This is one of my favorite summer events, y’all! 

Not to be confused with the youth soapbox derby, Red Bull Soapbox Race is a national race for amateur drivers, which is fueled by creativity and competitive fun – not to mention the need for speed.  This unique non-motorized racing event challenges both experienced racers and amateurs alike to design and build outrageous, human-powered soapbox dream machines and compete against the clock in a downhill race. 

Did I catch your attention??  If so, click HERE to find out super-fun info about the event like what the cars typically look like, how many Red Bull Soapbox Races have been produced, entrance fees (spoiler alert: FREE!), how teams are chosen to participate, the rules, what the winners get, etc. 

Soooooo, mark your calendars for Saturday, June 9th at Piedmont Park.  Pits open at 10:00 a.m.  First race is 12:00 p.m.  You do not want to miss this awesomeness!

Here are some pictures from previous races…

CK + I were there in full force two years ago!  See you again this year!

Can’t. Even. Wait.  Visit Red Bull Soapbox USA for more info!

xx, L

Behold the two most impressive Food-Stuffed-Inside-Food contenders I’ve EVER witnessed anyone eat.  (Bold statement, I know.)

1 – The Nook’s Award Winning Shrimp & Grits Stuffed Burger: certified angus beef stuffed with sauteed shrimp and gouda cheese, topped with an andouille sausage-studded grit cake + a smoked tomato beurre blanc sauce.

Holy hamburger!!  I’m pretty sure that’s not fat free.

2 – The Nook’s Award Winning Southern Comfort Burger: certified angus beef patty stuffed with a ball of homemade fried bacon mac + cheese and topped with cheddar cheese and The Nook’s secret peach and Southern Comfort barbecue sauce.

Wait for it….  Wait for it….

BAMMMMMM!!  

You haven’t LIVED until you’ve seen these monsters in person.  Take my word for it.

Move over Totchos…

xx, L

The Nook
1144 Piedmont Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.745.9222
www.thenookatlanta.com

The Q+DD on Junior Achievement:
Junior Achievement is the only organization focused on economic, education, and workforce development.  We believe that inspiring and preparing Georgia’s young people to succeed in a global economy will result in a skilled workforce that will allow Georgia’s business community to flourish and grow.  We strive to impact tomorrow’s business and community leaders by bridging the gap between the business and education communities, encouraging Georgia’s youth to set long term career goals and showing them the value of education.  Our turn-key curriculum aligns to the Georgia Performance Standards, enhancing what students are learning in the classroom with real world examples and hands-on application of knowledge. 

Junior Achievement of Georgia partners with corporations, organizations, schools, and individuals concerned about the success of our students and our state.  Our volunteer-led programs teach K-12 students about business and entrepreneurship, personal financial literacy, and workforce readiness.  Volunteers share their personal and business experience to bring JA curriculum to life, helping students understand the real-world application of what they are learning in school.  This added relevancy inspires and prepares young people to succeed in a global economy.

Pretty amazing, right? 

Well, Junior Achievement has teamed up with Fogo de Chao to bring financial literacy education to even more metro Atlanta students.

Mmmmmmmm…Fogo….

Here’s the deal: You and as many guests as you like can dine at Fogo de Chao on Thursday, April 26, 2012 for a discounted meal to raise money for Junior Achievement.  All you need to do is call JA of Georgia to make a reservation anytime between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.  Your meal will include a whopping 15 cuts of meat, all you can eat salad bar, soft drinks, dessert, and a cocktail.  The price of the meal is normally $75 per person, but by making a reservation through JA your meal will be ONLY $50 per person!  JA will receive 100% of the proceeds from the evening.

Seating is limited to 150 people + seats are filling up quickly, so make your reservation ASAP, y’all.  Reservations can only be made through the Junior Achievement office by calling 404-257-1932 x 210 or e-mailing cmajors@georgia.ja.org. 

Major beef-age + serious do-gooding.  Sounds excellent to me!  BRING ON THE BEEF! 

xx, L

Fogo de Chao
3101 Piedmont Road NE
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.266.9988
http://www.fogodechao.com/

barkley

Barkley’s owners are our great friends, the Sands.  We wanted to see them, too, of course.  They recommended that we have brunch at nearby Atmosphere Bistro and then head down to the Chattahoochee River Trails for Barkley’s first swimming lesson.  To me, that sounded like the best. day. ever. 

So, we met at Atmosphere pre-church crowd rush.  It was my first time at the restaurant, but even before setting foot inside I knew four things about it.

1 – I pass by it driving on Piedmont (Morningside intersection) almost every single day.
2 – It’s a French bistro that has won a lot of local dining awards.
3 – The patio looks like a great place to have dinner or brunch cocktails.
4 – Everyone I know who has tried it has recommended it to me.

Here’s a picture of Atmosphere at night.  So impossibly cute.

Anyway, we successfully snagged a table on the patio and ordered up some champagne cocktails + coffee.

We literally wanted to order everything on the menu.  It all sounded so splendid!  We ultimately decided on two appetizers to share – both of which I strongly recommend.

Crab with avocado, tomato + pineapple chutney served in a martini glass.

Breaded + fried brie with an arugula salad.  OOOOMMMMGGGG.  Awesomesauce, y’all!

After we’d effectively wet our whistles with a few cups of coffee, brunch-y cocktails, and delicious appetizers, we quickly eased on to our entrees.  The Sands both settled on Benedictine: poached eggs benedict over toasted bread, ham, and hollandaise sauce, served with homemade French fries and mixed greens.  A perfect brunch-on-a-patio dish.

Kevin selected the L’Omelette du Jour which happened to be filled that day with thick cut bacon.  There were no complaints from his side of the table.  His omelet arrived with French fries Oeufs and mixed greens, as well.  Kev thought that Atmosphere’s French fries were spectacular!  (Obviously cooked in duck fat and with love.)  He was thoroughly impressed.

I ordered the Carpaccio de boeuf: thin slices of raw Kobe beef with shaved Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh lemon juice.  Simple and delightful.  I was very pleased with my selection.

By the end of the meal, we were completely stuffed.  I was so glad that the Sands suggested we try Atmosphere, and now the delicious restaurant is no longer just a quaint house with a sign that I pass by on Piedmont each day, but rather a destination for really enjoyable French cuisine.  I am looking forward to going back to try their dinner menu, and taste their famous French Onion soup!

Shortly after brunch, we headed out to the Chattahoochee with Barkley – who had been patiently awaiting our return. 

I’m sure you will all be pleased to know that he is a total water pup and had a very successful first swimming lesson!  The Sands are sure to become river regulars!

Hoping that everyone had as lovely of an Easter as we did! 

xx, L

Atmosphere Bistro
1620 Piedmont Ave.
Atlanta, GA  30324
678.702.1620
www.atmospherebistro.com

I’ve definitely seen the truck before, and Dennis Dean is our favorite Atlanta caterer, so I’ve wanted to try Ibiza Bites for a while now, but I haven’t had the opportunity to do so until last Wednesday night when the truck was parked on 12th Street + Piedmont.  (Which we were told is going to become a weekly dinnertime thing for them…)

The very Q+DD on Ibiza Bites Food Truck:
Recently named by Jezebel Magazine as one of the top food trucks to watch in 2012, Ibiza Bites offers a brand new style of cuisine called “SoLa.”  It’s a bit South American, Latin American, and deep South – with a whole lot of deliciousness!  Cute.

I met Kev at the truck for dinner + we ordered up a few of his favorite items.  The truck was bumping Rihanna – so I knew I liked them immediately.  While they prepped our order, I found a high boy table waiting for us complete with a lovely floral arrangement.  Eating food out of a truck has never been so classy before! 

Our meal was sooooo decadently delicious!  We shared a pulled pork entree over cheese grits with a side of coconut/ plantain rice…

…crab cakes, fried green tomato, lemon thyme aioli over arugula w/ orange segments, pecans + fresh shaved manchego + sherry vinaigrette…

…and finally, sweet potato fries covered with melted marshmallow for dessert!

It was fantastic food truck fare, and ever since Wednesday night I’ve been stalking Ibiza Bites on Twitter to see where they’re headed next!  Follow the truck HERE! 

Next time, I’m all about trying their lobster mac ’n cheese!  Yummmmmmm…

xx, L

Ibiza Bites
Various Locations Around Atlanta
404.857.9308
www.ibizabites.com

Here’s the Q+DD on Flywheel: Crafted by Ruth Zukerman, legendary fitness instructor, Flywheel is a spinning “experience” that cultivated a cult following in NYC and is now out to claim the nation!

Each choreographed spin routine is 45 or 60 minutes long and includes arm work with weighted bars. Awesome news: the studio is set up with stadium seating, so no matter where you are, you’ve got the best seat in the house.

Big time bonus: One of Atlanta’s BEST spin instructors (and all around cool guy), Jeremy Levison is now teaching there (although I hear ALL the instructors are amazing.)  

If you’re asking yourself what’s different about this class than a typical run of the mill spin class, here are a few other things you should know:

1. You reserve your bike ahead of time like a seat on an airplane. This is HUGE for chronically tardy front row geeks like myself.

2. They rent you special spin shoes with clips

2b. If you are too blonde to get out of said clipped in shoes after class, some kind Flywheel employee will help you.

Don't worry, I'm not still here!

3. The tailor-made bikes are completely customizable to your preferences and have a “tech-pack” which shows your resistance (“torque”), your speed (RPMs) and your “power output” (current and cumulative for the class)

4. For the overly competitive, you can opt in to participate in the in-studio “Torqueboard” – a leaderboard that show’s how participants in the class are doing. BONUS: your stats for every ride will be recoded and made available in your private account on the website!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.

Also open: FLYBARRE

Billed as the perfect compliment to your Flywheel cardio, Flybarre combines yoga, dance, circuit training, pilates, and strength building and I am here to tell you that I was lucky enough to be invited to a class by my girls Hess and Kate and I think I speak for the group when I say: “Seriously, OUCH…but when can I go back?”

The studio is small-ish. Witness:

But no fear of running out of space - you reserve these mats airplane-style too and trust me, you are feeling WAY too much in your muscles to feel any claustrophobia whatsoever. Fact.

It was fast paced and fun and they do this super cool “dynamic arms” routine that changes monthly with the idea that you’ll come back enough times during the month to learn the routine and look like a cheerleading squad.  I like.

Confession: You do a full-on lights-off stretch twice in the class and I was a little heartbroken when I found out the first stretch wasn’t the end… but very proud of myself at the legit end.

They’re both incredible workouts and I’m SUPER excited to have our very own Flywheel here in the ATL!

Welcome, welcome, Flywheel!

xx, L

Flywheel Sports Atlanta
102 W Paces Ferry Road NW
Suite A
Atlanta, GA 30305

P.S. EXTRA BIG THANK YOU to Flywheel for donating a Spin Party for the silent auction I’m working on for The Tasting next Tuesday!  Please come to the event and bid on it… I will try not to elbow you out of the way or give you the side-eye if you outbid me.  

Check it:

What’s old is new again, right?  Oooooh ahhhh, pretty colors…

Just ask these guys.

Zack Attack, y’all. 

Can’t live without one?  Get yours here at YUBZ for $30 – $55.

xx, L

I mean, I’ve been obsessed with Harry Potter and the Twilight series, and so many of my favorite shoes have to do with the supernatural (The Walking Dead, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, the list goes on…)  So, I guess I am a Fantasy geek.  Whatevs.  I’m totally entertained, at least!  

Anyway, I felt a little left out of all the commotion (and y’all know how much of a pop culture freak I am) about The Hunger Games movie coming out last weekend + I kept hearing my friends talk about how much they loved/ quickly read the book.  So naturally, I HAD to buy it. 

Ummmmm, I had no idea what I was in for!  This books is SO unbelievably addictive – I may need a support group.

(1) I’ve never read a book so fast in my life.  I haven’t been sleeping to finish it.
(2) I’m completely OBSESSED with it now!  Move over Harry Potter…
(3) I can’t wait to see the movie this weekend!!  It’s pretty much all I can think about.

Are y’all reading?  Are y’all reading??

I’m taking a two-day breather + then diving into the 2nd book in the series, Catching Fire!

May the odds be ever in your favor,

xx, L

Asellina is my ideal neighborhood restaurant.  A small, contemporary space with solid food and drinks, and a friendly wait staff.  Admittedly, it already had a big check mark in my mind before I even stepped foot inside.  Our delicious Friday night triple date, and later Caren West PR’s Grand Opening Fete, are what officially sealed the deal for me!

For our date night, we started off with Stuffed Cerignola Olives with roasted veal, parmigiano + semolina crust.  I don’t eat olives, but everyone else at the table devoured them.  They said things to me like, “Lindsay, these olives will make you love olives…”  Ultimately, I didn’t try them, but I’m building up the courage.  They were a huge, huge hit at our table.

We wanted to try as much as possible, so we went a teeny bit overboard with the rest of our appetizers – in fact, they almost fell off of the table at one point, so I tried to quickly capture them with a full table shot.  Everything was very good, and I recommend trying each of these items.  You could easily visit Asellina for drinks + apps ONLY and leave happy + full.  From front to back we had: Veal Meatballs with fresh tomato, mozzarella + basil/ Calamari Fritti with spicy tomato sauce + fresh majoram/ Ahi Tuna Tartare with robiola cheese, black truffle + spring onions/ and Burrata with tomato assaggi, fresh basil + olive oil.  We feasted.

But, we still had our eyes on the prize.  The pizzas + primis we ordered to share sounded totally divine – and they were.  One of the MVPs at our table was the Wild Mushroom Pizze with stracchio cheese + spring onion.  It’s pretty photogenic, too…

I really enjoyed the Four Cheese Pizze with sausage + artichokes. 

Even though we loved the pizzas, I would advise you not to skip over the pastas!  They were spectacular!  We shared the Pistachio Garganelli with hand-made sausage + wild mushrooms…

…and this dish.  This dish was AMAZING.  But, Asellina does not have an Atlanta menu on their website yet, so I am not 100% sure what it was.  I’m just sayin’ – we had a few drinks.  If you see this on someone’s table, ask them, or show this picture to your friendly server.  It was incredible.

The biggest surprise of the night was dessert.  Do not pass up dessert!  I don’t care how much you ate prior to it, EVERYONE knows that we have extra space in our stomachs for dessert.  It’s science, y’all…

The Citrus Panna Cotta was top notch.

People wept over the Tiramisu.  In fact, I heard “this is the best tiramisu I’ve had outside of Italy” from multiple folks at our table.

The Cannolis were also very tasty.

That’s about all I’ve got.  Final thoughts regarding Cucina Asellina are that it’s a great space, really excellent food, the drinks are a bit pricey for Atlanta ($12 cocktails), but overall I very much enjoy this place – and I especially like sitting on their outdoor patio facing Peachtree Street.  Midtown has become quite a fun area for people (+ movie star) watching these days!

Wishing you all many excellent meals at Cucina Asellina.  Bon appetit!

xx, L

Cucina Asellina
1075 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA  30309
404.793.0141
www.asellina.com

baci interior

We sat down and cracked open a bottle of red, which we brought with us since Baci didn’t have its liquor license yet. CODE RED(wine) is what LK called it!  And, we looked over the menu as we grilled the server about her favorite items and house specialties.

We started off our meal with Baci’s Caprese Salad: tomatoes, mozzarella, basil + creamy balsamic vinegar.  It was beautifully plated, and it absolutely hit the spot.

We quickly moved onto our entrees.  We shared the Seared Scallops: scallops + house risotto (pesto risotto the evening we dined)…

…and the Chilean Sea Bass: hong-kong style sea bass with white rice.  Both entrees were delicious, but in my opinion the sea bass was totally the way to go.

As a side, we couldn’t help ourselves when we spotted the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese on the menu.  It was incredibly decadent - a very welcomed splurge!

Check us out with our divine spread…

We weren’t actually hungry for dessert, but as soon as the server told us that the Gelato of the Week was salted caramel, the deal was SEALED!  Two scoops please – we’re not sharing!  It blew my mind.  I looooove salted caramel, but it has to be prepared JUST right or you can’t quite taste the saltiness or it’s terribly overpowering.  This gelato was fan-freaking-tastic!

We very much enjoyed our evening at Baci, and we recommend you try it before a movie at Cinebistro or for a quiet dinner date.  We know that you will love it as much as we do!  LK + I give Baci two thumbs up AND two big hugs.  Such an adorable spot! 

xx, L

Baci
705 Town Blvd. Ste. 510
Atlanta, GA  30319
404.771.7557
www.baciatlanta.com