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

Aside from Whole Foods-prepared Viet. spring rolls, I’d never eaten Vietnamese food before.  (It’s always interesting not having a benchmark for which to compare new foods or restaurants, but that’s kind of the point of Eat Squad, I guess.) 

This ES session, we had the honor of food blogger FB joining us.  We all sat down at a large round table at the restaurant and perused the extensive menu.  I was pretty overwhelmed, so I asked Mr. B. – who has experience with Viet. food – to order for me.  On his and our friendly waitress’s recommendation, we decided to eat family style and order a number of tasty dishes, a few of which we had to prepare + cook ourselves. 

Below are a few pictures of our meal:

the "create your own spring roll" spread

fish + meat for the spring rolls

waitress showing cari how to prepare the spring rolls

my spring roll didn't really cut it...

cold pot w/ fish, veggies + broken rice (my fav.)

waitress stirring the cold pot and explaining to us the history of broken rice - a famous Viet. peasant dish

i went back for thirds - it was delicious!

veggies to cook in hot pot

fish to cook in hot pot

beef to cook in hot pot

hot pot cooking on our table

mmmmmmmmmmm!

I really enjoyed this meal.  In preparation for my upcoming vacations, I am kinda watching my waistline (only kinda) and I didn’t feel guilty at all about what I ate.  To me, Vietnamese food is like a healthier version of Thai food.  I definitely want to get it again, but I’d like to consider trying some other Viet. restaurants around town.  For the Eat Squad members who had eaten Viet. before, they said that Bamboo was good – but not the best in town.  Whatever the case, I’m happy to know that I like Viet. food and I look forward to trying it again soon.

The next Eat Squad gathering will take us to Cafe Agora in Buckhead for some Mediterranean cuisine.  Stay tuned…

xx, L

Bamboo Grill & Hot Pot
4646 Buford Highway St.
Atlanta, GA  30341
678.580.1727

Although Slick + I just saw Spring Awakening @ the Fox Theatre last night w/ the Barocai…

@ the Fox through March 14! Get tix ASAP!

…and it was wonderful, all I can think about is Avenue Q!! 

Avenue Q, Spring Awakening and Jersey Boys are my favorite plays I’ve seen on Broadway.  I’ve seen them in Atlanta, too, and I think they all have good traveling casts – particularly Ave. Q.  I’m not thrilled that Ave. Q is going to be @ Cobb instead of the Fox this time, but hopefully the acoustics will be better in a new location.  (Love the Fox, but that theatre has the worst acoustics EVER.)

Anyway, I hope you have all already seen Ave. Q, but if you haven’t – you absolutely must!  This play is perfect for everyone – except, well, children.  Parents: Don’t be fooled by the cute puppets!  However, I definitely suggest you drag along your football-lovin’, anti-musical, short attention span buddies and better halves to the show!  They’ll love it.  Promise. 

Pre-sale tickets are already available.  For a limited time, you can insert the password “IMPACT” into the Ticketmaster promotional box and receive $5.00 off of each ticket purchased.  Ticketmaster will make a $5.00 donation to the organization, Positive Impact.

More on Positive Impact here:
http://www.positiveimpact-atl.org/

Click here to look for Avenue Q dates + seats and purchase! 
http://www.ticketmaster.com/promo/1c8d3i?camefrom=CFC_BAAABS_AveQPriority

See you @ the show! 

xx, L

*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 - 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

I had a really wonderful time celebrating the-sixth-anniversary-of-my-22nd-birthday in Atlanta and Dallas!  I think 2010 is going to be a great year!

Varasano's - Atlanta

Varasano's - Atlanta

Victor Tangos - Dallas

Park - Dallas

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Now it’s time to start thinking about this girl’s special day on Thursday! 

Happy 20-something, Lauren! 

LK's B-Day!

Mark your calendars!  January is officially ours. 

xx, L

I love trying new foods, but I had heard that Korean BBQ was incredibly fatty, and I tend to prefer no fat at all on beef.  I am aware that fat adds flavor to beef, but I just can’t get past the texture…  As it turned out, no caution was necessary.  We had a truly delicious meal and an absolute blast at the restaurant!  

Here’s our evening in pictures:

Hanil Kwan Korean Restaurant

Mr. B + Christine peruse the menu

Slick tries, unsuccessfully, to get us to order the beef tripe + intestine soup.

Banchan: Small plates served at the beginning of the meal

Jin Mandu: Steamed pork + vegetable dumplings (my favorite)

Haemul Pajan: Korean seafood pancake (kind of like a fancy latke...)

Galbi: Marinated beef short ribs aka Korean BBQ

Slick's face when we informed him that the meal was over...

...we'll be back soon, Han Il Kwan! Thanks for a delicious meal!

If you are in the mood for something different, definitely consider Korean BBQ – or at least venture out to Buford Highway to try a random ethnic restaurant.  I hope you have as much fun as we did!  (Our next Buford excursion is going to be either Ethiopian or Thai.  Bring on the recommendations!)

xx, L

Hanil Kwan Korean Restaurant
5458 Buford Highway
Doraville, GA  30340
770.457.3217