I meant to get these:
Instead, I just bought + finished these:
Don’t judge – but please learn from the error of my ways…
Only ever grocery shop on a full tummy! 
xx, L
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Yeah, you heard right… I’m talking about the other white meat. A whole lot of it, too.
peace out, wilbur
DAD’S GARAGE THEATRE PRESENTS
THE 10TH ANNUAL BACONFEST
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010
The Annual Fundraiser Features Local Bands: Futureshock, Mike LaSage and the Stumbling Troubadours, The Jaguars, Nine Inch Neils, Baron Saturday of Judi Chicago DJ Set, and Performances by Dad’s Garage House Bands, The Fingering Brothers and Bases Loaded
Tickets On Sale Now + All Proceeds to Benefit Dad’s Garage Theatre Company
THE Q+DD ON BACONFEST:
The 10th Annual Dad’s Garage BaconFest, a one-day event featuring live music, improv, games, beer, bacon and more, will be held on Saturday, March 27 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Dad’s Garage Theatre Company in Inman Park. A neighborhood tradition, each year BaconFest raises funds for the treasured mid-sized theatre that is devoted to elevating awareness about the arts in Atlanta.
Founded by Dad’s Garage co-founder George Faughnan in 1995, the meat-centric festival has grown to cult-like status, attracting a diverse and devoted legion of Atlantans each year. Building its following off a simple foundation of combining bacon, beer and bands, the festival also includes nonstop games. Past favorites include; Hunt an Improvisor, Guitar Hero Challenge, fortunetelling, X-rated face painting, and a malt liquor taste test challenge. Live music performances at this year’s event include local artists: Futureshock, Mike LaSage and the Stumbling Troubadours, The Jaguars, Nine Inch Neils, and a special DJ set by Judi Chicago’s Baron Saturday. Dad’s Garage’s house bands The Fingering Brothers and Bases Loaded will also make appearances.
In addition to the fun and games at BaconFest, festival goers can bid on an array of silent auction items donated by local businesses. This year’s silent auction will feature items donated by Dad’s Garage, Alternative Apparel, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Only You Tattoo, Third Half Studios, and many more.
Tickets for the 10th Annual Dad’s Garage Baconfest are sale now and are available from $15 to $45. Dad’s Garage will offer three ticket level categories: General Admission, Mid-Level and VIP. Mid-Level and VIP tickets will be available in limited quantities at $35 and $45, respectively. The VIP ticket will include a special improv performance following BaconFest at 5:00 p.m. Advanced tickets can be purchased online at the Dad’s Garage Ticket Office or at the gate the day of the event.
Visit www.dadsgarage.com for additional information, updates and directions.
ABOUT DAD’S GARAGE THEATRE:
Founded in 1995, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company has grown from a small volunteer led organization to a thriving mid-size theatre led by professional artistic and administrative staff that includes over 300 volunteers and performers. We now entertain more than 30,000 people each year at our two-theatre facility in Inman Park, public events across the state, and at improv festivals across the continent. In addition to outrageous original productions, Dad’s Garage produces improv shows 52 weeks per year, educates young improvisers in a year-round high school outreach program, and facilitates on-site classes and workshops for the general public. Dad’s Garage is committed to elevating the awareness of the arts in the Atlanta community through the production of original theatrical works, education and the creative outlets found through improvisation.
BACK TO ME…
My good buddy, Goldie, makes his famous BACON EXPLOSION on the most special of occasions. Ironically, Goldie + I are friends from Jewish sleep-away camp…
goldie + me
Although I hear about it all the time (does it reeeeeeeally exist?), I’ve not yet had the supreme honor of feasting on this artery-clogging beast.
Goldie's BACON EXPLOSION!!
not kosher
However, I am positive that BaconFest 2010 will be an absolutely excellent substitute!
Gosh, I’m the world’s worst Jewish girl… 
xx, L
Tags: camp boys, careful cowboy!, comfort food, I'm just saying..., Ridiculous., Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
Hang out with the Kastorfs. It’s as simple as that…
the kastorfs
In an attempt to come to terms with my denial about their recent move from Atlanta, Slick + I visited Kurt + Anjali in the District over the weekend. When we arrived on Friday evening, we had dinner with them and Slick’s twin brother, Smooth, who lives in the city + co. at Zaytinya.
zaytinya
Zaytinya (http://www.zaytinya.com/) is a Mediterranean restaurant in Chinatown that is star chef Jose Andres’ culinary playground. Andres is a James Beard Award winner, defeated Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America and appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef. He is often credited for bringing the small plates concept to America. Needless to say, I was very excited to eat at Zaytinya. And, it was even better than expected – I strongly recommend this restaurant.
puffed pita bread @ zaytinya - i ate a TON
We had lunch the next day at Ben’s Chili Bowl (http://www.benschilibowl.com). Ever since Obama dined there a few days before the Inaguration, I’ve been interested in trying the famous chili dogs at this historic restaurant.
ben's chili bowl
slick @ ben's
We ate absolutely wondrous things – chili dogs, chili cheese fries, etc – and we didn’t think twice about it.
chili cheese fries @ ben's
Ben’s Chili Bowl was amazing. I love its U Street location – not too far away from one of my favorite places to eat at in DC – Marvin (Marvin Gaye’s restaurant).
More on Marvin’s here: http://www.marvindc.com/.
kurt + slick eating ben's chili half-smokes
very full
Kurt + Anj + Slick cooked dinner on Saturday night. Obviously, I’m big on going out for meals (research for the blog…), but the way these three cooked – I’d be happy eating at home from here on out!
food network cameras really should have been there...
Everything was homemade from scratch. So impressive!!
Caprese Salad garnished w/ Doritos (Slick’s touch):
genius?
Vermont Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Straws:
my favorite part of the meal
Peach Gnocchi in a Champagne and Shallot Sauce:
heavenly
(Brace yourself for this one) Maple Mascarpone Cheesecake served with Pistachio Ice Cream, Cranberries stewed in Raspberry Ginger Beer, Orange Ginger Reduction, Maple Syrup and garnished with a Walnut Tuille:
masterpiece
I ate sooooooo much, I couldn’t breathe after the meal. Seriously. That didn’t stop me, though, from finishing about three bottles of wine w/ Anj over the course of the night…
We ventured out to Co Co. Sala (http://www.cocosala.com/) for brunch on Sunday. A colleague in DC sang praises about this restaurant after she went for dinner one evening – and ever since has been telling me that I absolutely have to go there when I’m in town.
barely standing...but ready to eat!
The menu is based around chocolate and the food is creative, well-paired and incredibly artful. Although we were all pretty hungover from the prior evening, we thought brunch was delicious and satisfying. I loved the restaurant’s plush decor and appreciated how well thought out each knife, fork, dish and glass was – everything was very detailed.
beautiful entree @ co co. sala
decadent desserts @ co co. sala
We schmoozed with Co Co. Sala’s general manager after our meal and he told us that the restaurant has a pretty lively dessert + drinks scene – very loungy with house music… Personally, “house music” wasn’t the greatest selling point for me, but I would definitely go back to Co Co. Sala when I am in DC again to try more of their delicious desserts and see what the evening holds there. We left the restaurant full + with a parting gift from the GM: CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON!
it wasn't around for long...
Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro (http://www.matchboxdc.com/) was the last restaurant I wanted to check off of my list this trip.
get it? get it?!
Anj + Slick + I grabbed an early dinner there: the 3.6.9. mini-burgers w/ gouda + onion straws and one of their signature pizzas cooked in a wood-fired masonry oven. Although I thought the pizza was fair at best, Matchbox’s onion straws were enough to bring me back to the Chinatown restaurant as soon as I am in DC again. I honestly don’t have any other way to accurately describe them than they were just, well, AWESOME!
matchbox's 3.6.9. mini-burgers w/ onion straws
We ate a lot over the three day trip. But, don’t worry about our health – we did some walking. In fact, we spent Saturday @ the Department of Justice:
i found a familiar flag!
slick gave an important speech
We saw Julia Child’s Kitchen @ the National Museum of American History:
amen!
julia's copper pots
And, we viewed the Hope Diamond + the extensive Mineral Exhibit @ the National Museum of Natural History:
the hope diamond in all its glory
want. those.
Although the trip went by in a blur, I’ll be holding onto the memories we made (ate?) for the next few weeks in my waistline. Oh well, I enjoyed every bite – and it’s not swimsuit season quite yet…
miss you guys already!!
Thanks, Anj + Kurt for such a super fun + incredibly delicious trip!
xx, L
Tags: blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol, captain kurt, clean plate club, comfort food, I'm just saying..., LMR, More culture than frozen yogurt!, pretty little anjali, slick, Table for Two, Things that are awesome..., very important people, Yowza.
My prayers have been answered: The 2010 Winter Olympics are finally OVER!!
I have never been so uninvested in pop culture before…
Not to sound uncultured or un-American or anything – but the Winter Olympics ruined my life for the past two weeks. I do not care about curling.
Since they started on February 12th, I’d been counting down the minutes until they blew out the torch and I could finally be reengaged in evening programming I am actually interested in. (For the record: I’m normally glued to the Summer Olympics…)
What I really want to know is:
How’s the weather in Scranton?
What is Liz’s junk food of choice today? Shells + cheese? Doritos?
Ooooh, I just can’t take the suspense any longer!!
(Also, where has this show been? I really need a weekly dose of Barney…)
what's the deal, CBS? you don't run the Olympics...
My point is that I’ve just really missed you, Primetime NBC.
And, I’d like to be the first to officially welcome you home! Hooray!!
xx, L
Tags: I'm just saying..., LMR, Ridiculous., Things we love!, Yowza.
Monday night was Atlanta Magazine’s BEST OF ATLANTA party and you better believe Christine, Lindsay and I were in attendance. 
The Q+DD on BoA is this: zillions of superawesome Atlanta restaurants serving miniature plates of signature dishes + wine, beer, and liquor companies with samples to share + silent auction + live music…and all the proceeds go to Camp Twin Lakes. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend.
Here is our night…in pictures!
First things first. We made a beeline for Holeman and Finch…duh. They were dishing up miniature versions of their FAMOUS burg! Of course, they weren’t quite as good as the full-sized version…but they were pretty darn close. 
After a cocktail at the Ciroc vodka stand we dashed over to the Infinity VIP lounge to fulfill our volunteer duties greeting VIP guests:
Brian: "we're here to welcome you to VIP. As less important people, we welcome you!"
We schmoozed and sipped wine and and were entertained by local magician, Joe Turner. (Who, incidentally, was not employed by Camp Twin Lakes, Room and Board, OR Infinity. Just a really nice magic dude!) After we were sprung, we proceeded to consume…121957249581 calories in both food and alcohol and made lots of new and interesting friends!
Witness:
(we love bacon, too.)
Our favorites included tacos from Nuevo Laredo, cookies and crème cupcakes and peanut butter truffles from Highland Bakery, sushi from Nori Nori, bacon and maple popcorn from the Porter, experimental pizzas from Mellow Mushroom, and we all went back for seconds at Sublime Donuts. To. Die. For.
Buckhead Life, though? Fail. The emperor has no food!
Kyma Fail.
Fish Market Fail.
Buckhead Diner Fail.
The biggest laugh I had all night was we walked by the GA Aquarium booth and Lindsay said she hoped they weren’t serving fish…
Sushi?
We had a BLAST, everyone did! Can’t wait for next year!
xx, L
Tags: Christine!, clean plate club, do-gooding, Moxie? We got it., PLU, You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
How hip is your pupster?
(this one takes the cake!)
I mean…this is the most amazing blog I’ve come across since, well, we started the Q+DD! AMAZING!!
Check out more hipster heartbreakers like these guys + submit your pup @
http://hipsterpuppies.tumblr.com/ These pooches are just too cool for school!
This weekend, Slick and I were finally ready to move on from our beloved Reggie, and we adopted Big Red. We hope he leads a much longer life than poor, old Reg!
Big Red
(Someone please get me a puppy…)
xx, L
Tags: I'm just saying..., LMR, oh so hipster, Ridiculous., slick, Things that are awesome..., Things we love!, trend alert!, Yowza.
In an attempt to further explore Buford HWY and challenge our taste buds, the Eat Squad met at Canton House for dim sum* on Wednesday. Canton House is not at all difficult to find. If you are coming from our neck of the woods (Buckhead + Midtown), drive up Buford HWY until you see the largest chandlier known to man through the windows of a restaurant with Chinese characters on it.
*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
Tags: Eat Squad, More culture than frozen yogurt!, Recessionistas, Rosh, slick, Table for Two, the barocai, You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
Yesterday was Slick’s birthday.
the birthday boy
We celebrated @ One Star Ranch in Buckhead, and then hit up Five Paces. Slick and I got our traditional it’s-your-birthday-late-night-pizza, but…
"you only turn 27 once!"
…he’s feeling like THIS now:
uh oh
Obviously, it’s time to catch a second wind for Oysterfest this afternoon @ Steamhouse Lounge.
First, y’all have to see this: Cari Barocas from Sugar Sugar made Slick the most incredible birthday cake ever!
Happy Birthday!
Isn’t that amazing? They are cupcakes!!
Check out all the other delicious treats Cari’s made recently @ www.doublethesugar.com
"Honey...Oh, Sugar Sugar"
xx, L
Tags: cute cari, I'm just saying..., LMR, slick, Things that are awesome..., very important people, You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
Slick got some good news over the weekend and a celebratory dinner was in order. If I’d received news worthy of celebrating, I would make a b-line for Bacchanalia faster than you can say “American Kobe Short Ribs.” However, Slick’s favorite food is BBQ – so we decided that Fat Matt’s Rib Shack would be a perfect spot to grub-it-up in his honor.
perfect-o
First, we went to Tara Cinema to see Crazy Heart. We both thought the movie was amazing, and we’ve been listening to the incredible soundtrack + Ryan Bingham downloads almost non-stop since we saw it. It’s sort of like The Wrestler, but about country music and with The Dude. Awesome. We really liked the movie’s message, too. Everyone, please see it soon!
"it's funny how fallin' feels like flyin'...for a little while"
Back to BBQ: Fat Matt’s is my personal favorite place to get BBQ in Atlanta. It’s a relatively small restaurant with lots of character. In fact, Fat Matt’s was mentioned in the movie, Up in the Air, as the main character’s favorite place to get BBQ because it happens to be the director, Jason Reitman’s, favorite BBQ joint. In return, the restaurant gave Jason a V.I.P. card entitling him to a lifetime of free ribs! So freaking cool.
Moving on…
Fat Matt's
We get to the restaurant and grab some beers while we wait for another couple to meet us. And who do we see chowing down on Fat Matt’s famous ribs?? None other than Serpas executive chef, Scott Serpas!
Scott Serpas, Serpas True Food
(Who vaguely resembles my favorite Modern Family character, Cameron… Love him!)
CAMERON!!
Obviously, we were in excellent company. Our friends arrived shortly thereafter and we ordered.
Fat Menu
Three of us selected the tasty pulled pork sandwiches on white buns – and Slick got the ribs.
Fat Kitchen
My pulled pork was predictably delicious, but I’d never had anything else at Fat Matt’s to compare it to. Slick let me try one of his ribs – and it was heavenly. I’m adverse to fat on BBQ, I’d almost rather it be tasteless than bite into fat on meat – the texture weirds me out. Thankfully, I had no reservations about Fat Matt’s ribs, which were both pretty lean and flavorful.
Fat (but not fatty) Ribs
We inhaled our BBQ and washed it down with some Sweetwater beer, all while enjoying the live blues band. Don’t forget to tip them!
Fat Music
It was a perfect celebratory dinner for Slick! (He was in hog heaven… Get it? Get it??) And today, Slick has another reason to celebrate…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Jeff + Slick
More BBQ is on tap for tonight + Oysterfest @ Steamhouse Lounge tomorrow!
Get your Oysterfest tickets here: http://www.ticketalternative.com/Venues/500.aspx
Fat Party
xx, L
Fat Matt’s Rib Shack
1811 Piedmont Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
404.607.1622
www.fatmattsribshack.com
Tags: Beef., comfort food, I'm just saying..., Lets hear it for the boys, Table for Two, Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
Y’all! I just bought the most powerful hair dryer known to (wo)man! It’s love.
best hair dryer ever
Here’s the Q+DD on my Elchim 2001 Professional Hair Dryer (aka Elchim Classic):
The Elchim Classic 2001 is a high pressure hair dryer – the only hair dryer in the world that reduces drying time by 50%. It also protects hair by producing a high flow of air that does not overheat to the point of harming the hair. The dryer is fitted with top quality components that include a very long-lasting double balanced motor and a Swedish Kanthal wire heating element. Elchim Classic’s exterior is made of shock and flame resistant polycarbonate plastic which is non-aging. The dryer has been manufactured according to EEC specifications with double insulation.
Features and Benefits:
- Seven switch combinations for ranges of fan speed and temperature
- 1800 watts of power (yowza!)
- Lightweight
- Air flow of 40 liters per second
- Concentrator nozzle
- Removable lint filter
This hair dryer actually makes me look forward to getting ready in the morning!
I don’t have the longest hair in the world (although I am trying), but I have a lot of it. My new Elchim has cut down my drying time by roughly 5 minutes! Swear to it. It’s like a leaf blower. And, we all know that time is money… My Elchim + an excessive amount of Biosilk + my new Sebastian “Drench” shampoo/conditioner = silkier hair than I’ve had in years.
Pick up an Elchim at www.folica.com for a Benjamin or use a Bed Bath + Beyond coupon, like I did, and get it at BBB in Buckhead Station for only $78. (I am sure you can find an Elchim other places, but these are the two I know of off-hand.) Your hair is definitely worth it.
Happy hair days to you!
xx, L
Tags: Beauty is as beauty does., I'm just saying..., LMR, That's what she said, Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
Snuggie Pub Crawls. They’re everywhere these days.
Sorry, Joanna and Ash, apparently we did NOT come up with that idea and if we did, we certainly didn’t execute quickly enough because you can barely walk down the street these days without hitting a wall of Snuggie-clad bar-hoppers.
Now, I guess if you’re going to wear a blanket to a bar, it definitely makes sense to wear one with sleeves. You just can’t argue with that logic. I mean, how else could you shoot pool?
Give a high five?
Even hold your cocktail?!
You couldn’t, my friends. You couldn’t.
Plus, if you order now, your Snuggie will come with a book light that can also double as a mini flashlight…which could come in handy in dimly lit pubs! 
I actually can’t believe bar crawling wasn’t Snuggie’s original purpose. Yep, Snuggie pub crawls are all the rage and last night? I jumped right on that bandwagon.
I couldn’t just go with the standard edition blue. Luckily, as you know, Snuggie is really branching out. Check out the latest from Milan:
I imagined myself a Project Runway contestant while fashioning my Snuggie dress… please witness my Snuggie couture:
That. Just. Happened.
In this chilly February weather, I was snug as a bug in a rug in my Snuggie. I loved it. Everyone at Twain’s loved it. In fact, I may work it in as a regular part of my wardrobe. Otherwise, I might wonder: 
Have a Snug-tastic day, everyone!
xx, L
Tags: Costumes + Parties, I'm just saying..., Moxie? We got it., Ridiculous., Things that are awesome..., You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.
…I get flagged for excessive celebration of my birthday.
Between my Houston party…
My office party…
My party at Smith’s with my cast mates…
Dinner at Woodfire Grill with EZ…
Dinner at Rathbun’s/Krog with my family…
And, of COURSE, the amazing brunch that Lindsay threw at Waffle House…
…dayianu! (that would have been enough)
But I have to tell you, I couldn’t have been happier with the 5th annual LK/EZ Birthday Bash. Party Preppy was DEFINITELY the best one yet!
Witness:
It. Was. Spectacular! We packed Whiskey Park with popped collars, pearls, cardigans, top siders, even seersucker in the dead of winter. Erin and I were tickled pink (and green!) 
Thank you so much everyone! I am SO lucky.
Special thanks to my amazing, supercool (and handsome!) cousin Rob Goldstein who took care of EVERYTHING for us. If you ever want to book a party at any of the Ws, I strongly suggest getting in touch with him at rgoldstein@gerberbars.com. He’s the bomb.com
Now, I think I am officially DONE celebrating this particular birthday. (Well…after Birthday dinner at Repast with Seth tonight…)
xx, L
P.S. For the record, the only thing that party was missing was my seestah. Next year, KT!
Tags: Costumes + Parties, EZ, I'm just saying..., Moxie? We got it., Ridiculous., Seth Says, Things that are awesome..., Things that are GORG, Things we love!, very important people, You Can Find Me in the A, Yowza.