We had lots of fun walking around ,people watching, listening to music and laughing with friends!

We started off at Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta.  They open at 2:30 pm and for $8.00 you get 8 tickets for tastes of their local brew.  This also includes a tour of the facility.  I was not going to do the tour but it was so freaking hot in that place that I chose to so I could cool off!  It was interesting and the beer is very good.  I wouldn’t mind going back on a less crowded day. 

Next we took the party to Cantina Taqueria and Tequila Bar in Buckhead on the corner of Peachtree and Piedmont.  Keoni and I were the first ones to arrive and ordered some drinks at the bar.  I had a nice malbec that was reasonably priced and Keoni was happy that they had Bacarid Gold!  I really liked the menu because they have lots of  vegetarian selections that sounded delish!  I had spinach enchiladas with cotija cheese, cream roasted peppers and rojo salsa.  They tasted very healthy, they use fresh spinach and they ween’t overly cheesy.  Keoni had a couple of tacos at $3.00 each, one was called the “Trailer Park” with fried chicken, cheese sauce lettuce and pico.  the other was “The Double D” (not sure why it was called that)  with applewood smoked bacon, lettuce and jack cheese.  He loved them and where else can you eat dinner for $6.oo in Buckhead?   Don’t ask how much the alcohol was!  They do have half price bottles of wine on Monday.

A good time was had by all.  Tammy, Chad and some more continued the night at Buckhead Saloon and did a little dancing.  I was ready for bed at 9pm.  Tammy and Chad stayed at a nice hotel in Atlanta with their dog, Chloe and spent the day in Midtown and Piedmont Park.  I think Tammy is ready for the next decade!

Our hotel is just a few blocks from the harbor where there are lots of little shops,boutiques, restaurants and bars and not a chain in sight!  I started walking around 0930 in the morning so businesses were not quite open.  I just enjoyed the glorious temperature somewhere in the 70’s!  I found the place that I wanted to eat that Tammy had mentioned to me (Ya’ll know my friend, Tammy, don’t ya?)  Anyway, it’s called “The Olive Cafe” and it’s mediterranean food, of course.  I chose fish tacos because I wanted some good seafood and they were delish!  They came with sweet potato fries and a little ramekin of homemade salsa and you could choose between blackened or pan-seared.  I chose blackened, at the server’s suggestion.  She told me the restaurant has been opened about a year and a half and everthing is made from scratch there.   There was another place called “”The Farmer’s Table”  that looked interesting with local and organic foods.

Now, I’m really excited about this store that I found!  It’s called LeRoux Kitchen and they have all kinds of cookware, specialty  foods and wine.  They also have locally produced olive oils and vinegars that you can taste!  My favorite was Summer Peach White Balsamic that can be added to salads, vegetables or used as a topping on apples,peaches or pears.  I also chose the Dark Chocolate Balsamic which can be added to sweet or savory dishes.  It can be used in a mole sauce for chicken or pork.  I also bought a Spanish Castile olive oil and some Maine sea salt.  I was a kid in a candy store!

I also found a nice consignment store on Exchange Street called “Second Time Around”.  It was very nicely organized and lots of merchandise but I  didn’t see anything this time that I needed.  I would go back, though.

What a nice treat in the middle of the summer to be in a city that’s not 100 degrees.  Hope I get this trip again!

We ordered 2 appetizers (we had to get our check to $50.00!)  Lee ordered fried green tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, tomato jam and a balsalmic glaze and  they were delicious and a huge portion.  I ordered butterbean hummus with fried tortilla chips and it was good but not as good as the tomatoes.

For our entrees, Lee ordered the bacon wrapped mountain trout served on top of a sweet potato hash with fresh green beans.  It looked wonderful!  I had the grilled grouper sandwich with creole remoulade, spicy slaw, tomatoes, onion and pickles. It was really good!  Some say you should end this meal with the Krisy Kreme Bread Pudding but we had no room! 

I did like this place and would like to go back and enjoy the patio when the weather is nice.

The weather for “Taste of Marietta” was gorgeous!  Our friends, Karen and Hervie, and Va and Mark joined us and we had a wonderful time.  The square is lined up on both sides with vendors with everything from slices of pizza to oxtail stew and just about as much barbecue as you can stand!  Each taste ranges from $1.00 to $4.00 and some of the tastes are pretty good portions.  Keoni, the carnivore, got bacon wrapped chicken at Sal Grosso and bef tenderloin with cheddar mashed potatoes at Aspens.  I got a spinach and feta pie in filo pastry at Kybele, the Turkish place, as well as a stuffed grape leaf (dolmade).  I got an empanada at Kiosco Columbian Restaurant., one of my favorites!  I also tried the shrimp and grits at Henry;s (in Acworth).  Very good!  Their chef is well known even outside of Acworth!  Va had some Phad Thai from Thaicoons and Karen enjoyed a very spicy tamale from Kisoco.

We were there at 11:00 am and by 12:00 it was getting” elbow to elbow” so we retired to the terrace at the top of the Strand Theater for some beer and a birds eye view.  What a great day spent with friends, enjoying good food and glorious spring weather!

The Sweetwater festival in Candler Park was also a fun time.  This is the third year for it and they had some artists and good music and great beer and food.  We did not enjoy the Jonquil festival as much.  There wasn’t much that grabbed my attention, it seemed to be geared toward young kids andsince we don’t have those, we can cross that one off the list for next year!

There were 6 of us in the party, we were greeted warmly by the owner. He had suggestions for us that would give us a variety of dishes and would be served family style. We went along with that after discussing some restrictions, such as, gluten free and vegetarian choices.

We started off with Halim, a spicy vegetarian soup made with pureed mixed vegetables and different kinds of lentils. It was very good and quite spicy! Plates of naan bread made with garlic, cilantro and onions were brought out and that was the best naan bread I’ve ever had! We were served chicken teeka, marinated boneless white meat marinated in a special “tandoori sauce” made with yogurt and spices. This seemed to be a favorite. I wasn’t eating meat so I had Shaag paneer which is chopped spinach with homemade cheese, garlic and spices, okra sauteed with onions and herbs, and aloo daal, potatoes and orange lentils. I loved all of these! We also had a lamb dish and Tandoori shrimp and of course, lots of delcious basmati rice. We had two kinds of chutneys, mango and spicy onion. These complemented all the dishes well. At the end of the meal, each couple was given a delcious yogurt dessert to share. He would have brought more if we’d wanted it.

What a great experience, we felt like we had a personal chef and the restaurant was full! We were all so stuffed when we left and all that food for only $35.00 a couple!

There was a 40 minute wait on this Friday night at 8pm but we were lucky enough to snag a seat at the bar. One of the owner/chefs came right over to clean the area and offered us drinks. We ordered a Carmenere from Chile, which he brought right away. The bar was very busy and our server was also the service bartender. They seem to be known for their specialty martinis but they have a wonderful wine list, as well. We ordered speck (proscuitto) and manchega cheese and drunken goat cheese aged in red wine. This is served with ciabbatta bread and espresso aoili. Delicious! We also had the slow roasted pork cheek tacos served with avocado crema and they were also wonderful and so cute, 4 mini tacos! The potatoes bravos were just ok. The mushroom flatbread was wonderful and a huge portion! It was topped with cremini, oyster and shitake mushrooms and shaved mahon cheese. I was interested in trying the eggplant fries but we were totally full. We even took some of the flatbread home!

A unique concept at the restaurant was their posted “rules” on a large chalkboard beside the bar. One of them was “no cell phones”. I like that idea except it was hard to take pictures of our food! We would definitely go back and try more tapas!

We perused the extensive wine menu and chose a Primotivo that was moderately priced at $34.00 a bottle. It was very good, especially after it had a chance to breathe. The name of it was Enzo, I didn’t see it on the website so I think they may change their wine list often.

For an appetizer, we ordered fried goat cheese with honey. You cannot go wrong with goat cheese! The bread that is brought to the table is so delicious! It’s warm and soft, some wheat and some white, served with olive oil. I ordered a mushroom ragu with 3 different kinds of mushrooms, portabellos, shitake and button. It was wonderful! Keoni ordered halibut with grilled tomatoes, asparagus and tempura battered shrimp on top, served over polenta. Everything was so so good! We will definitely be back,

The cheese and dairy department has about 400 different kinds of cheeses and the eggs are cage-free. The breads are made with organic flours and whole grains.

They have a wonderful selection of wines and beers from many regions and countries.

This is such a fun place to go to be inspired to create a wonderfully fresh and healthy meal!

One of thier appetzers is little peppadews (peppers) stuffed with goat cheese and they served them in a cute little glass. We want to try them next time. I wanted to take a picture for blogging purposes but Keoni didn’t think it was a good idea to ask! They also serve bacon in a glass with peanut butter??? It’s supposed to be good.

They have a great beer list. I had Kira white ale and Keoni had a Bell amber. We sat on the patio and enjoyed the sun!