OMG, Y’ALL.  One of the most exciting events of the year is THIS weekend: Advance Auto Parts 2012 Monster Jam at the Georgia Dome at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 14!

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, Monster Jam!

Last year, Kev and I went to the Jam with our friends Seth + Loren and we had a B.L.A.S.T.!  (In full disclosure, it was my second Monster Jam experience since I’ve lived in Atlanta.  I’m super into this event.)  This year, Monster Jam will be even more exciting (how can that be possible??) as they’ll celebrate Gravedigger’s 30th anniversary!  More on Gravedigger HERE.

go, gravedigger, gooooo!

Fact: Monster Jam is the single best people watching opportunity in Atlanta.  (NASCAR is a distance second to this.)  Here’s a sneak peak at what’s in store for you shot from yours truly last year…

overalls EVERYWHERE

And, here are a few more for your viewing pleasure:

monster jam 2011

Tickets are cheap.  Beer is…also cheap.  And, this is an out-of-the-ordinary event that is sure to spice up your MLK weekend!  Ticket information here: Let’s go to MONSTER JAM!!

Coming from a girlie-girl raised going to the ballet and to see musicals, I’m tellin’ you that you DO NOT want to miss this!  (Consider that a warning…)

xx, L

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As y’all know, Fifth Group’s restaurants are some of my favorites in Atlanta.  Sooooooo naturally, I’ve been closely watching the progress of their newest downtown hot spot, Alma Cocina.

Set to open this month, Lauren + I were recently able to take a sneak peak into the contemporary Mexican restaurant to try out some of their tasty bites! (more…)

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As they say…

Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday.

And get down we did.

First stop: We picked up Ellen and Matt…otherwise known as BarChila…who came well-prepared for the evening:

Next up: Amazing pizza at Pizzeria Vesuvius.

We started with breadsticks (Joy: they are cheesy!) and the Greek salad (the dressing was super interesting…I liked it.) and then we went for the following:

Vesuvius
Our spicy buffalo pizza with smoked chicken breast, mozzarella, blue cheese, jalapenos, celery and buffalo sauce.

The Mighty Vesuvius

Kilauea
Grilled chicken, red onions, roasted red peppers and barbecue sauce.

Alpine
Ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheeses, sprinkled with fresh oregano and olive oil.

The Vesuvius was my favorite (I’m a sucker for buffalo sauce and blue cheese, what can I say?), followed closely by the Alpine. The Kilauea was a little too BBQ Sauce-y for Terch and me, but the boys did not agree. Gotta love a guy who loves a condiment.

After dinner, we went downstairs to the “Music Room” for a little ping pong action

Ellen demonstrated the proper ping pong stance

and I attempted my first Plank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were also privileged to hear the musical stylings of “Mumford’s”– a very interesting, very spirited band with a lot of brass and apparently a cult-like following! By the end of their show, 75% of the players were shirtless and the boys had purchased their last 2 t-shirts for Ellen and me.

Mumford's newest fans!

All-in-all – huge fan of Pizzeria Vesuvius. Bonus: there’s a ScoutMob right now!

Were we done? Oh no we were not. Our ping pong itch had not been scratched, so we headed a block over to Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium.

In the interest of full disclosure, this place is VERY religiously irreverent and I can appreciate how some could be easily offended by the tongue-in-cheek, sacrilegious artwork and elements such as a confessional booth turned-photo booth, but I have to tell you – I LOVED the general flavor of this place and some of the artwork really made me laugh.

Just like mama always said

Plus, we made some really great friends waiting for the ping pong table upstairs. Next to a Q+DD Koozie, this is about the coolest thing I have ever seen:

Seriously...where can I get one of these?

What a totally random and fabulous night in Edgewood!

I love you, Atlanta.

xx, L

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After extensive research, discussion + eating, Fifth Group Restaurants has tightened the description of their newest restaurant and hired a chef.  Alma Cocina is set to open around November 1st in downtown Atlanta’s One Ninety One Peachtree Tower.

“We originally thought we would do authentic Tex Mex and Mexican-inspired dishes,” said a Fifth Group rep.  “But after our travels + discussions with the creative leadership within Fifth Group Restaurants, as well as those who would be our regular guests, we decided to focus more on contemporary Mexican cuisine infused with the many flavors of Latin America.  Then we found Chef Chad Clevenger and knew for sure this was the right direction.”

Clevenger has 14 impressive years of culinary experience that includes work with some ultra famous chefs.  He was the executive chef at Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, and owned award-winning restaurants + a street cart focusing on global pork dishes in Denver.  He moved to Atlanta in mid-July to begin training with the Fifth Group team, as well as to focus on Alma menu development.

CCC: chef chad clevenger

Alma Cocina will serve lunch + dinner and provide catering services to the downtown Atlanta area.  The restaurant will accommodate about 200 guests for traditional dining room seating, accented by two distinct bar areas with large booths + communal tables which will spill out into the beautiful One Ninety One Peachtree Tower atrium.

 Um, YUM!  Not going to lie, just writing all of this is making my tummy growl…  Can’t wait to meet you, Alma Cocina!  Welcome to the A!

xx, L

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Odds are that you’ve already heard the shaved ice scoop about the fancy summer snow cones at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (Downtown) from Atlanta Magazine and Daily Candy, but the Q+DD would also like to jump on that train…

Every day from 2:00 – 9:00 p.m. in Atlanta Grill or Lumen lobby bar at the Ritz Downtown, chef Brian Jones is offering boozy snow cone cocktails for $12!   These sweet summer treats are made with locally sourced fruit purees.  And, here’s what you can expect to see on the menu:

Watermelon with Lime + Anejo Tequila
Passion Fruit with Lemon + Bourbon
Blackberry with Honey + Moonshine  (yep, you read that right!)

Dang, Ritz-Carlton, you sure are sexy this summer!  I CAN’T WAIT to try these!! 

xx, L

Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (Downtown)
181 Peachtree St. NE
Atlanta, GA  30303
404.659.0400
http://www.ritzcarlton.com

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