Bartaco’s at it again with their 10th off-the-menu taco, a whole crispy soft-shell crab, mmm mmm!
~ tempura battered soft-shell crab, placed atop a tomatilla chow chow and drizzled with lemon aioli
Browsing Category
Atlanta
Nestled under the St. Regis in Buckhead, the Atlas lives up to the prestige of the area with an upscale dining experience complete with an extensive art collection.
Celebrate the best in seasonal American cuisine with fine dining in our main dining room. Our expertly trained team of chefs and staff will guide you through an unparalleled culinary experience inspired by the capital of the South.
The restaurant’s impressive gallery of 20th century artwork has been selected from The Lewis Collection, one of the largest private art collections in the world.
Warmest thanks to all of you who reached out with Happy Birthdays and for being so encouraging about my opening up in that last post. Meant the world and I felt stronger the second I posted it! <3
Nowwww, back to your regularly scheduled pretty photos and outing recaps >>>
Holeman and Finch Public House | 2277 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, Georgia 30309
This past Saturday I partnered with Holeman and Finch to spread the word about the revival of their weekend brunch / lunch menu thanks to Chef Spencer’s inventive plates and twists on traditional favorites. If you’re a local or Atlanta enthusiast you’re probably already going “oh yea, Holeman and Finch…Mmmmmmm their burger is legit” well I can tell you, their other items should be just as famous!
Since it was my birthday afternoon and we had no other plans but to soak up all the foods we took our precious time and sat at the bar before moving to a table. We started with Bloody Mary’s and to my delightful surprise, they make their own mix that is now bottled!
Didn’t get into Bloody Mary’s till a few years ago since the tomato juice always hurt my tum (went through a phase with bad issues like ulcers) but now I can treat myself to them. And since they are basically a salad and lots of vitamins, I tell myself it’s in the name of health! ;)
As for the meal we told the kind staff that our (my) only dietary restriction is beef, I don’t do it, so we let them just surprise us! First came this ridiculous charcuterie board. Some of the portions were from Georgia others from various Southern states but sadly, I don’t recall, but it’s always changing so you’re in for a legit treat no matter what!
Ok, now lets talk about this soft shell crab benedict.
Truthfully I never eat soft shell crab because the fact you’re chomping down on tons of tiny, soft bones always freaked me out. Until Saturday when that allllll changed! I went in full steam and didn’t stop but once to take the below pic of that perfect egg. This dish was a game changer for me, a life changer even. In the last couple years I’ve upped my seafood intake and there aint no turning back now!
If the benedict wasn’t mind-blowing enough they brought out this colorful quail and seared foie gras dish. QUAIL AND FOIE GRAS. Whaaaat. Another two things that aren’t normally on my radar but I went for it! I mean how could you not with that pretty dish?!
Growing up my family (yep, including me!) hunted birds deer, turkey, pesky rodents -youuu get it- we killed animals for sport and/or to eat. So I grew up eating game. But honestly don’t recall ever loving it. And now as an adult exploring other protein options, I’ve been giving it a try. The most recent time was in Colorado at a fancy game-serving restaurant called Gas House. I had elk and was sadly not the biggest fan. In my opinion it tasted too much like beef and I just don’t like something about that taste.
Now, having tried this Georgia quail that was kept simple with what seemed to be a salt and pepper rub, I’m a changed woman! I was delightfully surprised that it had so much meat on it. First time eating quail I didn’t feel like I was doing a ton of work for little reward. Since I’m new to the foie gras I tried a few small bites alone and then another with some veges (is that sacrilegious? sorry!) and it was good! I’m new so maybe I’ll graduate to “it was great” but for now, these 31 year old tastebuds have some graduating to do.
Mushroom omlette – shiitake, oyster mushroom, gruyere, grilled onion | Holeman and Finch
Heck yes those are edible flowers on an omelette! And dang straight we made room for this baby! Though to be real, we took home a bunch of leftovers and dined like a king and queen again the following day!
“Up in Smoke” banhez mezcal, jimador reposado tequila, lustau pedro ximenez, bittermans grapefruit bitters | Holeman and Finch
Mezcal drink on the menu, yes please!
To make things fit even tighter the sweetest staff brought me this lil birthday cookie brownie warm and gooey “best seller” with a candle which I blew out and wished the same wish I always do, but obv. can’t tell ;)
Get this! Dustin doesn’t eat chocolate, ever. We had to have a cake option on our wedding day for him because he doesn’t like the stuff. HE TRIED THIS! I felt so special :D But wasn’t surprised after each of those courses being that fantastic, he knew they knew what was uP!
What I wore ~
Ray-Bans sunglasses, Urban Outfitters dress, Bussola boots, Madewell jacket
Can’t brag on this place enough! A must visit for weekend brunch / lunch or weeknight, casual or romantic-it suits all occasions!
This Sunday we are off to Madrid, followed by Barcelona then Paris. Yall, it’s hitting us that we’ll be traveling for 15 days straight, longest trip yet, ADD emotions go something like this:
“OMG OMG OMG! oh crap, that’s a long time to pack for, PARIS! k, still need this/this/that/this. or should i wait to buy there? zaraaaa. what comfy shoes to bring? hope we see all the things we wanna fit in! first time traveling with inlaws. hmmm. it’ll be finnnnnne. champagne tour! crap, i gotta start packing.”
Yaaaaa. As always, follow along on IG to keep for real up to speed <3
Our Greece trip (you know, the one I still haven’t fully posted about…) was a celebration combo of Dustin’s 30th and our 1-year wedding anniversary. Since we went big in September and Halloween fell on a Monday, we kept our anniversary plans simple with hanging around Inman Park on that Sunday.
Starting at Beetlecat for oysters, but first, photos!
Surprisingly, neither of us had tried it out since it’s January opening but every time I walked or biked by I knew the inside held some unique decor details along with it’s menu offerings.
Stepping in to either entrance, the top (here) or the submarine den downstairs is like walking onto the set of Life Aquatic! Wes Anderson vibes for sure in the best and trendiest way.
With the help of our awesome server we got four different type of oysters from different states. We really liked that Beetlecat’s menu gives in depth flavor descriptions on each type just like you’d find at a brewery or winery, ie “crisp, robust, earthy.” Decided when it was too late but moving forward we’d like to get out of the habit of eating them on crackers with all the fixins (well, at least at legit spots!) and really try to pick up on natural flavors. May have to work up to just eating them straight raw but start with eating out of shell and then chasing with cracker and hot sauce..? We shall see!
Brixton hat, Anthro dress + necklace, Dolce Vita boots, vintage Coach bag
I adore that my puzzle piece tattoo made an appearance in this post because it’s something that Dustin and I got together on our first Valentine’s Day. We knew very quickly we completed each other and made one another whole, to commemorate our affection we got matching puzzle pieces down the street from my loft. Love this little reminder!
Conquered! Look how pretty they are. In the past I’ve collected my fair share of oyster shells on shores but I let these go, much to Dustin’s surprise I’m sure!
Thankful for this guy’s company over the last 381 days. They say “the first year’s the hardest” and we chose not to believe but ya know what, we get it. I would like to give Dustin and I credit because, call me bias, but even with all the hurtles (family stuff, buying a house and all the crap that comes with that, etc etc) we did dang good and are stronger together! Reread the card he gave me last night and teared up. I found a good one yall! Love you “D Dog” “Double D” “Babe” “Diddy” :P <3
Santorini p.1 is next! *or is it?! Jk jk.
If you’re like me, you consider Thursday to be the unofficial start of the weekend. Which means today is technically the beginning of a new weekend (!!!) but I want to backtrack to last Friday-Monday because they were real good!
Friday and Saturday, Dustin was off with his dad and brothers doing Father’s Day weekend manly stuff so I took the alone time to get in some KJO hangs. We started off meeting at her place for wine and snacks then went over to the High Museum for jazz and art.
But before going in, got in some pics (duhh).
Aren’t my dates the prettiest?! Aleesha and Kristie Jo’s style is always on point.
My dress, an all time favorite, is from Free People. It’s so comfy and flattering.
We popped into the atrium for a little jazz then made our way around the museum to see the permanent art as well as new exhibits.
One of the most enjoyable things currently in the museum, for me, is the furniture. Seeing designs and decor from centuries past is so cool! Lots of it would fit right in with my current pieces ;)
One of the new exhibits is ‘The Rise of Sneaker Culture.’ Really rad seeing the evolution of the first “sneaker” (which is really a fancy, more comfortable boot) to the first Chuck Taylor (my personal favorite) to what’s in style today. So many odd designs, we loved it!
After the museum we went to Establishment in Midtown for drinks and more food. We had terrible service, almost leaving 2 different times and I ended up having to complain to the manager which I hate doing and only do so when it’s absolutely necessary. The one thing we ate, the crab cake, was really good so I’m hoping to give the place a second chance. They’ve been open for only three months so maybe they are still working out kinks..
So the restaurant/bar was a bummer but we made up for it with the funnest Uber ride back to KJO’s place singing and laughing with the driver, too silly! We ended up slumber partying and hanging out the entire following day. Did a lot of sitting on the porch (above) watching chipmunks and every species of bird in Atlanta frolic around the backyard forest.
We made a bomb breakfast, gave ourselves mani/pedis, ate a cheese and vege spread for lunch, watched Trainwreck, day drank + danced and ordered Thai takeout- pretty dang good Saturday if I do say so myself!!!
Dustin picked me up on his way back from the mountains and on Sunday we spent the morning and early afternoon doing things around the house and giving Flynn all the affection his little heart desires.
For a late lunch we met up with Sara Longsworth and her hubs at our favorite, La Fonda (read: margaritas!) Then headed to Park Tavern for Sunset Sessions, a free concert series. On the way to the venue, I spotted this bug and couldn’t resist a pic.
Originally we went to see our friend’s band, Sydney Eloise & The Palms but upon arriving realized another friend’s band was playing, Book of Colors. Yay for awesome local music AND WEEKENDS!
But wait! Fun didn’t stop on Sunday! Since we had missed Silversun Pickups at Hangout we decided it was worth it to drive to Chattanooga to see them at Track 29. IT WAS SO WORTH IT. The drive was under 2 hours each way, the venue was intimate and in a really cool part of town. Beforehand we grabbed a bite and drinks at STIR.
Holy moly, if you visit Chattanooga, do yourself a favor and hit up STIR. We started off with a dozen raw oysters (bomb) then shared a seared tuna salad (above, heavenly) and a side of asparagus (even these tasted unique!). What a meal! Not to mention the delicious cocktails that had uncommon ingredients. So so good.
Silversun put on a great show and seeing Chattanooga for a few hours was a great way to start the week! We want to plan a visit and stay in the above train hotel. Yes, that is two trains that used to be in service but now are converted into a HOTEL!
Hope you’re cruising through your Thursday!
