needed to make lunch reservations at a Colony Square restaurant…  Good for T. Seed!  I was thrilled to see it so busy.

Dining Room @ Tamarind Seed

Dining Room @ Tamarind Seed

Once we were seated and situated, we started off sharing the Ka-Nom-Jeeb: Thai steamed dumplings stuffed with minced pork, shrimp and water chestnuts served with Thai chili and mushroom soy sauce.  They were gone in a flash. 

In no mood to place a predictable Pad-Thai order, we all opted for items off of the Chef Nan’s Creations section of the menu.  Christine got the Gang-Khew-Whan: Marinated chicken with green curry, coconut milk, green beans, fresh hot pepper, sweet basil and Thai eggplant.  Terry and I both ordered the Siam Chicken: Sauteed slices of white meat chicken with chunks of pineapple, cashew nuts and mushrooms mixed in a spicy herb sauce and served in a half pineapple shell.  I pretty much licked the pineapple shell clean.  It was delicious!  I would go back in a heartbeat and order it again.

On Friday, all of us were members of the Clean Plate Club.  Our parents would be so proud…

siam

Siam Chicken

If you are like me and haven’t visited Tamarind Seed in a while, I suggest you go soon.  This place is clearly on fire.  It’s not the cheapest spot for a Midtown business lunch, but it’s certainly one of the most satisfying.  I’ve personally never eaten there for dinner, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it, either.  Enjoy! :)

xx, L

1b9d7e0942b2dbde036cd16676_xl

Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro
1197 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA  30361
404.873.4888

Tamarind Seed Thai Bistro on Urbanspoon

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Thanks to everyone for all the sweet birthday wishes!!

I had a really wonderful time celebrating the-sixth-anniversary-of-my-22nd-birthday in Atlanta and Dallas!  I think 2010 is going to be a great year!

Varasano's - Atlanta

Varasano's - Atlanta

Varasano's - Atlanta

Varasano's - Atlanta

Victor Tangos- Dallas

Victor Tangos - Dallas

Park - Dallas

Park - Dallas

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Now it’s time to start thinking about this girl’s special day on Thursday! 

Happy 20-something, Lauren!  :)

LK's B-Day!

LK's B-Day!

Mark your calendars!  January is officially ours. 

xx, L

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In an attempt to challenge our palates, “the Eat Squad” (I was pushing for “Buford Brigade” – but got vetoed) went on a fun, little culinary excursion on Sunday evening.  We nominated Christine to be our tour guide for authentic Korean BBQ.  I really didn’t know what to expect as I’d never had Korean BBQ before, and admittedly, I approached the experience with some degree of caution-without-warrant. 

I love trying new foods, but I had heard that Korean BBQ was incredibly fatty, and I tend to prefer no fat at all on beef.  I am aware that fat adds flavor to beef, but I just can’t get past the texture…  As it turned out, no caution was necessary.  We had a truly delicious meal and an absolute blast at the restaurant!  

Here’s our evening in pictures:

Han Il Kwan Korean Restaurant

Hanil Kwan Korean Restaurant

Mr. B + Christine peruse the menu

Mr. B + Christine peruse the menu

Slick tries, unsuccessfully, to get us to order the beef tripe + intestine soup.

Slick tries, unsuccessfully, to get us to order the beef tripe + intestine soup.

Banchan: Small plates served at the beginning of the meal

Banchan: Small plates served at the beginning of the meal

Jim Mandu: Steamed Pork + Vegetable Dumplings (my favorite)

Jin Mandu: Steamed pork + vegetable dumplings (my favorite)

Haemul Pajan: Korean seafood pancake

Haemul Pajan: Korean seafood pancake (kind of like a fancy latke...)

Galbi: Marinated Beef Short Ribs aka Korean BBQ

Galbi: Marinated beef short ribs aka Korean BBQ

Slick's face when we informed him that the meal was over...

Slick's face when we informed him that the meal was over...

...we'll be back soon, Han Il Kwan!  Thanks for a delicious meal!

...we'll be back soon, Han Il Kwan! Thanks for a delicious meal!

If you are in the mood for something different, definitely consider Korean BBQ – or at least venture out to Buford Highway to try a random ethnic restaurant.  I hope you have as much fun as we did!  (Our next Buford excursion is going to be either Ethiopian or Thai.  Bring on the recommendations!)

xx, L

Hanil Kwan Korean Restaurant
5458 Buford Highway
Doraville, GA  30340
770.457.3217

Hanil Kwan on Urbanspoon

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MonsterProm21Christine just alerted us to the seemingly newest venture from the Fur Bus folks… a party website called A Social Mess (dot com.)

From their website: A downright full blasted attempt to mess up the social scene in Atlanta. In our humble and itchy opinion, this city needs more! We are not promotors, we are not clubbers, we are not affliction, we are not smart, we are not good looking and we are not sure. A mighty trio formed from an arguably handicap ex mascot, a strikingly attractive nomad gal from somewhere and a remarkably strong small man known for busting butt and taking names, we are Marshall. No, not Marshall. We are jean shorts, we are fake gold, we are the tears of a clown and the sparkle in your eye. Our battles lie with black outs and bar feet and we leave no man behind. We encourage helmets and loathe last call. Our goal, our mission, our quest, our job, our desire, our speed, our caffeine, our size, our milkshake is to create unforgettable times and dope beat rhymes. That was a lie, we don’t rhyme. We will create the most fantastic and unique events while birthing an environment fit for the common man and notable kings of 3rd world countries. In the land of social clubs, we easily pull 8th place. We are a social mess.asocialmess_sm1

Amazing. I don’t even know what else to say…except SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE ME TO MONSTER JAM PROM.

dang!

xx, L

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I am a bit over-committed.  It’s my own fault, really.  I just want to be everywhere at once – and I am terrible at relaxing.  Carpe Diem, I say!  :)

= Lindsay

= Lindsay

This weekend, I had a number of friends in town and was determined to see everyone.  Many of them have previously lived in Atlanta and I wanted to give them reasons to consider moving back, so I had to take them to some of my new-ish favorite spots.  Here’s the VERY Q+DD #2 on where we played this weekend:


THURSDAY

Holeman + Finch: We went for drinks, small plates and the scene.  The bartender made killer gimlets for me and tasty apple jacks for my drinking companions.  (Apple jack = 2 oz. of apple brandy, 1/2 oz. of curacao, 2 dashes of angostura bitters, ice and pour into a chilled glass with an apple garnish.)  Not right for my taste buds, but others loved.  We decided at 9:30 p.m. (way too late) that we had to have one of their late-night burgs.  Sat in agony as the restaurant filled with the delicious aroma of grilled beef and grew hostile as we watched Buckhead bankers eat half of their burgers and then discard.  Next time we will order early
Holeman & Finch Public House on Urbanspoon


FRIDAY

Pacci:  Went with friends for a nice end-of-the-week dinner and was pleasantly surprised with my meal.  I didn’t expect too much from this restaurant for some reason and ended up being pretty blown away.  We all shared the beef and tuna carpaccios and thought they were delicious and well-garnished.  I wasn’t a fan of my grilled caesar salad – and I would not recommend it.  However, my beef short rib gnocchi and Slick’s scallops were absolutely incredible.  The two best entrees I’ve had in months.  For dessert, we ate brownie smores that I whipped up on Thursday evening when I was channeling Betty Crocker.  (More on that later…)  Service at Pacci is good, but slow, particularly for drinks – so visit the restaurant when you aren’t in a rush.
Pacci Ristorante on Urbanspoon

After dinner, we wanted to head upstairs for drinks at AltoRex, but it was closed. Instead, we went to:

MidCity Cafe: Very scenester.  Slick didn’t know what to make of all the men wearing fitted blazers over printed t-shirts.  The bartenders pour with a heavy hand.  Seems like a great place to start off a night in Midtown!
Midcity Cafe on Urbanspoon

RiRa: Was a great place to end a night in Midtown with car bombs galore!  Enjoyed their fun band and finally saw the back-back room.  I’m a big fan.


SATURDAY

TOP FLR: What can I say?  I am a creature of habit.  I love TOP FLR and I love celebrating there.  My friends from out of town have read numerous blog postings on the Q+DD about my undying love for this restaurant – so we had to check it out.  I had the usual: the mussels and the tuna tartar.  Other folks enjoyed the hanger steak, the scallops and the ravioli.  Don’t forget to try a Pimm’s Cup or a Cynar Blood Orange off of their creative beverage menu!
Top Flr on Urbanspoon

TOP FLR

TOP FLR

St. Regis Bar: Later, we made our way over to the St. Reg Bar to see the end of the Georgia vs. Auburn game and get all mingle-y with Atlanta society.  Instead, we drank delicious (and expensive – believe we referred to it as liquid gold) cocktails and tried to guess-timate how old all the botox-ed up socialites were.  The St. Reg Bar definitely provides interesting people watching.  Did not spot Josh Duhamel, but I did lose my debit card…


SUNDAY

Shorty’s: Everyone who reads the Q+DD has heard more than enough about this place.  It was incredible – as always.  Really hit the spot after three consecutive nights out.  Love the rocket salad.  Then, headed to Piedmont Park to walk around and catch some rays with Miss Kim. 
Shorty's Pizza on Urbanspoon


Apres Diem
+ Midtown Arts Cinema: Had an early dinner on the Apres Diem patio and enjoyed their Las Moras Malbec before rushing into MAC just in time to catch the previews before Where the Wild Things Are.  Although I know it is just as bad as wearing a band’s t-shirt to the band’s concert, I arrived at Apres proudly sporting my Where the Wild Things Are shirt from Urban.

Apres Diem on Urbanspoon

T’was a fun-filled weekend!  No bizarre new places – nothing too out of the box.  Still perfect.

Hope everyone else got to enjoy the pretty weekend, too!  Off to Rosebud for lunch… :)

xx, L

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We salute you!!

13839_185878281640_676711640_3286892_8387849_n

Thank you for your service.

Happy Veterans Day!

xx, L + 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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People often ask Slick if there is more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking.

slick
slick

After careful thought, he will tell them that, yes – there is more to life. It’s called fantasy football.

If I was asked, I would also agree that there is more to life. But, my response has to do with food. You never know what a day holds for you. Not to be Deborah Downer or anything, but I text while I’m driving. I go to the grocery store at night by myself. I jaywalk and I’ve been known to shake my fist at bad drivers.  I consider myself to be a highly responsible person, but frankly, we never know when our time is up. So, if I am going to go sometime, I’d like to leave with a fabulous last meal in my tummy.  That – coupled with questionable self-control and enjoying the social aspects of sharing a great meal with friends – is why I am so into food. The End.

If I got to choose my “last meal” in Atlanta, there is no question that it would be at my favorite restaurant in town – Wisteria. I just love this restaurant, and I didn’t have to think twice about spending my birthday there last year. (Which is quite an honor – if I do say so myself!) See, TADA:

Wisteria - LR Birthday

Wisteria - LR Birthday

 

Wisteria - LR Birthday

Wisteria - LR Birthday

Wisteria is consistently amazing and I frequently recommend it to friends, out-of-towners and business colleagues. My three favorite menu items are the North Atlantic Skate Wing, the Molasses-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and the Pecan Encrusted Atlantic Salmon. Trust me. They are all to die for.

Inside Wisteria

Inside Wisteria

Aside from a prime location in Inman Park, stellar wait staff, killer entrees and chic decor, my favorite part about Wisteria is their appetizers. I feel confident in saying that their appetizer list is the best in town – by far. It’s rare for me to look at a menu and want everything on it. I have tried everything on Wisteria’s appetizer menu – and trying to decide between a few of their items for any given meal is one of the most stressful decisions I have to make.  

Behold its majesty:

Oysters – cold water, served by the half dozen

Black-Eyed Pea Hummus – with homemade sweet potato chips, olives, and tomatoes

Kobe Beef Carpaccio – with arugula tossed in a horseradish vinaigrette and aged parmesan

Charleston-Style Jumbo Lump Crab Cake – over roasted corn and sweet pepper succotash

Cornmeal Fried Calamari – with sweet and sour apricot sauce and wasabi crème fraiche

Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs – with pickled okra and spiced pecans

Ahi Tuna and Crispy Flatbread – avocados and fresh micro-greens in a citrus horseradish vinaigrette

Prince Edward Island Mussels – in a charred vine-ripened tomato, white wine and herbed garlic broth

Pigs in a Blanket – house cured pork belly, in pastry, with a spicy apple cider vinegar mustard

Tempura Fried Okra – with a horseradish cream sauce

Seared Sea Scallops -over braised pork belly and radicchio with a bourbon molasses reduction

People, life does not get much better than this!! (Unless you are into fantasy football or are really, really, ridiculously good looking…)

P.S. Don’t forget about these two great Wisteria specials:
1 – Burger Sundays for $10
2 – Mussel Mondays for $15.95- Endless bowl of mussels and a glass of house wine.

Make a reservation ASAP!  Life’s too short not to eat great!

xx, L

Wisteria
471 North Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30307
404.525.3363
www.wisteria-atlanta.com

Wisteria on Urbanspoon

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