Sushi with Al

Al and I had lunch at MF Sushi today. He had never been, I always crave sushi, and I owed him lunch.

It was good! Mike and I went there on our first date, and it was very romantic. And expensive! Be prepared for the prices if you go for dinner. For lunch, however, it's quite reasonable. Al and I concluded that that's how they rope you in. You go once for lunch, and when you find out how good it is, you go for dinner, and then they get you!

I digress.

They have sushi lunch specials that range from $10-20. And each one comes with a bowl of miso soup and a generously-sized ginger salad. I loved the salad -- the ginger dressing is very salty and yummy. The miso soup was typical.

The fish itself it very fresh. No complaints. I will definitely come back here for lunch.

Oh, one other thought: I tried, at an earlier date, to order takeout from here, and was unsuccessful. I called their number twice, and both times, was disconnected. Strange.

OK Cafe's mac and cheese and squash casserole is out of this world!

Yesterday, Mom met me out at Lenox to go shopping. Afterward, we went to OK Cafe, one of our favorites. It's so freaking good. It's over in Vinings, but since it's on the way home for Mom, it makes a good stop for her.

The decor inside is fun and kitschy. There's a money tree inside, for example. You know, it's just fun. Interesting artwork. Total diner feel. And hella good food.

OK, OK, I have fallen victim, once again, to ordering only one thing on the menu. But once you know something is good, why would you stray? It's the veggie plate. You get to choose from four of the items on their veggies list, and the options that I always go for are: green beans, steamed cabbage, mac and cheese, and squash casserole.

OK, the green beans and cabbage are your basic run of the mill. But the mac and cheese and the squash casserole is so good, it'll make you cry. The mac is made with several cheeses, not sure which ones, and the squash casserole is also made with cheesy goodness. It's southern cooking like southern cooking should be.

Sunday grub

On my last day in Charlotte, Mike and I finally went over to Mac's Speed Shop to try out their BBQ. It was good! I'd definitely go back there. We each got a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, which comes with slaw and a side. Then we decided to split a veggie plate so we could try out additional sides. So, the sides we had were:

• Mac and cheese: Good, but nothing exceptional.
• Onion rings: Greasy goodness.
• Hush puppies: Heavenly, but they only gave us three! WTF! Don't be stingy!
• Collard greens: That was all Mike. But he seemed to enjoy them.
• Green bean casserole: I wanted to like it more than I did. It was good with the cheese that was baked on the top of it, but not really without it.
• Slaw: OK. Your basic slaw.
• BBQ: Yum!
  

They also have a HUGE beer selection. I was a tad hungover, so no beer for me. Could be a good place to grab a beer or two on the weekend, even if it is a restaurant first and foremost.

I'd definitely go back here.

For dinner, we were not very hungry since we snacked at the mall, so we just got the Insalata Carrabba from Carabba's, as well as a bowl of a lentil soup that we split. It was yummy! We also got a strawberry cheesecake, because we are gluttonous. Note to self: be sure to check the bag before leaving the restaurant. We ended up with a small bowl of minestrone instead of our strawberry topping. Mike also asked for them to add chicken to the salad, but they didn't. Booooo.

They did include some crusty bread, which was nice. Even though we didn't eat it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mike and I finally got to celebrate V-day by going to Lulu's, a small restaurant over in Elizabeth. Mike had gotten the idea to come here based on the recommendation of a foodie he knows. Specifically, she noted that the cheese that they serve on the antipasti plate was yummy, so we ordered that to start. It was very tasty! The star of the plate was these little pepperocini peppers that were stuffed with a meat and cheese. Mike loved those. Quite tasty.

Dinner was good, although nothing fantastic. Mike ordered a steak and fries dish. The steak was fine, but nothing special. The sauce he had was good. The fries were overcooked. I ordered a veal special that was served with a shrimp risotto and asparagus. It was good to me, but the sauce they had was a bit bland. Mike hated it.

The dining experience was nice, but not really romantic. We had a somewhat snooty French waiter who was damn near impossible to understand. But I did like the space. It would make for a good first date spot, I think.

After dinner, Mike and I headed to a wine bar called Dolce Vita Wine Bar. This was a neat space. It was a young crowd, probably college students, and wasn't too crowded, so we were able to get a table to watch the live music. It was a mix of good talent, and others with not as much talent but plenty of charisma. It must have been an open-mic night. We were certainly entertained. The wine was nice too. Check out Mike's review of this place on Yelp.

We then went to another bar after that. Too drunk to recall the place, sadly. It is probably a good place for a casual night of beers.

Back in Charlotte

I'm in Charlotte again this weekend. I was supposed to go last weekend, but came down with a nasty flu, so Mike and I had to postpone our Valentine's plans until now. I left the office at 5:15PM, and arrived at Mike's at exactly 9:15PM. With it being a rainy Friday afternoon, I think that four hours is pretty good timing!

Mike and I went over to Nikko's for dinner, and boy, was it a party over there or what! I expected this place to close at 10 or so, but it was open until midnight. We attempted to order something that we saw someone else order last time we were there. We chose poorly. What we ended up getting was some sort of salmon roll that was deep fried. It wasn't very good at all. The rest of our meal was the basic stuff we've gotten before. Nothing much worth mentioning again. Except that I thought our first time there was better than this time. This time wasn't bad. Just not as good.

This morning, after being abruptly awoken by a construction worker continually making a banging noise, we decided to grab bagel sammies at Owen's Bagel & Deli. The guy making our sandwiches was really nice and helpful. There are about 10 types of bagels -- and they call "everything" bagels "combo". Whatev.

Mike got a bacon, egg, and American on an onion bagel. I got a sausage, egg, and Meunster on a combo bagel. Verdict? The sausage wasn't very good at all, and I found myself enjoying my bagel more when there wasn't a bite of meat in it. Mike's was great. The bacon is definitely the way to go.

Oh, and the bagels are steamed! It's good. They're not mushy like I was expecting them to be. They're good! Just don't get the sausage.

I'm done with the Subway at 10th and Piedmont

I used to love going to this Subway. I know that they are all about the same, but at this one, I could:
a) order online
b) get to it easily
c) get in and out quickly because it's ready when I get there
d) pay with a debit card
e) the sandwiches were always made well
f) the guys who ran it were super nice and knew me by face.

So, now?

New owners.

How could it be that bad? Well, for one thing, they only accept cash. I mean, come ON. Really? REALLY?? In this day and age, I can't use a debit card at the local Subway?!

OK, so my list again:
a) order online
I can still do this.

b) get to it easily
No longer -- not with the construction on 10th AND on Piedmont

c) get in and out quickly because it's ready when I get there,
There's never any parking anymore, probably related to the construction

d) pay with a debit card,
Nope. Cash only.

e) the sandwiches were always made well
The last sandwich I got was so poorly wrapped the food partially fell out of it in the plastic bag.

f) the guys who ran it were super nice and knew me by face.
The new woman sneered at me, and didn't appear to know more vocabulary than the words "Cash only" and a couple of gesturing grunts. But I'm assuming that she is indeed literate because the last time I stopped by, there was a sign on the locked door saying that they had to close temporarily, with no further explanation, despite the fact that there was no warning of this when I ordered online. I understand that the application might not be built to handle this, but it does ask for my cell phone number, which they could have called to save me the trip.

Unfortunately, that was the most convenient Subway to me, so I'm going to have to find a replacement store. Sigh... I really liked those other guys.

Chicken and Brie: nom nom nom

I met Kelley out for dinner at 97 Estoria. This place is just a stone's through from her place, and is quite great. It might be a tad intimidating for the yuppy-at heart -- you'd almost think it'd be a pre-req to have a tattoo before stepping into this place -- but the food is delicious, and the beer is cold. And I'm sure my boyfriend would like me to note: they have pitchers of PBR.

I always get the chicken and brie sandwich when I go here. It's so freaking good. I mean, really. Even now, after thinking about it, I want to go over there and get a sammy to go. Alas, I am at home on the couch with the flu. Bugger!

They also serve potato chips with blue cheese on top. That's quite delicious too, although I couldn't see making a whole meal out of it, and it's a gigantic serving. But a good idea if you have a group.


One final thought: this place is hella smoky. Don't plan on wearing anything that can't easily be washed.

Hanging out in Vinings

Ginny, an old friend from high school, came to visit all the way from Charleston. Laura organized a girl's night out, which turned out to be in Vinings. After sipping on some cocktails, five of us ventured down the hill to eat at Garrison's.

This is a great restaurant. Well, actually, I don't know how affirmatively I can say that: I've only been there twice, and I ordered the same thing both times. But others more adventurous than I agree that it is very tasty. There are two other locations besides Vinings: Perimeter and Duluth.

I ordered the lobster bisque and the house salad, which is greens tossed in raspberry vinaigrette with sundried cherries, walnuts, apples and bleu cheese. The salad was a bit overdressed, so I'd order it again with the dressing on the side. But overall, YUM!

We also had drinks. Note to self: be sure to say you only want your martini lightly dirty.

After dinner, we went to Meehan's for a cocktail or three. Interestingly enough, there were cops in there with cops-in-training, and they were asking people if they wanted to participate in field sobriety tests for the sake of teaching a trainee on a legitimately drunk person. Amanda volunteered, and I was able to take some incriminating photos: insta-blackmail.

The bar was nice -- I'd definitely go back.

Mellow Mushroom, you were soggy!

I had Mellow Mushroom at an office lunch yesterday, and I just feel it's my duty to disclose just how soggy that pizza was. Okay, okay, i know that it was a bulk order, and it's possible it had been sitting out for a few minutes. But no more than 10 minutes, I assure you!

The pizza was inedible without a fork. And was super greasy. I will eat Mellow Mushroom again, but I will be prepared for soggy pizza.

No idea who's playing: I just like to throw parties

Sunday night, I hosted a Super Bowl party with a small group of friends. Just like last year, I ordered BBQ from Daddy D'z. It's super easy, super good, and everyone seems to like it.

This year went well. I ordered 4lb of BBQ for about 12 people, and I had enough leftovers to send some home with a few people, plus enough for several sammies for me. I also ordered slaw -- six servings, which was way more than enough. I document this, because I couldn't remember how much I ordered last year, and want to be sure I have enough, but not too much, for next year.

This year, I took people up on them bringing stuff. Al brought chips, Amanda brought four dips, Laura brought buns and pickles, and Amber surprised us with her homemade pinwheels. Note to self: don't tell a person to bring buns if she isn't going to get there promptly.

Daddy D'z is the bomb. First, let me just say how friggin' nice they are there. Both times I've called ahead for BBQ, I've talked to super friendly people who went out of their way to help me plan for the event. And the BBQ is just really good. I highly recommend!

The Giants won. Yayyyy. That's about the total excitement you'll get from me about pro football.

A new brunch spot!

For brunch on Sunday, Mike and I went to Solstice Cafe over in Grant Park. I read about it on Yelp, and wasn't disappointed at all! First, there was no wait, and we were able to sit outside, as it was really nice on Sunday.

I ordered the BLFGT (Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato sandwich), which had goat cheese on it. SO. GOOD. It was served with their house salad, which had pears, strawberries, and goat cheese in it. Two major thumbs up.

I'm trying to remember what Mike ordered, but I can't seem to recall. Probably because I was engrossed in my own mean. I do remember that had homefries with his that were crunchy and good. Good thing to remember, since few places seem to prepare decent breakfast potatoes.

Oh, and they serve little bottle Cokes. Cute.

Only critique is that our friendly server fell off the face of the earth at the end of the meal, and finally Mike had to round her up inside. But my sandwich was totally worth the small inconvenience. I'll definitely be back.

Sotto Sotto

For dinner, Mike and I went to Sotto Sotto, which was great! The location was very trendy and pretty romantic. First, we had a round of martinis, and the bartender didn't over-dirty mine, which was nice.

For our appetizer, we ordered the antipasto plate. I was highly impressed on the serving amounts! Plenty of times, I've gotten a similar item for a similar price point and gotten such measly serving sizes. With this plate, you got three types of cheese, a variety of olives, and three types of meat. There was so much on the plate that we never finished it all.

For dinner, I ordered risotto. I'd never had it before, and I must say, it's pretty good! The one I ordered had wild mushrooms in it. I was expecting the texture to be mushier than it was, but it tastes very much just like rice, but with a creaminess to it. Thumbs up!

Mike ordered a duck breast pasta. It was good too, but I liked mine more. His tasted to me very much like lasagna. For dessert (yes, we went all out!), we had their ricotta cheesecake. SO GOOD. It was topped with some type of cherry and cherry sauce, and the crust was served on top, somehow. It was quite yummy.

Oh, I should also mention that we had a glass each of the barolo wine. I didn't look at the wine menu, so that's all I can say about the type of wine. But it was hella good. Worth remembering -- I'd definitely drink that again.

Final thought: the valet guys were hilarious. Mike and I were highly entertained.

Whoa! Lay off the eggs, will ya?

I coerced Mike into hiking Stone Mountain on Saturday, so we actually woke up at a decent hour on Saturday so that we wouldn't waste the day away.

Before heading out to the park, we wanted to get a quick breakfast, so we stopped at Highland Bakery to get a sandwich. Wow, this place gets packed! I had only been once before, at 7AM on a weekday -- let's just say that it wasn't quite as bustling at it was on Saturday AM.

The layout was a bit claustrophobic. Not of the restaurant, mind you, but of the wait area. I easily get anxious when stuck in a tight space, so I backed myself up against a wall while we waited for our food. Next time, we'll have to actually wait for a table, and hopefully that will be a bit more sane.

My bacon, egg, and cheese croissant was good, but oily. And whoa, did they put a lot of egg on it or what? I started pulling egg out of it because there was just too much. By the time I had finished my sandwich, there was enough egg left over to create two servings. And I left a bunch on my sandwich. I wouldn't be surpised if there were about 6 eggs on my sandwich.

Mike is here!

Mike was in town this weekend, and we tried a variety of new places this weekend, which was quite fun and quite yummy!

On Friday night, we went for a late dinner at Sala, which is up-scale Mexican dining in the Highlands. The ambiance inside is really nice, and we had a waiter that was really helpful. We ordered taquitos for the appetizer (a last minute change by Mike -- I had heard the cheese dip, made with goat cheese, was ridiculous), which was okay.

The main courses arrived: I ordered Pollo con Espinacas, based on the recommendation of the server, and my expectations were not let down. It was so good! The only complaint was that I expected the chicken to be boneless. And for the most part it was! But there was a small bone in the dish which was hard to cut around without splashing little drops of cream sauce on myself.

Mike ordered beef enchiladas, which I think he enjoyed. In my opinion (and I think secretly in his), my dish was better.

We both got prickly pear margaritas, which were served with no ice. They were really tart, making us wish we had ice in our glasses, so for our second round, we made the request, and they were happy to oblige.

At the end of dinner, we migrated to the bar to finish our second drink. Mike got a wild hair to try some tequilas, so we discussed with the bartender. Criteria: we want something good, but not Patron, and not too terribly expensive. He promptly pulled down a bottle, and poured us some shots.

I sadly can't remember the name of the tequila, but I thought it was good! I'll have to ask Mike if he remembers the name of it... He also gave us a small taste of another tequila, which was much smokier. I preferred the first, and we contentedly sipped our shots, and pretended like we were tequila connoisseurs.