I’m just saying…

You are currently browsing articles tagged I’m just saying….

Dear Oprah (an open letter)

09/03/2010 in Gifts, PSAs by Lauren | 2 comments

Dear Oprah,

Hello, I love you.

Now that that’s out of the way, I need to tell you about your new Favorite Thing: Chay J’s Creole Pretzels. These delicious little salty, crispy pretzels, coated in delicious buttery caramel, tossed with enormous pecans, are about the best things I have ever tasted. 

I must have done something seriously right in my past life to have deserved superstar treatment (usually reserved for your highness!): darling New Orleans-born Channon “Chay” Powell made them especially for The Q+DD and delivered them right to my doorstep along with your next Favorite thing: Creole Popcorn!


Both bags were gone before you could say Pat O’Briens. Trust.

Bonus: Chay also makes other goodies such as pies, tarts, brownies, pralines, strawberries, and peanut brittle and as much as I’d love to have you here in the Peach State, O – you can have Chay’s delicious treats shipped right to your Chicago doorstep at Harpo.   I’m not sure Dr. Oz would approve, but hey – you only live once, Opes.

Double Bonus: Delivery is available within Metro Atlanta.  Just another reason for you to own a home down here. Just sayin.
So, seriously Oprah – give them a whirl, I just KNOW you’ll want to invite  Chay to your Favorite Things episode taping.  (It’s her life goal!) Feel free to invite me too. I LOVE stuff and things.


Almost as much as I love you.

xx, L

PS Check out ChayJ’s New Orleans Candies here!

Tags: , , , , ,

Welcome Buckhead Theatre! Welcome.

09/02/2010 in Buckhead, Event Space, Events!, Parties, What we're Doing by Lindsay | No comments

I finally saw The Buckhead Theatre on Saturday, and it is absolutely fantastic!

I could hardly believe how much nicer it was than the old Roxy, where I went to see G. Love approx. 4 1/2 years ago and I witnessed a hardcore drug deal go down + someone peeing in the corner of the venue.  True story.  What a dump!  The newly-renovated Buckhead Theatre, however, is a venue fit for an amazing party of almost any sort, a fun corporate/industry event or an awesome concert where people aren’t confused if the line for the bar is actually a line for the urinal…

So, on Saturday, we went to the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Young Leadership Council’s Signature Event at the Theatre.  And, it was a blast!  :)

We had cocktails in the prefunction area for an hour or two, and then headed into the main theatre space for the event.  The stage was perfect for the DJ, and the set up was just superb.  I was really impressed with the seated lounge areas with plush couches + tables in the upper part of the space closer to the main doors.  And, the bathrooms were immaculate- absolutely without a hint of the old Rox.  The whole time we were there I was envisioning throwing an event for work in the space.  It’s THAT put together.

I have to admit that my heart truly belongs to the event space @ 200 Peachtree, but if it was booked I’d be calling up The Buckhead Theatre faster than you could say Rumpelstiltskin.  No seriously, that word has four syllables.

Info abt. Upcoming Shows @ The Buckhead Theatre: HERE!

I really, really heart you Buckhead Theatre!  Welcome.

xx, L

The Buckhead Theatre
3110 Roswell Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.233.7699
http://www.thebuckheadtheatre.com/

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

But I Want a Golden Goose, NOW!

09/01/2010 in Random Musings by Lindsay | No comments

I am dying for one of these Antonie Dodson Bed Intruder t-shirts.

I heart you, Antonie Dodson. I do!

I just can’t choose which one is my favorite…  Life is so hard sometimes.

Check out the comprehensive selection here:  “YOU ARE REALLY DUMB FOR REAL!”

Completely out of the pop culture loop and don’t know who A.D. is?  Shame on you…  Dude’s got his very own website now and is destroying Lady Gaga in iTunes sales: http://www.antoinedodson.net/

hi.

Thank you, ThrillistATL, for bringing these gotta-have threads to my attention!  I NEED one.

xx, L

Tags: , , , , , ,

Midtown Restaurant Week…Again

08/31/2010 in Deals + Steals, Guilty Pleasures, Restaurant Weeks, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 3 comments

Is it just me or is every week a Restaurant Week??

Not that I’m complaining…but still.  It seems like every time I turn around it’s another RW.  (P.S. It’s impossible for me to write “turn around” w/o breaking into song in my head.  “TURN AROUND…every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you’re never comin’ round…TURN AROUND Bright Eyes!” )  Excellent.  Will have that in my head for the rest of the afternoon.  Similarly, I can’t say the word “situation” any longer without thinking of my favorite Thursday night guilty pleasure.  GTL 4 Life, yo.

mike "the situation"

Okay, okay – back to business…

My personal favorites included in this list are Ecco (don’t forget to get a bottle of my favorite wine!), Pacci and Serpas, but overall this is a nice selection of restaurants for an excellent deal.  Don’t miss out, but honestly if you do, I’m sure that it will be Midtown RW again in a month or two.  Just sayin’…  :)

xx, L

Tags: , , , , ,

Single Mingle Dali Deal!

08/30/2010 in Events!, Midtown, Museums, What we're Doing by Lindsay | No comments

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

Tags: , , , , , ,

The Best Thing I Ever Ate…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Hastings and Greg!

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

Hot & Hot Fish Club on Urbanspoon

Sidebar: in other Birmingham news…

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


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


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

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

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

xx, L

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

08/28/2010 in Deals + Steals, Events!, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 1 comment

Chef Alex Friedman won the Atlanta Food Rave!

Well deserved, friend!

In other news: Lindsay and I had a BLAST.


We were too busy eating and cocktailing to take too many pictures, but here are the highlights:

Mason Murer is gorgeous!

Lindsay's favorite painting

We witnessed live cake decorating:

Schmoozed with people with excellent taste in ties:

Robot tie!

Saw friends

And even had our BUTTS sketched!

True story!

Posterior Picasso PJae

Our butts!

It was a fantastic evening! We had a lovely time and ate some delicious food…and we are SO excited for Alex!

We’ll be by P’Cheen soon to collect our Jameson shots and fist bumps, A.

xx, L

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sucker for Packaging.

08/27/2010 in Beauty, Hair, Maintenence, Product, Random Musings by Lindsay | No comments

Wanted to give y’all a little update on my seriously devastating Nanowax situation…

Remember?

pretty princess locks

+

discontinued wonder-product

=

total + complete hair tragedy

I went to Mint Salon yesterday to fill in Doug, my stylist BFF, on some scoop + get my bangs trimmed, and walked out  all cleaned up + gossip-free with THIS bad boy:

Schwarzkopf Osis Marsh Mellow Molding Paste

It’s supposed to replace my beloved Nanowax (we’ll see about that…), but heck – I don’t even really care what it does to my hair, it looks so cool perched on my black granite bathroom counter – I can hardly stand it!  Plus, I’ll buy almost anything Doug tells me to… 

I’m a total sucker for packaging.  I can’t help it.  Convincing me to buy something in pretty packaging is about as easy as John Mayer after three whisky sours.  Which, I will admit, was actually at least half of the reason I picked up a kickin’ pair of Betsey Johnson pumps last week.  I just really loved the neon pink shoebox. 

betsey + i love pink

Don’t judge.  Seriously, don’t.  :)

xx, L

Tags: , , , , , ,

Truck-TASTIC: My Night in Pictures

08/27/2010 in On the Street!, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 1 comment

Atlanta Street Food Coalition Street Food Soirée last night was amazing!

Despite the drizzle, there was a huge turnout!  Check it:

The appropriately named "Good Food Truck"

Seth and JJ in line for Island and Thai cones, respectively

Greg went for "The Poodle": hot dog with a French toast bun completed by healthy squirts of spicy mustard and maple syrup

My favorite were the spicy, chilled peanut noodles from Artichoke Bliss!

Salted butter caramel ice cream and Mexican Coke float? Yes, please!

Delicious pimento cheese and blueberry lemonade from Grace's Goodness

The ever-popular Yumbii Truck from Hankook Tacqueria

Finally, can't skip cupcakes from...

...also appropriately named Yum Yum Cupcake!

What a great night – EVERYONE got their truck on!

Power to the (mobile, food selling) people!

xx, L

P.S. If you missed this delicious event…fear not! You can go to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market between 11-2pm TODAY for the Urban Picnic and grab a wheeled meal!

P.P.S. (Thanks for the heads up, Seth!)

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Canadian Tuxedo…kinda.

08/26/2010 in Beauty, Guilty Pleasures, Nails, Random Musings, Trend Alert! by Lindsay | 4 comments

Today at lunch, I ran to Lily’s to get a quickie manicure + pedicure in prep for The Atlanta Food Rave (on Friday) and the YLC Signature Event at the Buckhead Theatre (on Saturday).  I’ve made it a point over the past six to eight months not to wear reds on my nails, but instead rock purples, greens and navys as my go-tos.  Most importantly, I’d decided that I was very much against wearing the same color on my fingernails and toenails.  Total Canadian tuxedo fashion faux pas if you ask me…

ugh, just ANOTHER reason to dislike Mr. West

Today, I broke my streak.  Lily’s just got in OPI’s Fall/Winter 2010 Swiss Collection, and it’s g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s.!

I immediately grabbed the Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, plopped down with Lily, and didn’t think twice about the Canadian Tuxedo I was about to get on both my fingernails and toenails.

OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous

It’s hot.  To me, it’s a funky party color, but classy + subtle enough to pull off at the office.  I’m in love!  (Sigh.)  The whole Swiss line is fantastic, but this color is definitely my favorite. 

Well, Canada, guess I’m headed back after all…

xx, L

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

BACK THAT TRUCK UP: Atlanta Street Food Movement

08/26/2010 in On the Street!, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 1 comment

Atlanta: right this very minute there’s a revolution brewing! A FOOD revolution! Yes, our food can no longer be contained in mortar-and-brick restaurants – people – our food wants to be MOBILE!

Enter the Atlanta Street Food Coalition: a group of culinary rogues set out to lift the current restrictive Georgia legislation inhibiting the sale of delicious eats from a vehicle.

Just to show you what it’s all about, the ASFC will be holding various events including 2 this week!  Check it:

1.    TONIGHT: Street Food Soirée at The Hub
Here’s the Q+DD: From 7pm-10pm at The Hub (17th and Spring) you can come by and sample the wares of Atlanta’s favorite foodies on wheels such as Sol Tacqueria, Artichoke Bliss, and the Good Food Truck.


2.  TOMORROW LUNCH:  Urban Picnic at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market
Here’s the Q+DD: From 11am – 2pm it’s the return of the Urban Picnic - this time in partnership with the City of Atlanta District 2 Councilperson Kwanza Hall! Head on over and enjoy the delicious goods from the Yumbii truck, the King of Pops, West End Burritos, and yes, the Good Food Truck will be there too. This sounds like a WAY better alternative to a Lean Cuisine at your desk…just sayin’.Now, I’m not overly political – but when politics concern the free love and sale of food….consider me a lobbyist!

Which food truck would vend if we picket?  Should I make a sign?

A sandwich board seems most appropriate…

xx, L

P.S. The ASFC is leaving no Social Media outlet unturned!
Check out their website here
Follow them on Twitter here
See them on Facebook here
Read their blog here

P.P.S. More Food Truck Enthusiasts!  Seth is on board (you know how I feel about that) and check out AtlantaFoodCarts.com

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Eat Squad #7: The Iberian Pig

08/25/2010 in Cocktails, Decatur, Eat Squad, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 4 comments

Soooooo, Lindsay has a new favorite restaurant. 

It’s called The Iberian Pig, and you can find it hidden in downtown Decatur. 

also, you can find it here in this picture. you're welcome.

Although it took Slick + me an extra 30 minutes more than everyone else to find it for Eat Squad last week, it was absolutely worth the hunt.  (Seriously, though, it takes a committed foodie to find this place.  I kinda felt like I was on The Amazing Race…)

As soon as we found it + met our friends, I was ready for a drink.  Much to my complete surprise + great excitement, they feature the Aviation on the menu!  I mean, it was just like they KNEW me.

well hello, gorgeous

The menu at The Iberian Pig is pretty freaking phenomenal.  The tapas list was extensive + creative enough to fully grab the table’s attention, so we decided to share a bunch of those among the six of us.  Here’s what we ate:

charcuterie + quesos

patatas al valdeon

salmon ceviche (special)

salchicha 3-ways

the ladies...

...our studly gentlemen

bbq octopus w/ patatas

first order of pork cheek tacos...

...second order of pork cheek tacos

jonah crab croquetas

B.W.D. (bacon wrapped dates)

cabrita carbonara w/ slow roasted goat

tocino con manzana

calamares

NOT PICTURED (but incredibly delicious):  ALBONDIGAS – wild boar sausage meatballs stuffed w/ piquillo peppers, Macedonian dates + roasted tomatoes.  Finished w/ pimenton creme and oyster mushrooms.

Every small plate we ordered was unbelievably good.  And, we went to town!

so insanely full - could barely stand up to take this, but nice lookin' group, eh?

This was the best meal I’ve had in a long time.  The Iberian Pig gets points for (1) really friendly + knowledgeable staff, (2) an incredibly creative + beyond delicious menu – there’s so much more that I’m dying to try, (3) offering the Aviation martini + bacon-infused bourbon (which was v. tasty) at the bar + in the dining room, and (4) for its kind-of-hidden-and-hard-for-Lindsay-and-Slick-to-find Decatur location. 

Once we finally found it, though, the giant hunt sorta made us feel like it was OUR restaurant.  Which, in fact, it is now.   :)

xx, L

The Iberian Pig
121 Sycamore Street
Atlanta, GA  30030
404.371.8800
www.iberianpigatl.com

The Iberian Pig on Urbanspoon

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

« Older entries