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Apologies.

03/11/2010 in Events!, Maintenence, PSAs, Parties, Product, What we're Doing by Lauren | No comments

I have been a little MIA this week. I have so much on my mind that there hasn’t been a whole lot left over for creative thought, but never fear: I have a whole list of stuff with which to bore you when I get those creative juices flowing again!

In the meantime, here is a mish-mash of stuff I think is very important right this very minute.

1. TONIGHT: Young Professionals of Atlanta American Cancer Society EventThe Ginger put this one together so it has to be cool!

He says, “Come join the Young Professionals of Atlanta for the American Cancer Society as we begin our fundraising push for the 2010 Relay For Life, being held April 9th. Our free networking event will give everyone a chance to mix and mingle while your suggested donation will allow you to be eligible for our prize drawings, including merchandise from our Relay for Life partner, Banana Republic/GAP.

100% of the Straits Happy Hour donations will be donated to Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an all day event designed to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. Each team has a member walking the track during a 24-hour period to symbolize cancer never sleeping.

Visit our ACS Young Professionals Relay for Life page by clicking here.”

I think it sounds like an awesome time for an awesome cause. Just go, OK?

2. Jenn Falik
Are you following Jenn Falik on Twitter and/or reading her blog? If you’re not, then you should. Jenn is genius. I’m not just saying that because she’s my sister’s cousin by marriage, Jenn is an actual style and beauty expert (for real, y’all. Check it) and really knows her stuff. Whenever Jenn recommends a product or an article of clothing or whatever I will most likely buy it the next day: Fact.

Case in point: today I had the most amazing shower and my skin feels incredible because of this phenom product she recommended the other day:

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

I can safely tell you that I would never have purchased this on my own because ordinarily almond scented ANYTHING makes me want to hurl but I figured, if Jenn is this into it, it must be awesome. And it was.

Read her post here. Everything she said is true. Brilliant. Falik for president! Plus, she is so cute, right?
3. LuckyFest is SATURDAY. Don’t forget $5 off with promo code “kraselsky” (no caps) The weather isn’t going to be great, but less than great weather = a great excuse for GREEN WELLIES!
4. I will be performing in 2 more performances of A Sunday Afternoon at Loehmann’s. 03/21 and 03/28 both at 2pm. www.ansleyparkplayhouse.com for tickets (or email me at thequickanddirtydirty@gmail.com)

Camo Baby will be there too

I think that is it for today. I am off to get my spray tan on so I can be dazzling at this cute couple’s wedding this weekend:

Can't wait! I heart the future Paridys!

Happy Thursday, y’all.

xx, L

Tags: Beauty is as beauty does., day drinking, do-gooding, I'm just saying..., Moxie? We got it., PLU, Sometimes I'm an actress., The Ginger, very important people, You Can Find Me in the A

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

03/03/2010 in Events!, PSAs, Random Musings, What we're Doing, What we're Reading by Lauren | 3 comments

Did you know that yesterday was dear ol’ Dr. Seuss’s birthday? Well, it was.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on 03/02/04!

Throughout my whole life, I have ALWAYS been a big Dr. Seuss fan, I’m sure we all were at one point or another, right? I mean, whose childhood didn’t include The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, or Green Eggs and Ham?

Usual Suspect.

Sidebar: remember when Season 5 Top Chef contender Carla made Green Eggs and Ham during a quickfire challenge?

Don’t you think she kinda looks a little like a resident of Whoville?:

Coincidence? I think not...

Hootie-hoo, Carla! (I love you.)

I digress.

As I was saying, somehow Dr. Seuss always finds his way into my life at every stage. Some of my earliest memories are of my superawesome dad making up tunes to the silly songs in The Cat in the Hat Songbook…

Plinker Plunker!

…and as a suddenly environmentally-conscious 5th grader, I wrote what I considered to be a very moving paper on The Lorax. Sometimes, riiiiight around wine-time, DK will dig it up to embarrass the heck out of me.

"I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues!"

The Good Doctor Seuss even followed me to college when DK gave me a copy of Oh, The Places You’ll Go as I settled into my dorm room at the University of Texas.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."

Oh, and let’s not forget about Seussical the Musical (!!!) which opened on Broadway in 2000! (…just to be sure that eeeeeeeevery last one of my tender little heartstrings were played upon…)

"Just tell yourself, duckie, you're really quite lucky!"

Then, when I moved to NYC myself, I met a wonderful guy named Andrew who educated me on the lost art of Dr. Seuss:

From www.drseussart.com: “Dr. Seuss single-handedly forged a new genre of art that falls somewhere between the Surrealist Movement of the early 20th Century and the inspired nonsense of a precocious child’s classroom doodles.”

Andrew had a truly mesmerizing (not to mention enormous) landscape painting in his apartment and I came to learn that Seuss not only worked in illustrations and paint, but also bronze sculpture and “unorthodox taxidermy”

Even now, as a full-fledged adult (scary.), I often find myself considering the wise words of Dr. Seuss. Check it:

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is you-er than you.”

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

And finally, my favorite (my sister’s favorite too):

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

Bringing it all full-circle for me, next Saturday my very, very dear friends Jess and Adam will be celebrating the first birthday of THE MOST ADORABLE CHILDREN EVER, otherwise known as their kids, my pseudo niece and nephew, Eli and Alexa, with a Seuss-themed birthday party…where the twin guests of honor will appear as Thing 1 and Thing 2!

Precious!

But if you’d like to have your OWN Seuss celebration, you’re in luck. On SUNDAY, MARCH 21st the Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum, will be hosting a “Seussian” Birthday Party in conjunction with their fascinating exhibition, “Dr. Seuss Goes to War…and More!”, a collection of Ted Grisel’s WWII political cartoons.

showing now through 08/31/10

Click here for details.

So, HAPPY 106th BIRTHDAY, Dr. Seuss… from the Q+DD!

oh, and happy 1st birthday, A + E! Aunt LK loves you!

Oh, the places you'll go!

xx, L

Tags: Artsy-Fartsy, DK+DK, in memoriam, jess and the twinks, More culture than frozen yogurt!, Moxie? We got it., My seestah, PLU, Things that are awesome..., Things we love!, wise words

Best of Atlanta: Our Night in Pictures

02/25/2010 in Camp Twin Lakes, Events!, What we're Watching, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 3 comments

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

Tags: Christine!, clean plate club, do-gooding, Moxie? We got it., PLU, You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.

A Couplea Things

02/19/2010 in Events!, Midtown, PSAs, Random Musings, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 3 comments

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

Tags: Christine!, I'm just saying..., Lets hear it for the boys, More culture than frozen yogurt!, Moxie? We got it., PLU, Table for Two, Things we love!, You Can Find Me in the A

Trend Alert! Puppy Tweets

02/15/2010 in PSAs, Pampered Pooches, Random Musings by Lauren | 2 comments

So, I’ve been on Twitter for the better part of a year now and I have to admit…I don’t think I fully get it yet. In fact, just yesterday I learned what a “hashtag” is. (Thanks, @GCohen85!) But I’m learning. One thing I know for sure? I LOVE TWITTER. Although I’m certain that the creators of the technology had a more sophisticated purpose in mind, I really enjoy “tweeting” my whereabouts and random thoughts (@LaurenKAtlanta: just caught up on HIMYM. Barney’s suit song + dance just changed my life 7:03 PM Jan 13th) and reading my friends’ (@Lindsaywhat44: combating the rainy day with lunch @ Ra, drinks @ Ecco + book club tonight! 6:56 AM Feb 2nd).

You can follow me here and Lindsay here if you haven’t already!

I check in with Twitter as often as I check in with Facebook. Having access to it on my Blackberry is particularly helpful when I am, say, killing time at the hair salon or waiting in lines or while trying to look v. busy and important before meetings.

I also learn a lot of stuff! Some of my favorite “tweeps” include @womensweardaily (fashion + celebrity sightings), @jennfalik (beauty + style expert), @ATLCheap (great deals around town) @FoodieBuddha (only the most awesome food blogger in town), @lululemon (trust me on this one) or @lululemonbhead, and @Oprah (Yes, Oprah.)

Ok, but today? I learned about something so ridiculous its awesome. Mattel is set to release Puppy Tweets, a high-tech toy that will allow dogs to “tweet” via sound and motion sensor.Per the LA Times, “Attached to a dog’s collar, the plastic tag randomly generates one of 500 canned tweets when it detects barking or movement and automatically posts an update to Fido’s own Twitter page.”

As they said, the tweets are pre-written and randomly chosen (Such as, “I finally caught that tail I’ve been chasing, and . . . OOUUUCHH!”) and are triggered by a device attached to your dog’s collar which communicates with your computer.

Imagining Olive’s hypothetical Twitter page REALLY cracks me up.

I think it would read like this:

@OliveSchmolive “Mommy needs a new “get ready to go out” iTunes playlist. There’s only so much “Party in the USA” one dog can take…”

@OliveSchmolive “Who cares about the 64,000 toys I have laying all over the apartment floor? This Prada stiletto is delicious!”

@OliveSchmolive “Don’t mind me, I’ll just be barking at the Pomeranian across the hall. All Day. Long. #getsomeearplugs”

@OliveSchmolive “I’m eating boiled chicken and white rice while Mommy eats a veggie burger over the sink. There is something wrong here and I LIKE it!”

@OliveSchmolive “Had a spectacular time at brunch on the Café di Sol patio. Got to debut my new pink collar and met the cutest Jack Russell! Date next week at the dog park!”

Olive and her bestie, @OscarMeyerson!

Maybe Olive will trade a few yaps for tweets?

What would your dog say?

xx. L

Tags: I'm just saying..., Moxie? We got it., Olive, PLU, Ridiculous., Things that are awesome..., trend alert!, very important people, You Can Find Me in the A

Attention: Last Minute V-Day Plans

02/12/2010 in Holidays, Parties, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating, Where we're Shopping by Lindsay | 8 comments

If you are a frequent Q+DD reader, you’ll know that I love holidays – and pretty much any reason to celebrate. I even like not-so-sexy holidays. For instance, Passover got morphed last year into Lindsay + Lauren’s B.P.E. (Best Passover Ever). It was 80’s-themed and all…

B.P.E.

the charoset was jussssst right

Valentine’s Day (candy + roses) definitely falls into my top five favorite holidays list, alongside St. Patty’s Day (green beer + socially-acceptable pinching), Halloween (costumes + candy…again), Thanksgiving (turduckens + football) and New Year’s Eve (champagne + overpriced parties).

Happy V-Day!

Sadly, I do encounter quite a few people who are not that “into” V-Day. Some people just don’t have the spirit. I hear them say, “why should I be forced to tell my (insert: girlfriend/ fiance/ partner/ wife) that I love them more on this day than any other - yadda yadda yadda?” To which I simply respond, “because Hallmark tells you to! Hello!” Call me brainwashed – whatever – but I’m totally buying what Hallmark is selling. I love everything about this holiday! Chalky conversation hearts, under-clothed babies with bows + arrows, oversized V-day cards, pristine red+ pink roses…I love it all.

Which brings me to my point: no matter if you’re a V-day lover or hater, here are a few ideas for the weekend if you have not already made plans:

A Love Supreme: Nothing says, “I love you,” like sushi, well, that’s our philosophy at least. Head to Genki Noodles and Sushiin Buckhead or The Prado for a low-key, romantic Valentine’s Day dinner featuring a special “Cupid Roll” and “Love You Long Time” flirty cocktail. Detailed info below. (http://www.genkiatl.com/)

Valentine’s Day is for Suckas: Boycott this Hallmark holiday and reclaim romance for the real world at P’cheen International Bistro & Pub! Saturday, February 13 infuse a little humor into your night…sip on “Cupid Got Shot(s)” while you bust out your best Molly Ringwald moves during the teary eyed dance party courtesy of DJ Feri. Since the kitchen is open until 1:00 a.m., you might even find a date that you can spoon-feed the “Broken Heart” dinner specials to. (http://www.pcheen.com/)

Tainted Love: Give love a chance during Gold Room’s retro throwback “Tainted Love” party on Saturday, February 13th. Enjoy a night of dancing as DJ Andre Perry spins favorites from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Try the “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue” and “Chocolate Covered Raspberries” specialty cocktails. Single guys and gals can try to get lucky in love by picking up a red wrist band at the front door as their official “single signal” for the night. (http://www.goldroomatl.com/)

Shop To Your Heart’s Content: If you’re still searching for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift, Limon Verde offers beautiful hand-made unique and affordable gifts for that special someone. To sweeten the deal, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Red Cross. And, the Shops Around Lenox have a bundle of sweet deals through Valentine’s Day. (http://www.limonverde.com/)
(http://www.octaneemail.com/shopsaroundlenox/020210/)

Valentine’s Day Supper Club: Sun In My Bellyis hosting special Valentine’s Day dinners Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. Both evenings will have one seating featuring a four-course meal created by executive chef Allison Lueker, complimentary specialty cocktails and live music by Nicole Chillemi. In addition, each party will receive a signature floral bouquet from Foxgloves + Ivy Floral Design Studio to take home. $50.00 per person. (http://www.suninmybelly.com/)

A few other V-Day ideas can be found right there: HERE.

GENKIVD

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, EVERYONE! And, stay warm – this is going to be a snowy one in Atlanta!

xx, L

Tags: Costumes + Parties, Festive, I'm just saying..., LMR, PLU, Ridiculous., Table for Two, Things that are awesome..., Things we love!, very important people, You Can Find Me in the A

The World is your Oyster

02/10/2010 in Events!, What we're Doing by Lauren | 2 comments

It’s that time again!

This SATURDAY, February 13th is Midtown’s Original OysterFest!12pm 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....."

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

Tags: Christine!, Festive, PLU, Ridiculous., Spiral, Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A

Dirty Girl

02/05/2010 in Beauty, Hair, Maintenence, PSAs, Product, Tricks of the Trade, Vendors! by Lauren | 6 comments

I’m on the run. Constantly. If it weren’t for Olive…
OliveGirl! .. I don’t know if I would EVER see my condo. From meetings to happy hours to dinners to cocktails…I’m type A+ and I just can’t help it. I’m hard-wired this way. I’m happiest when my Outlook calendar looks like a rainbow of appointments and plans.

When your day starts at 5:00 and ends at midnight or later…the hardest part is not showing it on your face. What’s the use in going anywhere at all if you look like something the cat drug in? (I can’t be the only one who feels that way?)

Plus, there are those mornings when you hit “snooze” a few too many times or you remember your 7:45a breakfast meeting at 7:15a…we’ve all been there.

Here are a few little lifesavers I have picked up over the years:

1. Dry Shampoo

1(a). Unite 7 Seconds Dry Shampoo
unite7secondsdry
Ok, I JUST discovered Unite 7 Seconds Dry Shampoo

It’s an alcohol mist and here are the campaign promises:
“1. Aids in preserving hair color
2. Removes excess oil
3. Increases Volume
4. No visible powder
5. Refreshes hair without the use of water
6. You’ll never be late for Happy Hour again!”

All true. In an effort to keep my superblonde hair from looking like a haystack, I’ve been making an effort NOT to wash my hair daily and this product has really helps. Unlike powder dry shampoos, my hair really does feel cleaner and genuinely refreshed.. Plus, skipping my normal blowdry session has awarded me an extra hour or so every other day….which is HUGE.

Available at Studio Todd G in midtown…which may or may not be my new hair salon. OK, fine. It is. But if all of y’all start going there and I can’t get an appointment, I will be u.p.s.e.t. Nobody wants that. Trust.

1(b). Powder dry shampoo

For YEARS I have used the following:
Burt’s Bee’s Dusting Powder. I know it’s old-school, but when I lived in NYC I could make a good blow out stretch almost a week! I would just dust a little baby powder on my roots and voila! Good as new. Now, this is not a solution for everyone, but if you happen to be nearly platinum, such as myself, I recommend it.

However, Bumble and Bumble makes the gold standard in dry shampoos for all hair hues: Hair Powder
brownhairpowder It comes in 4 shades: blondish, brown, black, and red. Available wherever Bumble and Bumble is sold. (Such as Natural Body Spas, Michele Coulter Salon, and James Madison Salon.)

2. Click-Stick.

Yves Saint Laurent had the original, I believe.
toucheeleclat YSL’s “Touche Éclat” is a pen that distributes a bright, light concealor. It’s not for blemishes – You want to use a concealor that matched your skin color for those, obvi. This is just for brightening and giving your tired mug a little lift.

You just slick it under your eyes, on top of your cheek bones, and in your t-zone for INSTANT results. It truly is like 8 hours of sleep in a pen.

FYI, YSL’s is available for $40 but almost everyone, Bobbi Brown ($38), Chanel ($38), Trish McEvoy ($38) has a version of their own.

3. Portable perfume.

Listen, I am in no, way, shape, or form condoning the use of perfume in lieu of a good old fashioned shower. However, I have miniature bottles of my 2 signature perfumes in a Ziploc my handbag at all times for when I’m in need of a post-work spritz!

Ralph Lauren BlueJo Malone – (I use Nectarine Blossom and Honey)
jomalone
OK, once you have these things, all you need to do is master the perfect day-to-evening wardrobe and bada bing-bada boom, you’re fresh (-ish) as a daisy!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. I have an afternoon meeting, 239481 post-work errands, dinner with the girls, then drinks...

Happy Friday afternoon, everyone!

xx, L

Tags: Beauty is as beauty does., Moxie? We got it., Olive, PLU, Things that are awesome..., Things we love!, Tricks of the Trade

Four Popped Collars Cool

01/26/2010 in Events!, Guilty Pleasures, Parties by Lauren | 5 comments

It’s that time again. I know I’ve referenced it before, but it’s time. It’s time for LK/EZ Birthday Bash 2010! (THIS SATURDAY! 01/30/10!)

The Q+DD on EZ/LK Birthday is this: I’ll spare you all the girly details of our friendship (for another EZ post, please click here), but basically we were introduced when we both were fresh out of college causing trouble living in Manhattan. We discovered many, many similarities, but the most relative to this story are: (1) our birthdays are less than 48 hours apart and (2) we both love theme parties. Sadly, we were only able to have one superawesome party in NYC before I flew south, but luckily, EZ joined me in 2006 to resume our theme party madness.

Since then there has been Masquerade (at Bazzaar 2007):

There were no pictures, really. But our masks were cu-u-ute

80’s (at Sweet Lowdown 2008):
breakfastclub lkez80s1
Dirty Vegas (At Sutra 2009):
vegas

Lindsay + crew preparty. Brings a tear to my eye. Fabulous.

lkezvegas
and now…we bring you…

PARTY PREPPY!
erinlaurenlogo Here’s your official invitation:

Party Preppy: EZ/LK 5th Annual Birthday Extravaganza
We’re going green…Pink and Green!

January 30, 2010 at 9:30pm

Whisky Park at W Hotel Midtown
188 14th Street NE
Atlanta, GA

Pop your collar, don your argyle, bust out your best pink and green-
It’s BIRTHDAY TIME and this year we’re Partying Preppy, dah-ling!
Clad in our cable knit, vests and headbands…a must
All of our favorites will be there: Ralph (Lauren), Lilly (Pulitzer) and Trust (Funds)!
So remind your butler to shine your pearls and press your little golf beanies
And meet us at Whiskey Park to sip very dirty Belvedere 1X martinis!
From the Queens of the theme parties, it’ll be smashing, my pet -
Faux snobby, faux sho‘… channel your yuppie Country Club set!
It’s not the Upper East Side…or Martha’s Vineyard either
Its PARTY PREPPY, Muffy, and we want you to be there!
erinlaurenprep
You know you love us!
xoxo, EZ and LK

*brought to you by Whiskey Park Atlanta and Belvedere 1X Vodka!
croquet
So, get your ascot to the W Midtown on Saturday night and come celebrate with EZ + LK! Click here for the Facebook invitation. Be sure to RSVP!

xx, L (+EZ)
fourpoppedcollarscool

Tags: Costumes + Parties, EZ, I'm just saying..., Moxie? We got it., PLU, Ridiculous., Things that are awesome..., Things we love!, very important people, You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.

A Good Place to Be.

01/25/2010 in Midtown, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 2 comments

Ormsby’s is Atlanta’s new hot spot.

13637_193284087854_187096837854_2962299_4260927_n

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

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

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

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

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...

xx, L

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

Tags: comfort food, I'm just saying..., LMR, oh so hipster, PLU, slick, Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A

Pro-Con-Pro #2…

01/22/2010 in Buckhead, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 7 comments

Ok, I’m bringing back Elle Woods. Wednesday, EZ and I went for our annual 01/20 “day-between-our-birthdays” dinner at Woodfire Grill and I think a Pro-Con-Pro is in order. (if you are unfamiliar, please refer to a previous Pro-Con-Pro by clicking here)

I KNOW you know how excited I was for this dinner. I’m a Top Chef FREAK, I am overly excited by any kind of celebrity (especially Kevin Gillespie and his beard)… kevinsbeard …I ADORE hype, and I love food and fancy restaurants more than probably anything else in the word (except handbags and lip-gloss. Duh). I have to tell you, the food at Woodfire did NOT disappoint, but the chances of my return are slim. (I just deleted “to none” when I remembered the restaurants proximity to my condo. It’s CLOSE.) Here we go: PRO: The restaurant itself is awesome. It’s in a really unexpected location (Cheshire Bridge. Not 7-8 months ago did Lindsay drive me to where I left my car on CB to find a full-fledge police hold-up happening ON. MY. CAR. Luckily, Taqueria is close and there’s not a whole lot a stiff margarita can’t cure.)

I digress.

The interior is very cozy and homey and chic all at the same time and I absolutely adored it. It’s earthy and warm and very simply decorated. The crowd was pretty (EZ and I saw a gorgeous woman in a fabulous romper. A ROMPER, y’all!), and these super slick .com guys from Cali bought us some incredible vino. Plus, it is very difficult to get a reservation, and you know how I dig that sort of thing. (That is, if I can score a reservation myself.)

CON: I am just going to say it: the wait staff was a liiiiiiiiiittle obnoxious and pretentious. Sorry. They were. I was sad about it because on Top Chef, Gillespie always seemed really down-to-earth. The perception is that he’s just this super nice guy from Georgia with a natural talent for cooking who just wants to make delicious food and help elevate the national (international?) opinion of American Southern cuisine.

I thought the experience (read: the wait staff) would be equally earnest, but it wasn’t. I’d have to launch into a whole new pro-con-pro to tell you about the hostess’s customer service skills, but to make a long story short, we ended up eating at the bar. (Which is fine, I love to eat at the bar. It worked out.) Anyway. The bartender who was serving us was so condescending. In a voice my sister used to use with her Kindergarten class, “this menu is different than anything you’ve seen before. It has the date on it. It was printed today.” (Thank you! Good to know. They don’t do that at McDonalds!) and when we asked about various items on the menu she felt the need to repeatedly tell us that “everything is executed perfectly.” My general opinion is that if you need to tell everyone how great you are, you probably aren’t. (And for some reason, this chafed me more than if you ask a server about an item and they don’t know anything about any of the menu items) Plus, no lie, she actually used the term ” je ne sais quoi.” With a straight face. Woodfire wait staff: if I have one piece of advice for you, it would be to focus on connecting rather than impressing.

Pro: The food. The food was inspired. Brilliant. We adored our food and weren’t at all disappointed. First of all, I can’t remember what it was, but we were served a really refreshing amuse-bouche, phenomenal house-made bread and delicious herbed butter. Then we shared the foie gras (pan seared with braised pistachios on foie buttered toast), the sunchoke risotto (fried sunchoke. Celery “salsa.” Toasted walnuts. TaDIEfah!) and the duck (Grilled. With warm farro salad. Insane.) Our foodie bar-neighbors-turned-dinner partners were equally impressed with their meal. It was just a perfect flavor combination, perfect portion size…everything on our plates was JUST PERFECT.

So I guess the Q+DD is that this is a situation where I can’t wait for the hype to die down. I hope that Woodfire survives this little bout of celebrity and endures as one of our city’s fabulous little restaurants. Please, someone just let me know when that happens, I like to dine with a bit less ego…

xx, L

Woodfire Grill
www.woodfiregrill.com
1782 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324-4922
(404) 347-9055

Tags: Beef., EZ, I'm just saying..., PLU, You Can Find Me in the A

today is a very special day.

01/21/2010 in Random Musings by Lindsay | 5 comments

A little over 20 years ago today a princess was born! Pink champagne was shared, gold and silver confetti was thrown and Birminghamians? rejoiced in the streets!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAUREN!

Ever since then, our Lauren has brought style, grace, big smiles, excellent hugs, laughter, creative ideas, impeccable taste in restaurants, an amazing sense of humor, loyalty, brunch cocktails, incomparable beauty, selflessness and a pretty impressive shoe collection into our lives - as evidenced below:

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