Adventures in Food {a long overdue update on what and where I've been eating}

I have had SO many foodie items I have been wanting to share with anyone who will listen to me that I've finally tried to sit down and gather my thoughts.  I've been to several new places around Atlanta and beyond and I must share -- the good, the bad, the mediocre; etc.  The only thing I know to do here is to dive in and get right to it.  

St. Cecilia

apologies as I am unable to locate source for this photo. it is not mine. 

What I Loved: This place is just amazingly beautiful inside.  Great Buckhead location and incredible ambiance.  I've been for lunch twice.  

What I Didn't Love:  My first trip I had an appetizer come out that was cold in the middle.  Don't get me wrong they were great about it -- brought us a new one ASAP and even comped it (not that we asked them to) from the check.  Still -- I just feel like this is something that should happen at TGI Fridays, not a Ford Fry establishment.  The second time I went on a Tuesday afternoon around 11:30 and was told that since I didn't have a reservation I had to wait for a table.  I went with M to wait at the bar -- and pretty much saw a million empty tables and lounging wait staff.  By the time they decided to come give us a table we had already had an appetizer and just decided to stay at the bar since we were already settled in. 

The Food: I hate that I had so many service issues because I feel like their pastas and desserts were very, very good.  But again -- due to service I have not been back and probably won't go back for a while. 

The Florence

Savannah, GA

source

On our way to St. Simons Island we managed a pit stop in Tybee Island and went into Savannah to make a special trip to Hugh Acheson's newest digs.  

What I Loved: the people I was with, our very nice server who triumphed in a seemingly chaotic Saturday night rush, wine knowledge and lists, lots to choose from on the menu, beautiful dining space and open kitchen. 

What I Didn't Love: There didn't seem to be a lot of parking (although we found a space easily). 

The Food:  I'd definitely be willing to return to this place but we definitely had a few food low points here.  But also some high points and great service.  We tried a fish dish, a pizza, lots of small plates, some entrees, and dessert.  The bread plate and beef carpaccio were very good.  Pizza was just ok.  M had the roasted & confit pork -- very, very good.  I will say my meal ended on a bad note with the peach tart I ordered for dessert.  I hate to be so super harsh but it was truly so dry it may as well have come from a vending machine.  A friend ordered the cannoli which was incredible.  So get that instead. 

A notable mention for our trip -- Tybee Island Breakfast Club which recently got a small mention in the Garden & Gun food issue was a fun treat before we headed out of town and continued to St. Simons.  Go early so you won't have to wait as long! It's not fancy but it's good and has super large portions if you are starving. 

Echo St. Simons

source: tripadvisor.com

What I Loved: Echo is located at The King and Prince resort in St. Simons and it has a special place in my heart because The Housewife got married in St. Simons and her reception was at the resort.  This is a new place to me -- I'm not quite sure when they opened but I can't wait to go back.  Service -- fantastic.  Ocean front views if you want them.  Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, & cocktails.  I loved the food. 

What I Didn't Love: Hey look -- it turns out I don't look for things to complain about. I loved everything about this place. 

The Food: It was all SO SO good.  And I truly don't think that it was due to the fact that I was starving from an intense and long beach day.  Please try this place if you are in the area! 

Southern Soul BBQ

source: guyfieri.com

I know it's sacrilegious to be from the South and say that I don't necessarily live and die by good BBQ -- but this place may have changed my mind.  We were on such a good kick of hitting some restaurants we wanted to try out that we squeezed this one in on the way out of town.  I do not regret this stop at all. 

What I Loved: Simple, good service, quaint atmosphere, ate it all outside in the August heat next to their smoker.  I had a classic pulled pork on a bun with slaw on top and a side of hush puppies.  The hush puppies shattered my soul (in a good way) and I forced the entire sandwich into my body even though I was incredibly full after eating only half. It was that good. 

What I Didn't Love: The only thing that makes me sad is that this place isn't close to my house! 

The Food: They had a really extensive menu and served items other than BBQ. Per Garden and Gun rumor is sometimes they have Sunday Brunch items -- like cornbread waffles.  Someone mail one of those to me as soon as possible.  In true fat-kid fashion we couldn't just leave without taking one of their pimiento cheese sandwiches with us.  I popped it in the oven the next night and we split it for dinner -- it was incredible!  

I seriously may never be able to eat BBQ anywhere else again. I just don't think it will compare. 

I'll try to get my other places up in another post. This one got away from me with length! One small mention should go out to supporting local coffee in St. Simons at Wake Up Coffee. Super cute, wonderful scones, and delicious iced coffee! 

Also -- where are you eating right now? Seriously. I want to know. 

~the engaged gal~

Friday Five

Did we like that this week fell away from me so much that I posted "Wednesday Photo Dump" on Thursday? Sheesh. It's been a lovely, busy last week before work.  We are hosting 3 Putt's mom this week before she travels on to Palm Key for work.  I sent them to The Masters today without me since we are dress shopping tomorrow.  As much as I love and worship The Masters it's a really long day and I want to be as fresh as I can so I can make a decision tomorrow morning. 

1.  Since we are entertaining we have been making all the rounds out to eat this week.  Luckily I have had time for the gym so I've been able to enjoy lunch at Murphy's and  Salt Factory, dinner at Nino's, and a lunch at King + Duke today.  It's also worth noting that King + Duke will start offering brunch this month as well! 

2.  I'm still looking for my white jeans in case anyone finds them.  I refuse to buy another pair! 

3. Iced coffee is my life this week. 

4. Fresh flowers in the house just make life a lot better.  

5.  The Dogwood Festival is here and will be through Sunday this week! I'm stopping by with Elise and her little one this afternoon for some sun, fun, art, and maybe a few cold brews! Check it out! 

Friday Five

Happy Friday! Thanks again for all the stops by out tiny little blog and for reading or just looking at pictures or whatever you like about our posts.  We adore you. Truly. 

1. I'm going to work and make the rest of this week about communication.  Especially with loved ones.  It's really important and something I need to work on -- especially with roommates (yes, 3 Putt.).  I mean we aren't about to kill each other by any means but I want to get this exercise down by December. 

2. Wedding season is here. But unemployed people be broke.  I actually returned one of my two interview skirts and located a basic black shift dress (early April weddings in Blue Ridge call for sleeves) at H&M for $26.  WIN!  But if I had more money I would want this BB Dakota Grendell dress for $74.  

3 .  Fridays are for listening to Miley Cyrus and afternoon yoga because holy cow am I carrying some serious stress between my shoulder blades this week. 

4.  I'm really excited to have a date night tonight with 3 Putt.  In the name of saving money we will eat dinner here, but go to our favorite wine bar Vin 25 in Roswell for a dessert platter and some adult bevs.  

5. I notoriously tell 3 Putt that I don't like watching internet videos.  Seriously, I really don't -- but I caught this on a blog I read and I actually just loved it.  73 Questions with Sarah Jessica Parker at her home in just over 5 minutes.  It was adorable and sweet and she just seemed so authentic and able to roll with the speed of the interview. 

Enjoy your day! 

~the single gal~

Weekend Recap {this one is about all the wine}

Hi there! 3 Putt and I ended up planning a spur of the moment weekend on Friday. It was really fun -- I felt like I was on one long super-date!

We started off Friday night at The Hawks game! We ended up having an exciting last few minutes with a buzzer beater! It didn't end in our favor but I had never actually been there for one before so I really thought it was a bit magical (sorry Hawks!). I was also kind of thrilled because we had not been near the arena since I went to New Kids with the girls in June and I finally got to see our big Ferris wheel in person! 

Date night outfit! American Eagle cord jeggings with JCrew Factory white blouse. I love any combo of white shirt/jeans. Always. 

Ferris wheel insta selfie. It didn't turn out as amazing as I had hoped. But my solo pic of the wheel below was perfect! 

Friday night we decided on fancy dinner but when you wait to make a res in Atlanta you have to eat at the time for a blue plate special or right before bed. We opted for the 5:45 at King + Duke.  I love Ford Fry restaurants and this was our second time there -- so much fun. I jad scallops with fennel and grapefruit slices. Sounded a bit weird at first but I'm glad I tried it because it was delicious and unusual! Also, get the cornbread covered in ham. So good that I placed the leftover case in my Tory Burch bag with no qualms.  Also -- ask for Molly. She was our wonderful server!

Since we took Uber (promo code for $20 in Uber credit through Jan 20 - wpttd) we had a designated driver which meant that we (idiotically) thought we should wander over the the bar at the St. Regis for post dinner drinks (for the record I needed ZERO after dinner wine).  We ended up staying and while and made friends with a couple that frequents one of our fave places in Roswell! I really want Sheri to be my new bestie.  We exchanged numbers.  I texted her. She probably thinks I'm a stalker.  Suffice to say we were out late and I started my night of slumber on 3 Putt's hardwood floor partially sharing Hogan's giant dog bed.  Say no to after dinner wine people! 

We weren't even out late but I had to get out of bed for food at 8 on Sunday. This photo is obviously the gold standard of the I-Had-Too-Much-Wine Breakfast. 

I actually spent Sunday in bed with the dogs catching up on DVR.  Which was nice since I am about two seasons behind on White Collar. 

I figured this was a better post than talking about how cold it is this week! Happy Wednesday! Cheers to moving out of subzero temps! 

-the single gal-

Roswell Restaurant Week

One of my favorite areas to eat and hang out is just outside of Atlanta.  If you haven't been to Canton Street lately then get up sometime over the next week and go because it's Roswell Restaurant Week {January 19th-27th}.  All the restaurants in the area will have special menus and other fun stuff planned over the next week.  Also, don't over look one of my absolute favorites, Oak Street Cafe which is a little off the main drag but worth the trip especially because they have their own parking lot {a great thing in Downtown Roswell for sure!}. 

If y'all don't want to take my word for it, several of these places have been written up in Southern Living magazine and we all know that's the gospel down here. 

*image from roswellrestaurantweek.com*

Here is the link where you can find all the information for participating restaurants.  There are lunch and dinner specials.  

Based on what I could see I'd highly recommend Vin25, Greenwoods, Salt Factory Pub, Slate Table and Tap, and Table and Main for dinner.   The Fickle Pickle, Plum Cafe, and Roswell Tap are all great lunch options. 

~the single gal~

Restaurant Review: Local Three Kitchen + Bar

Elise and I were able to schedule time for our last brunch of 2013 the last week of December and I wanted to do a follow up restaurant review for you guys because I adored and loved the new place we tried! 

We met up around noon to try out Local Three.  I first heard about Local Three from a friend of mine who had a fabulous dinner there sometime last year and it was put on my ever-growing list of places to eat in Atlanta.  As always, I figured what better time to try them out than for Brunch. {So predictable, I know.}

photo source here

photo source here

Basics:

Three dudes own it that are local to Atlanta.  They have a philosophy on food as follows --  People Matter Most, Local Is Priority, Seasonal Makes Sense, Authenticity Rules, Quality Governs, Delicious Trumps, Pretense Stinks, Comfort Feels Good, Appreciation Tastes Better, Prudence Sustains It All.

If you are super into food you can scroll to the bottom of the following link to check out this video that blogger The Hungry Southerner did for them on their approach to food  and a video of their space.  

What I loved:

-They do a brunch buffet for a set price of $19.93. 
 
-The way the set up the buffet is they have you enter through the kitchen and you get to walk back on the line and pick out whatever you want. Super neat experience in my book. 

-Since it was a buffet I got to try pretty much everything on the menu which made me pretty happy since it was my first trip. 

-We had great service.

-They have a beautiful space.

-Everything I ate was really, really delicious. 

Middle of the fence on the following:

-Bottomless Mimosas - I loved that they had the option, but it was a little pricey at $16 odd dollars. {It was obvs a bargain for me and Elise because we may have had more than a few but only because the price of a single mimosa was harsh.} Form your own opinion. I just usually find bottomless bevs at places in Atlanta for less. 

Here was my only complaint - it was a bit hard to find.  It's actually located in the middle of this huge condo + living area off of Northside Drive so you can't see it from the street {so my GPS was telling me to turn and I'm looking at nothing resembling a place to eat} and you have to take an elevator from a parking deck down to a lobby building and then roll through this hallway to find the door.  Not terribly difficult and definitely not a deal breaker, its just that I wasn't prepared to wander around in the cold.

I would absolutely love to try this place for dinner.  I imagine its really great for dates, catching up with your girlfriends, etc.  I linked above so you can find all their menus and read their story.

Love you. Mean it.
~the single gal~

Restaurant Review: Canoe

I got up early this morning to jump on this post! I don't even know if y'all like the restaurant reviews but I could not let this week pass without expressing my love for Canoe.  For years I've heard how wonderful and beautiful this place is and it did not disappoint.  We went for an early birthday celebration for Little A's Dirty Thirty. 

If you google enough images you will see that solely based on scenery they have many, many weddings and other nice events here as well.  It's super romantic there so there are TONS of couples but don't let that deter you one bit because we also had a perfect girls night out. {Additionally, I will say that if your man takes you -- he is a keeper for sure.}
  

*photo credit here*

**photo credit here*

Daytime view.
*Photo credit here*

One piece of advice -- reserve your table early! I got on Open Table on Sunday night to make our Saturday reservation and we could either eat at 5:45 or at 9:00 p.m. We opted for 9 and decided to arrive around 8 for pre-dinner drinks at the bar. The bartender was excellent at helping us pick out our wine from their list and they even transferred our drinks to our dinner tab so we didn't have to go through the trouble of closing out at the bar before dinner {serious bonus points for that}.  The hostess also offered to try to seat us early if we wanted, but we were having fun chatting so I never went back over to grab her and ask if we could eat early but it was extremely nice and awesome of them to offer.  

Our server Mitch was absolutely fantastic! Request him if you go!  He knew so much about the menu and was able to guide us to really good choices for appetizers and entrees.  He also didn't seem to mind that we were loud, drank lots of wine, and demanded a brunch menu and discussion of said brunch menu before we left the premises.  

You can find their menu here -- although I am sure they do some seasonal changes.  I had the Pan Seared Arctic Char for my entree and it was incredible.  Really, really great food!  I think all the girls agreed.  Also unprecedented -- we could not decide on one dessert to try so we each got one at the end of the night.  I had the apple cobbler.  I was so full I couldn't eat it all even if I wanted to so I was sad to see some of it go in the garbage at the end of the night but I couldn't get another bite in of anything.  But they have a ton of signature plates and dishes Mitch told us about and it was so hard to decide that I will just have to go back very soon to try something else.  A++ on service, ambiance, and food.  Everyone go and tell me how much you loved it!

Love you. Mean it.
~the single gal~

Sunday Funday

In honor of Sunday Funday I wanted to do a "fun" post with fun Single Gal woes like dying over shoes and fun places to eat. Life is too short to be so serious all the time. 

Let's talk about the new JCrew catalogue that just came out.  So many dreamy items that are really testing my shopping addiction.  The one item that really jumped out at me was this:

The Mona Pump

Brick Red Mona Pump

Also in a pretty neutral!

Seriously, if I come into a spare $500 I am buying The Mona in both of these colors.  So classy and beautiful. 

And, while we are coveting things...I am also obsessed with blazers right now.  I could wear this outfit in different colors every day and be happy all of fall! 

While I have been having a lot of success with the rest of my budget, I am admittedly still doing a bit of shopping.  But hey, I decided to go to St. Simons with 3 Putt and I grabbed some swimsuit cover-ups on sale. I can't look frumpy on the beach.  And it's so nice to come home to something--even if it's your sweet dog AND a fun package on the front stoop. 

It's been a great weekend--The Housewife and I ran 12 miles on Saturday morning and did lots of prep to make sure they were 12 good miles. Big focus on hydration since it has been so hot, up early to run at 5 a.m. before the sun was up to beat the heat, and gels/water/Powerade to refuel with during the run.  We made it--and we weren't miserable at all.  (We are coming for you Rock and Roll Marathon!)  The legs feel pretty good today, but I did skip some workouts last week due to scheduling conflicts so I was well rested by Saturday.   

Also, I was finally able to dine at Table 1280--the quaint restaurant and lounge at Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center.  3 Putt and I had a late reservation which meant that we ended up having the entire restaurant to ourselves which was super fun (thanks to our wonderful server who let us finish our bottle of wine without blinking the lights at us to get out since it was past closing time!).  Great food and ambience--I can't wait to go back!  If you are in Atlanta I highly recommend trying out this lovely location for lunch or dinner. How beautiful is this darling eatery outside the High Museum? 

*Midtown Restaurant Week is August 27th - September 4th and Table 1280 will be participating! 

I topped the weekend off with a fabulous catch-up brunch with The Housewife and E, which was a perfect way to start Sunday Funday.  Good food, girl talk, and much needed coffee. Hope you all did some of your favorite things this weekend, just like me! 

Love you. Mean it. 

~the single gal~