Here's a list of places that make me happy to live in Atlanta :)
I LOVE the Sundial! It's located at the top of the Westin in downtown Atlanta, and I've been going there since I was a child. You can see all the way to Stone Mountain, which is such a treat for a little kid!
Recently I introduced Jimmy to the Sundial, and he loved it too. There's something about sipping a White Russian while taking a 360° spin around the skyline that just says "Welcome to Atlanta!"
To be 100% honest, I've never eaten there... so perhaps this deserves the title of my favorite bar in Atlanta...
Ever since 6th grade I've had a fairly fanatical obsession with The Indigo Girls. Galileo had me at first listen, and the CDs have been staples in my car ever since. When they opened Watershed here in Atlanta, I was desperate to go. While I loved the Decatur location, I have to say that the new Peachtree location is much better. It's closer to my house, and I love the design. I've heard the fried chicken is out of this world, but I was delighted with my gluten free veggie plate as well. The servers are wonderfully knowledgeable about which items are gluten free and which can be made gluten free, which is so refreshing. Jimmy's taking me there for dinner tonight... lucky me!
Sophie's is a cute little cafe/bakery on Pharr Road. They publish a gluten free menu every day that includes quiches, soups and even sandwiches. I whole heartedly recommend the tomato soup (ask for an extra pack of Saltines). The sandwich was good, but I'm not a huge fan of gluten free bread. I have to say though, sometimes you just need a sandwich. They also donate to homeless pets, which makes me feel good about eating there.
4. Houston's
If you don't like Houston's you don't like Atlanta. I'm serious. Every time you go to Houston's you know what you're going to get. Here's a list of the absolute best things at Houston's in case you live in a hole: Spinach dip, French Dip, chicken fingers + fries + colesalw, salad with the chicken fingers on it (forget the name), crab cakes, vegetable plate, Hickory Burger, tortilla soup, grilled artichoke, bbq chicken. FYI, I just asked Lindley (my bff) what her favorite things were at Houston's. She launched into a list that included the grilled chicken salad subbing in chicken fingers and the sleeper favorite smoked salmon, which nobody ever gets because you'd be a fool not to order the the spinach dip or artichoke heart. Kids who were raised in Atlanta and went to Westminster love Houston's as much UGA grads like the Bulldogs. It's a thing. By the way... if you go there and tell them you are gluten free they will make you almost anything on the menu gluten free.... except the chicken fingers, which crushed a little piece of my soul.
Lindley and I love Mexican food more than anything. When we lived together at UGA we would go to the La Parilla on Prince at least 5 times a week (sometimes twice a day if we just had to). We would go to the drug store next door and buy gossip magazines. Then we would go in to La Parilla and order two giant mugs of beer in the frostiest glasses you've ever seen. We'd spend at least 45 minutes drinking our beers and eating bean dip before we ordered our taco salads (her's with no cheese... we were on weight watchers, of course). The whole experience would take at least two hours, but the servers never said anything to us because we were probably their best customers. Though we left Athens at least 15 lbs heavier, we also left with holes in our hearts that no frosty beer or taco salad could ever fill... not to say we haven't tried. We've probably tried every mexican restaurant in the city, and we rate them all... though that's a different blog post for a different day. Suffice it to say we like Nuevo Loreado the best. They have the best salsa and the best taco salads. I know some of you are jumping out of your chair because I didn't say Jalisco's, but give me a break... I like what I like. The salsa at Jalisco's is a touch too hot, and I can't go in there wearing pajama pants and a sweat shirt because I'll run into like 30 people I know. Last night Lindley and I went over to Nuevo Loreado, and I carried a little plastic bag of gluten free chips. My Bud Light bottle was cold, but it was no frosty mug. At the end of the day I say if you can't drive to Athens, you're best option is to hit up Nuevo Loreado. As a side note, be careful wearing you're pajamas because you'll most likely see someone you know ;)
Tomorrow I'll work on finishing the list. Have a great night everybody!
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Beautiful home on Valley... and THOSE LAST FEW LBS!
Before I left for vacation I shot Glennis Beacham's beautiful new listing at 285 Valley Road. Rod Collins went back a few days later and got some amazing night shots. I wanted to share the photos with you.
The approach to this Frazire and Bodin house is breathtaking.
The home was built in 1934 but totally renovated/updated by Spitzmiller and Norris in 2000. I love the look of ivy growing on a house. It's such a classic Atlanta look.
I loved the foyer as soon as I saw it. A curved staircase gets me every time!
The formal living room and dining room are perfect, and they both have that "old Atlanta" look.
This is my favorite room in the house. It's a study with a fireplace off the master where you can curl up with a good book.
The chef's kitchen has an office and looks out over the family room.
This warm family room with beams and a fireplace opens to an exquisite screened porch overlooking the pool.
Here it is!
The wine cellar has the coolest ceiling. I could spend some time in there for sure.
This is my other favorite room, a cool office on the terrace level. I would never go to work again. I'd just be writing this blog from my own personal in-home office.
I'm loving this night shot. It really shows off the porch.
And we end with the darling play house. How cute is that? I want it!
There is also a three car garage with a full apartment above it.
For more information on this listing please go to beacham.com.
In other news I started a new diet on Monday... gag. I don't really like dieting. About 2.5 years ago I went on a major diet/lifestyle change to shed leftover college weight. I am not the most athletic person... and by that I mean carrying in my groceries and putting them away sometimes exhausts me, but I started doing bootcamp. I got a "stress fracture" (questionable) within the first two weeks and decided to stop. Determined to lose the weight, I started swimming at the Piedmont Hospital Gym. With regular swimming and changing a few things I ate, the weight slowly came off of me. After about 8 months I lost 20 pounds. That's great, right? Well, it is except that my goal was to lose 25 pounds for regular life and 30 pounds for my wedding day. (Yes, I was thinking about my wedding day 2.5 years ago. I've probably thought about it every day since I was like 18. Pathetic? Probably, but it's true.) So, after I lost 20 pounds I accepted that it was about all I was going to lose and decided to stop dieting and enjoy life. That's when I met Jimmy. Throughout our relationship I've managed to basically maintain the same weight, which I'm pretty proud of to be honest. :)
Now that the threat of walking down the aisle and having people stare at my back (not my favorite feature) is real, I've decided to kick it into high gear and lose those last few pesky pounds (I'll be honest, two weeks of sipping frozen drinks on vacation didn't really help). While I was shooting a house on Monday someone mentioned the Dukan Diet to me.
I remembered hearing about this when Kate Middleton got married.
And if it works for her it could obviously work for me... right? (fingers crossed).
So I decided to give it a try. Click on this link to read Cosmo's summary of the diet. Basically you eat just protein for a few days and then eat protein and green vegetable for a little while until you reach your goal weight. Easy right?
I started on Tuesday and I've already lost 3.4 pounds! It's like magic! I'm pretty pleased with the results, except that it makes me feel a little light headed and makes my muscles ache a little bit. (Alarming? Possibly.)
Yesterday was my first day eating vegetables, so I celebrated with a nice stir fry.
You can also eat oat bran pancakes. I know they may sound gross, but believe me, after two days of eating straight meat they tast like the absolute best things in the world. Ask Jimmy. I think I sighed a little when I tasted them for the first time. It was like cornbread right off the griddle.
I was really impressed with the meal and think I could probably stay on the diet for a little while. So have a great weekend enjoying your beers and your french fries... I'll be dieting.
Who am I kidding... I'm trying a gluten free beer right after work ;).
Love you guys! See you next week!
