Cliche Pun on Book Title

I went to Destin, FL for spring break this year, as evidenced by...

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:15:12 -0500

Dewey's- the best seafood in Destin, FL

these birds tried to steal our food

steamed shrimp basket

snow crab legs & legendary hush puppies

I went to Destin, FL for spring break this year, as evidenced by the abundance of seafood photos. We cooked at home most days/nights - bought fresh seafood from a fish market. But our favorite place that we found was Dewey’s. It’s a little shack on the coast with some of the best seafood I’ve ever had. I’d highly recommend stopping in if you’re going to Destin any time soon.

A recent cart Brian and I had at Whole Foods. Contents: gnocchi,...

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:38:34 -0500

A recent cart Brian and I had at Whole Foods. Contents: gnocchi, fish, marinade, my fave salad dressing (thanks to Emmy), two different cheeses (piave and brebris i believe), fig spread to go with the cheese, Brooklyn Local 2 (beer), and a MAGNUM* OF ANCHOR STEAM CHRISTMAS. The final item is one of my favorite beers every year, only produced seasonally, and I was sorely tempted to buy a case of this stuff. A magnum sufficed.

* For those who don’t know, wine comes in several sizes, and the larger bottles are referred to as “large format” wines. From smallest to largest, the traditional sizes are: half bottle, or split; standard; magnum; double magnum; Jeroboam; then a bunch of biblical names, ending with the Melchizedek which contains 30 litres of wine.

[Handy wikipedia link]

the grange/aka The Marlay

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:27:52 -0500

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. Patty’s Day. If you’re looking for a fun bar to celebrate, I can pretty much guarantee they will have a big celebration.

I like going to the Marlay because they have a good beer list (not as good as brick store/the porter, but definitely decent), the food is good (killer fries), and I like the ambiance. I especially like coming here in the summer for the patio.

(Image from the Marlay website, from February 2010- think I’ll save the patio for summer)

Food I recommend: the fries, burger, brisket plate and any of the beers- especially Rochefort 6 (trappist ale).

Lunch, spring break edition, at Dewey’s in Destin, Fl.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:37:47 -0500

Lunch, spring break edition, at Dewey’s in Destin, Fl.

OK Go with another awesome music video. I happen to LOVE Rube...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:21:46 -0500

OK Go with another awesome music video. I happen to LOVE Rube Goldberg machines.

sushi house hayakawa

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:44:00 -0500

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 the Ikura Don (roe) that people had raved about. The roe, which came on top of perfectly cooked sticky rice, were large and exploded in your mouth (that’s what she said). Reminded me of bubble tea.

Speaking of bubble tea, I haven’t had any in a while. Does anyone know a good place around here to get some.

iberian pig

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:38:37 -0500

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 like sugary wine.

I tried a bit of the charcuterie and was favorably impressed. If I ever go back, I’m sticking with that. My friend ordered a salad which sounded amazing, but was teeny tiny.

I had two different tapas dishes. One, a fried goat cheese dish, was terrible. Waaaaay over-fried and tasteless. The other- pork cheek tacos, was delightful. So, I guess it’s just a bit hit or miss at the moment.

Summary: if you’re looking for Tapas in the Decatur area, this is about the only option, and it’s not terrible. However, I’d go to Taqueria del Sol over this place any day of the week.

repast

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:34:25 -0500

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 the table next to me was fighting with her mother. They charge you for water, and they don’t tell you ahead of time, which I didn’t appreciate.

In addition, they were out of two different wines I tried to order by the glass, and my waitress tried to force the expensive glasses on me. After all that, she forgot to ever bring my wine. I had a cocktail, the Manhattan, and it was undrinkable. So. Bad.

I do have to say, the food isn’t terrible. But at the prices they’re charging, it should be better. If my meal had cost $15 less, I would have been much happier. Glancing across the menu, I couldn’t find one dish that sounded really good. They just have strange combinations on their menu. I’m not a picky eater, but I had a really hard time finding something to order that sounded appetizing.

I ended up with a butternut squash soup (average) and a steak with foie gras and black truffle agnolotti. My steak was undercooked, and the pasta was the best part of the dish (but I only got about 3 agnolotti).

I will give them credit for having vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Ultimately, until I hear Repast is “Under New Management”, I’m not coming back.

food- 15

decor- 14

service- 6

cakes & ale (update)

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:12:26 -0500

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:

the arancini appetizer
the soups (they had an amazing one with candied marcona almonds)
the phatty cakes for dessert
the pineapple habanero gimlet (no longer on the menu, but if you ask for it, they’ll still make it)

I recently talked to a friend who dined here and didn’t enjoy it. For her, it was the lack of selection that killed the place. I would say, due to the fact that they change their menu seasonally and keep things local (they grow their own veggies), the menu is limited. Picky eaters might have a hard time here. But I promise, everything on the menu is delicious. Chef Billy Allin spent time in the kitchen at Watershed and Chez Panisse in Berkeley. He doesn’t mess around.

ormsby's

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:04:20 -0500

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 vintage arcade cabinet). But until the buzz dies down, I’ll be sticking with Twain’s in Decatur. Similar vibe, much bigger space.

(protip: free parking garage next to the building)

Leon’s Full Service has recently changed their cocktail...

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:01:50 -0500

Leon’s Full Service has recently changed their cocktail menu to the winter season. Leon’s is one of my favorite bars/restaurants in Decatur, and part of the reason I love them is their cocktails. Their mixologist is one of the best in the city (alongside Holeman & Finch and Cakes & Ale). The picture is of my “adult root beer” or something like that (forgot the exact name). Perfectly delicious.

I went to Canoe a few weeks ago with Brian and my friend Amanda....

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:55:00 -0500

chocolate bombe dessert

lemon ricotta cheesecake

mussels, scallops and black sticky rice

ceviche

I went to Canoe a few weeks ago with Brian and my friend Amanda. I was up in East Cobb for the night and wanted to go out to dinner. In East Cobb, there are NO good places to eat, so if I want good food, I head over to Vinings. I had never been to Canoe, but its reputation precedes it. Canoe has 26/26/25 from Zagat, and it’s a go-to place for nice evenings.

The menu had lots of delicious-sounding options, and I loved everything I had. It is a bit on the pricy side (my mom was thanking us for bartending her party), so I wouldn’t recommend it for an average night. The landscaping is beautiful, and people often have weddings here, except recently Canoe was hit hard by the rain and had some issues with flooding.

We sat in the bar, but still got excellent service. The wine list, in particular, is fabulous. When I was in Napa this summer, I spoke to a winery that told me the only place they distribute in Atlanta is at Canoe. But don’t be scared, I was still able to get one of my favorite bottles (a Qupe Syrah) for just $30.

Canoe is a bit of a hike from downtown, but if you ever find yourself craving an elegant meal in northwest Atlanta, I would definitely recommend stopping in Canoe.

New Openings in Atlanta

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:45:39 -0500

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.

Atlanta magazine takes a look at the past decade in Atlanta dining

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:33:53 -0500

Atlanta magazine takes a look at the past decade in Atlanta dining:

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

Neil Gaiman, an author I happen to adore, has an amazing library...

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:52:45 -0500

Neil Gaiman, an author I happen to adore, has an amazing library in his house. Click the photo above to see more pictures. I absolutely plan on having a massive library in my house someday.

choose your own adventure

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:45:10 -0500

choose your own adventure:

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

Last fall I participated in Channel 11’s Metromix Meals. I...

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:42:59 -0500

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.

"When I buy an audiobook on CD, it’s mine. The license agreement, such as it is, is “don’t violate..."

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:25:25 -0500

“

When I buy an audiobook on CD, it’s mine. The license agreement, such as it is, is “don’t violate copyright law,” and I can rip that CD to mp3, I can load it to my iPod or any number of devises—it’s mine; I can give it away, I can sell it; it’s mine. But when you buy an audiobook through Audible, which now controls 90 per cent of the [downloadable] audiobook market, you get a license agreement, not a property interest. The things that you can do with it are limited by DRM; the players you can play it on are limited by the license agreements with Audible. Audible doesn’t do this because the publishers ask them to. Audible and iTunes, because Audible is the sole supplier to iTunes, do this because it’s in their own interest….

Anyone who claims that readers can’t and won’t and shouldn’t own their books are bent on the destruction of the book, the destruction of publishing, and the destruction of authorship itself. We must stop them from being allowed to do it. The library of tomorrow should be better than the library of today. The ability to loan our books to more than one person at once is a feature, not a bug. We all know this. It’s time we stop pretending that the pirates of copyright are right. These people were readers before they were publishers before they were writers before they worked in the legal department before they were agents before they were salespeople and marketers. We are the people of the book, and we need to start acting like it.

”

- Cory Doctorow

My favorite Atlanta restaurants

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:29:04 -0500

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.

Pictures from my dinner at Miller Union

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:44:23 -0500

decor at Miller Union

fried grits appetizer

farm egg appetizer (halfway eaten)

poulet rouge entree

braised rabbit entree

Pictures from my dinner at Miller Union