Restaurant Club Adventure : August

Thankfully my friend Nicole shares well. Nicole has been gracious enough to share some of her awesome friends with me. Through her, I've met some fab ladies who share a passion for wine, food, gossip and working out. These girls kill it when it comes to marathons and vino. As you can imagine, I was stoked to be invited to another Restaurant Club with them this month (I also attended the one at Local Three ... another Atlanta foodie favorite of mine).

Source

What is Restaurant Club you might ask ... well it's when fabulous ladies meet up once a month at a different restaurant to hang out, drink up and enjoy some good grub. This month's pick ... 5 Napkin Burger, a new boutique burger joint in Atlanta (although they have 5 other established locations). I had heard rave things about 5 Napkin Burger and was pretty excited to dig-in last night.

We arrived and the place was visually appealing and it smelled pretty delightful, like burger heaven. After hanging at the bar for a bit and waiting on all of the ladies, we were seated. Their libation menu wasn't too bad, but their wine list could use some more options. I settled on the Chardonnay (which was just alright in my opinion) while most of the others chose red wine or liquor drinks. The menu was smaller than I expected, obviously they had some good burger options, but they also served sushi, salads and even hot dogs! The good news is 5 Napkin can work with you on your 'foodie wants' such as burgers with no buns --which is what 5 Napkin calls 'Inside Out' --not a bad option if you're looking to watch your carbs.

After checking out the options, I decided to go with the Original 5 Napkin Burger 'Inside Out' (10 oz. fresh ground chuck, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary aioli) with a side of regular fries. One good plus to 5 Napkin Burger ... your side of fries are included in the price of your burger! Overall, the burger was good and cooked just right. The regular fries were delish as were the sweet potato fries I 'sampled' off one of the other girls plate.

Two glasses of wine later and a cleaned plate, the checks arrived. When I looked at the bill for my dinner for one ... $42 (including gratuity) -- one burger, two glasses of (okay) wine -- I was a little shocked. To be quite honest, the meal wasn't worth $42 and the burger, although tasty, not worth $15 (originally priced at $14, but apparently they add $1 to have it made 'Inside Out'). While I saw the prices on the menu, I guess I didn't really think too much about total cost of the meal.

Regardless, the company was great, the meal was overall good, yet pricey. I think I'd head back there for another go-round but be a little more cautious about the consumption of drinks since that certainly jacks up a total bill. Looking forward to next month's Restaurant Club ... like any good foodie, I'm always down for trying new places!

New Atlanta Find ...

I've found a new place in the Atlanta area that I'm dying to share with those that live here and also those that might be visiting. I present to you ... Empire State South!


"Empire State South takes a modern approach to creating authentic Southern dishes relying on the beautiful foods of this region. A community restaurant that appeals to a broad range, Empire State South is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a to-go lunch program, courtyard bocce ball and an extensive coffee bar."    (from Empire State South's website)


The atmosphere is awesome, servers and staff are friendly and the food is great! Located walking distance from bars, restaurants and living in Midtown, it's a great place for dinner, pre-going out drinks or a game of bocce. If you're going for drinks, I'd recommend the Pimms Cup for something a little different but a kick of yumminess ... all served up in a mason jar (my favorite!!). 

Pimms Cup

Pimms, Plymouth Gin, Lemon Gastrique, Cucumber, Ginger Ale

If you're in town and looking for something new and different, definitely give this place a chance, I think you'll like it a lot...I know I did! 

Dolphin Event Recap

The Dolphin Tales exhibit/show opening I went to last night was amazing! The aquarium was decked out, the food was stellar, drinks were flowing and the crowd was awesome. The show was about 30 minutes long and can be compared to a Sea World/Broadway/Dolphin extravaganza mix. Post dinner, we headed back to the ballroom for dessert and coffee. It was a fabulous night and I was very lucky to get to attend! Next time you are in Atlanta, or if you live here, make sure you visit the new exhibit/show at the Georgia Aquarium.

dolphins during the show

how cute is this!?

one of the dolphins in the exhibit

coolest dolphin around!

dolphin cookie I brought home for Mike

one of the 'Parade of Dolphins' - Conan O'Brien

Peachtree Road Race Lottery Update!

I blogged a bit ago about the changes to the 2011 AJC Peachtree Road Race. I submitted my information on the first day and waited patiently for my email letting me know that I either got in or didn't. To my surprise, this morning I had an email waiting in my inbox. Good news. I got in! Thankfully, Mike and a few more of our friends did as well.

According to 11 Alive News, 2,000 people were not selected in the lottery. I happen to at least know of 2 people who didn't get in. The good news in this situation is that there will be a number transfer system from April 8-May 8 for people who got in the race but can't run, etc. to transfer numbers to the 2,000 not so lucky individuals who weren't selected.

Looking forward to lacing up my shoes and running my second Peachtree Road Race! Here's to hoping that BLAST and my future training (I have until July 4th) will allow me to PR in this race.

Happy training and if you entered the lottery, did you get in?

Tribute to Atlanta Coasters!

I've seen these cute little items at local boutiques around Atlanta as well as at some of our friends places. I've always thought they were cool and something neat to have in your home. So I finally was bored of staring at our coasters that I've had since 2005 (though they were super cool and from Madrid, Spain) and decided to bite the bullet and pick some of these adorable ones up.

What's so cool about these new coasters you might be asking? Well they are all unique and photo-imprinted on travertine tile. Each coaster highlights a historic or cool location in Atlanta. Made locally by The Coasters Collection, there are over 30 designs to choose from. In addition to the ones already printed, they do custom orders with no minimums! Here are the four I picked up.

Check out their website for other coaster options. I know for a fact I'll be getting a few more. These would make a great housewarming gift or any gift in general!

Which ones of the collection would you choose?

*all photo's are from The Coaster Collection's website. 

Another Week ... Oy!

Hello, Monday. So we meet again. Thanks to my 5:15am wakeup call and intense BLAST class this morning, we've already been hanging out a while. Hopefully I'll be saying bye-bye and Hello Tuesday soon!

Yesterday we headed up to my parents for my belated birthday lunch. The food was super yummy and the cake was to die for. How cute is this cake? My sister-in-law got it from Whole Foods. It was almost too pretty to eat. It tasted just as good as it looked!

photo credit

I also got some great stuff from my family. AMEX gift card and Pottery gift card from my parents (and Bailey Boo, our family puppy), an ADORABLE J.Crew 'Just Married' tote (I'll snap a photo tonight) and a gift certificate to Duke's Restaurant in Hawaii. With the help of my sneaky fiance, my sister-in-law/brother found this restaurant and knew it was at one of the hotels we're staying at in Kauai! Such a unique and useful gift! Can't wait to get some good stuff with all my gift cards and to use my tote on the honeymoon!



This week is starting off slow, but will end with a bang. My sister-in-law and I will be heading to JCrew for a private event at their Lenox location on Thursday. She's more than excited about meeting Jenna (JCrew's resident fashion aficionado) and getting some shopping in. Also, Mike is leaving for his bachelor party in Las Vegas on Thursday with a few of the guys. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned/nervous/sick to my stomach about what will go on out there. I've made myself clear to all parties attending how I feel about certain things. Lets hope they keep it in check while having a wonderful (drunk) time. Thank goodness my girlfriends will be keeping me in check while he is gone. Saturday, while Mike is partying it up on the Vegas strip, I'll be having a good time myself in the Virginia Highlands. My friends and I will be hitting up Pozole restaurant and bar hopping/causing a ruckus post dinner. Look out Atlanta, this could get interesting!

In other news, I paid off one of my credit cards this past weekend! It feels so good to know that I don't owe anymore on that card. I'm halfway done with my other card and should have it paid off by the end of May. Once that's done...it's time for a new car! I blogged back in January about my choices and I'm still unsure of what I want. This too will come down to a numbers game ... so get ready to wheel and deal! Mommy wants a new ride!

This week also marks the downhill to the wedding. 40 days til the wedding to be exact. I'm not real sure where the last 326 days have gone. What I do know is that I've still got a lot to do in 40 days. God willing the hangover isn't too bad, I'll be heading to my parents on Sunday to get some stuff done with my mom. The little things on the list are piling up and we've got to get them tackled. It'll be April 30th before we know it.

Update on RSVP's. We've had a cease on receiving them in the mail. I haven't received an RSVP in almost a week. Yes, I'm that sad about it. I get so excited when a red envelope is in the mail!

Total Number of Invites Sent : 90

Total Number of People Invited : 182

RSVP Cards in Limbo : 33

YES - 99

NO - 6 (so really 11 ppl)

Worst Case Scenario - 162

The RSVP deadline is fast approaching ... only 2 more weeks! I sure hope we get all the responses in by then. Really don't want to have to call and hound people to find out if they are attending or not! So if you're reading this and are invited to the wedding and have YET to send in your RSVP...GET ON IT!!

BRW 2011

One of the great perks to living in the city is that there's always good food within walking or driving distance. It's much harder to find fast food than it is a 4-star restaurant. Every year in Buckhead to they do BWR : Buckhead Restaurant Week. This year it's running from February 26 - March 6. 

A lot of local, both upscale and semi-casual, good restaurants participate in Buckhead Restaurant Week. For $25-$35 per person, you get to feast on a 3-Course Meal. Some of these meals would typically run upwards of $75 (if you're looking at The Capital Grille and a few others). It's usually pretty easy to make a reservation at these places and the portions are pretty good size. Personally, Mike and I are hitting up the The Capital Grille next Friday!

Later in the year there is also Midtown Restaurant Week (August 27-September 4) and Downtown Restaurant Week (May 28-June 5). If I were you and lived in the Atlanta area, I'd be making a reservation at one of these swanky, hip restaurants. If you can't make Buckhead Restaurant Week. shoot for one of the other weeks later in 2011!

Bon Appetit! 

All You Need Is Love

photo via here

Mike and I have decided to hit up one of Atlanta's little gems for Valentine's Day. While we haven't been to this restaurant before, we have heard nothing but rave reviews about it. Located on Peachtree Road in the heart of Buckhead, Restaurant Eugene is one of a kind.

Focusing on local farmers and creating dishes from scratch, Restaurant Eugene doesn't disappoint. Through supporting local farmers and suppliers they were able to start a Saturday morning farmers market just a few blocks away to ensure that their deliveries are fresh and local. This open air farmers market allows the public to also come and mingle, meet the farmers themselves and the ability to purchase local grown fruits, veggies and other healthy food! Typically we try to hit up this farmers market a few times a month. It's a great place to get veggies, health food and a quick and healthy lunch on a Saturday.

We're looking forward to heading to Restaurant Eugene on Valentine's for their 4-course pre-fixed menu. I can't wait to see what they serve us and to soak up the atmosphere. Post dinner we'll head home to hang out with Miss Kona and share the Valentine's love with her too since she's our baby girl!

No matter if you're spending Valentine's with your boyfriend, husband, wife, best friend or puppy... spend it with someone that you love and enjoy!

Snowed In : Day 4

Do drive to the office or not. This is the question of the day. While I'm assuming I can make it to the office, it will take me over an hour to go 11 miles and lets be honest, I don't need to wreck my Acura...again!

It amazes me how paralyzed Atlanta is by all this ice/snow. Thank goodness Mike and I live in Buckhead where we can walk to most restaurants, bars, gyms, grocery stores. Thank goodness even more for friends who live close to us who can meet us out! If it wasn't for this ... I'd have gone bat crazy by now.

So while all this is at hand and I'm debating what to do about getting to the office or working from home... what I do know is that I need an outfit for my shower on the 22nd and to get to the dentist at 2pm!

Now, how to do that....