#debates2016 – part deux

for those of you who are not connected with me on good ‘ole facebook, let me catch you up:  a few weeks ago before the first presidential debate, i posted “what do you think presidential candidates do before a debate?  do you think they eat their favorite foods and listen to their favorite music?  i hope so, and if it were me, it’d be raining #cheezits and #beyonce would be on full blast.”  that was part one, and part one was a hoot!  a bunch of my friends responded to this prompt and i decided to take action.  this evening i gathered all the suggested snacks and enjoyed them in the comforts of my hotel room.  cheez-its?  check.  kit-kats?  check.  cheetos?  check.  the only one i wasn’t able to get specifically were the dunkaroos suggested by courtney.  the hotel airport shops seem to not carry them!  so, in their place i had the on-the-go nutella/breadstick combo.  quite tasty, if i do say so myself!

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now, i had every intention of eating these things while actually watching the second presidential debate; however, my flight from lax to sacramento was wildly delayed.  as such, i spent those couple of hours on the plane, sipping chardonnay in first class.  i mean, if you’re going to be delayed, i suppose being delayed in first class is doable.  #freeupgrade!

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anyway.  in addition to the favorite foods part of this question, i also put together a special #debates2016 playlist on spotify.  per the suggestions of my amigos, it is a delightful mash-up of beyonce, britney spears, rihanna, marc broussard, miley cyrus, and girl talk.  girl talk was a new group to me, and i very much enjoyed their hip hop remixes in between marc’s touchy feely ballads, especially his Christmas album.  give me more of that “holy night”, marc!

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now, with one more presidential debate scheduled for wednesday, october 19th, i want to get the people involved.  i want you all to give me more of your snack and song favorites that i will happily consume and listen to in a couple weeks.  this menu is going to be of the people and for the people, just how it should be!  so, please be part of the fun and see how it all turns out!

p.s.  if anyone feels like recommending a jimmy john’s #9, i’d be just fine with that.  😀

peachtree road race 2016

(From Milo) It is an honor and privilege to write this blog/story about the 2016 Peachtree Road Race (PRR).

I’ll start at the end, then go to the beginning:  THE PEACTHREE ROAD RACE WAS A COMPLETE HOME RUN!

The Backstory.

In 2015 I was in Atlanta to watch Kyle, Kelsey, and Clark participate in the PRR.  I had never  been to or seen a 10k event.  WOW!  I was happy to be there for Kyle, Kelsey, and Clark and was amazed to see thousands of others run/walk down Peachtree Street in Atlanta.  Seeing folks my age and older running/walking got me to thinking.  Heck, if they could do this maybe I could also.

The Decision.

Shortly after the first of the year, I got to thinking and decided that I would participate in the 2016 PRR.  I told the kids and decided to start my “training.”  I was lucky; there is another member of my local YMCA who is a fitness junkie.  I told him about my decision and asked if he would help “coach” and prepare me.  Two big points here.  First, he told me to buy a new pair of “running” shoes; apparently my $12.00 Walmart special was not the proper footwear.  As my kids know, I tend to be on the thrifty side, but I went to my local sporting goods store and found a pair of running shoes that were on sale.  Second, my “coach” told me to get off of the elliptical machine I was using and told me to start on the treadmill.  I did.  OUCH.  The treadmill is a much, much different machine, using different and more muscles, so on and so forth.  The “coach” told me to put the treadmill setting on 15 (this is the steepest incline) and just start working.  I did.

2016 PRR.

Ah, the big event was finally here!

I drove from Birmingham to Atlanta the day before the PRR.  I was completed psyched!  The night before the PRR, Kari’s family hosted a group for dinner.  The dinner was terrific.  We had a private room where the food was served family-style.  Kari’s nephew and nieces were there, and we even created a brand new event, the Stark Family Green Bean Eating Contest!  Austin, Aubrey, and Kaley did a great job eating the green beans with their hands.  I’d say the event finished in a tie.  Next year I hope there will be the Stark Family Green Bean Eating Contest round #2, and we’ll get Elle and Evie in on the fun.  Stay tuned!

Maxx Gruber.  As you probably know, Kelsey’s boyfriend Phillip is a very, very talented piano player and singer.  I gave him his stage name of Maxx Gruber.  Sound of Music fans can probably figure out how I came up with this stage name.  Anyway!  Through divine intervention, a piano appeared in the private room that we had at the restaurant.  With a thunderous round of applause, Maxx Gruber, direct from his recent appearance at the Hilton in Barcelona, agreed to played a few songs.  Maxx was fabulous!  Kari’s sister-in-law Sara, with the support of several glasses of wine, joined Maxx for a few songs.  All the kids made appearances to join Maxx also.

Race Day.  I was out of my mind that race day was here.  Kelsey, Maxx, and I got up to enjoy a European-style breakfast (half an English muffin and half a banana).  We then made our way to the start of the PRR.  Cue the dramatic music!  We made our way to the start of our wave, a large group of people with approximately the same running/walking speed and skill.  Thousands and thousands of people!  People in front of us, people behind us, huge American flag.  The energy, enthusiasm, and anticipation were terrific!

Closer and closer we were approaching the start line.  I was already sweating but who cared.  Closer and closer.  The next thing I know we had crossed the starting line and were “in” the PRR.  Good news/bad news.  My training had all been uphill, and the actual PRR course is mostly downhill.  My knees and my ankles were not prepared for that, but I didn’t care!  Kelsey, Maxx, and I were in the PRR.  I then noticed many good things.  We were passing people!  We were passing people younger than me!  FYI, I was sweating even more now.  The participants and crowd along the PRR route were shouting and supporting us.  I responded by shouting out many of my classic 100+ phrases, sayings, etc…  We passed a Catholic church on the route where a priest was tossing “holy water.”  I said to him, “Come on Padre, hit me with the water!”  Such inspiration!

Luckily the temperature was warm but not oppressively hot.  A cooling, gentle breeze was also present.  Maxx surely brought this breeze with him from Barcelona.  Good for me, about 50% of the PRR course was in the shade.  While still sweating, these factors worked to our benefit.  A short time later, we were crossing the finish line.  I MADE IT!  I MADE IT!  I MADE IT!  I did the PRR.  Sharing the course with Kelsey and Maxx was great.  The other runners/walkers made it great.  The crowd supporting us throughout the course was great.

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The after-race.  I’m thinking that I set the PRR record for “ounces sweated off.”  Yeah.  I had a terrific time.  My knees and ankles were screaming for mercy, but it was all worth it.  Would I do the PRR again?  YES!

Suggestion.  if you live in or near Atlanta, you need to do the PRR.  If you have family/friends in or neat Atlanta, do the PRR as a group.  Encourage your parents to be involved – it was great.  If I can make it, anyone can!!!

A special note of thanks to Kyle, Kelsey, Kari, and Maxx for putting up with my witty banter, my sense of humor, etc…

Idea.  For 2017, maybe we could have a group of Kelsey’s blog friends join and run/walk as an entire group.  A brand “new audience!”

vegan week day 5

okay, everyone, i know you all are just on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear how #veganweek wrapped up for phillip and me.  well, to quote barry manilow (and honor his beagle named bagel), i’ll just say that “it looks like we made it.”  somehow, some way, we made it through #veganweek.

did i like all the food we ate during #veganweek?  yes, and most of it i would absolutely make it again.  the hard part about it all is that i know how delicious some of my favorite foods are, and all week i was denying myself those tasty pleasures.  i wouldn’t say those cravings were overwhelming, but it became a mental game at some point.  just one more day, one more hour, one more moment!  that’s truly what it came down to.

so, friday night arrived and we met up with a bunch of friends at a local tavern called hobnob for dinner.  i’d already taken a look at the menu before we showed up, so i knew there would be a few options.  i started off with the allagash white beer and phillip treated himself to terrapin brewery’s peach brew of the summer season, which was appropriately sweet and refreshing for the hot night outside.

hooray beer!

hooray beer!

as we gabbed and caught up with one another, it was quite a test of will whether or not i would cave in or push through one more meal for #veganweek.  i tried not to let my eyes wander to the other tables that had steaming plates full of what looked like delectable pub food piled high.  by some miracle i stuck to my commitment and ordered the veggie burger while phillip tried the piedmont burger.  now, these burgers looked delicious as the wacky waitress placed them in front of us, but the taste was a different story entirely.  after taking just one bite of the falafel patty (which itself wasn’t too bad), every bite from there on out tasted like falafel.  seriously, it was like there was no distinction of flavor among the different ingredients.  i couldn’t even finish it, which i think says something about the dish but also about my waning excitement for #veganweek.  i wish i could say phillip’s experience was better, but unfortunately it was not.  as the first meal containing meat all week, it was very unsatisfying and underwhelming.  we both even had small stomach aches afterwards!  i guess i shouldn’t be too surprised, but it made it clear to me that this five-day challenge was plenty long.

after our disappointing dinner (everyone else very much liked what they had), we all headed back to kyle and kari’s apartment for a rooftop hangout.  they’re moving later this month to a house (ooh, how adult!), so we had to gather one last time at their place.  i mean, how are we not all going to miss this view?

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we grabbed some benches around the fire pit, got that thing going, and busted out the s’mores supplies.  although it may have been ninety-something degrees out, the classic summer treat s’mores sounded like such a good idea.  and boy were they, especially as the #veganweek ending reward!

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our final celebration for #veganweek came this morning when phillip and i had brunch at the original pancake house.  man, let me tell you, i ate half of the hash and pancake specialty in record time that i got done and didn’t even really remember eating it all!  the pancakes were so fluffy and buttery, and that corned beef hash was from heaven, i swear.  i took the last bite of over-easy egg with extra crispy bacon and said to phillip, “that was insanely good.”  it was the perfect end to an exciting and interesting week.

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so, now that we made it through #vegan week, what are our final thoughts?  well, first off, the thing about eating vegan is that you really have to plan it all out.  you can’t just swing by your local mcdonald’s for a ten pack of nugs.  and you can’t just run into starbucks for your favorite latte or frappuccino.  i think that’s one of the hardest parts.  you also really have to be thoughtful about bringing food with you in case you end up in a hungry situation and won’t have quick access to something that fits your diet.

would i say i felt a physical difference?  probably not, in all honesty.  i still consumed a similar amount of food, it’s just that what i was eating was generally better for me than what i usually have.  phillip said he definitely felt more active and alert, which is something i suppose we all would like during our regular day-to-day.

i think more than anything #veganweek opened my eyes up personally to the fact that if i do want to snack between larger meals, i can do so in a healthy way.  for example, i can enjoy a ripe peach rather than a bag of chips (but don’t expect me to put down the spicy nacho doritos any time soon).

would i try #veganweek again?  probably not.  however, i do have a better understanding of that dietary lifestyle and everything that comes with it.  to those of you who have followed along all week, thank you for tuning in!  i hope our journey was entertaining and inspiring, in some way.  🙂

ponce city market & botiwalla – atlanta, ga

hello, fellow food lovers!  this post comes direct to you from the urban vibe of ponce city market!  the group was well overdue for a new restaurant night, so kyle helped us decide on pcm.  with stores and restaurants galore, it was the perfect spot for our tuesday night get-together.

phillip, kyle, kari, bank, and i all met up at the corner of ponce and glen iris to explore the wildly popular ponce city market that has basically exploded and become a local atlanta favorite, all within the past year or so.  i’ve been to the chelsea market in new york city and krog street market here in atlanta, but ponce city market took me by surprise.  i think it’s because it was my first time and i really had no idea what to expect.  this monstrous construction, though, is a feast for the eyes as much as it is for your appetite (and your wallet).

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pcm is floor after floor of atlanta’s finest shops (think west elm, anthropologie, binders) as well as up-and-coming restaurants trying to make a name for themselves.  there’s the main food hall that hosts most of the eateries, but if you take the spiral stairs up a level, you’ll find a fancy steak house and even more space just waiting to be claimed and developed.

pcm was bustling for a tuesday night, and considering the massive parking deck they have underneath it all, i can only imagine the chaos that ensues on the weekends.  ask any local and they’ll tell you the same, that when new things crop up in our city, we are all too eager to get a first glimpse and immediately make it our new favorite place.  it’s true!

the five of us took a stroll around to check out our options.  many of the restaurants have dining tables available, but like krog, you can order and then take your meal to a common eating space in the middle of it all.  it doesn’t have large, cafeteria-style seating like krog, but they’ve set it up so that everyone in your group can easily order from whatever place they like and still get to eat and enjoy the food and atmosphere together.

without any real direction, bank suggested we try botiwalla the indian street grill.  botiwalla is the latest adventure by the chai pani restaurant group out of asheville, nc.  chai pani has several different established endeavors, including their mg road bar & lounge and buxton hall barbecue.  and, if you want a taste of chai pani without having to travel out of state, you can find them right in downtown decatur.

well, with nothing else spinning our spurs that night, we all were in agreement.  indian street fare it would be!  time to eat!

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february 16th – nyc

our last day in new york begrudgingly arrived tuesday morning as natalie woke and headed to the office and phillip and i packed a bag for the day and got things going, too.  now, even though we might have been sad that our last day was upon us, we were getting excited for what the day held.  what did we end up doing?  well, for starters we went to piers 92 and 94 on the hudson river to watch the day two breed judging for the westminster kennel club dog show!

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happy anniversary!

for those of you not familiar with the process, in the morning before each evening show, each breed is judged individually and the best of the breed is selected.  so for example, the golden retrievers are in the sporting group.  now, only one golden retriever is shown in the evening, so they have to pick the best out of the bunch.  how many goldens, you ask?  how about 50!  yes, folks.  there were 50 golden retrievers being judged tuesday morning, and since phillip and i are both golden lovers, that’s exactly where you would have found us.

now, before the pups are judged they have to get all dolled up.  one of the coolest things about westminster is that you get to go into the benching area where the dogs are chilling out and getting groomed.  after receiving our wristbands, i led phillip over to the benching area for the sporting group and i think he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw all the goldens.  these sweet faces are just irresistible!  now, i urge you.  no, i implore you!  please scroll through the album of golden retriever photos we captured.

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got your fill of goldens?  i thought you might!  now that their coats are glistening and smiles ready, it’s time to be judged!  over in ring 10 is where all the goldens were being judged, so phillip and i snagged a couple seats so that we wouldn’t miss a thing.

the judge brought anywhere between 10 and 20 goldens into the ring at a time, which gave me the perfect opportunity to take even more pictures!

we eventually got our dose of goldens for the day, but before leaving for the afternoon we moseyed along the aisles to check out all the other dogs.  i think something that always amazes me is how much stuff it takes to get these pooches ready.  hair dryers, nail clippers, product.  you name it, they have it.  regular pampering sounds like a pretty blissful life, doesn’t it?

we saw a couple great danes, the gentle giants they are.  this breed always brings a grin to my face when i see them, and this fellow was no exception.

look at that face!

look at that face!

and then right before we exited we found the vizslas!  phillip’s sister emily has a sweet vizsla named brandy and we couldn’t leave without sending her some pictures.  the one of phillip getting kisses is my favorite.  🙂

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february 12th – nyc

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okay, folks.  even though the winter holidays aren’t too far behind us in the rear view mirror, i decided it was time for a vacation for phillip and i both.  actually, i decided it last fall when i planned the surprise as his Christmas gift, so it’s been many months in the making.  i just love surprises!

anyway, about this time last week i was hailing an uber to take me to the marta station.  a quick ride later, i met phillip at the delta baggage drop to check-in for our evening flight to our fabulous destination:  new york city!  yes, we were headed north to the city that never sleeps for a lovely five-day trip.  after leaving our overpacked luggage with the attendant, we made our way to the tsa precheck line like the local celebrities we are (or hope to be some day).  i do a fair amount of air traveling for work, so all those flights and miles have added up to some luxurious perks like precheck.  i felt so spoiled waltzing through the metal detector with both shoes on and my light jacket thrown over my shoulder.  ah, to be pampered is such a privilege!

we munched on some subway sandwiches in terminal t, and it wasn’t too long before we were boarding our md90 with all the other passengers.  as i walked down the aisle, i double-checked my boarding pass.  “phillip?” i asked.  “are you sure these are the right seats?  these are comfort plus.”

“yes, this should be us.” he replied.

“oh, okay.  well, let me get situated and out of the way.”  i moved into our seats and crouched under the bulkhead while other people shimmied by us.  we got our carry-ons safely stowed below the seats in front of us, buckled up, and sat back for take off.

phillip and i sat discussing our lucky circumstances, convinced that we were able to upgrade to comfort plus for free because of my status.

“well, isn’t that just the best thing you’ve heard all day!” i exclaimed.  i immediately grabbed the drink menu to decide what free drink i would enjoy.  funny how i can so easily adjust to a life of ease…

once we were up in the air, phillip and i both enjoy a quality glass of wente red wine.  it was the perfect drink to help us unwind from the work week and gear up for a great vacation.

cheers!

cheers!

soon enough we had a great view of all the city lights before banking left and coming in for a smooth landing at the laguardia airport.  we had arrived!  as t swift likes to say, “welcome to new york!  it’s been waiting for you!”  ah, such a sweet welcome!

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memphis, the blues city

hello all, kelsey’s dad here.  it is my honor and privilege to be a guest blogger again.  this past weekend was my birthday and as a gift i was given the dream of being the guest duckmaster as the peabody hotel in memphis, tennessee.

as kelsey will tell you, one of my favorite sayings is “complete home run.”  i use this when anything or any place is spectacular, worth the time, worth the money, etc…as you read this blog, when you see COMPLETE HOME RUN, you can “take it to the bank” – it was worth it.

friday night we arrived at the peabody hotel in memphis.  tori was completely surprise to see our best friends mark and kathleen (from dallas) when we arrived.  our kids had arranged for a special birthday cake to be in the room as a celebration for me and for mark (his birthday is later this week).  COMPLETE HOME RUN, kids!  the chocolate cake was delicious.

now, saturday was a full and fabulous day!  mark had done the research for all the festivities, so we started at breakfast only a block from the hotel.  we took the ultra exclusive vip route through the alley to the bon-ton café.  COMPLETE HOME RUN.  whatever you do, be sure you order the big sammie.  COMPLETE HOME RUN.  while at the bon-ton, we struck up a friendly chat with locals hart and sarah.  hart is a third generation memphian, so it’s obvious that he should work for the chamber of commerce up there.  i told hart we were in memphis just for a short time and were looking to “blow it out.”  he kindly obliged and provided a complete list of “what to do and where to go” during our stay.

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pho king – atlanta, ga

is it just me, or has it been nearly a lifetime since we did a restaurant review?  you’re absolutely correct, my dear.  the last spot we wrote about was the infamous guest blog by my father for bone garden cantina back in july, so, yes!  it’s been too long!  i decided to finally put an end to the madness, which is how we found ourselves last week at pho king just a few miles down peachtree.

phillip <3s pho!

phillip

for whatever reason, i’d been craving vermicelli desperately, so it’s no surprise what i would end up ordering.  however, no one else at the table except kyle and i had enjoyed vietnamese cuisine before that night, which means there was lots of fun in store.

as everyone flipped back and forth among the menu’s pages, i took in the atmosphere around me.  pho king looks like a small new york joint from outside, but you’ll actually find some decent seating once you walk through the front doors.  although i felt a bit cramped between kyle and alison, it could have just been the 20 million plates and bowls that would come to crowd me.  sure, we’ll go with that.

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however, that argument may be hard to make when your big brother is all up in your grill.  hey, bro!

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after i looked at the picture and had my fill of laughs, the classic song “private eyes” came to mind right away.  you’re welcome.

meanwhile, kari, phillip, and nathan were just whoopin’ it up on the other side of the table.  those little troublemakers.  🙂

okay, okay, enough about us (even though i could go on for days), let’s talk food.  first out were the eggrolls and soup.  we all started with something, and as far as the pho is considered, i think the general consensus is that it was a hit and that the bowls were quite large, even the small size!

phillip and i had a small bowl of the pho with brisket.  it came out piping hot and very delicious.  when i inevitably catch my first cold of the winter season, a big bowl of pho just might be the ticket to make me feel better.

p3 - pho with brisket.

p3 – pho with brisket.

kyle’s pho with round steak looked like a renegade after he topped it with fresh jalapenos.  this trooper, though?  he ate the whole bowl and then enjoyed some leftovers that the others of us had.  get it, son!

across and to my right, nathan had the fried rice with marinated tenderloin beef chunks, which was highly recommended to him by our waitress as the best meal on the menu.  it would turn out that there was truth in her statement:  nathan ate up every morsel!  not only did he say he’d get it again, he said, with much enthusiasm, that it was ridiculously good.

across from him and to my immediate right, nathan’s lovely wife alison went with the grilled pork rice plate and thoroughly enjoyed it.  she was a member of the clean plate club that night, no questions about it!

i only got a shot of the aftermath. whoopsies!

i only got a shot of the aftermath. whoopsies!

on my other side, kari tackled a small bowl of the chicken pho, number p7, along with a couple of fried eggrolls, item a2.  i didn’t really get a review from her, but she seemed to like dining out on something a bit different, and i bet with enough persuasion i could convince her to come back.  hehehe, let the planning begin!

across from me, my sweetheart phillip chowed down on menu item r3, the grilled chicken rice plate.  the rice only needed a splash of soy sauce to perfectly accompany the well-cooked and well-seasoned chicken.  although those chicken breasts may not have looked like much, i promise you they filled phillip to the brim.

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and now, the moment you have all been waiting for, my review!  okay, i know you haven’t been waiting, but i just have to talk about my experience!  let me first get something off my chest:  when i say i love vietnamese food, that really means that i’ve only ever had vermicelli and have been hopelessly devoted to the stuff from the first time i ate it.  my heart will forever be held by this irresistible rice noodle dish, no doubt about it.  the vermicelli here at pho king is on point, a very large and satisfying serving of which i almost ate every chopstick-ful (thank you for letting me make up that word right now).  the grilled pork was to die for, although i did miss the eggroll that the menu said should have come with it.  besides that, each ingredient was complementary to the others, and i spent the better portion of dinner with my face buried in my bowl as i slurped up each bite.

after paying the checks, we rolled out with satisfied, and very full, bellies.  to be honest, there’s absolutely no reason to not come back to pho king, and when the yearning for rice noodles strikes again, you’ll know where to find me.

austin – day 1

as most of you know by now, the andrich family is a big ‘family’ family.  we had the time of our lives when everyone came to atlanta for kari and kyle’s wedding last october, and since none of our parents are turning 60 this year, we figured we’d begin a new tradition in an annual cousin trip.  yep, just like that we instituted the first of these new get-togethers over in austin, texas.  most of us had never been, and with it being pretty much halfway between georgia and california, it seemed like a pretty solid destination.

thirteen of us total made the trip, and that number included phillip.  oooh, our first time traveling together!  and so soon!  yes, yes, we’ve only been together a couple of months, but when you know, you know.  so, it was a very early five a.m. when we woke up, packed our suitcases, and made our way to hartsfield-jackson international airport.  after getting our boarding passes, we shuffled through security with hundreds of other sleepy travelers.  although it was a busy morning there already, it was quiet, so we tried not to be too disruptive as we waited for our plane.

since we’d checked our bags, we relaxed at the gate and coolly walked on that md90 towards the end of the line.  we were on the left of the plane in the two-seat row, a nice cozy setup for a quick two-hour flight westward.  we of course took a few pictures, but none of them had both of us looking our best at the same time, so phillip craftily composed this cropped mashup of the two of us.  hehe.

such a happy couple!

such a happy couple!

it seemed like we had just finished our breakfast smoothies when we touched down in the lonestar state.  with an early flight came an early arrival, and we practically had the whole day ahead of us.  we deplaned and snatched our suitcases from carousel five.  the taxi line was short, so we quickly hopped in a cab with a driver who looked exactly like quint from the movie jaws.  he had a little bit of an oddball demeanor that made for an entertaining ride to san bernard street.  we grabbed the luggage, thanked the driver for his advice, and joined kyle and kari in chinquapin, our massive and funky abode for the next 48 hours.  when you’ve got a baker’s dozen to accommodate, your selection pool is narrowed down pretty quickly.  we got a speedy tour of the common space and then took a stroll up the block to the nearby liquor store j&j spirits.

me, doing about what you would expect me to be doing.

me, doing about what you would expect me to be doing.

okay, yes, it wasn’t even noon yet, but we needed to stock up the fridge for all the cousins who would soon be in town!  the cashier was kind as we perused this quaint shop for the necessities:  seagram’s, fireball, white wine, red wine.  yep, that oughta do it…at least for a rew hours.  kyle and phillip used their big muscles to lift those heavy bags, and it was back to the house we went.

look at our hunks!

look at our hunks!

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the one sushi + – atlanta, ga

we’ve been kicking nrw back into high gear now that the busy month of april has come and gone.  last week we enjoyed a lovely and relaxing dinner at varasano’s pizzeria in south buckhead, and this week we took it to the neighborhood of brookhaven for a little sushi.  i’ve been madly craving it for a little while now, and even though i wasn’t sure who else would be on board, the one sushi + would be the host for our sweet party of eight.

since their name is a little longer, i am going to affectionately refer to the one sushi + as ‘tosp’ throughout the rest of this post.  sound good?  i thought so, too!  okay, so tosp is kind of hidden here on caldwell road, just off dresden.  there’s always a new restaurant popping up in this little strip of boutiques and eateries, so it shouldn’t surprise me that i hadn’t yet heard of them.  and as it would turn out, tosp used to be a coffee shop way back when.  with a reservation at 7:30 p.m. sharp, i walked in to meet bank, liz, nathan, alison, eric, claire, and phillip at our large table.

i don’t typically think of sushi restaurants as “cozy,” which is how tosp describes itself, and upon walking in, the word “urban” is what came to mind instead.  there are these sizable sheet metal light installations that hang above the dining space and the concrete floor.  the huge window walls let the natural light come in, a good thing because otherwise it would be very dark and sensual in here.  again, cozy definitely isn’t the right characterization, if you ask me, but i was totally digging the dense modern vibe i was getting.

the place settings are clean and crisp.  i love the white plates and bowls because it gets to show off the colors of the super fresh ingredients of their menu.  a good simple contrast to the busy artwork on the walls.

we’d made it halfway through the week, so we all agreed on some adult beverages in addition to our water glasses.  most of the fellas got sopporos and most of the ladies got cocktails.  phillip went with the sake, which he loved, and i also very much enjoyed the novellum chardonnay from france.  mm.

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