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The Secret to Life.

02/17/2010 in Vacation, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | 6 comments

Slick and Stuart were very sneaky over the past few weeks…

Slick + Stuart

Slick + Stuart

Somehow these amazing (but never plan-oriented) boys pulled together a very thoughtful + incredibly romantic, surprise V-Day getaway for Stacey + me @ Chateau Elan! 

Chateau Elan

Here’s the Q+DD on Chateau Elan:
Chateau Elan is the largest winery in Georgia and is located in Braselton, 40 miles north of Atlanta.  It was founded in 1982 by Dr. Don Panoz who came from the pharmaceutical industry.  Their wines have won many regional awards including 19 from the Atlanta International Wine Festival, two from The Dallas Morning News Wine Competition and numerous Florida State Fair awards.  The facility is 3,500 acres, but only 50 are dedicated to the vineyard.  Georgia wines are marked “Founder’s Reserve,” but other bottles with the Chateau Elan label can include grapes from a sister property in California.  (www.wikipedia.com)

itineraries in hand...

Once we found out where we were going, we expected to drink a lot of mostly locally grown wine and RELAX RELAX RELAX.  We did not, however, expect to learn “the secret to life” from an enthusiastic Chateau Elan employee.

Wine Tour

Wine Tour

The Chateau Elan wine tour was just one of the many fun events the boys had planned for us during our “V-Day Extravaganza,” but it was the most memorable.  We learned all about CE’s grape harvesting, wine making and bottling process, and then got to taste a few of their signature wines. 

Wine Tasting

After the tasting – in hopes of scoring another heavy pour – the four of us stuck around to chew the fat with some of the CE wine experts + employees.  We spent the majority of our time talking to a particularly friendly, white-haired wine pourer.  Much to our surprise, he told us that he was 77 years old.  Shocked, we asked him how he looked so young and had so much energy.  (This gentleman was in remarkable shape.)  In a beautiful accent, he informed us that “the secret to life” is eating like a diabetic, or watching what you eat at each and every meal, and marrying your very best friend.  Just a little something to think about…

Chateau Elan

We enjoyed a really nice four-course dinner at Cafe Elan that evening, took advantage of the hot tub at the Spa and treated ourselves to a delicious brunch at Le Clos on Sunday morning (wearing our robes and all), but still, my favorite part of the trip was our brief + incredibly enlightening conversation with the Australian wine expert at the tasting.

Spa @ Chateau Elan

Brunch @ Le Clos

What a memorable little trip!  Stacey and I were very impressed with the boys, and we can’t wait to see what may be up their sleeves in the future!  :)

Way to go, Slick + Stuart!

xx, L

Chateau Elan
100 Rue Charlemagne
Braselton, GA  30517
678.425.0900
www.chateauelan.com

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That’s How I Roll!

01/06/2010 in What we're Doing by Lindsay | 5 comments

I’m always game for bowling.  It’s (1) social, (2) competitive, (3) usually involves beer and interesting food options, (4) makes for a great date and (5) in Atlanta we have more than a few amazing places to bowl.  Plus, I grew up watching Kingpin and The Big Lebowski – so I’m predisposed. 

sweet kicks

sweet kicks

My top three places to bowl in Atlanta used to be:

1- Midtown Bowl  (Midtown)
1936 Piedmont Circle NE
Atlanta, GA  30324
404.874.5703
www.midtownbowl.com
Kitschy – Impressive Bar Selection – Good ‘Ole Greasy Bowling Food – Come As You Are…

2 – Funtime Bowling  (Buford HWY)
3285 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA  30329
404.636.7548
www.funtimebowl.com
Black Lights + Glow Lanes – Good Music – Got to Love Buford HWY – Diverse Crowd…

3 – Ten Pin Alley  (Atlantic Station)
261 19th Street NW
Atlanta, GA  30363
404.872.3364
http://dolcegroup.com/tenpinalley/
High-End Bowling – Owned by Dolce Group – Expensive to Bowl but Worth the Scene Every so Often - Dress Code…

Until, Slick and I doubled with The Shapiros for a bowling night at 300 – Atlanta.  (300 is a bowling chain with an alley in a number of major cities, apparently, but I’d never been before.)  

The Shapiros - Bowling Ballers (what!)

The Shapiros - Bowling Ballers (what!)

I’ll be honest – it was a schlep, but it ended up well worth the drive.  300 is noticably clean, reasonably priced and a great mix between Midtown Bowl (lower-end) and Ten Pin Alley (higher-end).  The music is bumping, they have large screens above the pins at each lane and seriously comfy seating areas for players while waiting for your turn.  The music they played – accompanying videos were on the screens – was so good I went directly home after the date and got on iTunes to download.  (Now, I’m working out to Chris Brown’s ‘I Can Transform Ya’ on repeat.)  The food looked more than edible, too. 

unnecessary bowling-related cockiness

unnecessary bowling-related cockiness

Necessary Bowling-Related Cockiness

necessary bowling-related cockiness

I strongly recommend trying 300 if you are looking for a nice bowling alley that your don’t have to wear a tuxedo to, but also aren’t afraid to put your feet in the communal shoes.  And, let me know if you need a few bowling pointers – we played girls vs. boys and the ladies won both games…

the sad, sad face of defeat

the sad, sad face of defeat.

naturals

naturals!

I mean…  When you’re hot.  You’re just hot.

n104017557112_4136

300  – Atlanta
2175 Savoy Drive
Atlanta, Ga  30341
770.451.8605
http://www.threehundred.com/atlanta.html

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Guilty As Charged

12/30/2009 in Deals + Steals, Guilty Pleasures, Jewelry, Where we're Shopping by Lindsay | 7 comments

I love shopping online. 

I sit in front of a computer all day – in prime shopping hours – and, well, let’s just say I excel at multitasking.  It’s never a problem for me to participate in a conference call while sending work and personal e-mails, reading Perez Hilton and paying for a pair of shoes I found online that I just can’t live without.  That being said, I do not enjoy waisting time surfing the Internet looking for good deals.  Instead, I rely almost completely on the most glorious website - Gilt Groupe (www.gilt.com).

Gilt Groupe button

If you aren’t already a Gilt member, you absolutely must sign up immediately.  It’s free – you just have to provide your first/ last name and e-mail address.  Each day at noon, Gilt Groupe sends out an e-mail to its members with the day’s incredible sales on luxury and designer goods for up to 70% off of retail from names like Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Cole Haan (my favorite!), Theory…the list goes on and on and on.   The sale alert e-mails are very user friendly.  And, unlike other similar websites, you don’t feel overwhelmed or bombarded with sale items – like you are at a massive online garage sale. 

Gilt Groupe Sale Example

Gilt Groupe Sale Example

Gilt Groupe’s sales are broken up into Gilt (women + home + children), Gilt Fuse (less expensive and funkier items), Gilt Man (for men…) and Jetsetter (Gilt’s incredible travel site).  You can sign up to get e-mails specifically from any of Gilt’s subgroups, if desired, but they are all accessible from the general home page. 

I don’t buy from the site all the time, but I look at the sales every day and use the function on the website to put reminders on my Outlook calendar for specific designer’s sales I am interested in throughout the week.  You have to act fast when the sales start at 12:00 p.m. each day because they only have a limited number of items and they tend to sell out fast. 

Also, you can e-mail a sign-up link to your friends from the Gilt Groupe website and when a friend signs up for the sale alert e-mails and makes his or her first purchase – you get a $25 credit to use on the website towards a future purchase.  That seems like a pretty sweet incentive to me!

I’m just saying – it’s worth a look.  Maybe you’ll be guilty, too…  Enjoy!  :)

xx, L

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5 Reasons Saturday Was Awesome:

11/23/2009 in Festivals, What we're Doing, Where we're Eating, Where we're Shopping by Lauren | 4 comments

1.  Brunch with Maura.  I started out at Apres Diem for brunch with adorable, happy little Maura. If someone can think of a better way to kick off a Saturday, I wish they would tell me. I have never spent any time with her when I didn’t leave in a fabulous mood and Saturday was no exception.  Fact. Plus, Apres was doing a lively brunch business!

2. SHOPPING.  After I left Maura, I was in such a good mood that I proceeded to SPEND. ALL. MY. MONEY.  If you are looking for my benjamins, you can find them at the following places: Mitzi and Romano, Paper Source, Barney’s Co-Op and, of course, Nordy’s.

Mitzi + Romano in the Highlands

Mitzi + Romano in the Highlands

3. Super Amazing Chili Cookoff. I found FoodieBuddha (crying in his cocktail over Michigan’s loss…) and we made our way to the Atlanta Brewing Company for the 3rd Annual Liberty Park Chili Society Cookoff hosted by Jimmy who writes the blog Eat It Atlanta.

(Sidebar: Y’all.  I have blog friends now.  !!!!.)

The scene at Atlanta Brewing Company

The scene at Atlanta Brewing Company

It. Was. Awesome. There were a GRILLION different kinds of chili.  Traditional chilis, creative chilis, superspicy chilis, chocolate-based (mole) chiles, chilis with all kinds of fabulous toppings (hello, pimento cheese on chili!) chilis with various proteins: beef, chicken, turkey, venison, bison, bean (vegetarian)….I mean…I was on chili overload.  CIMG1025The best part for me, though, was the shameless lobbying that each charismatic chili chef was doing for their own chili.  Loved it. I think it was safe to say that equal parts moxie and chili were served that evening.  The Buddha felt like personality weighed heavily on the way he would cast his vote and I had to agree.  Eventually all votes were cast…

brilliant.

brilliant. I straight up stole this picture from Eat It, Atlanta.

And tallied…

(counting ballots)

(counting ballots)

The ultimate winner was, as I predicted, Cowboy Hat Chili. Dude had on a cowboy hat and reminded voters of his moniker as he doled out ladlefuls.  Sage advice from the musical Gypsy, “you gotta get a gimmick if you want to get ahead…”

"Don't forget Cowboy Hat, y'hear?"

"Don't forget Cowboy Hat, y'hear?"

Jimmy + friends raised a chunk of change for Project Open Hand and everyone seemed to have a blast…I know we did!

My new chili friends. Hi!

My new chili friends. Hi!

4. Post-Chili Beverages. The Buddha and I decided to wash down our chili with a few drinks at the Bookhouse on Ponce.  CIMG1064Y’all: I adore this bar. It’s low key and cozy and funky and just a perfect little place to hang out.  We were, of course, NOT eating, but the menu looked pretty darn good.  Gastro-pubby.  You know.

I ordered a flight of delicious beer, mostly selections from the specials menu:CIMG1079

hand-crafted beer thingy

hand-crafted beer thingy

and FB got a super-manly Cape Cod:

The umbrella was a nice touch, thanks!

Our adorable server. The umbrella was a nice touch, thanks!

Fab fab fab.  Thanks for taking me, FoodieBuddha! Even though you make me take pictures by myself, you’re a riot and you show me great places, so I forgive you.

The BookHouse Pub
(404) 254-1176
Ponce de Leon Place
Atlanta, GA 30306
www.thebookhousepub.com

The Bookhouse Pub on Urbanspoon

5. Face-time with 4 Gorgeous Faces. Bonus!  On my way home, I popped over to Eclipse di Luna to say a quick hello to these lovely ladies…

My friends are cu-u-u-u-ute!

My friends are cu-u-u-u-ute!

…before they danced the night away at the newly-opened Gold Room on Piedmont.

It was a fabulous little Saturday…have I mentioned I love this city?

xx, L

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Hard as Nails (Part 1)

09/28/2009 in Beauty, Maintenence, Nails by Lauren | 5 comments

“I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe in kissing. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”

- Audrey HepburnaudreysunglassesLike Audrey, I take my cuticles very seriously. Even if I am broke as a joke, my manicure and pedicure are the last thing to go. You’ll never catch me without neatly lacquered nails. Fact.

If you’re like me, you probably have a go-to manicurist in your neighborhood. For me (and Linds and Mer…), it’s Lily’s Nails on the top floor of the two story strip mall at Monroe and Piedmont. You don’t need an appointment (which is key for last-minute girls like myself) and my fabulous $10 manicure lasts at LEAST a week. Plus, Lily, the owner, is adorable and will occasionally serenade the entire salon with Top 40 songs as she bustles around the place. Fab. If that is convenient for you, I suggest you try them.

Lily’s Nail & Spa
1529 Piedmont Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 249-8080

BUT: We have all been stuck outside of our ‘hood in desperate need of a mani. Never fear. I enlisted a glossy little group of girlfriends (Linds, La, EZ, Stephanie, Stefani, Christine, Cari, Meredith and Stacey) to help make a handy-dandy list of our favorite places around town!

However, if we have somehow missed your favorite place, PLEASE kindly leave the address and phone number in a comment.

Buckhead:

Both Stephanie and Stefani recommended Sugarcoat (www.sugarcoatbeauty.com)
sugarcoatAnd when I lived in the Eclipse, this was my go-to as well. It’s the cutest salon ever. It’s pink and girly and PRISTINE. It’s also the best place to get an adorable gift, they offer fabulous products (Haviana flops, Hanky Panky, Lollia, etc.) and Sugarcoat is owned and operated by the cutest duet of ladies (well, besides L+L, of course), Christie and Colette, who are PERFECT to consult with on gift options or polish colors! C+C – I miss you!
Note: You DO need an appointment, though, they book up quickly.

Sugarcoat
256 Pharr Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 814-2121

Stefani also recommends Eminence (on the top floor of the two story strip mall in Buckhead Loop) She says the massage chairs are to die fah!

Eminence Nail & Spa
3495 Buckhead Loop NE Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 846-1555

EZ is faithful to Nail and Toe. (They do a great job and offer a fabulous shoulder massage with every manicure…)

Buckhead Nail and Toe Spa
3210 Roswell Rd NW # B Atlanta, GA 30305-1822
(404) 869-8999

Christine goes to Glamour Nail (in “The Peach” shopping center)

Glamour Nail
2900 Peachtree Road NW Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 239-0717

Midtown/Highlands:

If you can’t make it to Lily’s, Christine recommends Highland Nail (off Amsterdam)

Highland Nail
1190 N Highland Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 249-6245

Sandy Springs:

You can find La at her weekly Friday 3:15 appointment at Hammond Nails (off Roswell Road)

Hammond Nails & Spa
4279 Roswell Rd Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 250-9698

Recently, she has been getting “Gel Nails” which is a new process by OPI. For $25, they will paint your own nails with a similar solution as acrylic nails. The benefit? It lasts 2 weeks without ANY chipping and does not harm your nails. Note: you must have them “soaked” off a la acrylics as well. As far as I know, Hammond Nails is one of the only places in town offering this service.

Cari loves Nail Talk and Tan (in the Target Shopping Center by Perimeter mall.)

Nail Talk Tan & Spa
90 Perimeter Center Pl NE Atlanta, GA 30346
(678) 320-0400

Stacey either goes to Hammond Nails or Fancy Nails (She said Fancy Nails is cheap + good but not actually Fancy.  Which is funny because conversely, Stacey herself is fancy + good, but not cheap.  Interesting?)

Fancy Nails
6125 Roswell Rd NE # 10A, Atlanta
(404) 257-1205

Please stay tuned for a post regarding polish color. For now, I’ll leave you with a quote from the American cinematic masterpiece, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003):

“Never underestimate a girl with a French manicure and Harvard Law degree.”

(Listen, I don’t have one of those things, but don’t you underestimate me, either.)

xx, L

PS. Thanks, ladies!

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See Ya @ The Castle!

09/17/2009 in Buckhead, Where we're Eating by Lindsay | No comments

I’m definitely more of a Midtown – Inman Park girl, but Slick lives in Buckhead and we’ve decided that his diggs are cooler than mine (he’s got HBO) - so I’ve had to compromise a bit on my locale.  At first, I felt disoriented and confused in Buckhead.  Where were all the dirty hipsters?  The fabulous gay community?  The trendy little restaurants and bars?  But recently, we’ve been exploring…

I LOVE Thai food.  There are so many great places in Midtown to grab delicious Thai grub (Nan, Tamarind Seed and Surin are my favs), but I couldn’t find any in Buckhead.  Well, the other night we ventured out with our newlywed couple-crush to Annie’s Thai Castle on Roswell Road, and I have to give it two freshly-manicured thumbs up.  Way to go Buckhead!

Annie's Thai Castle

Annie's Thai Castle on Roswell Road

(Okay, fine.  That’s not it.  Not even close…  But isn’t it pretty?) :)

We ordered adult beverages and shared the Fresh Avocado Roll (not fried) for an appetizer.  I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but that is just because I didn’t care for the cream cheese.  Everyone else liked it just fine.

For entrees - we stuck to basics sharing the Sweet and Sour Chicken, Shrimp Masaman w/ Avocado, Pad Thai and the Pad See-Ew.  They were all absolutely enormous portions and really, really delicious.  Although we definitely lost points for creativity, we agreed that it is okay to have a benchmark dish (like Pad Thai) by which we compare every Thai restaurant.  (Whatever works!)

We all left stuffed and kind of surprised with The Castle, as we lovingly refer to it now.  We’d passed it a million times on Roswell Road and had no idea that it was (1) surprisingly nice inside for a Thai restaurant and (2) had debatably the best Thai I’ve tried in Atlanta.  Although 82% of the time I opt for sushi over Thai, I would definitely go back to Annie’s!

xx, L

Annie’s Thai Castle
3195 Roswell Road NW
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.264.9546
www.anniesthaicastle.com

Annie's Thai Castle on Urbanspoon

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One Night in Paradise

09/08/2009 in Buckhead, Parties, Weddings, What we're Doing by Lindsay | 7 comments

I died and went to heaven for approximately 28 hours this weekend.  It went by so quickly…  I wanted to stay longer, but I got kicked out at 1:00 p.m. sharp.  I’ll never forget it though – and I will probably long for it until I can permanently reside there…

Our close friends, Stacey and Stuart, got married at the St. Regis Atlanta Hotel on Sunday.  It. was. AMAZING!

The Happy Couple

The Happy Couple

Slick and I couldn’t resist the wedding block room rate and made it a little Labor Day weekend getaway.  Although he lives almost across the street from the hotel, staying there for the wedding was the best idea we’ve had so far!  The hotel is incredible.  Here are a few of my favorite things about it: 

Beautiful Chandeliers

Beautiful Chandeliers

Incredible bathrooms w/ spectacular acoustics for shower-singing...

Incredible bathrooms w/ spectacular acoustics for shower-singing...

Amazing details all over the hotel - loved the crystals in the stairs

Amazing detailing all over the hotel - loved the crystals in the stairs

Bathtubs that could fit five people! (Not really, but they were enormous!)

Bathtubs that could fit five people. (Not really, but they were enormous!)

We checked in on Saturday and hung out at the beautiful pool all afternoon and explored the hotel.  We couldn’t have asked for a more relaxing day!

St. Reg Pool

St. Reg Pool

St. Reg Pool

St. Reg Pool

St. Reg Pool

St. Reg Pool

The wedding on Sunday night was absolutely amazing!  It was a gorgeous day – perfect for such a special couple to get married.  We danced the night away!

Bringing the party!

Bringing the party

We had a blast!

We had a blast!

stud

(stud)

We spent Labor Day at the pool with the newlyweds and their family/ wedding party.  Although we were in the heart of Buckhead, we felt like we were on the Italian Riviera.  The hotel, itself, is absolutely incredible, but the pool is my favorite part by far.  In fact, I had a business luncheon at the hotel today and couldn’t resist sneaking away to spend a little extra time with S and S at the pool, again… 

Also, although we didn’t hit it up this weekend, I totally heart the St. Reg. bar.  Their drinks do the trick and the nuts they have on the tables are incredibly addictive…  Don’t say I didn’t tell you so!  Plus, they validate your parking. 

If you have the opportunity, don’t miss the chance to spend a romantic evening at the St. Regis.  It’s worth every penny! 

Congratulations Stac & Stuart!!

xx

xx

xx, L

St_Regis_Atlanta-logo

The St. Regis Atlanta
88 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.563.7900

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The VERY Quick and Dirty Dirty

08/25/2009 in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Inman Park, Where we're Eating by Lauren | 6 comments

I love to be busy (and I know we are ALL busy)

but I have never known this kind of busy before! busy girlNever fear, though. I have still found time to eat and drink cocktails.

Here’s a quick rundown of a few recent excursions…

Drinks @ Home in Buckhead
Located in the old space of longtime Atlanta favorite, Seeger’s (then relatively short-lived Posh) I have been meaning to try Home for some time. I’ve heard mixed reviews and just hadn’t made my way over, so when my friend suggested we meet there for cocktails, I was all about it!

It was definitely an interesting choice for happy hour. I loved the little bar area. Separate from the main dining area, it’s quite intimate and the service was very warm. It’s…well…homey!

We had a few bites: the tuna tartare was great, but I chuckled a little internally when we ordered the “heirloom tomato salad” and received a bowl of grape tomatoes and sliced carrots in balsamic. Come on, now. Didn’t you once have a Top Chef in the kitchen? Whatever, though. My Ketel and soda tasted divine!

Home Restaurant and Bar
(404) 869-0777
111 W Paces Ferry Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
www.heretoserverestaurants.com

Drinks @ the St. Regis bar in Buckhead
It was my first time there, and I looooooved it. The scene was b.u.m.p.i.n.g. The St. Regis was my second stop of the night, so please forgive the bird’s eye view review, but it has pretty much everything you (I?) could want in a hotel bar: open spaces with lots of enclaves and cushy couches, a modern wine bar area, a buzzing country club-esque lounge, a chi chi la la restaurant attached, spectacular chandeliers, pretty people, the whole 9. Can’t wait to go back for Ms. Wolman’s nuptials in 2 weeks!

St. Regis Atlanta
(404) 563-7900
88 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
www.stregis.starwoodhotels.com

Dinner @ Zuma Sushi in Inman Park
The sushi was good and super fresh, I really liked our wine choice, and I had an absolute blast…but I am fairly sure I can attribute the latter to the fabulous company I kept on Friday night.  I’m just saying…I don’t know if I’d truck it back over there just for my salmon nigiri. No real complaints though, it was a super way to spend a Friday night!

Zuma
(404) 522-2872
701 Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
Zuma on Urbanspoon

Dinner @ Haven in Brookhaven
Y’all, I love Haven. I have personally never had a bad time there. I mean, they already had a few things going for them with the truffled haystack appetizer and the exposed brick walls and the open kitchen and rad lighting fixtures, but the food is always spot-on, the service is impeccable, and I adore the bar scene as well (even though I might be the youngest person there by 20 years or so…) On Sunday, we started with the Bluefin tuna crudo (amazing) and the local heirloom tomato and zucchini tart (outstanding) then split the scallops over local field pea succotash (perfection) with sides of broccolini (delish) and the parmesan TATER TOTS (gimme some of your tots!) It’s always delicious and unpretentious and comfortable and I think I could eat there every night. I do.

Haven
(404) 969-0700
Buckhead/Brookhaven
1441 Dresden Dr NE
Atlanta, GA 30319
www.havenrestaurant.com
Haven on Urbanspoon

Ok. That’s all I got for you right now. Just didn’t want you sending out the hounds…

xx, L

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How to…Start a Dinner Club

07/01/2009 in Entertaining, Organizing, Parties by Lindsay | 2 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.
 
IMG_3745
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…
 
n668280569_4324409_9306
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.
 
5066_115389411640_676711640_2441889_1814607_n
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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