My New Car!

2007 Mazda 3s Grand Touring Hatchback



Zoom Zoom!

What's Up, Athens?

First there was this -- the yarn spill.

And now there is this -- the Coke wreck.

Be careful out there on the 10 Loop!

Gourmet Dining, Part Three

Bacchus -- the god of wine and revelry; also known as Dionysus

Bacchanalia -- the riotous, boisterous revels associated with Bacchus; also, an award-winning restaurant in Atlanta

Last night, Max and I celebrated our first three years with an anniversary dinner at Bacchanalia, ranked by Zagat as the #1 restaurant in Atlanta for 11 years in a row! While our evening wasn't really riotous or boisterous, it was definitely marked by incredible wine and culinary revelry.

This was our third "fine dining" excursion here in Atlanta. Our first stop was the now-defunct Seeger's in January 2005; then, we celebrated both Christmas and New Year's at the ridiculously upscale Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead last December. Bacchanalia has become my momentary favorite, mainly because we could enjoy the gourmet cuisine in a more relaxed environment.

After starting the evening with our favorite gin cocktails (gin and tonic for Max, gin gimlet for me), we were treated to not one but two amuses-bouches -- a bite-sized puff pastry filled with cheese and a small sipping cup of cold potato soup topped with pickled onion. Then the fun really began!

For starters, I selected the trochon of foie gras, a sinfully creamy disc of liver served with what appeared to be chunks of -- I kid you not -- peanut brittle. The buttery warmth of the foie gras in combination with the crunchy sweetness of the brittle was an unexpected delight. Max started with a heaping bowl of pan fried sweetbreads that had been stewed in a luscious brown sauce with potatoes and onions. Who knew pancreas could be so delicious? Seriously, that bowl of "sweetbreads stew" could make for some mighty expensive comfort food!

For the main course, Max opted for the deliciously savory grilled duck breast served with spicy corn pancakes while I went for the tenderloin "pot au feu," consisting of three crazy-tender slices of beef tenderloin, a Kobe short rib, a rich beef broth filled with green beans, onions, and garlic, and a ... giant bone from which I dug out the decadent marrow with a specially-designed "spoon." (Note: marrow = pure fat, not so tasty, and the only unappealing portion of the meal.) (Additional note: I've eaten marrow. Have you?)

At Bacchanalia, the third course is called "cheese and contrast." My cheese was a creamy, fresh-made goat's milk cheese contrasted with pickled beets and sprinkled with arugula. I used to make fun of my mother for eating beets. I have to apologize. Those beets were delicious -- and I have the blood-red beet juice stains on my white dress shirt to prove it! Max's cheese was a parmigiano-reggianno contrasted with caramelized dates, dates so caramelized that Max said they tasted like a date cake!

Speaking of cake...dessert! At Bacchanalia each dinner really gets TWO desserts because prior to being served the dessert you've ordered, you are presented with an "intermezzo." Last night's "intermezzo" was an incredible lemon-buttermilk panna cotta topped with fresh blueberries and an almond granola. (I would have left satisfied if this had been the one-and-only dessert!) Max's choice for his actual dessert was a goat's cheesecake sitting atop a sweet brittle and topped with fresh blackberries. I opted for the inexplicably delicious summer squash cake, topped with a dollop of ice cream and served with slivers of caramelized slices of summer squash!

As seems to be the rule at most fine dining establishments, dessert is not the end of your meal because you are always presented with petit-fors -- caramelized grapefruit, brown sugar shortbread, hazelnut brownies, and madeleines. After lingering over coffee for a few minutes, we were presented with another surprise on our way out of the restaurant -- two loaves of bread (multi-grain and olive), one of which we have made into toast and are currently eating as our breakfast.

Summer Road Trip 2007!

Max and I are just home from an exciting car trip across the Southern half of the United States -- a journey that started in New Mexico and ended right here at home in the ATL. I have a photoset here and Max has one here. What follows is a brief overview of our travels.

New Mexico
My first trip to New Mexico was definitely memorable -- from the striking landscapes and the lovely dry and cool weather to the simply delicious green chile-smothered enchilada at The Shed and the deliciously gross green chile cheeseburger at Blake's Lotaburger. Santa Fe was a marvel: a state capitol with no tall buildings, a sense of history, a walkable downtown, and a strong cultural identity. The United World College of the American West was also marvelous. The UWC educates some of the brightest minds in the world from an unassuming location tucked away in the mountains of rural New Mexico.


Oklahoma City
Our tour of state capitals continued in Oklahoma City, a clean, well-manicured city with an impeccably neat-and-tidy downtown. We were able to stroll through the revitalized area known as Bricktown, visit the National Memorial (created to honor those affected by the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building), and the Myriad Botanical Gardens. We also stayed in a super, upscale, trendy, and posh hotel -- the Colcord -- in a sweet corner room on the 11th floor overlooking the lights of downtown OKC.




Little Rock
Our next stop was in Little Rock, Arkansas (yet another state capital, though we didn't intentionally plan on visiting only state capitals). In Little Rock, we stayed at a charming bed-n-breakfast, the Rosemont, and we ate a great local restaurant, the Starving Artist Cafe. We were also able to visit Little Rock Central High School, site of a famous moment in our nation's movement toward integrated public schools, and the River Market District, Little Rock's move toward revitalizing its downtown area. The highlight of the trip to Little Rock, without a doubt, was our trip to the Clinton Presidential Library, a gorgeous modern built along the Arkansas River.

Oxford
Our final destination was Oxford, Mississippi, home to both the University of Mississippi and William Faulkner (arguably one of America's finest novelists). The campus of Ole Miss was beautiful, well-designed, and stately. Rowan Oak, Faulkner's home, was appropriately gothic, hidden behind rows of trees and concealed by an abundance of forest growth. The home seemingly stands as it did when Faulkner was alive -- the university has, thankfully, done little to commercialize the home. The Oxford town square -- known as the "Center of the Universe" to the locals -- was also a pleasant surprise, offering a variety of great restaurants (we especially enjoyed our Southern lunch at the Ajax Diner) and bookstores.

Vote in My Poll!

The poll question to the left is NOT an ad.

I've added the new Blogspot "poll" feature.

So...I've created a question with four possible choices (all in good fun)!

07/11/07

Happy Birthday, Max!

Do you know the way to Santa Fe?

I Can Cook, Too!

Several factors inspired my baking frenzy yesterday. For one, Max, the household baker, is away in New Mexico eating lots of green chiles. Secondly, we had lots of potential ingredients just lying around potentially going to waste. Finally...I really wanted some cake, yo!

So...I pulled out our best cookbook -- the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook -- and proceeded to follow the instructions for Emergency Chocolate Cake (which substitutes mayonnaise, of all things, for oil and eggs) and Vanilla Frosting.

Technically, the Emergency Chocolate Cake is meant to be a sheet cake, but I wanted a layer cake, so I doubled the recipe and made two round cakes. After the requisite amount of cooling time, I made the delicious Vanilla Frosting -- essentially butter, confectioner's sugar, and heavy cream, spun into fluffy goodness.

I dedicate this creation to my friends Anna and Mary Ann, both of whom claim this cake as their personal favorite!

EMERGENCY CHOCOLATE CAKE
Whisk together dry ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda. Whisk together wet ingredients: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add the wet to the dry and mix thoroughly. Place in a prepared pan. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes.

VANILLA FROSTING
Stir together 2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt until the salt dissolves. Beat 2 1/2 sticks of softened, unsalted butter for about 60 seconds. Slowly add 2 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar to the butter and continue to beat until smooth (about 5 minutes). Add the cream mixture and continue to beat on medium-high until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 8 minutes).

Look What I Bought at Target!

A computer genius cat!



Yes, I'm posting pictures of the cat! Why? Well, for one thing, they make me LAUGH. Mostly, though, they are for Max, catless in New Mexico!

My Favorite 4th of July Pic

From today's NYTimes:

Angenique "Sugar" Holmes of Ft. Worth, TX

I Can Haz Cold Yogurtz Plz?

Randomness

From today's Athens Banner-Herald:

"Yarn spill ties up traffic"




"Woman overcomes personal struggles through Hula-Hooping"



Such is life in Northeast Georgia.

From Miss Cantaloupe to Miss Georgia to...

Here's one last pageant-related post (until Miss America rolls around -- whenever and wherever that may be).

The new Miss Georgia, Leah Massee, is a 23 year-old graduate of Valdosta State University (that makes two winners in a row for VSU) with a degree in Communications. She aspires to be a corporate events planner. She is a native of Fitzgerald, Georgia, and this was her third attempt at the Miss Georgia title. Leah is a talented vocalist and her platform issue is the Children's Miracle Network (conveniently this is also the Miss America Organization's new "national platform").

Today's Columbus paper has an interview with Leah and the WRBL site has posted videos of the crowing and of Leah's post-pageant interview with the local media.

There She Is...

Leah Massee, Miss Georgia 2007


3rd Runner-up, Caitlin Andrews; 1st Runner-up, Kelley Bradshaw; Miss Georgia 2007, Leah Massee; 2nd Runner-up, Chasity Hardman; and 4th Runner-up, Christina McCauley

How accurate were my own personal observations? Below is the page on which I quickly jotted down the names of those I thought would be in contention on Saturday night. I wrote this down just after Friday night's preliminary competitions were over.