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

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!

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

We sat at the bar, which was a spectacular choice, because we got to spend two full hours with the fabulous bartender Tony – who, get THIS, plays a zombie in AMC’s The Walking Dead seasons 1+2!  We love him.  MEET him.

I started off with a skinny girl margarita called “Just Wear Black”: Herradura silver tequila, agave syrup, and hand-squeezed lime juice.  It was goooooooood.  Made perfectly.

Lauren opted for some amazing-looking rum drink.  I missed the name of the cocktail, and admittedly, the ingredients - but I DO know this: Lauren liked it a lot.  And, it comes in a cool glass.  Witness, por favor:

Our man Tony ordered us some traditional Guacamole: tomato, lime, cilantro, red onion, and serrano.  It was good.  Although we didn’t try it, we thought the Guacamole & Butternut Squash on the menu sounded pretty cool.  It’s seasoned with chipotle and queso fresco.

Lauren and I decided to share everything – small plates and entrees.  We certainly brought our appetites.

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the Yellowtail Ceviche: pickled mango, cucumber-serrano water, coconut granita, Fresno chile, and micro cilantro.  So fresh – so light and unexpected at a Mexican restaurant.

Next up, Braised Lamb Taquitos: cucumber-mint salsa, fire-roasted salsa, queso cotija, and pomegranate seeds.  We thought the pomegranate seeds were such a nice touch, and they added a unique flavor to this creative dish.

We moved on to the Huitlacoche Empanada: corn truffle, charred tomato, jalapeno, queso Oaxaca, epazote, and salsa ranchero.  It hit the spot.

Tony stopped us there and informed us that we needed a wee bit more to drink.  (Did I mention that we loved Tony?!)  He whipped up a blended pina colada with ginger for us to share.  It tasted like Christmas in Mexico!  And, you MUST know by now how we feel about umbrellas in our drinks.  We couldn’t have been happier if we tried. 

We made Tony take a picture of us with it…

And, also a Roasted Chicken Mole Oaxaca: mashed plantains, grilled green beans, and sesame seeds.  I pretty much ate all of the plantain mash.  SO good.  Sorry, Lauren…

To finish off our grande meal, we shared a few bites of the refreshing Grapefruit-Mint Sorbet: rum-marinated pineapple, guajillo chile sauce.

I’m fully aware that that was a lot of food for two lovely ladies, and I’m being completely honest when I say that we ate most of it and we weren’t in a food coma when we left the restaurant.  The plates were smallish – perfect for sharing – and many of them were lighter than you’d expect at a Mexican restaurant.  We LOVED Alma Cocina + we’re thrilled to add it to our Fifth Group favorites list!  Heck, we’ll even drive downtown to eat there…  Anytime.

Welcome, Alma Cocina!  Ay! Ay! Ay!  We’ll be back soon.

xx, L

Alma Cocina
191 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30303
http://www.alma-atlanta.com/

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

“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

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

I saw Ryan Bingham for a sold out show at The Loft on Friday + he definitely fell into the “even better in concert” drop box for live performances.  Smoking + drinking on stage didn’t affect his perfectly raspy voice in the least, in fact it made it even richer.

The new Anthropologie was a warm + welcomed escape from the cold on Saturday.  If you haven’t been to the Howell Mill location yet, you need to check it out.  The store is just great + there’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on about the dressing rooms that makes me want to try on the entire store.

Slick + I chowed down on some “gator bites” at Six Feet Under on Saturday afternoon.  Kinda tasted like chicken…don’t be a’feared.

And then we fell in love with this handsome little guy at the Atlanta Humane Society.  We aren’t in the market for a furry friend right now, but this pup (Charlie Bucket) stole our hearts.  Adopt him!

Feeling brave enough to take on a potential tornado, we warded off cabin fever by spending a few hours at the Georgia World Congress Center for the 2011 Atlanta International Auto Show.  This Camaro caught our eye, but the Lotus stole the show in my opinion.

I went with LK + some lovely ladies to see Red Riding Hood on Sunday. 

I went in with seriously low expectations + ended up actually pretty pleased with the film.  Although that wasn’t the general consensus of the group, I think keeping your expectations low is oftentimes the best way to approach things.  Just sayin’…

We drew the weekend to a close at Mellow Mushroom in Sandy Springs for dinner.  Couldn’t have imagined a better way to end it.  MM truly is “happiness as expressed in pizza…”  Will always love my Pizza Sundays!

Slick did some shopping at Richards Variety Store + picked me up a Lite Brite (never had one as a kid) which kept me busy until I hit the hay.  (It’s certainly not an iPad 2, but it will do for now…)

It wasn’t the craziest weekend we’ve ever had, but it was super relaxing + now I’m rested for the excitement ahead. 

So, bring it.

xx, L

For more information (or at least a readable version of the photo above – SORRY!):
http://alturl.com/3h3t 

Visit the link below to reserve a spot: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Atlanta/Dining/AtlantaGrill/Default.htm 

Sounds fantastic to me!  Just love, love, love Atlanta Grill… Yum! 

xx, L

Walking dead people?  Yes sir!  In fact, I can quote both of these classics:

Weird?  Whatever…  I don’t judge you for watching Miley Cyrus movies.  (Okay, I do.) 

Anyway, there’s a point to all of this zombie nonsense.  Thanks to Kurt K., I heard about THIS awesome zombie-related opportunity:  http://alturl.com/x9go! 

AMC is filming The Walking Dead in downtown Atlanta and they need zombie extras!  You even get to attend zombie school!  So. freaking. cool.  If you are free in June to participate – DO IT.  Check out the deets in the link above!

I love this city.

xx, L

Watch out, World!

It’s totally bittersweet because while I am very excited to take the next step in my career, I’ve truly LOVED where I am now for the better part of four years and I can think about a zillion and one things I will miss. In particular:

• Downtown Atlanta

My current, superamazing firm is located right smack dab in the middle of downtown Atlanta and my new company is up in Sandy Springs, teetering on OTP. (Teetering…but still inside.) I love my proximity to, well, everything downtown. So what if I’ve never been to the (new) World of Coke? If I wanted to go, right this very minute, it would only take me about 5 minutes on foot. And you know what, Giraffe Purse-Toting Women of America’s Mart?

I will miss you, too.

(although, I suspect there will be pleeennnty of Giraffe Purses in Sandy Springs…)

• The Peachtree Center Ecosystem

The other night, Lindsay and I were discussing our intense desire to be “regulars” somewhere…

Norm!

…and lamenting the fact that we aren’t quiiiiiiiite there. Anywhere. (YET.)

But today, as I ordered my skim latte from the Peachtree Center Caribou, I realized…they know my name AND my order. Same goes for the adorable people at My Friends Place (who just yesterday raised an eyebrow when I ordered a turkey sandwich instead of my usual tuna salad plate.) Come to think of it, I’m a regular everywhere around here! The twin girls who run the newsstand know me by name and know what kind of protein drink I like in the morning. Pepper, our janitor, knows my birthday and asks about Olive every once in a while. In fact, just the other day – I bought a cheap pair of sunglasses from a kiosk that I’d never really noticed before, and the guy recognized me and gave me a tenant discount. I am totally a regular!

• Business Formal
  

When I was a kid, I was INSANELY jealous of my neighbor, Cameron, who attended Catholic school and wore a uniform during the week. Not only did she look crisp and polished every day, but she did it WITHOUT the 20 minute daily meltdown I experienced in my closet as I chose my school outfits. PLUS with all the money and creativity she saved during the week, she could really afford to step it up on the weekend attire!

Well, that’s how I feel about my suits. I practically get dressed with my eyes closed (suit + shell + accessories + pumps = Done.) and, in my opinion, I always look neat as a pin and have the added bonus of feeling like Melanie Griffith in Working Girl:

All business, baby. "I am not steak. You cant just order me!"

I mean, in reality, I probably look more like this most of the time:

So sophisticated.

But whatevs. I love love love my suits. I do. I’ll miss them – my new office is bid’ness casual. Truthfully, I’ll bet I don’t give them up completely. I totally sympathized with Barney in the episode of How I Met Your Mother when he meets the superhot girl who wants him to give up his suits. In fact, there is an 87% chance I, too, will break into song today a la Barney in Nothing Suits me Like a Suit

• Working with all women

My firm currently consists of 5 gorgeous women. At one point during my tenure here we were as big as 9 gorgeous women, but we’ve always been small and all female.

It often feels like going to work in a very sophisticated sorority house. The conversation is: work, work, work, fashion, boys, work, work, fashion, work.

The funniest part about it is when there is a “man on the hall.” When the distinct baritone of a male voice carries through the hallway, we are all popping out of our offices like Petticoat Junction to see who it is
I mean, it could be the dude that delivers our water or our FedEx guy, it doesn’t matter. If there is a man in the office, he will be surrounded in roughly 2.5 seconds. Fact. Another fact: I do not know one male who has visited who has not LOVED this, but I do have more than a few clients who have expressed a fear of visitation.

I love working with all women, but I think a lot of it is the particular women with whom I work. I can’t get into it without typing a novel or getting super sappy, so suffice it to say that I am so grateful and that nothing makes me happier than when I see qualities I have admired in each of them show up in myself. I am SO lucky.

Now, onwards and upwards…

xx, L

Ventanas Rooftop

Here is the Q+DD on Ventanas:

In late September 2009, Ventanas opened its dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows to reveal a sweeping view of Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead ranging from Stone Mountain to Kennesaw Mountain.  Perched high atop the 14th and 15th stories of the Park Pavilion building in the city’s Luckie Marietta District, Ventanas offers 9,547 square feet of indoor and outdoor rooftop space across the street from Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.  The space is only one block from the CNN Center, Philips Arena, Georgia World Congress Center, the Georgia Dome, American Cancer Society and AmericasMart.

In addition to ample parking and numerous food and beverage options, Ventanas offers exclusive amenities like a dedicated “space shot” elevator to reach the venue from street level – and the city’s only events space helipad!  Whether your group numbers 50 or 450, this dramatic space will accommodate your event and transform it into an unforgettable experience for you and your guests.  (www.ventanasatlanta.com)

The most exciting part of the venue is definitely the helipad on the third level of the space.  Imagine being whisk away from your special event on a helicopter!  AMAZING!

Outside Ventanas

At Ventanas, you can work with some of the best caterers around town to customize the culinary aspects of your event: Bold American Catering, Affairs to Remember, A Legendary Event, etc.  The room rental is very competitive at $4K for Friday (w/ $4K beverage min.) or Saturday (w/ $5K beverage min.) evenings. 

Contact Donald Mill, Director of Event Sales, for more information on Ventanas: sales@ventanasatlanta.com. 

Inside Ventanas

Trust me – you have to check out this space!  For me, at least, it was love at first sight. 

xx, L

Ventanas
275 Baker Street
Atlanta, Georgia  30313
404-ROOFTOP
www.ventanasatlanta.com