Good Karma in Atlanta

I love when Scoutmob leads to me to an awesome new place.

That's what happened Sunday afternoon.

This place is in Avondale Estates, and reminds me why community coffee shops are the best.

First, check out this spread. All vegan. Coconut yogurt with in-house made granola, pumpkin spice latte with soy milk, and the finale - a chocolate chip vegan muffin that is so most you might not have to chew.

They also have many more non-vegan items, but all gluten-free.

The staff was friendly and the people coming in was Atlanta at its best - all ages, types, etc. This is not your college kid-only or hipster-only coffee shop hangout (thankfully). Lots of light, a good selection of music, and a good wifi connection will have me coming back for more muffins.

Sunflower Cafe in Atlanta

If you're in Atlanta, Creative Loafing now has their "Best of 2012" out. It's got random bests, such as John Lewis's mugshot as the best campaign picture. Pretty priceless.

Best vegetarian went to Sunflower Cafe. I've been hearing rave reviews about Sunflower Cafe since moving to Atlanta almost three years ago (choke, where does the time go?!) but never been. I have no idea why it took me so long to go. I really have no good excuse, especially after trying their binto box lunch special and their avocado wrap.

I didn't snag a picture of the advocado wrap; folks, it went too fast. Just imagine a homemade whole-wheat pita with veggie sausage strips, avocado, veggies, and some kinda special sauce. The binto box was an interesting mix of Asian, Mediterranean, and American food. Go from a spring roll to a chicken nugget with honey mustard to a steamed dumpling to hummous to stuffed mushrooms. And back again.

High Tea Time @ Dr. Bombay's in Atlanta

I love high tea. It makes a day feel special, and makes it totally acceptable to eat dessert in the middle of the day.

I've only had high tea a handful of times. I studied abroad in England, and we would go in between classes to a lovely little tearoom in Oxford that had something to do with Alice through the looking glass although I can't remember exactly what. I have searched for years for recipes similar to their little granola and honey bar treats!

I've been hearing about Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party for awhile. It's one of those places that I've been meaning to go, but never do. So I made a date with a friend for High Tea!

It was as lovely as I had heard. It has an ecletic arrange of books, games, tables, pillows that fits East Atlanta and gives a very laid back vibe - all mish mashed in and set to some wonderful jazz music. It took a little time to get our dish of finger foods and sweet treats because the scones had just been put in the oven. But the still warm scones made up for the wait! The peanut butter scone completely took me by surprise, as its nutty flavor was perfect smothered in Devonshire clotted cream. We almost finished the entire bowl of cream. Good thing I was going to swing dance classes afterwards, except that I could barely move I was so full!

Googie Burger in Centennial Park

I love to get on community listservs, especially ones from public places like libraries and parks. I know it's a little quirky, but I love community and people getting outside and enjoying each other and their environment. Every once in a while, the annoyance of getting an inbox full of generic emails pays off.

Like this past Wednesday. After work I headed down to Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta for their Wednesday WindDown outdoor concert series.

It was so packed in the amphitheater that we walked right through security and right back out to find a place on the lawn. By this time, we were laden down with yummy food and ready to start grubbing. Thanks to Scoutmob, I had heard of a little gem of a place, Googie Burger. They have spiked Twinkie milkshakes. Wow.





I presented the idea of a jazz concert to my friend and threw in that we could grab dinner down there. Truth be told, I wanted to use my Scoutmob at Googie Burger and found the concert as a great excuse. Both turned out to be excellent.

I got the Veg Out Burger, which is one of the best veggie burgers I've had in Atlanta. With all the gastropubs and burger boutiques around here, someone actually is doing a decent veggie burger! Go Googie Burger. I paired this with the peach shake - real peaches! - and stole some fries from my friend.

I learned something new as well, and that's how to say "Googie." It starts with goo, as in baby talk, and ends in gee. Each person who picks up there order is a Googie Guest.

Las Vegas: Brunch at Simon's

Being the oldest in my grade meant getting my driver's license first, turning 21 first, and....turning 30 first. Thankfully, I love birthdays and haven't hit an age that scares me yet. But it's a milestone birthday that must be celebrated, and celebrated well. So my high school crew and I decided to have a we're turning 30 bash in Las Vegas!



Thanks for storms in the mid-west, some of us had a few canceled flights and arrived a day late...and all the more ready for relaxation and fun! We stayed at Mandalay Bay, which was great. Lovely pools and a fake beach, a wave pool and a lazy river, were perfect for daytime catching up over Poolade (it's blue) and Pina Colodas. By the third morning, we needed a little something else so we headed over to Simon's for brunch.



This is Kerry Simon's, aka the Rock n Roll chef, restaurant. We were a bit embarrassed when he came to our table and it took a few minutes to realize who he was. Hey, after four nights in Vegas we were a little slow on the uptake. The brunch was amazing! We sit down and start and the next thing we know it's four hours later and we are the last ones in the place. The waiters didn't seem to mind, and came out and threw confetti on our table...confetti in the shape of men's...parts. But the sweetest ending was the plate of treats.

NYC: La Esquina Taqueria

Whenever work sends me to New York, I get excited. It means a weekend vacation with my sister who lives there!

Yesterday, we ventured to SoHo to browse and shop. I love looking in the Pearl Market and getting some little cute gag gifts. Then we grabbed some tacos and plantains at la Esquina Taqueria on Kenmare Street. It was delicious and had great vegetarian options.



The top taco is Hongo y Espzote - the hominy in it was genius! It provided great texture with the sauce and a nice mellow flavor. The bottom taco is the Aguacate con Queso. Advocado + queso + black beans = my idea of a well-rounded taco.



We ate at the walk-up counter just inside, but they've recently opened a cafe side that was busy. Added bonus, the logo is a Mexican wrestling mask!

Egg Cream in Brooklyn

I just got back from a short, wonderful trip to NYC. It was a business trip with meetings on Monday and Tuesday, so of course I went up early and spent some wonderful time with my sister and her boyfriend.

I decided to venture out of Manhattan and into Brooklyn for the first time ever, and my sister and I did it right - by walking the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a nice little walk, and we completely lucked out on the other side when we happened upon the Jack the Horse Tavern. Thanks to my Droid, we found not only a clean bathroom, but also a nice place to grab drinks.

After rambling around a bit more and having a wonderful dinner at Wild Ginger, we found our way to Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain. So cute! I will have to go back on a Sunday just for Sticky Bun Sunday. Hot sticky buns = yum! This time, though, I went total tourist, and got an Egg Cream.

I was a little worried by the name. I'll eat them scambled, fried, baked, or boiled...but I don't want to drink an egg. Thankfully, there are no eggs in egg creams. No cream either, just chocolate syrup (or vanilla), milk, and seltzer water.

My sister got a coffee egg cream, and I got a traditional chocolate. They were both pretty good. It tastes (and sounds) like something I would have concocted in my mom's kitchen as a kid. Except this thing actually caught on with people.

farmstead 303

For everyone in Atlanta and NYC, if you haven't met Scoutmob, you need an immediate introduction to the mustached world of fabulous deals at yummy local eateries. It speaks to the cheap skate in my soul and has totally spoiled me rotten. Good food at 50% off, no mess, no hassles, no strings attached.

Okay, so now that that's out...last night I feasted at Farmstead 303 in Decatur. It's in the old train depot and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's not country kitsch in the least...more country chic. Lovely wooden tables and chairs, and a large patio adorned with autumn squash resting amid the little urban flower beds. The food was enough for many more people, and all of it fresh. The veggies were mostly vegetarian friendly (yay!) - even the black eyed peas! - and as farm to table as possible. My mom and I captured the last bit of warmer weather out on the patio. We had a wonderful sample platter - pimento cheese, jalepeno hushpuppies, homemade pickles, spiced pecans, cauliflower, deviled eggs - all sorts of good things. We also split the veggie plate which was great. We'll have to go back for the bread pudding. We were just too stuffed!



This jumbled picture is what was left and boxed up, and is now sitting in my frig waiting to be my dinner tonight.