Why would you wait in line at Highland Bakery or Murphy’s when you could hop on over to BWB?  Their menu is creative + delicious, the brunch isn’t crazy busy (yet), the service is great, and you really can’t beat the atmosphere.  I heart.  I heart.

This is what I ate most recently at BWB brunch with Gorms + Rosh…

Bread Pudding French Toast to share.  TO. DIE. FOR. 

Goat Cheese and Chorizo Crepes with sweet and sour fig jam.

Plancha Omlette with herbed goat cheese and mushrooms.

Fried Egg Sandwich with bacon, manchego, sliced tomato, garlic aioli, and served with grits.  (Didn’t photograph too well, but it was really tasty.  Manchego was excellent on it.)

Here are a few other BWB brunch menu items that made my mouth water: 

- Short Rib Hash with crispy potatoes, bell peppers, and two eggs.
- Gulf Shrimp and Grits with stone ground grits and chorizo gravy.
- Scottish Smoked Salmon with kumato tomatoes, whipped cheese, and pumpernickel toast.

Don’t those sound divine??

Check out more of Barcelona’s brunch menu here: BRUNCH TIMEEEE!

And, I’ll you there next week!! 

xx, L

Barcelona Wine Bar
240 N. Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA  30307
404.589.1010
http://www.barcelonawinebar.com/atlanta.htm

First of all, it’s in a great spot. Though not visible from the road, it’s nestled in the strip where B.Braithwaite, Dry Bar, and Flywheel are located…good company indeed! AND only a stone’s throw from the glorious St. Regis Hotel – I’d say this little resto has some primo real estate!

Secondly, it is ADORABLE. The design is so fresh and clean. You walk through the wine cellar straight into the fresh and sleek interior like the world’s most amazing tunnel.

Photo lovingly ripped off from my girl over at Baxter Bark Twice. Thanks, lady.

There are a few small tables, but most of the seating is a large U-shaped double-sided bar with this super cool riser for your pies! Bonus: your wine glass fits neatly underneath

They also have a pretty fantastic wine list with some very affordable vinos – which our server said was by design. (um, THANK YOU.) You can also choose your wine via their wine pairing app loaded onto an iPad at the table.

You had Greg at “iPad.” I loved watching him “help” my mom figure out how to use it:

Most importantly…the food was fantastic.  We started with the spring pea, prociutto, mozzarella, and rosemary bruschetta and it was DELISH. Witness:

Then…onto the pies. We went with

Pomodorini, oregano, garlic, and mozzarella

And

Mozzarella, fontina, taleggio, gorgonzola, and thyme

You’d think that 2 huge pizzas would be way too much for 3 people… but you’d be wrong. We ate almost every last bite. In our defense, they were surprisingly light.

You guys, I really liked this place a lot and can see where I could easily become addicted. (and um, hello – Flywheel, then Drybar, then STG? Sounds a little TOO convenient.)

And although I’m done with first dates, it did occur to me that this would be an excellent first date spot – it’s lively and sleek yet causal enough – and pizza is always a crowd pleaser. Plus – you can dash over to the bar at the St. Reg for an après dinner nightcap… I’m just saying.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up for STG Trattoria. I WILL be back.

xx, L

STG Trattoria
102 West Paces Ferry
Atlanta, GA
404 – 844 – 2879

Anyway, I had a lovely dinner with The Jessicas recently at Kyma, and two of their already-delicious menu items stood out to me even more than usual because they were topped off with a delightful dollop of sorbet.  They were divine.  Witness:

1 – Watermelon Salad: dodonis feta, vidalia onions, Kyma garden herbs + watermelon sorbet.

2 – Kyma’s Baklava: baklava with pistachio sorbet.

AHHH-mazingggg!

I wonder how sorbet will do on my Lean Cuisines… 

xx, L

Kyma
3085 Piedmont Road NE
Atlanta, GA  30305
404.262.0702
http://www.buckheadrestaurants.com/kyma/

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

LOVE a Monday night out!  I will definitely be there next week… 

More on my recent visit to adorable Cucina Asellina HERE.  And, I’ll see you there!

xx, L

we did it! yay for 3 years!

We ate a LOT, but the Black Linguine was absolutely the biggest hit of all!  It was out-of-this-world spectacular!  No exaggeration.

Squid ink pasta, calamari, Calabrian chilies + Thai basil pesto.  Perfection.

We washed it down with a very complimentary bottle of Clos Teddi “Patrimonio” Vermentino.  I highly recommend this wine with any of La Tavola’s spicier dishes.  SO delightful!  (La Tavola has the best wine list.)

YOU HAVE TO TRY THESE!  I guarantee that you’ll them as much as we did! 

xx, L

La Tavola Trattoria
992 Virginia Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA  30306
678.879.5632
www.latavolatrattoria.com

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

HD1 is situated next to Pura Vida and San Fran Coffee in between Ponce de Leon and North Ave. on North Highland.  I think it’s a brilliant location pulling from the Poncey-Highlands hipsters, the Virginia Highlands college kids, the Fernbank area families, and the Little Five and Candler Park folks.  Kev and I visited HD1 on Sunday afternoon around 1:30 p.m. and it was P.A.C.K.E.D.  Admittedly, I was shocked by how popular it seemed to be.

Location, Location, Location – right?  Right.

A glimpse at HD1′s elaborate hot dog menu…

We found two cozy seats set aside from the otherwise communal seating, and were greeted by a pleasantly laid-back waitress who took our drink orders and informed us about her favorite HD1 dogs.  We perused the menu for a bit, and I frequently looked up to see Kev’s eyes get wider and wider.  Everything we were reading sounded more and more decadent and delicious than the former!  Eventually, we settled on a few things.

We started with the HD Waffle Fries with maple-oy sauce.

They were different. 

I found the maple-oy sauce to be pretty overpowering, and wished that we would have just ordered the plain waffle fries and soaked them in good ol’ fashioned ketchup.  Now we know…

Next, we moved on to THESE.  Beef ‘n pork wieners served on toasted sweet Ghana rolls.

From left to right – The Whiz: cheese sauce + shoestring frites (my fav.)/ Eastbound and Down: Carolina pulled pork, sweet mustard slaw + mop sauce (Kev’s fav.)/ Plain Jane: HD mustard, ketchup, sweet relish + onion.

Kev and I both agreed that the hot dogs were delicious and definitely creative, but the sweet Ghana rolls were really what made the major difference for us!  Y-U-M!

check out those buns!

Other hot dogs that we thought sounded great:

- Chow-down: chow-chow + brown mustard.

- Freemont St.: garlic cream cheese + red onion-tomato salad.

- Kenturkey: turkey sausage, tomato-pimento marmalade, mornay, bacon + parmesan.

See the full HD1 menu HERE!

Although we’d stuffed ourselves with hot dogs, we HAD to try the Caramel Popcorn Vanilla Soft Serve at the end of our meal. 

It was out-of-this-world good! 

We had such a fun time at HD1.  The food was an interesting change up to an otherwise potentially boring Sunday lunch.  While I might not want to eat hot dogs every weekend (Kev disagrees with me on that point), I would absolutely bring out-of-towners and first-timers to HD1 to show it off.  And, next time I’m definitely trying the Kenturkey.

So, about that wedding diet…  

xx, L

HD1
664 Highland Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA  30306
404.815.1127
www.hd1restaurant.com