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So. Much. FUN!

06/28/2010 in Buckhead, Happy Hour, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | No comments

Thanks to everyone who joined us on Friday for our second Q+DD Happy Hour on Whiskey Blue’s rooftop @ the W Buckhead!  It was such a great turn out – we were tickled pink!

LK + I had such a great time with everyone, and we were so glad you could all join us!  The only thing that made the night even better (yes – you know where I’m headed) was…

HOLEMAN + FINCH 10:00 p.m. burgs!  :)

Oh, you know we got them.  The Best.  Ever!

Thanks again to everyone for joining us!  We look forward to seeing you @ the next one! 
(TBD. TBD. TBD.)

xx, L+L

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Eat Squad Log #5: Cafe Agora

06/09/2010 in Buckhead, Eat Squad, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 2 comments

On Slick’s recommendation, Eat Squad visited one of his favorite restaurants in Atlanta on Sunday evening – Cafe Agora.  I’d been there once before w/ the Shapiros after our V-Day Extravaganza at Chateau Elan, but I’d only tried their hummus + pita.  This time, however, I tried everything – many thanks to Al, the restaurant owner, who fork-fed me a nice portion of the meal.  (I’m not kidding.)

Cafe Agora - Buckhead

Upon arriving at Cafe Agora, Slick introduced me to Al and he slid two glasses of tap H2O in our direction.  I told Al that it was my first time at the Cafe, which had come highly recommended from Slick.  Without saying much, Al walked to the back and came out with a small maza plate of hummus, baba ganoush, ezme, kisir + piyaz and eggplant salad, as well as a small plate of spanakopita.  He sternly informed us that we had to finish everything on the plate if we wanted to eat dinner there.  (It didn’t take long for me to realize that this isn’t a man you want to argue with… ) Instead, I mentally prepared myself to ingest large quantities of Mediterranean food over the next hour and a half – whether I wanted to or not.

As soon as some more of our Eat Squad arrived, we sat down at the somewhat rickety, unassuming tables in the small restaurant and waited to order.  When the server approached our table, he brought over a large version of the maza plate w/ warm pita for the table to share – a nice welcome gift from our friend, Al.

Once we polished it off, the server took our orders.  Everyone except for Foodie Buddha and I got the Agora Mixed Grill (mixed plate of meats).  FB and I ordered the Gyro.  (Honestly, I didn’t really have a choice – I was told (or commanded may be the better word?) by Al to get it.)  Sure – whatever he says.

LISTEN TO AL!!  I loved it.  It was awesome.

I was concerned that the gyro was going to be fatty, but I seriously didn’t find an ounce of fat on it.  Instead, when I unwrapped the aluminum foil holding my huge gyro together, it overflowed with meat, lettuce, onions and tzatziki.  It was delicious, and I ate all of it.

Al brought over a large plate of pistachio baklava for dessert.  I thought that it was pretty greasy, but it was certainly tasty and we didn’t have a problem finishing it.

What a fun experience!  That’s really what it was – an experience.

Al isn’t for everyone – I will say that.  I’m not sure how my father would feel about Al forcing a forkful of food in his face…  And, I kind of think that Al arbitrarily makes up his own prices when you approach the register, which is more than a little eyebrow raising – frankly I’m not sure it’s even legal.  Regardless, I got a kick out of him, and the Cafe Agora gyro has been summoning me back ever since I left on Sunday.  I definitely recommend checking this place out, and please send Al my regards when you do.

xx, L

Cafe Agora
262 E. Paces Ferry Rd. NE
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.949.0900
www.cafeagora.com/index.htm

Cafe Agora on Urbanspoon

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More Pizza Snobbery…

03/22/2010 in Midtown, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 2 comments

Friday was one of the most gorgeous days of the year so far, so how better to celebrate it than with pizza for lunch?!  So, Roshal, Slick + I met up @ Piola, a pizza joint with restaurants all over the world that just opened in the 1010 Midtown building around the corner from my office.

hola, piola!

As soon as we walked in, we were accosted by servers with heavy Italian accents trying to get us seated and collect our drink orders.  I definitely appreciated the restaurant’s initial authentic vibe.  The menu was really extensive (see Rosh below) and there were a number of items on it that sounded tasty – however my attention was immediately averted to the pizza section…

rosh w/ massive menu

We all ordered lunch specials, which seemed plentiful and well-priced (salad + entire pizza for about $3 less than a pizza, itself, would normally run you).  Probably due to the novelty of the restaurant, which just opened a few weeks ago, and folks wanting to get out of the office for lunch on a beautiful day, the restaurant had a substantial lunch rush and was absolutely packed.  However, we didn’t wait long to get our salads, which were fairly simple – but did the trick, and soon it was…

wall art @ piola

The pizzas were fine.  They weren’t incredible, but they also weren’t terrible…  Mine, the Hawaiian, tasted like an improved version of Little Azio’s pizza.  Slick enjoyed his, which was covered with arugula +  various cheeses. 

pizza @ piola (mine)

pizza @ piola (slick's)

pizza @ piola (slick's)

I think I just would have liked more toppings on mine or something…  That being said, we both finished our pizzas right then and there.  They were thin crust, and frankly, we didn’t feel like we were entering into a food coma or needed to take a nap when we got up to leave.  So I’ll say this, if you had to choose between eating @ Antico, Shorty’s or Piola – you should do it in that order.  However, if you are looking for a cute spot to grab a well-priced, hearty pizza lunch and don’t want it to feel at all like a fast food joint – definitely try Piola.  It’s convenient, the service was great, the food isn’t bad and the adorable decor is energizing.  I’m sure I’ll be back.

Oooooh, also, I picked up a flier on my way out of the restaurant about their Lucky Gnocchi special – information is below…

i heart gnocchi

Lucky Gnocchi Every 29th of the Month @ Piola
There are many stories about the lucky gnocchi tradition.  The most famous one tells the story of San Pantaleon, a missionary, arriving in a small village in Italy on the 29th of an unknown month.  He knocked at the door of a very poor house.  An elderly peasant couple let him in and offered him the only thing they had on the table: Gnocchi.  Soon after, the missionary left and the peasants found some gold coins under their gnocchi plates.  In the meantime, San Pantaleon assembled all the villagers and directed them to gather together each 29th of the month in order to have luck and prosperity in their lives.  The lucky gnocchi legend gained recognition all over the world and a lot of restaurants have “Lucky Gnocchi Day” every 29th of the month. 

Piola has adapted this beautiful legend and believes EVERYBODY is lucky: Enjoy all you can eat homemade gnocchi @ Piola every 29th of the month!  :)

xx, L

Piola
1080 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.249.7019
www.piola.it

Piola on Urbanspoon

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Eat Squad Log #3: Canton House

02/22/2010 in Buford Highway, Eat Squad, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 2 comments

In an attempt to further explore Buford HWY and challenge our taste buds, the Eat Squad met at Canton House for dim sum* on Wednesday.  Canton House is not at all difficult to find.  If you are coming from our neck of the woods (Buckhead + Midtown), drive up Buford HWY until you see the largest chandlier known to man through the windows of a restaurant with Chinese characters on it.

*Note: Dim sum is commonly eaten on Sunday afternoons or during lunch, however, Canton House offers dim sum carts in the evening, as well.

Canton House - street view

underbelly of the massive Canton House chandelier

Once we found the restaurant and walked inside, we were immediately shown to our table.  Less than two minutes later, the servers began accosting us with stainless steel dim sum carts. 

dim sum cart - steamed dishes

dim sum cart - steamed dishes

dim sum cart - fried items

We tried almost everything on both carts – with the exception of tripe and chicken feet.  My personal favorite items were the shrimp dumplings and the pork sticky buns.  Unfortunately for me, though, Slick wasn’t sharing his sticky buns…

not sharing

Although the dim sum plates quickly filled me up, the boys were hungry for more.  We ordered a heaping plate of chicken fried rice, which I hadn’t eaten since I was 15 at the old Prestonwood Mall in Dallas, and pork chow fun, which I thought was way too oily – but still pretty tasty. 

Eat Squad

Eat Squad

We shared everything by way of the massive lazy susan on our table.  When we requested the bill, I tried to mentally tally what I thought the final price would be for the incredible amount of food we ate.  Much to our surprise, we all got out of there for roughly $12.50 per person!  We were absolutely shocked at how cheap everything was.  Dim sum @ Canton House is truly a cultured culinary experience that won’t put a dent in your wallet!  Just a little sum-thing to think about…  :)

roshal w/ the lucky buddha

On the way home, Slick and I ranked our Eat Squad expeditions so far on Buford Highway and dim sum held down my #1 spot, followed closely by our Bangladeshi dinner @ Panahar.  Slick’s favorite ES meal was Korean BBQ: Hanil Kwan was definitely a fun culinary experience, but I could take it or leave it. 

I’m really looking forward to our next stop on the road!  My vote is for Thai… 

xx, L

Canton House
4825 Buford HWY
Chamblee, GA  30341
770.936.9030

Canton House on Urbanspoon

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How to…Start a Dinner Club

07/01/2009 in Entertaining, Organizing, Parties by Lindsay | 3 comments

I am sure I am not alone in finding myself with an increasingly packed work schedule, which oftentimes puts a strain on my social life.  As we mature in our careers (and are pulled in a thousand different directions), it becomes even more important for us to make time for ourselves.  For me, setting aside time to spend with my girlfriends can be difficult to schedule, but is critical to my overall social satisfaction and stress relief.  About a year and a half ago, Dana and I started a monthly dinner club and it has been going strong ever since.  Prior to forming our club, I had been part of numerous book clubs, wine clubs and dinner groups that ultimately failed - mostly due to a lack of structure.  However, our dinner club has been successful because of the following five steps we took seriously from the get-go.

1 – Establishing Structure: Establishing a dinner club structure is an important step toward success.  We have roughly six to eight consistent members in our dinner club.  Once a month, someone volunteers to cook for the group and invites attendees to bring over a bottle of wine.  We rotate each month, and members are likely to only cook for the group once or twice a year.  In other dinner clubs, the host prepares the main course and a few sides, and then delegates other sides, dessert and beverages to attendees.  However, we think our structure works the best because the burden to cook is fairly infrequent – which has resulted in consistent, high attendance.
 
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2 - Selecting a Day: We decided that Tuesday would be the best day for our dinner club since our members are less likely to have plans toward the beginning of the week than they are at the end of it.  I suggest discussing member’s schedules and polling them as to their most convenient day to meet each month. It’s okay to be flexible on the day of the week, too.  Sometimes Wednesdays work better for our group –  and no one minds if we temporarily move the day for a month or two.  Additionally, we named our dinner club after the day it occurs to help members remember it.  Our Evites are for the “Third Tuesday Dinner Club,” which brings me to…
 
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3 – Invitations and Communication: It’s important to have a structured e-mail invitation so that dinner club members have all the information they need about the month’s club, including time, location, directions and information regarding the meal.  Our dinner club uses Evite to communicate with members.  Additionally, I think it’s important to set certain rules about cancellations.  For example, our club frowns upon canceling the day of the dinner club unless it’s an emergency.  We hate for the host to overspend and end up with a bunch of food left over, so it’s a good idea to set certain rules like this early on.
 
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4 – Perpetuating Momentum: I think most dinner clubs die because they lose momentum.  In hopes of avoiding a similar fate, we send out the Evite for the following month’s dinner club very shortly after the current month’s occurred so members can mark it on their calendars as soon as possible.  Everyone appreciates advance planning!
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5 – Diversity and Creativity: Dana and I wanted our dinner club to be a vehicle to merge our groups of friends.  Our club is composed of a diverse group of girls from a range of backgrounds - which keeps conversation interesting and meals unique.  We communicate about our meals prior to the dinner club so we can be sensitive to food allergies or aversions, as well as help to generate attendee interest in the meal.  Members of our dinner club have cooked Jamaican food, Indian, Columbian, Mexican (tacos and tortilla soup), Italian (lasagna and ziti parmesan), kosher for Passover, create-your-own-salad, handmade ravioli, organic dinners with food purchased from the DeKalb Farmer’s Market and we’ve grilled out (turkey burgers and hobo packs).
 
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All the members of our club look forward to our monthly meals.  We hope that these five steps will help you to form a successful dinner club of your own!

 
xx, L
 

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