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  1. Catching Up: Hair Cuts, Renovations, Asheville (and Baby)

    April 11, 2013 by SavvyInTheCity

     

    Hello blogosphere! Gosh, it’s been way too long. I’ve missed you guys!
     

    Here are the Cliff’s Notes on life since we last “chatted:”
     

    I’ve been a bad blogger because spare time has been dedicated to baby things (and I’m not sure if you want to read a lot about baby things) or a little after hours work. 33 weeks down, 7 to go. Okay, I was trying to not post many baby things, but here’s a sneak peek of the nursery (I love the bright colored animal silhouettes I found on Etsy). Baby Margot’s nursery theme is safari (using bright colors and chocolate brown). I didn’t want to buy a bedding or decor set, so I’ve picked up affordable things here-and-there (from eBay, Amazon.com, Hobby Lobby, etc.).

     

     

    We celebrated three years in our Decatur, Georgia, home in early March. Would you believe that’s the longest I’ve ever lived in one house? Crazy to think about, but true. I’m hoping we can stay put in this version of Mallory Manor for quite some time. We have 1,450 square feet upstairs (including our renovated kitchen, which I still need to share photos of), plus about 1,300 square feet of unfinished basement we plan to one day turn into another bedroom, bathroom, family room, office and laundry area. Dan is putting up the finishing touches in the kitchen (beige linen roman shades) then I’ll have some pictures up pronto! Here's a QUICK look at the kitchen (forgive all these iPhone photos. Sheesh. You'd think I didn't have a nice camera or something!)

     

     

    The hubs and I took a long weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina, last weekend. If you haven’t been, go! It’s like the Earthy side of Athens, on steroids! So much good food, art, music, etc. This time around, we checked out Laughing Seed (again), Tupelo Honey (again), Bouchon, Lexington Ave. Brewery (aka “LAB”), Cucina 24, French Broad Chocolate Lounge and Early Girl Eatery. Even though we’re not vegetarians, Laughing Seed was our favorite dinner again this round (be sure to order the raw spinach pesto manicotti). Tupelo was another incredible breakfast (I had the Tupelo Honey oatmeal and a side of bacon; Dan had the fried egg BLT… both were divine). As far as activities go, we walked to the River Arts District on Saturday and enjoyed that side of town. Also drove the Blue Ridge Parkway for a bit. (If you have questions about our experiences at any of these places, holler!) Possibly the best decision of the trip was booking three nights at the Urban Nest (a condo downtown we secured through HomeAway). For the same price as a downtown hotel, we got a 1 bedroom (plus office) condo. We used the kitchen to make coffee each morning, and it was nice to do some relaxing in the living room (with a great, big window overlooking downtown).

     




    I chopped off my hair. It was getting REALLY long (probably ridiculously long) and I was feeling ready for a change. Not to mention I figured shorter hair would be easier to style and maintain with a baby. My inspiration photo was this long bob style of Nicole Richie’s. Miss Mary Verrilli did a fabulous job as always on the cut. Looking forward to getting back in her chair in two weeks to refresh my highlights/lowlights. (Full disclosure, Mary gives me a discount on my cuts/colors because I’ve sent a lot of business her way. But to be honest, I’ve sent a lot of business her way because she does a great job and her prices are reasonable!)

     


    (Photo from Glamour.com)

     

    Verrilli Hair Studios

    1151 Hammond Dr NE , Suite 200, Studio 126
    (in Salon Studios above Old Navy)
    Atlanta, GA 30346 (770) 361-3557
    Read her reviews on Kudzu     here.

     

    So nothing ground breaking happening in our world… just yet. But life is good, no complaints! More from me soon!

    Category Savvy on Food and Drink, Savvy on Style | Tags: | 2 Comments

  2. My First Look: Victory Sandwich Shop Decatur

    February 22, 2013 by SavvyInTheCity

     

    On Saturday, I checked out Victory Sandwich Shop's new Decatur location with some friends (right next to Raging Burrito behind the Square — on Church Street).

    Over lunch, natural light poured into the joint (it's a long dining room, with a huge wall of windows). The sandwich shop's vibe is industrial, simple, cool and hip (think subway tile, grey grout, lots of galvanized metal). The staff is equally hip and cool (almost feeling like they were transplanted over from nearby Little Five). Despite the place being brand new and there being no shortage of great restaurants around, the place was popping with people.

    (Darnit, I wish I'd snapped a picture of the interior.)

    We didn't know how ordering worked, so it was nice to be greeted by a server who explained that you order at the counter for lunch (regular table service for dinner). We found a spot at the end of a long, community table and pondered over the menu. Thing was, this was somehow a Victory first experience for all three of us. As we checked out the menu, we chatted about how unbelievable it was that none of us ever hit up the popular Inman Park location (which we hear is set to close to make room for a new building… but I'm having a hard time confirming this news online).

    Womp womp. On to happier things… like how the place is revived… but in Decatur!

    The menu works like this: sandwiches are half-sizes ($4 for a half), so most people order two along with a side ($3.50 or $4). So that means the average diner's food portion of the bill would be $12. 

    After much deliberation, I decided on a half of the Hambo (prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, reduced balsamic), half of a Castro (essentially a Cuban… slow roasted pork, ham, pickle, fontina, yellow mustard) and a side salad (mixed lettuces, radish, apple, parmesan, walnuts and sherry vinaigrette). The Hambo was a good balance of sweet and savory (i'm a sucker for the prosciutto/apple/cheese combo). The Castro's ingredients came together well (who doesn't love a Cuban?) but I did find the pork to be a little dry. However, in a restaurant's first week, I'll give them a break — and overall the sandwich was still tasty. The salad was a great sized portion and reminded me of the Farm Burger "Market Salad," which I'm a big fan of. Sandwiches came with kettle chips (peppery, delicious ones).

    Greg and Travis, my fellow diners, were happy with their choices as well. Greg had two halves (so, in other words, "a whole?") of the Mile High Club (smoked turkey, ham, avocado, dijon mustard, fontina cheese) — with a side of potato salad. Mr. T had a whole Castro sandwich, also with a side of potato salad.

    Since I can't or shouldn't drink at the moment (see last post), I admired the brief but fun/varied beer and cocktail list. If I could have ordered a beer, I would have grabbed a La Chouffe. I spotted several IPAs and pale ales (Dale's Pale Ale, Bells Two Hearted) that I knew the husband would like when we returned together.

    Service was attentive, even more attentive than I'm used to for a counter service setup.

    On my way to the restroom, I saw they have a ping pong table tucked away back there. Random, but cool.

    I'll be back, or we'll be back*. I could see grabbing some lunch here or maybe coming for just a beer and a snack before mozying on to another nearby restaurant for dinner.

    Victory Sandwich Bar
    340 Church Street
    Decatur, GA 30030

    (Check out even more Victory Decatur info on their Facebook page.)

     

    *Update: I did go back, on Monday, with Dan. He had a half Hambo and half Mile High Club. He thought both were pretty good, but that the "winner" of his meal was his "Fancy Nuts" appetizer (warm, spiced, mixed nuts with manchego cheese and dark chocolate for $5). After a bowl of the market soup of the day (creamy leek with veggies — creamy but not too heavy… I think I tasted parsnips), I had a half Mile High Club and the Beet and Goat Cheese Salad – mmmmmm. Salad was the standout with lots of fresh, cubed beets in a tangy dressing. Dan reminded me that while this was good, the best panini-style sandwiches in a mile-plus radius are probably still those at Java Monkey (which also serves beer and wine!). See my previous post about Java Monkey and it's delicious $7.50 sandwiches (with a side!) here. He has a great point… I'm hungry just thinking about that Java Monkey "Bella Prosciutto" sandwich.

    Total Monday night Victory bill including Dan's two beers was $44.
     

    Category Savvy on Atlanta, Savvy on Food and Drink | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Sister, Sister!

    January 31, 2013 by SavvyInTheCity

    (There's much more "baby bump" from the side view — I promise.)

    Yesterday morning I sent my sister a "pregnant outfit/belly update" picture* — to my surprise, I got a fast response… "Shut up!"

    No, she wasn't appalled by my progress… Anna was wearing essentially the same outfit I was (though her pants weren't stretchy waist maternity style, of course)! We'd both picked up this leopard print scarf at Hurs Wholesale Mart (my favorite inexpensive jewelry and accessories place on Buford Highway in Atlanta) on Saturday for $7.99.

    On moi:
    Old Navy tank top ($8)
    Red Gap Maternity pants ($39 on sale from www.gap.com — I've bought a few pairs of similar pants on eBay for less but this pair came straight from the source.)
    Hurs leopard scarf ($8)
    BCBG patent leather loafers — not pictured ($25 if I remember correctly — super sale plus discounted more because I bought them at the Junior League Belk Shopping Event a few years ago)

    Look at Anna's cute teacher self!

    On Anna:

    Steve Madden flats via TJ Maxx – $25
    Old Navy pants – $16
    Gap PURE top from Goodwill – $5-ish(?)
    Hurs leopard scarf – $8

    Have you ever shown up to a party dressed identically to a friend, or to work dressed in tandem with a colleague?

    *Yes, it's a true story! We're five months and some change pregnant, which I think is one of the reasons I've been quiet on this blog (instead I've been brainstorming nursery themes, adding items to my registry, reading message boards on BabyCenter.com, etc.). But don't fret — I'm not planning for this blog to become a mommy blog. If you're into kids and that kind of thing, I'm sure I'll find a blog-type space to post pictures, favorite products, etc. We're excited to welcome the new addition in late May: a little girl!

    Category Savvy on Style | Tags: | No Comments

  4. “Pop-up Restaurant:” Hudson North

    October 28, 2012 by SavvyInTheCity


    Last week I had the opportunity to attend a media preview Hudson North, a "pop up" restaurant in Atlantic Station (in the empty former The Grape space). Thank you, Jewel, for inviting me to go with you!

    Honestly the whole thing felt like an episode of Top Chef (specifically a "Restaurant Wars" episode)… but maybe that's because Eli Kirshtein (Season 6) was hanging out at the bar.

    The whole idea behind a pop up restaurant really isn't much unlike Top Chef Restaurant Wars: a chef takes over a blank slate space for a limited time (three months in this case) — using a small budget and a lot of creativity to create a crowd-pleasing menu and pleasant ambiance.

    Billy Streck (who I didn't know was of Cypress Street Pint & Plate until after I went home) is the man behind this operation. He very enthusiastically and excitedly showed us around the temporary joint, which he describes as a "Farm to Tavern" concept. His budget? Seven or eight Gs (plus the items already in the defunct Grape space). They spray painted compasses on the table tops and hung candle-lit mason jars from the ceiling for a whimsical and not-so-serious vibe. The restaurants pop up storyline is literally written on the windows outside, attempting to explain to passersby what the space is all about. Inside, the names of patrons so far are delicately written on an accent wall (another creative, personal and inexpensive decor idea). I would have thought the decor cost more than it did — kudos to the team.

    The food. You're probably wondering about the food.

    We ordered the Fritters (ricotta-parmesan, asparagus puree, pickled mushrooms) and the Figs (amber ale, bacon, almonds, chile powder, parsley) from the "Bar Snacks" portion of the menu (to share). The fritters were moist while maintaining a little fluffiness. The figs melted in my mouth without being overcooked. The amber ale used to deglaze the pan almost gave the dish a sherry flavor (which I liked). Both starters had some heat from chili powder, which was nice on a cool night.

    For the main, I ordered the Seared Tuna — and Jewel picked out the Scallops. My tuna was tender and just slightly seared. The green olives were a nice surprise along with clementines. I sometimes skip potatoes in a dish (I'd rather save myself for dessert) but I found myself cleaning this plate. I had a taste of Jewel's scallops, which were cooked just right and downright tasty alongside a hash of bacon, creamed corn, chiles, cilantro and red onions (I also tasted some fresh lime).

    For dessert, we "split" the Apple Pie (served in a mason jar with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream). I used split in quotation marks because I think I ate 80 percent. Whoops. Great ratio of crust to apples to gooey goodness to ice cream. I would order again — and maybe not attempt to share.

    Other items on on the menu that looked tasty but we didn't get to included: Braised Chicken Tacos, the North Burger, Scallop Crudo, Portobello Salad with Root Veggie Slaw, Pulled Pork and Braised Short Rib and Banana Pudding. (Billy and crew play with the menu, so you may not see all these same items when you come in.)

    We found our servers to be attentive but not overly so (note: the restaurant wasn't busy, but that isn't always a sign that you'll get good service.)

    What's next for Billy? We're not sure, but he did mention that he's trying to get a feel for whether or not there's an appetite for the concept (sorry for the bad pun). The space will turn over permanently to Shaun Doty (of Yeah! Burger fame) January 7 — rumored to be a chicken concept (hopefully he learns from Leroy's Fried Chicken's mistakes?). I will be curious to see what becomes of this pop up establishment (and others that Atlantic Station tries out). The pop up concept could have big rewards for chefs and restaurateurs who don't have big budgets and want to make a name for themselves in a time crunch — or they could go unnoticed in a sea of other great Atlanta dining options. Time will tell. For a defunct restaurant space's owner, pop up restaurants definitely seem like a risk worth exploring.

    But in the mean time, go check out Hudson North and let me know what you think! Hudson North did bring me to Atlantic Station for the first time in more than a year, so maybe others will be encouraged to visit an area that's widely chains/commercial.

    Check out some pictures of the space and the grub:







    Thanks again to Jewel over at Eat.Drink.Shop.Love for inviting me to attend this preview with her! Check her review and commentary here. We had a good time!

    Hudson North
    264 19th St NW
    Atlanta, GA 30363
    404-747-2297

    Category Savvy on Atlanta, Savvy on Food and Drink | Tags: | 4 Comments

  5. Godiva Glambassador Event

    October 12, 2012 by SavvyInTheCity

     

    Jewely from Eat.Drink.Shop.Love was kind enough to include me in the Glambassardor Event at Godiva Salon earlier this week. It's such a treat to have your hair professionally blown out, and an equally great treat to hang out with some fabulous other bloggers/ladies.

    Image care of Eat.Drink.Shop.Love. (If you're curious, that's a Goodwill/thrifted dress ($5 – still had the Macy's tags on it!), a purple/gold Ann Klein watch via eBay ($39) and my new GlassesUSA glasses I still can't seem to take off!)

    Read more about the event over at the fantastic Eat.Drink.Shop.Love blog.

    Category Savvy on Atlanta | Tags: | 2 Comments

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