Fourth and Swift.  And how much I love it.  (by the way, it seems as if I am the only one who forgot about it – we were there last night and the joint was PACKED.)

I did NOT forget about their AMAZING Truffle Popcorn.

Hello, lover.

Usually they only serve it at the bar, but last night they let us order it from our table and it was every bit as good as I remember.  The rest of our meal did not disappoint, either!  (All the boys ordered their signature “Three Little Piggies”: Berkshire Pork Chop, Apple-Cotachino Hash, Creamy Grits and Chiharron “Popcorn.” and I had a gorgeous veggie plate.

It was a fantastic dinner and no one seemed to mind one bit that our entire party showed up in costume for Halloween.

In retrospect, I guess the bottom line is this: whether or not you need to be dressed as Jessie Spano and/or Superman-in-a-Onesie for them to serve you truffle popcorn tableside… unclear.

(But I'd recommend it. You know, just to be on the safe side.)

xx, L

4th & Swift
(678) 904-0160
621 North Ave
Atlanta, GA 30308

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Fact: I had the best sushi roll I’ve eaten in months at Zuma Sushi in Old Fourth Ward on Sunday night.

BEHOLD…in all its glory…the Viagra Roll.  (Yeah, it’s really called that.)

Eel, cream cheese, avocado + tobiko.  It was very simple, really fresh + totally perfect…and gone in the blink of an eye.  Woosh!  This place is GOOD.

Know before you go: (1) “Zuma” means “running horse.”  (2) Service staff can be slow.  (3) Sitting at the bar with the chefs is the way to go in my humble opinion.  (4) The Zuma Sushi in Old Fourth has better atmosphere than the one in Toco Hills.  (5) It’s on Scoutmob!  Yea!

xx, L

Zuma Sushi
701 Highland Avenue NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
404.381.1180
http://www.zumasushibar.com/

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I had the greatest time this weekend at Music Midtown!  And, what a gorgeous day for it, too!  The Black Keys were really awesome to see live, and while I could totally pass on Cage the Elephant, Coldplay was well worth the wait.  Really enjoyed them + thought their R.E.M. tribute was special. 

Here’s a recap of my Music Midtown experience: 

the black keys

what's better than one funnel cake??

love.

I have a feeling that Music Midtown is here to stay, people! 

In the mood for some more music?  Well, you’re in LUCK.  One of my favorite bands, Austin-based Ghostland Observatory, will be in Atlanta preforming at the Masquerade on Wednesday, October 5!

ghostland observatory

I first saw Ghostland live at Austin City Limits Music Festival (’09) playing with the University of Texas Marching Band for a few songs.  It. was. INCREDIBLE!  Anyway, they are electro-rock-funk-ish or kinda elecro-dance-soul-rock: hard to put into a box, but they have a really great, unique sound + I can guarantee that they put on an awesome live show with lots of lasers and stuff. 

For iTunes research, check out these Ghostland albums: delete.delete.i.eat.meat and Robotique Majestique.  Codename: Rondo is their newest, but I like the previous two better.

If that’s not enough to convince you, GO’s lead singer has an impressive set of braids he rocks out on stage.  You’ll def want to check them out… They’re sorta mesmerizing.  (You can kinda see below.)

And, the show is at the Masquerade on North Ave.  Not only have I never been to that venue before, but also I usually drive faster down North when I pass it because it reminds me of a haunted house or something out of a bad episode of Law & Order. 

the masquerade

However, I just Sherlock Holmes-ed Wikipedia.com and while the Masquerade looks like a pile of sticks from the street, the venue actually has a lot of history + the inside of it seems fairly reasonable.

xx, L

The Masquerade
695 North Ave NE
Atlanta, GA  30308
404.577.8178
http://www.masqueradeatlanta.com/

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My closest girlfriend, Mrs. Wolkove, was in town last Thursday – Monday.  She lives in L.A. and has a pretty incredible West Coast lifestyle, so I really wanted to show her what Atlanta had to offer over her long weekend trip!  (I was wildly successful, but more on THAT tomorrow…)  Anyway, I made a v. long list of important things she had to see + do while she was here, one of which was a big Saturday night dinner @ Serpas True Food – one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants. 

Slick + I invited a few friends to join us for our feast.  (Flash forward…)  Everyone – every single person – was head over heels for the restaurant by the time the bill arrived!  Phrases like “best new restaurant in Atlanta, “most delicious meal I’ve had in years,” and “I can die happily now” were casually thrown around our table.  Frankly, I couldn’t agree more.  Serpas IS fantastic, and has solidly secured a spot in my prestigious Top Five Favorite Atlanta Restaurants List. 

LK + I have been to Serpas for brunch before, and she blogged about how much we loved it, but dinner - OH dinner – blew. us. away.

The Q+DD on Serpas:  The restaurant is named for the owner and chef, Scott Serpas, who trained under Kevin Rathbun in Dallas + Atlanta, was in cahoots with the Concentrics people as the executive chef at TWO Urban Licks, and also served as the executive chef at Sia’s in Alpharetta + sister restaurant Mitra before opening his own digs last January.  The space itself is VERY cool.  It’s located at the Pavillion at Studioplex (Irwin and Auburn Ave.) and used to be an old cotton storage facility built in the 1900s.

Not only do Atlantans love Serpas, but also it was recently named one of the 10 “Best Restaurants in America” by GQ Magazine. 

Here’s a peek inside:

Serpas

Without further adieu, here’s what we ate…

Beginning

Tuna Tartar: chili sesame dressing, green apple, house chips

Flash Fried Oysters: pickled chiles, mirliton

BBQ Pork Flatbread: pork shoulder + belly, creole cole slaw, coriander flatbread

Shaved Calamari: chili syrup

(By this point, we were discussing how our entrees could possibly be more delicious than our starters…  Everything was absolutely fantastic + incredibly flavorful.)

Slick @ Serpas

Middle

Duck Breast: glazed baby sweet potatoes, toasted pecans, yellow filet beans

Open-faced Ravioli: layered w/ braised short rib, local arugula, red wine jus

Jumbo Sea Scallops: lady peas, panang curry

Trout (Crab & Mushroom Stuffed): lemon thyme butter, new potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms

Veggie Pot Pie: grilled root veggies + asparagus + squash, baby sunflower sprouts, arugula tossed in arugula pesto, sunflower seeds, shaved apple salad

Braised Short Rib: cream cheese herb whipped potatoes, breakfast radishes, tempura onion ring

Blackened Salmon Tacos: crispy wonton shell, pickled radishes, arugula, tomatillo mayo

Finale

Brown Sugar Cake: poached pears, cinnamon ice cream

Fried Apple Pie: vanilla ice cream

We were stuffed, but still had enough energy for a quick “hello” w/ the brains behind the extreme excellence that is Serpas: chef + owner, Scott Serpas.

The Man.

And a few pictures, of course…

Not a bad lookin’ group, eh? 

Ugh, we had such a great meal – and we are all STILL talking about it!

If you haven’t been already, run – don’t walk - to Serpas ASAP!  You are seriously missing out.  Also, don’t forget that it’s open for brunch every Sunday!  See you there super soon!  Enjoy, foodies… 

P.S.  Be sure to say “hello” to Bartender Matt!

xx, L

Serpas True Food
659 Auburn Ave. NE #501
Atlanta, GA  30312
404.688.0040
www.serpasrestaurant.com

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Fried and curry salt-dusted chickpeas + capers at The Sound Table last night.

Yum.

xx, L

The Sound Table
483 Edgewood Ave. SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
www.thesoundtable.com

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