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The Ghastly Dreadfuls: A Halloween Date Delight!

10/14/2011 in Deals + Steals, Events, Midtown, Parties, Theatre, What we're Doing by Lindsay | No comments

A few years ago, an old hair stylist of mine told me that his single favorite thing to do around Halloween-time was to go to the Center for Puppetry Arts (CfPA) in Midtown to see The Ghastly Dreadfuls show.  He explained it to me as a Halloween puppet show designed for teenagers and adults.  He said it was creepy, funny, incredibly impressive – and especially fun for first timers or folks unfamiliar with the complexity of puppeteering.  It sounded really interesting and like something I’d want to check out, but frankly, I wasn’t sure that I could convince anyone to join me.

Until now!  Scoutmob threw a Revel Party at the CfPA last night, and as soon as I found out about it I snagged two free tickets for Mrs. Casey (this chick is down for it all!) + I to join in on the fun!  Thank you, Scoutmob!

scoutmob revel party at the CfPA

We pre-puppeted at Ecco, and headed over to the CfPA a few minutes before the show to check out the Jim Henson exhibit. 

The only photo I have of the museum area is this one, which I happen to love. (I was scolded by the hipster puppet museum cop when I tried to take an iPhone photo within the exhibit…  She was intense.)  What I CAN tell you is that we saw a number of our favorite Sesame Street characters, we heard Kermit sing “The Rainbow Connection” (Kevin’s fav), and we ogled the Fraggle Rock + Labyrinth portions of the exhibit.  It was very cool.  But, it was also time to get a drink (priorities, people!), so we quickly shuffled downstairs to the bar “The Tavern of Lost Souls,” for some overpriced wine in plastic cups.

CfPA Atlanta

The downstairs area + theatre were all Halloween-ed out.  We loved!  :)

The stage + a sneak peek at one of the puppets:

SOOOO without further adieu, here’s the Q+DD on The Ghastly Dreadfuls (according to our friends at Creative Loafing):

“The Center for Puppetry Arts has an unflowing crypt’s worth of spooky stories composed for The Ghastly Dreadfuls, its annual anthology of comedic and scarifying short puppet shows.  Co-creators Jon Ludwig and Jason Von Hinezmeyer debuted the show in in 2006 as The Ghastly Dreadfuls: Compendium of Graveyard Tales and Other Curiosities, then revised it in 2008 as The Ghastly Dreadfuls II: Handbook of Practical Hauntings and Other Phantasmagoria.  Currently Ludwig and Von Hinezmeyer can cherry-pick their favorite tales of the lot, such as the witty, grisly “The Girl in the New Dress,” adapted from the story by Larry Letemplier, which unfolds – or maybe “unscrolls” would be a better word — on a single, seemingly endless sheet, in the style of old Coca-Cola advertisements.  You’ll recognize the music of “La Danse Macabre” by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, accompanying a skeleton dance worthy of Fantasia.”  Etc, etc, etc…  I don’t want to give away too much!

Y’all it was SO good!  The show was really well done – from the detailed puppets and impressive puppeteering to the creative stories and talented musicians.  It was funny, too!  I very much enjoyed it.  In my opinion, The Ghastly Dreadfuls is probably not for the novice theatre goer, but it IS for someone who is really passionate about theatre, off-beat humor +/or Halloween. 

if this photo looks blurry, you are probably drunk. stop drinking at work, readers... (JUST kidding.)

mrs. casey w/ her scoutmob moustache

I strongly suggest scheduling a date night this month to see The Ghastly Dreadfuls at the CfPA!  But do it soon because they only have performances on Wednesday – Saturday nights through October 29!

serious theatre-goers...

Still need more convincing??  Check out a behind-the-scenes preview HERE: The Ghastly Dreadfuls.

And, Happy (early) Halloween!!

xx, L

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30309
404.873.3391
www.puppet.org

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Ping Pong, Pizza, Planking…and Trombones.

08/07/2011 in Deals + Steals, Downtown, What we're Doing, What we're Listening To, Where we're Eating by Lauren | No comments

As they say…

Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday.

And get down we did.

First stop: We picked up Ellen and Matt…otherwise known as BarChila…who came well-prepared for the evening:

Next up: Amazing pizza at Pizzeria Vesuvius.

We started with breadsticks (Joy: they are cheesy!) and the Greek salad (the dressing was super interesting…I liked it.) and then we went for the following:

Vesuvius
Our spicy buffalo pizza with smoked chicken breast, mozzarella, blue cheese, jalapenos, celery and buffalo sauce.

The Mighty Vesuvius

Kilauea
Grilled chicken, red onions, roasted red peppers and barbecue sauce.

Alpine
Ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheeses, sprinkled with fresh oregano and olive oil.

The Vesuvius was my favorite (I’m a sucker for buffalo sauce and blue cheese, what can I say?), followed closely by the Alpine. The Kilauea was a little too BBQ Sauce-y for Terch and me, but the boys did not agree. Gotta love a guy who loves a condiment.

After dinner, we went downstairs to the “Music Room” for a little ping pong action

Ellen demonstrated the proper ping pong stance

and I attempted my first Plank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ping Pong PlanktasticWe were also privileged to hear the musical stylings of “Mumford’s”– a very interesting, very spirited band with a lot of brass and apparently a cult-like following! By the end of their show, 75% of the players were shirtless and the boys had purchased their last 2 t-shirts for Ellen and me.

Mumford's newest fans!

All-in-all – huge fan of Pizzeria Vesuvius. Bonus: there’s a ScoutMob right now!

Pizzeria Vesuvius on Urbanspoon

Were we done? Oh no we were not. Our ping pong itch had not been scratched, so we headed a block over to Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium.

In the interest of full disclosure, this place is VERY religiously irreverent and I can appreciate how some could be easily offended by the tongue-in-cheek, sacrilegious artwork and elements such as a confessional booth turned-photo booth, but I have to tell you – I LOVED the general flavor of this place and some of the artwork really made me laugh.

Just like mama always said

Plus, we made some really great friends waiting for the ping pong table upstairs. Next to a Q+DD Koozie, this is about the coolest thing I have ever seen:


Seriously...where can I get one of these?

What a totally random and fabulous night in Edgewood!

I love you, Atlanta.

xx, L

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Sponsored Love: Daily Dibs ITP!

07/24/2011 in PSAs, Reminders by Lauren | 1 comment

We know you are savvy shoppers.  Members of the ScoutMob.  Groupon-aholics.  Living Social on the daily.  Pay retail?  You pity the fool. 

Seriously – is there anything worse than paying full price and finding out there was a deal there AFTER the fact?

Well, we have a solution for you:

Daily Dibs. You can check them out on the left bar of the Q+DD – click the link to organize ALL your online deal sites (plus a few you may not even know about!) into ONE daily digest of deals. (Click here to subscribe to Daily Dibs)

Now you’ll never miss a deal!  I mean, did you see this awesomeness:

1 month of unlimited classes at Japan House for $40 from Tippr!

Supersaver… Hi-yah! 

xx, L

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Ode to My iPhone + Two Apps of Note

04/21/2011 in Health, PSAs, Random Musings, Technology by Lindsay | 4 comments

In case you’ve been wondering, I’ve been loving my iPhone 4.  It’s a love affair, really…

And now, I’m loving more than just the adorable (albeit not-REALLY-functional) Kate Spade case! 

I take pictures like crazy + edit them all fancy-like thanks to Hipstamatic + Instagram photography apps.  I have about 15 Words w/ Friends games going on at any given time (frequent exchange at Slick + my condo.  Slick to Lindsay, “What are you doing?”  Lindsay to Slick, “Playing words w/ my friendsssssss!”)…and I’m getting pretty good at Fruit Ninja.  My entire social network is at the tip of my fingers (fingertips?) whenever I feel inclined to check Facebook, tweet or check in on Foursquare.  I am always in the loop on Gilt Groupe sales + I’m never without my trusty Scoutmob app.

In the past, I’ve blogged about TracknBurn + how great of an app I think it is (still do), but now I’d like to bring two more to your attention:

1 – MealSnap

Jo Duff alerted me to this one.  (Thanks, Jo Duff.)  It’s an iPhone app that counts your calories when you take a picture of what you’re eating.  Within minutes of taking a picture of a meal + matching it to a database of 500,000 food items, MealSnap sends an alert with a range of calories for the photographed meal.  (I haven’t downloaded it b/c I enjoy being in denial…but I think it’s super interesting + could be very eye opening.) 

Read more about it here: MEALSNAP INFO
Buy MealSnap for $2.99: SNAP MY FOOD

2. Taxi Magic

(This is Slick’s new favorite app.)  Taxi Magic is the first nationwide free online taxi booking service that is directly integrated with taxi dispatch systems.  You can book from your mobile phone or the Web with a few quick taps, track the arrival of your taxi, charge the ride to your credit card + expense the trip with an e-receipt.  In Atlanta, it’s intergrated with Checker Cab.

Download Taxi Magic here: TAXI, TAXI!

On demand cabs?  I’m down!  :)

iPhone, oh iPhone…I love you.  Really, I do.

xx, L

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Wake Up In The Morning Feelin’ Like…Tony Soprano?

03/16/2011 in Appetizers, Buckhead, Deals + Steals, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | No comments

Yesterday evening, a nice little posse + I took advantage of the Scoutmob deal offered at La Pietra Cucina.  Typically, I am not big on going out for Italian food (with the exception of the occasional Alfredo’s visit, of course).  However, I’d heard some pretty great things about La Pietra + wanted to see for myself – as usual the Scoutmob just sweetened the deal.

I arrived a good 20 minutes before everyone else, so I parked myself at the bar, ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio + checked in on Foursquare.  As soon as I checked in, a tip popped up informing me that no matter what else I ordered at La Pietra, I needed to try the proscuitto.  Done.

When we sat down, I let everyone know that a little birdie told me that the proscuitto was amazing + we promptly threw in an order for it.  It really was incredible.  I’d always assumed that proscuitto was proscuitto – slice the meat + serve it.  This was way better than any proscuitto I’ve had anywhere else in the U.S.  And, I’m not exaggerating at all.  Do not pass over it on the menu because you think you can get it anywhere!  Trust me.

For appetizers we ordered the following to share…

Proscuitto di Parma w/ emilian flatbread, fresh ricotta + pineapple mostarda.

Burrata Mozzarella w/ sea salt + olivastro.

The Tortellini Special.  Note: Do not tune out the specials like I usually do.  (Can’t help it…)  I wasn’t listening when the server told us about this special + I would have really missed out if Mr. Barocas didn’t catch it + throw in an order.  It was just marvelous.

All of us ordered pasta dishes or “primi” for our main entrees.  Everything was SO delicious, although I’m pretty sure that I ordered the best as I tried a few of the other plates… 

I got the Strigoli alle Vongole w/ clams, pancetta (this sold me) + pequillo peppers.

Slick + Mr. Barocai ordered Mario’s Black Spaghetti w/ rock shrimp, scallions + hot calabrese sausage.  (Black spaghetti is so cool looking.  This was definitely the prettiest plate + in my opinion, a close runner up to my order.)

Mr. Brad-Cohen-Himself selected Carla’s Tagliatelle w/ wild pacific mushrooms, thyme + parmigiano.  (I h.a.t.e. mushrooms, but it still looked + smelled super.)

Gorms + Cute Cari opted for the Hand Cut Pappardelle w/ bolognese ragu + grana padano.

We finished every last bite + were very pleased with our meal.

Then, dessert arrived.  We all shared three dishes, two of which are pictured below, but I must admit that I cannot completely remember what they were…  (Lifestyle NOT food blog – please remember.  Sorry not sorry.)  Regardless, I’d definitely recommend not skipping dessert.  All three that we shared were exceptionally tasty + the perfect end to a delicious meal.

So, just breezing over these…  :)

For not being the biggest Italian restaurant fan (i.e. eating pasta outside of the house, generally), I thought that La Pietra Cucina was fabulous.  (If you read the blog frequently, you know that I reserve that particular word for only the best of the best.)  No matter how good I think I am at putting jarred pesto on whole wheat pasta, I am absolutely not a trained chef + have NOTHING on the brilliance of Bruce Logue at La Pietra. 

I definitely think that this restaurant would be great for a third or fourth date.  However, I do feel obligated to say that while our meal was pretty darn close to perfect, our service was very slow.  Just know before you go, La Pietra does not strike me as a restaurant that can get you in and out quickly.  Regardless, I would love to dine there again + strongly encourage everyone with a Scoutmob to check it out.

Now, to deal with my garlic breath…  (I could seriously kill a vampire.)

xx, L

La Pietra Cucina
1545 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.888.8709
www.lapietracucina.com

La Pietra Cucina on Urbanspoon

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Fritti Fantastic-o! (+ Merry Chrismukkah)

12/21/2010 in Dallas, Deals + Steals, Holidays, Inman Park, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | No comments

Scoutmob has been totally rockin’ lately.  I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, there is really no reason to go to any other restaurants besides ones currently offered on Scoutmob.  There just isn’t.  And, they’ve seriously stepped it up for the holidays + have had SO many good ones recently!

Becoming the Caseys, Rosh + Z and Slick + I decided to use the Scoutmob for Fritti in Inman Park on Sunday night.  And, we were so glad we did.

I hadn’t been to Fritti in almost exactly a year (went for a holiday party last Dec.), and it was really bumping.  I was impressed.  Thanks to Scoutmob, they were on an hour wait when we arrived.  Lucky for us, though, S. Casey thought ahead + made a reservation, so we were seated right away on their heated patio! 

sam's supa-smart.

I was s.t.a.r.v.i.n.g, so I tried to encourage the group to make decisions pretty quickly so we could get some food on the table.  Everyone ordered drinks + we requested a few appetizers to share:

Bruschetta: Slow roasted + marinated tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil.
Bresaola di Tonno: Cured sashimi grade tuna, arugula, radish, lemon.
Antipasto Misto: Assorted Italian meats + cheeses, olives, marinated mushrooms.
(We also wanted the Calamari Fritti, but they were out…)  :(

There wasn’t any time to take pictures b/c my ravenous mood quickly spread + as soon as our appetizers were delivered, we demolished them.  Shortly thereafter, our pizzas arrived:

Salame Piccante: Spicy salame + black olives.

Crudo e Rucola: San Daniele prosciutto + arugula.  (My fav.)

Pancetta e Cipolla: Caramelized onion, pancetta + hot pepper.

Toscana: Bufala, peppered salame, cherry tomatoes + rosemary.

Four hearty pizzas may seem ambitious for six people, but don’t you worry – we ate every last bite.  A little over half of our dinner companions had not been to Fritti before, and they walked away very satisfied.  The Scoutmob discount was significant, too, and just another nice touch to an already enjoyable meal.  Fritti might not be a restaurant that I frequent more than once a year, but it sure hits the spot.  (And, I’d never turn my nose up at pizza…)  I definitely recommend using the Scoutmob for it – and bringing along a posse to help you devour their delicious pizzas.  Or not.  :)

Fritti’s Menu Here:  http://www.urestaurants.net/_uploads/Fritti_dinner_menu.pdf

And, don’t forget to make a reservation!!

Unrelated:  I’m headed to Dallas for the rest of the week to celebrate the holidays Texas-style.

And so, I want to wish you all a very Merry Chrismukkah (if you’re down w/ the hybrid holiday thing like my family) or whatever it is you’re celebrating!  Have the happiest of holidays! 

(Just some Yids celebrating X-mas…)

family secret santa

xx, L

Fritti
309 N. Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA  30307
404.880.9559
www.urestaurants.net

Fritti on Urbanspoon

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Sunday Supper + Hunting Horcruxes.

11/22/2010 in Decatur, Harry Potter, PSAs, What we're Watching, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 5 comments

Isn’t alliteration fun, kids?  :)

Yesterday night, Slick + the Levins + I headed out to the historic Decatur train depot for some serious farm-fueled comfort food at Farmstead 303.  And, it just so happened that there was a Scoutmob deal for it…   Perfect. 

Teri Rogers, owner of an adorable restaurant across the street from Farmstead 303 called Feast, opened F 303 in June of this year.  The menu is seasonal + from local farms, and the restaurant feels incredibly authentic.  You are having dinner in a barn.  Although upon walking into the restaurant I instantly regretted sporting my five inch nude suede pumps, I totally dug the country-casual atmosphere.  I felt like I was in the movie Twister, but minus the tornadoes.

Here’s a peek  at what our table looked like. 

The menu was incredibly hearty + filled with lots of southern fried goodness.  For appetizers, we ordered the deviled farm eggs…

…and the fried local cauliflower + pepper jelly. 

The eggs were good, although not nearly as delicious as the d.eggs at Bocado, but I thought the cauliflower was a bit too heavily fried for my personal liking.  Slick + Brian agreed that if they came back to F 303, they would order the appetizer sampler instead of individual apps.  They wanted a bit more of a variety of the restaurant’s small bites.

For my entree, I ordered the Georgia Mountain Trout + wilted spinach salad with roasted new potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, beet pancake + horseradish sauce.  There was a party on my plate!  I passed it around the table and everyone thought it was delicious.

Brian ordered the crispy pan seared duck breast w/ pancetta roasted brussels sprouts + candied carrots.  He reported that it was tasty + enjoyable, but honestly nothing to write home about.

Slick + Sarah both raved about their Painted Hills burgers w/ pimento cheese, thick cut bacon + homemade chips.

 I had a few bites of Slick’s and thought it was a pretty. solid. burger.  (Close up below.)

Overall, we really enjoyed the F 303 experience.  There’s a time and place for everything, and the time to go to F 303 is when you really need some serious southern cookin’.  If F 303 doesn’t hit the spot, I’m not sure if anything will.

Farmstead 303 Menu + Hours Here:  FANTASTICALLY FRIED FEASTING
Info on Farmstead’s Raised Bed Urban Garden Here: 303 GARDENING

After dinner, Slick + I zipped over to Atlantic Station’s movie theater to claim seats for the 9:00 p.m. Harry Potter #7 Part 1.  As you know, I’m a pretty huge HP fan + have been eagerly awaiting the release of the 7th movie.  AND (drum roll please…), I thought it was really fantastic!  There were some slow scenes, but they were necessary to add to the build up for July’s #7 Part 2.  I can’t WAIT!

IMPORTANT PSA:  This is totally going to come off as parenting-advice-from-a-non-parent, but I don’t really care.  One of my biggest pet peeves is people talking during movies  Um, hello – there are like 400 pre-movie commercials reminding you that “silence is golden!”  I will ask you to be quiet if you are infringing on my movie-going-experience, oh random fellow movie-goer.  Even worse is when parents bring children WHO SHOULD BE IN BED or WITH A BABYSITTER to late movies that aren’t age appropriate for them.  Our movie started at 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night, and there was a BABY in the theater + two kids under the age of 8 or so sitting behind Slick + I.  I wish I could report their parents.  I really do.  Just saying…I’m judging you.

In prep for HP #7 Part 1, Slick + I spent Saturday 10:00 a.m. through Sunday 12:30 a.m. watching the first six Harry Potter movies back to back w/ the Rischels = HARRY POTTER MARATHON DAY (HPMD) 2010!  It was quite epic, if I do say so myself.  Mich (Flounder) + Slick fell into a pizza coma + passed out during the last movie, but Justin and I made it.  By the end of the day, we all felt like we’d earned a boy scout badge or something. At least recognition from Caribou Coffee for all the caffeine we’d consumed…  I can safely say that it was one of my favorite days of the past year.  Fact. 

July – You are WAY too far away!

xx, L

Farmstead 303
303 East Howard Avenue
Decatur, GA  30030
404.377.3550
http://farmstead303.squarespace.com/

Farmstead 303 on Urbanspoon

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Why Thank You, Scoutmob!

11/18/2010 in Buckhead, Deals + Steals, Random Musings, Technology, Tricks of the Trade, Where we're Shopping by Lindsay | 5 comments

Scoutmob Atlanta has made my social life soooo much more affordable, and now it’s even venturing into my wardrobe.  How fantastic!  Much to my extreme delight, this morning I woke up to a Scoutmob deal for 50% off of clothing @ Fab’rik - Buckhead!

Fab'rik - Buckhead

If you are asking“Scout-who??”…I am seriously ashamed of you.  I hope you’ve liked needlessly paying full price for all the delicious eats I’ve been enjoying for 50% off over the past few months…  In fact, over the past two weeks alone, I’ve used Scoutmobs at Pacci, Murphy’s + Varasano’s!  Planning to hit up Parish and Harry + Sons before Thanksgiving, as well.  Honestly, I really don’t see the need to go anywhere w/o one these days.

Basically, if you sign up for Scoutmob e-mails (for all of you living under a coupon rock), you receive one a day for up to 50% off of a local restaurant – and NOW stores, too!  Only a few cities around the U.S. are lucky enough to receive Scoutmob deals, so we should feel very lucky + readily take advantage of them!  And, did I mention that they are FREE?  You don’t have to pay anything at all to get a deal from Scoutmob!

The coupons don’t expire for a few months, so you should be in no rush to use them immediately.  Most of the November Scoutmobs expire sometime in February.  To grab the deal, you simply click on the “get it free” icon on the coupon e-mail.  Then, it brings up a page where you can insert your phone number or e-mail address (what I do since I’m ghetto), and the coupon code is sent to you within seconds!  As you all know, I don’t have an iPhone – but there’s a really great Scoutmob app.  Frankly, I kind of want to get an iPhone solely for the app…  It would pretty much pay for itself with what I’d be saving around town w/ all the excellent Scoutmob deals, anyway.  So, totally justified?

So, back to Fab’rik…  I love this store + the new Buckhead location is even better than the Midtown one!  EVERYONE, I mean everyone, should download this deal today!  Fab’rik is perfect for finding a cute outfit for the winter holidays or NYE + a totally appropriate place to pick up a thoughtful gift for a fashionista friend!  50% off just sweetens the shopping experience even more!

Fab'rik - Buckhead

I’m SO super excited that Scoutmob is venturing into retail clothing stores!  And, I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Join the ‘mob: http://www.scoutmob.com/atlanta

xx, L

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ONE. Singular Sensation!

10/07/2010 in Appetizers, Midtown, What we're Watching, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 4 comments

Roshal + I had tummies to fill and a Scoutmob to use.

We hadn’t been to ONE. Midtown Kitchen in a v. long time, so we decided to meet for dinner to use our coupon + see if ONE. still had some swagger in its step. 

Of all of the Concentrics Group’s restaurants, ONE. has always been my favorite.  I love the atmosphere + bar area, and although there is no novelty to the standby – the food is consistently good.

If you’ve been living under a culinary rock and haven’t been to ONE. yet, here’s a peek inside: 

While I don’t find the restaurant’s menu to be terribly creative or super exciting, it’s consistently delicious – a place you could count on to not disappoint on a second date with that special someone or when your parents (who like to think they are hip) are in town.  Without a doubt, my favorite item on the menu is the calamari appetizer.  I tend to prefer tuna tartar/ carpaccio or charchuterie as appetizers when they are available at other restaurants, but I’d never consider ordering anything other than the calamari at ONE.

(The photograph doesn’t do it justice.)  It comes out plated nicely and is absolutely delicious!  I love that the calamari is in a stick form (obviously I don’t have a culinary dictionary handy) and not in predictable little circles.  The sweet + sour sauce is a perfect compliment to the fried goodness!

My entree was kinda boring and not at all photogenic, but Roshal’s came loaded with some of the best french fries I’ve ever had!  She had some sort of steak, which totally lost my interest, but those FRIES!  Oh, those fries!

(After dinner, we saw The Town at Midtown Art Cinema.  I have a really hard time taking Ben Affleck seriously, but he was awesome in this movie!)

Don’t forget about ONE. – particularly if you have the Scoutmob coupon for it.  It’s a good idea to have some solid standbys, like ONE., in your back pocket.  You never know when your parents might pop in…

PLUS:  And this is big – the bartenders know how to make an Aviation!  :)

xx, L

ONE. Midtown Kitchen
559 Dutch Valley Rd NE
Atlanta, GA  30324
404.892.4111
http://www.onemidtownkitchen.com/index-home.htm

One Midtown Kitchen on Urbanspoon

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Thank you, Scoutmob!

06/14/2010 in Happy Hour, Midtown, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 3 comments

Scoutmob is pretty much determining where I am dining these days…  Atlanta has such a great restaurant scene, and there are so many places to try – it can become a bit overwhelming.  Thankfully, Scoutmob has easily solved that for me with their 50% off promotions.  Easily.

Michelle + I both quickly grabbed the Scoutmob promotion for Nakato when it was offered up and few weeks ago, and we set a hot date for hibachi.

michelle + me

Nakato is a Japanese restaurant that’s been around for a while located on Cheshire Bridge close to Piedmont.  Although it is surrounded by strip clubs and XXX stores, the restaurant is v. hard to miss with its traditional architecture and sculptured bushes.

When you walk into Nakato, you’ll find the sushi room directly in front of you.  To your left, is the expansive hibachi room + private tatami rooms for groups.

sushi room

tatami room

Nakato’s hibachi is better than fair.  I’ve been to hibachi restaurants in Atlanta where the chefs have had a bit more personality (i.e. Orient Express in Vinings – LOVE), but Nakato will do – especially with the 50% off Scoutmob…

Has anyone’s hair ever caught on fire?  I couldn’t help but think about how many flammable products I put into mine before my date w/ Mich when this happened…

ahhhhhh!

Mich ordered sushi, which we both thought was very fresh and well-priced.  My hibachi was okay.  It’s always a fun experience to do hibachi every so often (remember not to wear nice clothes – you reek afterwards), but I think I forgot exactly how much food it actually was going to end up being…  I left the restaurant almost doubled over because I was so full.  I really do need to work on my will power.  :(

After our server processed the Scoutmob 50% off discount, our final bill was only $12 per person!!  I couldn’t BELIEVE how cheap it was!  Although the meal was just fine – nothing really to write home about, the discount made it totally worth it.  So, for all you recessionistas who are in the mood for sushi or hibachi, grab the Scoutmob discount on your iPhone and head on over to Nakato.  (If you don’t have the Scoutmob discount, though, I’d suggest driving to Orient Express, instead.) 

Q+DD on Nakato’s Happy Hour:
$3 wines by the glass
$3 sushi rolls
$5 speciality cocktails
$15 for a drink + 5 appetizers!  (EXCELLENT DEAL!!)

xx, L

Nakato
1776 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Atlanta, GA  30324
404.873.6582
www.nakatorestaurant.com

Nakato on Urbanspoon

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Only Mildly Amused

05/14/2010 in Midtown, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 2 comments

Lauren and I had a date on Wednesday.  Our schedules have been pulling us in v. different directions, and we seriously needed to sit down and catch up on everything.  We decided to try a new restaurant – or at least one that neither of us had been to before – and we chose Amuse.  (Amuse was recently on Scoutmob, so we had a nifty 50% of discount (p.s. just got one today for Nakato on Cheshire Bridge) - which certainly didn’t hurt in our decision making process.)

inside amuse

Located in Midtown nearby One Midtown Kitchen, Amuse markets itself as a “whimsical, French-inspired bistro.”  Even though I literally live right down the street from Amuse, I found the restaurant difficult to locate because it’s kinda hidden at the very end of Dutch Valley Road.  However, once I found it and parked (free parking lot beside the restaurant - no valet was set up), I was pleased at what I saw.  It’s a surprisingly large restaurant (I guess I was expecting something more along the lines of Tierra on Piedmont Rd.) with a charming, little dining patio next to it.

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t done a bit of research on Amuse before dining there.  After reading some of the blogger reviews on Urbanspoon and Yelp, I felt pretty badly for the restaurant.  It’s just been destroyed throughout social media restaurant reviews.  You have to know when you are reading a review, that only two types of people write them – those who have wonderful or horrible experiences.  People who have a perfectly fine meal, not the best they’ve ever had – but still good/ v. good, don’t take the time to write up their experience.  (Except for LK + me…)  Further, it’s hard to believe that the majority of folks who so fervently bash a restaurant have any sort of culinary training or experience, have ever worked in a restaurant or really know what they are talking about.  I always try to keep this in mind when I read restaurant reviews, but for the sake of this post, let’s turn it back to Amuse…

Our experience was fine.  I mean, really it was just fine.  Service was slow, but good.  Food was good, but not the most delicious I’ve ever eaten.  (That being said, we got small plates to share – not full entrees.)  We finished everything…  The wine was nice.  I guess, that was about it. 

Here’s what we ordered to accompany our wine:

beef carpaccio

mussels

caprese salad

The best part of the night was:

olive joined us!

Know before you go:  Amuse is worth trying once, but keep this in mind…  There’s not much atmosphere, so don’t have dinner there if you want it to be the beginning of a crazy night on the town.  Also, it might be weird for a business dinner because it’s so quiet and kind of romantic-ish.  Sitting on the patio was nice, but there are a lot of mosquitoes.  I got very bitten up (b/c I’m so sweet, obv.).  The patio has a specific closing time (10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m.? on weekends) so as to not disturb folks living in the surrounding condos.  GPS the restaurant – it’s not well marked. 

In my mind, Amuse is a good “second date” restaurant – some place where it’s quiet, so you can talk and not have to shout at each other over loud music, the food is good enough and no one rushes you out of the restaurant (unless you are sitting on the patio).

Let me know what y’all think if you check it out…

xx, L

Amuse
404.888.1890
560 Dutch Valley Road
Atlanta, GA  30324
www.amuseatlanta.com

Amuse on Urbanspoon

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