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

The lovely Ms. Roshal (pictured above), who with her boyfriend are important components of Eat Squad, grew up in Jamaica.  Her boyfriend, Z, frequently raves about Roshal’s talent for cooking authentic Caribbean food.  We knew that if we were ever lucky enough for her to host a dinner party for us to try out her cuisine, we were in for a treat.  So we started hinting – and she caught on. 

On Sunday evening, Roshal cooked us an amazing, traditional Jamacian/ Trinidadian meal that Slick + I have been incessantly talking about since. 

Please witness our feast:

Curried goat + potatoes with Jamaican/ Trinidadian curry.

Roti: Traditional bread to accompany curried goat. (Similar to naan.)

Pelau: Trinidadian rice dish cooked in coconut milk with chicken, beef + PIG TAIL!  (Which Slick + Mr. Barocas loved.)

Jamaican sauce made with scotch bonnet pepper, onions + vinegar to go over Fish Escovitch.

Fish Escovitch.

A gorgeous salad with strawberries + yellow peppers.

Malibu coconut rum + pineapple cocktails to accompany the flavorful meal.  (We all kiddingly mocked this drink as the “college girl’s drink of choice,” but had NO problem finishing a large pitcher…)

Everything was SO unbelievably fantastic!

Although Roshal does not have plans to open a Jamaican restaurant in Atlanta, I think the lesson here is that sometimes the most delicious + exciting food could be right under your nose.  Sure, heading over to Buford Highway to try cuisine from around the world might be the easy way to do it – but it won’t necessarily be the best you can get.

When you have the opportunity to taste Caribbean dishes at a traditional restaurant, I strongly recommend you try the dishes pictured + described above.  (Although, go easy on anything made with scotch bonnet pepper – yowza!  I learned the hard way…)

xx, L

kaleidoscope bistro + pub - brookhaven

Here’s the Q+DD on Kaleidoscope:  Recently opened by a few former Buckhead Diner folks, including executive chef Joey Riley, the idea behind the name is that every time you look into a kaleidoscope you see something colorful and different.  That concept is applied to their own menu.  They call their cuisine “global comfort food,” as both the food + drinks are ever changing.  The restaurant features seasonal items and daily specials.

kaleidoscope interior

Upon arrival, we sat down at a large, wooden community table + had no trouble selecting a few delicious (and gorgeous, I might add) appetizers to start us off:

Ahi Tuna Tartare: avocado, tomato, coriander, feta, yuzu.

Thai Style Beef Jerky: bird’s eye chilis, lime, roasted rice.  (My fav!)

Springer Mountain Chicken Wings: kaleidoscope sauce, bleu cheese.

For entrees, we took the owner’s expert recommendations:

Slick selected the Mahi Tostado: green chili grits, guajillo charred tomato sauce, tomato/ feta and avocado salad.

Z got the Sage Roasted Pork Porterhouse: brussels, fingerlings, mustard, pancetta.

Rosh opted for Azalea’s Famous Whole Sizzling Catfish: chinese black bean sauce, pickled ginger, lime.  She won the prize for the most creatively plated dish!

The rest of us went with the Award Winning Kaleidoscope Burger: pimento cheese, slaw, green tomato chow chow, bread and butter pickles.  How could we not?  This burg was awarded the Judges’ Choice for “Best (Meat) Burger” in July’s Battle of the Burgers in the Virginia Highlands!  It was SO great + well-complimented by the tasty Pub Fries cooked in duck fat.  (Don’t judge…)

So, next time you’re in the mood for comfort food + boutique wines or fine craft beers from around the world, give Kaleidoscope a try.  Not only is the food stellar + the staff friendly, but it’s also a pretty solid hangout.  Get there early, though, it was packed on a Sunday night + they don’t accept reservations.  I’ll certainly be back!

I’ve gotta say – Brookhaven is kinda bumpin’… 

xx, L

Kaleidoscope Bistro + Pub
Village Place – Brookhaven
1410 Dresden Drive, Ste. 100
Atlanta, GA  30319
404.555.1212
www.k-pub.com

I don’t quite know why it took me so long to visit the “brick and mortar” restaurant that produces the food – Hankook Taqueria on the Westside.

Pretty much all of my favorite food bloggers have already covered the resto (Check it: Foodie Budda, Eat it Atlanta, Chow Down Atlanta, The Blissful Glutton, John Kessler) so I sort of knew what to expect when I walked into the tiny bare-bones space.

(Of COURSE I remembered that it is BYOB AFTER we had arrived – so I promptly sent Greg to the liquor store.   Don’t forget your booze, kids.)

The menu was, predictably, much more extensive than that of the Yumbii truck – but still rather succinct.  Cari and I let the boys choose and they returned with a MOUNTAIN of food.  Here’s what we ate:

Tacos: Bulgogi (beef) and Dakgogi (chicken) which were prepared with lettuce, green onion, and green cabbage tossed in soy sesame vinaigrette and onions, cilantro, lime and jack cheese
Burrito: Pork with kimchee fried rice and the same garnish as the tacos
From the “street snacks” section we selected:
Quesadilla: Bulgogi, roasted onions, and jack cheese
Gogi-Nachos: chips, jack cheese, topped with ribeye beef
Ko-Kuma: Tempura fried Korean sweet potatoes
Daeji Gogi Sliders: 2 spicy pork sliders with cucumber kimchee
Bibim-Bop: Beef, vegetables, fried egg with pepper sauce on top of rice

You guys.  This order was no joke. Particularly the Gogi-Nachos and the Bibim-Bop.  They were HUGE!  I am here to tell you we ordered all of that (PLUS 2 plain tacos for an unnamed picky eater at the table) for a mere $11/person!  I die.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  I’m not a foodie, I’m just a party girl who loves to eat. This food ROCKED. MY. WORLD. And I’m pretty sure I share that sentiment with my dining partners.  We had enough food to feed and army and we did some serious damage, if I do say so myself.  Every bite was amazing.

I didn’t take any pictures because a) while delicious, I’m not sure I could snap an attractive picture of this meal and b) the food was GONE before I could reach for my camera!

Bonus: we got to hang with McKenzie and Tom– the owners of Hankook – and get the Q+DD straight from the source!

Tom, who owned Tomas in Norcross and Wok-In Wok-Out in Duluth, and who previously held the title of executive chef at the Buckhead Diner, let us know that he decided to trade his white tablecloths for delicious, affordable fare.  A strategy fueled by a down economy and a love for street food.

Oh and McKenzie?  Totally charming and adorable. I don’t know if it was the fact that she helped us order with an amazing amount of enthusiasm for food she has undoubtedly eaten a zillion times or that she gabbed with us at our table long after the restaurant had closed and humored me by taking our picture outside…

…but I may or may not have involuntarily hugged her. (Ok, so I did.)

She let us know that they do absolutely zero advertising and rely solely on word-of-mouth so I definitely want to do my part.  This place was fantastic, and it’s just a hop-skip-and a jump off the beaten path – so I encourage you to check it out!

And take me with you. YUM.

xx, L

Hankook Taqueria
(404) 352-8881
1341 Collier Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30318

The CTFC is more than kind of amazing – located in the Atlanta Chinatown Mall on New Peachtree Road in Chamblee.  According to the mall’s website, there are 100,000 Chinese-Americans in Atlanta, and the mall is an area for them, and anyone else who appreciates Asian culture, to socialize, shop + dine.  Mr. Barocas had eaten at the CTFC a few times before, so he spearheaded our trip. 

Please witness our culinary adventure:

(This was all handwritten!)

(Mr Barocas’ buddy @ Chong Qing Hot Pot – where the majority of our food came from.)

(Perusing food picture books to help us select our feast.)

(Slick serving himself some rice.)

The meal:

Okay, so I’m going to be real w/ y’all:  I’m definitely into food, but I’m not a culinary genius…  I am not really sure what everything was that we ate (with the exception of the pork dumplings + Cari’s chix fried rice, of course).  The boys did the ordering, which was fine by me, and we ate whatever was brought over to us.  Everything was delicious, and total cost for all that food for five people was about $10 per person!! 

The CTFC is such an interesting cultural experience, and I would definitely recommend a visit to adventurous eaters + anyone who wants to have a really fun/ filling meal that won’t come close to breaking the bank.  Bring your appetites, though – even you serious eaters.  Consider yourselves warned… 

About Atlanta Chinatown: http://www.atlantachinatown.com/en/about.html
Mall Directory: http://www.atlantachinatown.com/en/directory.html
Directions & Maps: http://www.atlantachinatown.com/en/directions.html

xx, L

Atlanta Chinatown Food Court
5383 New Peachtree Road
Chamblee, GA  30341
770.458.6660

I can’t WAIT for this union

But before Richmond, we’ll be spending 5 glorious days in Charleston with 14 of our nearest and dearest!

Hopefully we will recreate this conga line

In preparation for my trip, I thought now would be a good time to try my hand at making cake balls (darling Cari is coming to my aide tomorrow…stay tuned) and tonight…Jaimi, Stephanie and I tackled (a couple of bottles of wine and…) OREO TRUFFLES!

You guys. They are DELICIOUS and SO SO EASY!

Here’s what you need:

1 package of Oreo cookies
1 block (8oz) cream cheese
2 (8oz) packages of Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Here’s what you do:

1.    Take out 9 Oreos

2.   Try really hard not to eat them

3.    Separate the remaining 36 Oreos and stick them in your food processor:

4.    Crush them into a fine powder

5.    Throw in your block of cream cheese and blend

6.    Roll into little balls (Note: it’s easier when your Oreo/cream cheese is colder, so I would occasionally stick it in the freezer for a moment or two while rolling and dipping)
7.    Dip into melted chocolate
8.    Crush up the reserved Oreos and sprinkle on top

9.    Voila!

Give ‘em a shot!  They are totally adorable and totally addictive! Yowza!

The best part?  I didn’t even have to turn on my oven!

xx, L

So, y’all, work is busy for me right now – but I still have a lot to tell you.  Particularly about a few things I’ve been lovin’ lately…

1- Shorty’s Short Van.  Shorty’s – one of my favorite pizza joints in Atlanta - has a new marketing mobile.  Love!

Shorty's short van

2- The Life Is A Runway Blog.  The amazing Mrs. Jessica Liszt, shares her impeccible style with us daily in her new fashion blog.  I’ve been constantly reading it, and admittedly I’m not a biggest blog reader…  Check it out – you’ll love her stylish tidbits:  http://www.jlrunway.blogspot.com/

mrs. lizst, fashion blogger extraordinare

3- Giant Bears for Sale @ Costco.  I went to Costco for my first time ever (“Hi, my name is Lindsay, and I’m a Sam’s Club member) on Saturday and fell in love.  Just saying… 

love at first sight

4- Little Kids in Jeggings…  Cari celebrated her big 3-0 over the weekend.  Happy birthday, CB!  We partied at the birthday girl’s diggs w/ a bouncy castle + all.  Please witness this awesomeness:

brilliant

My favorite part, however, was meeting her mini-fashionista niece who was sporting tiny tot jeggings.  The cutest!  Q+DD trivia: Our trend alert about “jeggings” is our second most viewed post next to the one about ”SHARK WEEK!”

so freaking adorable, i can't stand it.

5- My new Stella & Dot earrings.  Aren’t these gorgeous?  They are the Deco Drop earrings from Stella & Dot’s Fall/Winter collection.  Very glam for only $39.  BTW: My friend, Meagan, who just hosted a super-fun S&D trunk show at my place would be more than happy to be your rep: www.stelladot.com/meaganb 

stella & dot deco drop earrings

love their fall/winter collection...

6- Zooey Deschanel.  I just kind of want to be her.  I re-watched 500 Days of Summer over the weekend and fell in love with her all over again.  Plus, I love that she was in Elf  and rocks out in the very rad indie band, She & Him. 

she & him

7- These shoes!  Going out to buy them this afternoon.  Thanks, DSW, for the nifty $10 off coupon I received in the mail yesterday and I fully plan to cash in today.  Just thanks.

you're MINE!

That’s about all for now… 

xx, L

I was the first of the four of us to arrive, and was pleasantly surprised with the authenticity of the restaurant.  Albeit a bit weirded out about how empty and quiet it was, which resulted in a panicked call to Cari, “WHERE the (insert: expletive) am I – and WHERE are y’all?!?!”

Cari informed me that they were on their way, and that I should watch the TV look at the wall covered with photos of noteworthy restaurant patrons until they arrived.  The wall was pretty outstanding - including photos of Imperial’s chef with Governor Schwarzenegger, Teddybear Turner and Reba McEntire, herself!  Reebs!!

Good thing I wore my fancy 4-inch heels to dinner…

The host walked us into a cozy Oriental-rug-covered room, and sat us all down on what looked like a plush, but pretty worn out couch.  This is where all the people were!  Surprisingly, too, there were a sizeable amount of people there – many more than I’d guessed.  Our server asked us to place our hands into a silver bowl, and he washed them for us with water.  Then, he handed each of us a towel to throw over our left shoulder for the meal, and he instructed us to only eat with our right hand.  Yes, hand – not fork. Hand.  So fun!

We selected the 5-course dinner, which runs $45 per person.  We all agreed that that was a pretty solid deal.  We started off with the Harrira Moroccan Lentil Soup with Moroccan Bread (Whole Wheat & Honey) + Moroccan Crackers (Fekkas). Slick said that this was his favorite part of the meal.

Next up was Moroccan Salads with a Side of Red Harissa and the chef’s signature hot sauce.  Our table was not well lit, but I remember eating eggplant, spinach, dill + cucumber and something with rose water, which tasted like perfume to me.  We used the Moroccan crackers to shovel the salads into our mouths.

By this point, Cari and I tired of the towels on our shoulders and put them on our laps.  We appreciated the idea of keeping with the tradition, but we didn’t trust ourselves not to be messy.  Our server brought us an appetizer called B’stella to share, which was my favorite part of the meal, and was super delicious!  Cari told us that it was made with sweet spices, chicken and eggs.  (We used forks to eat this one…)

As soon as the forks appeared, they were used throughout the rest of the meal.  We each ordered an entree, and they were devoured in a flash!  So quick, in fact, that most of the pictures I took are of half-eaten dishes.  Our entrees are ranked below in order of what I liked best to least*:

1 – Cornish-hen Tajine baked with apricots, ginger, saffron + honey.  Garnished with roasted almonds + sesame seeds.

2 – Chef Rafih’s Special Beef Ribs marinated with Moroccan herbs, spices + dried sweet chili (not pictured b/c we ate it too fast…)

3 – Lamb Tajine Morozola baked with Rass El Hannut (32 aromatic spices prepared by the chef) + garnished with onions, raisins + roasted almonds

4 – Roasted Lamb Shank M’Choul baked with cumin, garlic, paprika, fresh cilantro + herbs.  Garnished with exotic wild mushrooms.

*Note: I’m pretty sure that I don’t care for lamb, generally, because everyone at the table liked the lamb dishes the best.  Slick did not care for the chicken because he said it was too sweet for him.

Dessert was yummy, but I’m not sure what it was and I can’t find it described anywhere on their menu.  There was powdered sugar and chocolate sauce on the outside, and the inside tasted like baklava – but not quite as sweet – with apples and nuts.  We also had fruit skewers with strawberry sauce.

We ended the evening with sweet Moroccan Hot Mint Tea.  Before he brought us the bill, our server had us put our hands back into the silver bowl he used to wash them at the beginning of the meal, and he brushed rose water onto them.

Throughout the meal, the skinniest belly dancer I’ve ever seen preformed for us.  At first she just danced, but then she got all crazy with swords and fire. I was v. impressed.

These were the cutest kids EVER!

The meal was almost three hours long, but it was totally + completely enjoyable in every way. It was very easy to forget that the restaurant is situated on Peachtree Street not far from the hustle + bustle of Midtown.  I strongly recommend Imperial Fez for a birthday party, a fifth or sixth date, or for a big group of people since almost everything is family style.

P.S. You can get a hookah for the table at the restaurant for $25.

Check out Imperial’s daily specials on the second page of the menu here: HOOKAH TIME!

xx, L

Imperial Fez
2285 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.351.0870
www.imperialfez.com

We checked off almost everything on his Bucket List, with the exception of a visit to The Varsity, which we both decided was just not possible this trip (him) or ever (me).  We did, however, visit some of my favorites – which are now some of his:  Holeman + Finch, Bakeshop, Antico Pizzeria, Pancho’s, Rosebud and Ormsby’s.  The poor kid had never been to a Trader Joe’s, either!  We scheduled in a special trip to show him what Texas is missing… 

After we got back from Lake Burton on Saturday, we met some folks at Antico and then hit up Midtown Art Cinema to see Cyrus w/ Slick + the Barocai.  Michael and I thought it was really well done – very smart + funny.  (Know before you go:  Cyrus is a SXSW + Sundance film – so the humor is a bit different from the other movies in Jonah Hill’s catalog.)

Here’s the Q+DD on Cyrus:

Cyrus is a comedy drama film written and directed by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, and starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener.  The main character, John, is seven years divorced from his wife and is having trouble adjusting to his new life.  After meeting Molly at a party, he thinks that maybe he has found the perfect person again.  There’s just one problem: Cyrus, Molly’s grown son.  John must find a way to make his romance with Molly work despite intentional and unintentional interference by Cyrus.  The film has received generally positive reviews.  Review aggregate, Rotten Tomatoes, reports that 80% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 69 reviews, with an average score of 6.7/10.  The critical consensus is: “While it may strike some viewers as slight, Cyrus is a successful hybrid of mainstream production values and the mumblecore ideals of directors Jay and Mark Duplass.  (www.wikipedia.com)

Catch it @ Midtown Art:  http://tiny.cc/hialo

I’d also like to mention that we destroyed Ormsby’s maple cotton candy on Sunday.  It was one of the few things on the menu that I hadn’t tried before.  We had some serious yumz on our hands – and it was only $3!

In a flash, it was gone…

It was super fun to eat + a perfect treat for the end of the World Cup!  Viva Espana!

Also in other Ormsby’s news, the owner told Slick + Michael that they are in the process of building a ping pong (beer pong?) room downstairs.  AND, there’s a new bathroom downstairs, too.  Thank you for being so incredible, Ormsby’s!  I’m really likin’ what you’re doin’.

Miss you already, MR.  Come back to visit again soon!  (I promise to at least consider a Varsity run…)

xx, L

Here’s the Q+DD:

evidently Medieval Times is INSIDE of the mall - not quite as sexy as anticipated, but we rolled with it.

the boys supported the blue knight b/c blue is for boys...

...and since there was not a hot pink knight, the ladies opted for the yellow one.

we drank massive Medieval beers (then promptly shattered the glasses in the back of my car afterwards by accident or because we are tough. you decide.)

mr. b and slick were still able to rock their faux-hawks even with their Medieval crowns on. we creatively renamed the hairdo: crown-hawk. you're welcome, Vidal Sassoon.

lindsay ate with her hands...

...and so did lauren. (surprisingly, the food was kind of really good. quote me and i'll come after you.)

the show was pretty cool. jousting is intense.

so intense, in fact, slick got a little Medieval-y stressed out.

we were a pretty rowdy group - yelling at/ for the knights, drinking enormous beers and throwing our crowns around...

MAN DOWN!

our serf, ron, was pretty rad. he filled us in on all the juicy Medieval gossip.

we got to meet the king (we = total VIPs)...

...and finished off the night with a Medieval DANCE PARTY. that's right.

Medieval Times is a seriously fun date.  We used the Groupon, but still I think that it’s pretty economical for food and a show at only $49.95 per person (regular price).  Currently, they are running a special for $34.95, which is even better.  If you register online, you can get a free feast (they offer a vegetarian feast, too) + tournament for your birthday! 

P.S. On Saturday, someone in the crowd was there for his bachelor party!  We all got a kick out of that…

Here’s the link to the Medieval Times Atlanta Castle: http://www.medievaltimes.com/atlanta.aspx

xx, L

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
5900 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA  30043
866.731.9313
www.medievaltimes.com