Slick and I just had our one year anniversary, and we celebrated it in style.

we are wearing fancy pants
On the actual day of our anniversary, we had an amazing dinner at Bacchanalia. I love the Star Provisions restaurants, of which Bacchanalia is my favorite. In fact, it is my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. And, you can quote me.

are you my mother?
Dinner at Bacchanalia is an incredibly fancy meal, but somehow it feels laid back. It’s white tablecloth, but jackets are not necessary in the restaurant – in fact the folks sitting next to us were wearing jeans. The service and food are both incomparable in Atlanta in my humble opinion.

bacchanalia
Quinones, Bacchanalia’s private room, is an outstanding meal, but the restaurant and the overall dining experience felt a tad geriatric to me when I had the honor of eating there a few years ago. Personally, I prefer the youthful energy at Bacchanalia. Without further adieu, here’s what we ate…
Cocktails:
Predictably, I ordered a vodka Gimlet (Would have gotten an Aviation, but they said they didn’t have maraschino cherry liquor…) Slick got a filthy martini.
Appetizers:
Gulf Crab Fritter, Citrus, Thai Pepper Essence
Wine Pairing: Riesling, Waterbrook, Columbia Valley 2001
Kumamoto Oysters
Compressed Cucumber, Caviar
Wine Paring: Champagne, Piper Heidsieck, Cuvee 1785, Reims, France
Entrees:
Local Berkshire Pork Loin, Crispy Belly, Anson Mills White Grits, Fresh Andouille Sausage, Summerland Farm Greens, Pot Likker Jus
Wine Paring: Pinot Nior, Archery Summit, Premier Cuvee, Williamette Valley 2007
Wood Grilled Lamb Loin Chops, Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans, Fiddlehead Ferns, Pickled Onions
Wine Paring: Merlot, Chateau Preuillac, Bordeaux 2005
Cheese + Compliment:
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, Medjool Dates
Chantal, Jumbo California Asparagus, Soft Farm Egg, Bread Crumbs Chervil
Desserts:
Orange Souffle, Tarragon Custard, Pistachio Florentine
Valrhona Chocolate Cake w/ Mint Ice Cream

anniversary dinner @ bacchanalia
The meal was so wonderful. In between each of the prix fixe courses, the chef sent out a little intermezzo course. So needless to say, when we left the restaurant we were stuffed beyond belief. It was a super special evening.

thank you, BY!
To make it even more memorable, Slick, who knows by now that I’d much rather have an “experience” gift over a “material” gift, surprised me and told me that we were going to continue the celebration over the weekend at my favorite hotel in town, the gorgeous St. Regis! To say that I was very excited would be a gross understatement…

We’d stayed at the St. Regis in September for the Shapiro’s wedding and I fell deeply in love with it.

@ the st. regis for the shapiro wedding in september
The rooms are gorgeous and everything is incredibly luxurious about it - but my heart truly belongs to the beautiful pool piazza.

st. regis pool piazza
Slick was on a roll. On Saturday, we checked into the hotel and when I went up to the room it was filled with surprise goodies for me. Pirate’s Booty, a nice bottle of wine, gorgeous flowers, champagne, truffles + strawberries…Slick had been very sneaky planning all of this!

waiting for us in our room

starting off the weekend just right
We threw some champagne into our OJ and almost immediately made a B line for the pool. We spent the remainder of the morning and afternoon poolside enjoying the gorgeous weather.

@ the st. regis pool
Later that evening, we had dinner at Lobster Bar – which is walking distance from the St. Regis. It was my first time at the restaurant and I really enjoyed my meal.

We had an enormous amount of food from the prix fixe lobster menu. I mean, there was probably enough food to feed four people – and I’d be lying if I said we didn’t make a serious dent in it.

lobster bar
As much as I enjoyed stuffing myself with lobster, I have to say that the desserts were the highlight of the meal for me. We had the bread pudding, the toffee cake and the creme brulee. (Don’t judge…) They were all divine.

desserts @ lobster bar
Unfortunately, though, I think I may have recently developed a lobster allergy. For the third time after a lobster-heavy meal (not sure why it’s taken me this long to admit it), I got pretty violently ill. I still thought the meal was great, though! However, I’m officially OFF of lobster…

@ lobster bar prior to my face-in-toilet episode
On Sunday, we ordered brunch into our room and watched Nat Geo to our hearts content. Mid-morning, we made our way downstairs for a couples massage at the St. Regis’ spa, Remede. I’ve been to spas all over Atlanta, Blue Med Spa is my favorite, but the massage I had at Remede was the best I’ve ever had in my life. I’m not exaggerating. If you are in the mood for a super luxurious spa day, I strongly recommend Remede. It was as close to heaven as I’ve ever been.

paradise
Slick had to leave shortly thereafter to play golf with some buddies, but I wasn’t ready to leave quite yet. Instead, I parked myself at the pool for the following four hours or so.

exactly how i spent the remainder of my time @ the st. regis pool...
Pretty much, it was the greatest weekend ever.

i'm a v. lucky girl, indeed
Happy one year anniversary, Slick! Thank you for such an amazing celebration!
xx, L
Bacchanalia
1198 Howell Mill Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
404.365.0410
www.starprovisions.com

Lobster Bar
70 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
404.262.2675
www.chopslobsterbar.com

St. Regis Atlanta
88 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
404.563.7900
http://bit.ly/KZyph