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takorea – atlanta, ga

kdavis Leave a comment

i perused my list of nrw hopefuls and couldn’t really decide what sounded best this week.  then, in a striking moment of clarity, i remembered good ‘ole hankook taqueria over on the west side.  i have literally only been there once, and it was about four years ago with my old small group, but i remember it being one heck of a place.  i thought it might be a contender, but kyle reminded me about the very limited parking.  eh, that’s right….but!  to keep in the spirit of that line of asian fusion cuisine, we decided on the midtown location of takorea.

takorea is the creation from hankook taqueria chef tomas lee, hence why i didn’t mind coming here in place of hankook.  their idea is to make korean flavors available in a fun and energetic atmosphere by presenting it through traditional mexican dishes like tacos and burritos.  don’t be fooled, though, because the fresh ingredients and components are all asian.  you’ll be easily introduced to your new favorite street snacks, wondering how you lived all those years without these flavors!  sound exciting?  then read on to see how much we all enjoyed it!

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saltyard – atlanta, ga

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ah, so good to be back for the first official new restaurant wednesday experience of 2015!  some friends tried out naanstop a couple weeks ago (much to my dismay since i was out of town), so tonight we bring you the review of saltyard, a small-plate dining experience that is casual and ambient, luring yet not pretentious.  with its globally-inspired menu and perfectly-paired beverage selection, it sounded like a flavor odyssey that we couldn’t miss.

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putters patio and grill – winston-salem, nc

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i know it's dark, but i promise it says putters patio and grill.

i know it’s dark, but i promise it says putters patio and grill.

last week and this week have me traveling to winston-salem, nc for a client.  hello, tar heel state!  although it isn’t the shortest drive up 85, it isn’t so far to keep me from visiting.  the client is amiable and the work is straightforward, a nice change of pace from the complex projects i sometimes have to handle.

with a new city comes new adventures, and as you could expect, i couldn’t help myself from trying some local eateries.  last wednesday was the first wednesday of the year, and even though i couldn’t celebrate nrw back in atlanta, that didn’t stop me from celebrating it here in winston-salem at putters patio and grill.

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oh, 2014

kdavis 3 Comments

i know facebook has this whole “year in review” thing going on, but this post?  this post is going to be much more exciting!  oodles of stuff happened in 2014 for me, and i am going to give you the ultra recap you never knew you needed but have been dying to read.

first things first of 2014, i started this blog!  it began on a whim one dreary january morning when i was in starbucks, and it has been the best thing i have done for myself in a long time.  you guys, my loyal readers, inspire me to keep it up and give you guys an insight into my world.  thank you for the encouragement and loyalty!

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dc december – day 4

kdavis 1 Comment

at last!  our final day of fun in dc ushered itself in on sunday morning.  our flight wasn’t until the early evening, so we had plenty of time together before everything came to a close.

after getting our packing done, we headed out the door for brunch, but wait!  not before i can coordinate these adorable photos on the stoop of our chinatown home!  aah, i looked at them and could hardly contain myself.  what a great trip because of these gems!

nathan, sarah, jamie, lenora, me, alison, kiley, garth.

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dc december – day 3

kdavis 1 Comment
apparently i love taking pictures of metro signs…
garth & me!
garth & me, ruining greg & jamie’s picture. i mean, ENHANCING it….

saturday morning came a little earlier than i would have liked, but there’s no time to lose when  you’re on vacation in dc, so i rallied (can you rally at ten a.m.?) and we set out to take on the day.

we stopped at panera bread for some quick sustenance and then hopped on the blue line in chinatown to head to arlington.  we plan our annual trip around the wreaths across america ceremony, and with this year being the 150th anniversary, i wasn’t going to miss it for anything.

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dc december – day 1

kdavis 1 Comment

okay, i’m a touch behind on my writing, but better late than never, right?  right!  i’m glad we agree.  so, without further adieu, i give you the first day of last week’s fifth annual dc december trip!

we flew out of atlanta around eight p.m. thursday night to arrive in our very chilly capital city at a decent hour.  the trip was quick and uneventful, just how i like my cross-country treks.  well, this trek was not technically cross-country, but we certainly were no longer in the south.  we freshened up and joyously retrieved our suitcases from baggage claim.  i say “joyously” because one year my bag was very much left in atlanta all on its lonesome.  poor little guy!  delta quickly delivered him to our door the next day, though, so all was well.

jamie & me.
nathan & alison.
jamie & greg.

a $25 cab ride later, we were at the doorsteps of our humble abode for the weekend in chinatown.  nathan had found a sweet townhome for our visit on vrbo, and with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, it was perfect for our large group.

we dragged our things up the stairs, in through the doors, and pleasantly found peter and shaun inside, greeting us with drinks and food.  it was actually sarah’s birthday that day, so they surprised her with a dinosaur cake; how thoughtful!  he was affectionately named barnabas and kept us company most of the time we were in town.  the yellow cake was thickly topped with frosting so sweet that i almost had a stomachache afterwards.  but!  it was nothing a little adult beverage couldn’t remedy.

sarah, pleasantly surprised and so kind as we sang “happy birthday.”
what did i say when i saw this cake? “good thing there’s grass, because otherwise he’d be walking on clouds, and that’s just not realistic.”

we enjoyed the rest of the night as we sipped on manhattans with one another.  the fun was only beginning!

my garth & me!

my garth & me!

boston update

kdavis Leave a comment

very quickly, folks, while i have a few minutes on my lunch break!  first, vinh sent me his pictures from the weekend, so check out more snaps of our lunch at sakura.

second, look at how far we walked!  the weather had been so beautiful on sunday that we traveled far on foot through this little city.  vinh mapped out our trek, and thinking we had walked a modest six miles that day, we were shocked to see we had actually walked 10!  be sure to check out this past sunday’s post to get up-to-date on those whereabouts.

BOSTON WALK

boston – day 3

kdavis 2 Comments

okay, day three, it is my last day in boston, so i need to make the most of it.  monday, do you think you can deliver?  good!  it sounds like you are up to the challenge.  the day’s not getting any longer, so let’s get started!

after a solid night of sleep, the city was ours for the taking.  as we strolled to the fields corner metro stop, we munched on homemade egg rolls that vinh’s mother had given us before we dashed out the door.  those things were crispy and warm and gone in no time.  the perfect snack to get our metabolisms going.

we grabbed our charlie tickets and stepped aboard the redline, northbound to alewife.  when i take public transportation in other cities, i always wonder if i look like a tourist.  was i blending in because i was being accompanied (well, more like chaperoned, let’s be honest) by a local?  um, probably not, especially since i was so chatty and upbeat for a monday.  something i noticed very quickly about bostonians is that while they are not necessarily rude, they aren’t really pleasant either, at least to strangers.  i found that my polite “excuse me’s” and “pardon me’s” went unnoticed and seemed to not be appreciated one bit.  this much is true of pedestrians and even more severe for drivers.  i’m convinced no one’s blinkers work and that lane stripes are more like guidelines than actual restrictions.  cars seem to have no regard for those on foot, and the reverse seems to be quite the same.  there was more than just once when i thought i might be nudged into an intersection and made to fear for my life.  as they say, you can take the girl out of the south, but you cannot take the southern hospitality out of the girl.  okay, so maybe it isn’t an actual saying, but right here from yours truly is a first-hand testimony.  tell me it counts for something!

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