Cliche Pun on Book Title: Archive

4 tags

coffee in SF

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t explored San Francisco as much as I would have liked this summer. But I have found one thing to be true. Blue Bottle Coffee is every bit as good as people tell you it is. I’m having a cup right now with just a splash of milk (and feeling sacrilegious for even adding that), and it’s absolute heaven. This is how every cup of coffee should taste. ...

Jul 27th

1 note

1 tag

the dish

So, as you may know, I’m not a runner. But I do occasionally try to get some exercise. This weekend I was walk/jogging around campus, and I stumbled on “The Dish.” I had heard that Stanford owned some land in the foothills, and that it was a good place to go exercise. Well…people weren’t kidding. So it’s a huge wilderness area. I went around 7pm, just as...

Jul 17th

1 tag

ad hoc

My evening at Ad Hoc ranks pretty high on the list of Best July 4th Celebrations that I’ve ever experienced. For those who are unfamiliar, ad hoc is owned by Chef Thomas Keller, generally considered to be the best chef in the country. He is also the owner of The French Laundry, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, and Per Se. Ad Hoc is an entirely different style of restaurant from his other spaces....

Jul 17th

1 tag

Redd

Dining at Redd was the most opulent, over-the-top fine dining experience I’ve had in a while. Set in the heart of Napa Valley, in the uber-charming Yountville, Redd shares a home with other culinary stars like The French Laundry, ad hoc, Bistro Jeanty, etc. I visited Chef Richard Reddington’s restaurant on a recent July evening. The restaurant was my mother’s dream- elegant...

Jul 17th

vino

Over the past holiday weekend, I spent four days up in wine country with my mother. We attempted to hit about 6 wineries each day. (Don’t worry, we split the tastings). We also had some great food while we were up there, but I’ll get to that in separate posts. I think the easiest way to do this is to list the wineries we visited, bold my favorites, and if you have more in depth...

Jul 9th

Jun 16th

1 tag

sunO

The Jake’s ice cream at Clairmont & North Decatur closed and was quickly replaced by a SunO. SunO, from what I can tell, is an Asian dessert spot. Their main product is a form of shaved ice/shaved ice cream that is lighter than frozen yogurt. You pick your flavor (original, strawberry, chocolate or mango), pick a topping, and pick a syrup. We let the cashier help us out and ended up with...

May 30th

1 tag

the sound table

The Sound Table is the newest restaurant/club from the owners of Top Flr. It’s in the Old 4th Ward and the bottom floor is a bar/club with a DJ booth, while the second story hosts the dining room. We visited on a quiet Monday, so we had dinner downstairs where we could enjoy the DJ and the atmosphere. The menu is one of those amazing ones where everything sounds good. It’s supposed to...

May 30th

1 tag

on the road: terminal brewhouse

I took a road trip two weeks ago to Bowling Green, KY. On the way home, we stopped in Chattanooga, TN for a late lunch. If you know me at all, you know I was scouting locations on my iPhone as we approached the city. I picked Terminal Brewhouse, a local microbrewery. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone stopping through Chattanooga. They brew their own beer, and it’s not too...

May 28th

1 tag

bookhouse pub

I had read a lot of praise for The Bookhouse Pub from some of my favorite food writers in Atlanta. Especially the “Locavore Monday” nights. So I was slightly disappointed to learn that the chef, Julia LeRoy, had left the restaurant before I got a chance to try her food. I don’t know if they kept the same menu after she left, but I was frankly underwhelmed by the food. I had a...

May 28th

1 tag

urban pl8

Fun, but not fabulous. I went to Urban Pl8 a few weeks ago with a group of friends before hitting an art gallery in west midtown. The menu consists of a few starters and then is divided between burgers and main plates. I had the “banh mi” burger, which was good, but not great. It had a few toppings reminiscent of banh mi, but failed to really capture the heart of that dish. We did have...

May 28th

4th & Swift- update

I’ve been to 4th & Swift three times now, and loved it every time. It is always a restaurant I recommend to people, and one I can feel comfortable sending pretty much anyone to. For my earlier, full review click here. Last week I started out with a cocktail. I’m always nervous ordering cocktails at restaurants because I’ve gotten spoiled by places like Top Flr, Cakes &...

May 17th

3 tags

murphy's- update

I ate at Murphy’s recently for Brian’s graduation day brunch/lunch. I know everyone has been to Murphy’s (and if you haven’t, I would definitely recommend it), so I won’t go over the basics. I always get the crab cake sandwich. It’s just one of those dishes, that try as I might, I can’t stray from. I also tried the calamari and the flatbread appetizers...

May 17th

bocado

I ate at Bocado for the second time this past weekend. The first time was shortly after it opened, and I had a lovely meal then. This time, the food was just as good, but I can’t say the same thing for the service. We had an 8:30 reservation for a party of 3, but were kept waiting at the bar until 9. While there, the bartender was super nice and mixed me a drink that wasn’t on the...

May 17th

May 12th

Apr 22nd

Atlanta Food Carts →

There is a movement in Atlanta, headed by Atlanta magazine’s Christiane Lauterbach, to bring food carts to the city. Atlanta has some laws restricting mobile kitchens. To convince lawmakers to change their stance, Lauterbach created this website. Check it out.

Mar 29th

Mar 14th

Mar 13th

5 tags

the grange/aka The Marlay

I went to The Marlay tonight, a bar which until recently was called “The Grange”. This has been one of my favorite bars in Decatur for a while now, but I’m not a huge fan of the name change. It’s still the same place, and I do kind of love that the name change was spurred by a trademark dispute. They had a bunch of special Irish beers on tap leading up to St....

Mar 13th

Mar 9th

Mar 2nd

4 tags

sushi house hayakawa

Sushi House Hayakawa is the best sushi I’ve had in Atlanta, and some of the best sushi I’ve had in my life. The fish is incredibly fresh and presented beautifully. I went with a group of friends a few weeks ago, and I think everyone enjoyed it. Also- for the quality you’re getting, the prices were very reasonable. My sashimi platter was somewhere in the $24 range. I also tried...

Feb 13th

1 note

5 tags

iberian pig

I went to the Iberian Pig on a Saturday night, and the place was slammed. I will attribute some of my issues with service and the crowds to the fact that I went with a large group. I ordered wine, which ended up being a safe bet. Our server accidentally brought us a glass of Sangria, and let us keep it. It was *not* good. I don’t think they soaked their fruit overnight, so it just tasted...

Feb 13th

3 tags

repast

Overall Repast was a fine restaurant. Not great, not even really good, just fine. I think their biggest problem is bad management. We had a hard time finding the place, walking from the parking garage (it looks like we weren’t the only ones.) A waiter let us in through a side door. There was no ambient music playing, and we could hear kitchen noises- not pleasant, especially as the woman at...

Feb 13th

cakes & ale (update)

I’ve been back to Cakes & Ale twice in the past two months, and it continues to be one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I’ve heard there might be plans to expand the restaurant into the (now vacant) boutique space next door. I’m torn, because I love the intimate feel of the place, but would also love to be able to get in there more often. Favorite things to order: ...

Feb 13th

5 tags

ormsby's

Ormsby’s is a new bar in West Midtown located under the Room & Board furniture store. I don’t think it will be possible to truly get a feel for this bar for a while, at least not on a weekend. I’m glad they’re getting a lot of business, but the crowds are annoying to me. I love the concept of Ormsby’s, love the focus on craft beer and love the games (esp the...

Feb 13th

New Openings in Atlanta →

I just started reading this blog (Tomorrow’s News Today) and they have great tips and news on openings, closings, and deals around Atlanta. Exciting news: we’re getting a Nordstrom Rack in Buckhead and a CB2 in Midtown.

Feb 1st

1 note

Atlanta magazine takes a look at the past decade... →

I love Christiane Lauterbach, Atlanta mag’s dining critic. And usually, I agree with her completely.

Jan 27th

Jan 22nd

choose your own adventure →

A beautiful and fascinating look at how the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books guides readers through choices.

Jan 19th

Watch

Last fall I participated in Channel 11’s Metromix Meals. I was assigned to review Serpas. Now you can laugh at me as I overshare about my experience on the local morning news.

Jan 11th

“When I buy an audiobook on CD, it’s mine. The license agreement, such as it is,...”

– Cory Doctorow

Jan 6th

My favorite Atlanta restaurants →

People often ask me for restaurant recommendations. (Which makes sense, given that it’s a hobby of mine…see: this blog). So, I compiled a list on Yelp of my favorite Atlanta restaurants. There’s a variety of places, both in neighborhood and price range. Feel free to continue to ask me for advice, but if you want a list of places I love, this is it.

Jan 5th

6 tags

Dec 31st

5 tags

feast

This is a hidden gem in Decatur. I have now been to Feast three times, and apparently never blogged about it. Rectifying that situation now. I was there last night for dinner, and it was one of the best restaurant experiences I’ve had in recent memory. The host/bartender/manager (I’m not sure what his official title is) always greets me so warmly when I walk into this place. I love...

Dec 31st

4 tags

Miller Union

I visited Miller Union earlier this week with my family. It’s the current darling of the Atlanta foodie scene, and I have to say, I was underwhelmed. The decor by ai3 (they did FLiP and a slew of other new Atlanta joints) was beautiful, but felt very austere. I think they should ditch the tablecloths and some of their other “fine dining” accoutrements. Miller Union is the...

Dec 31st

3 tags

Shaun's

I went to Shaun’s with a friend of mine earlier this semester, and entirely forgot to blog about it. I think that kind of sums up my feelings about Shaun’s. I had read the reviews before going, and most of the food bloggers in the city seem to have a mixed reaction, or a love-hate relationship with the restaurant. I can safely say, after visiting twice (once on an average night, and...

Dec 31st

woodfire grill (take 2)

I recently went back to Woodfire Grill (Chef Kevin from this past season of Top Chef) for a friend’s birthday party. We were also celebrating being halfway done with law school, so we decided to go all-out and do the five-course chef’s tasting menu. I took a bunch of pictures with my phone, but the room was dimly lit and they came out a bit grainy. One thing I love about Woodfire is...

Dec 31st

Dec 27th

Dec 16th

1 note

atlanta late to the party again

Soooo, now we’re going to have a Prohibition-era speakeasy in Atlanta. Called…wait for it…Prohibition. Yawn. You have to enter an access code into an antique London telephone booth. There’s no sign. Secrets! Hand-chipped ice! Gourmet cocktails! At this point, it just feels tired and gimmicky. Chicago, NYC and SF have already done this with various levels of success. Hell,...

Dec 3rd

Watch

Interesting video showing when various colonial powers shed their colonies. (via anil dash).

Nov 27th

Nov 25th