You KNOW what time it is…
Boom! Woo hoo! Hurrah! Yee-haw! Chicka-POW!
Sorry, I always get a little excited on Wednesdays! But who could blame me? Thanks to Jenn, we have a WHOLE day dedicated to linking up and drooling over foodporn!
Foodporn: (noun). The sight or mere description of food that instantly rouses the appetite, regardless of the time since one’s last meal, causing immense salivation, longing, and a desire to eat.
So be sure to head on over to Peas & Crayons and “excite yourself” a bit on this “hump” of a day…and if that’s not enough, I’m sure my guest post from yesterday is enough to get you fanning yourself!
Now, who’s ready to get hot and heavy hungry? 😉
Believe it or not, after our MORE than decadent dinner at The Spence, the man-friend and I woke up the next morning STARVING! Luckily, our hotel was right around the corner from a little diner called The Majestic and as much as everyone touted it as
“drunk food,” I have to say, I was pretty impressed with my breakfast…
I sipped on some hot (always decaf) coffee while I waited for my order.
The Olympic Omelette with spinach, mushrooms, tomato, peppers, onion, feta and topped off with some of the BEST tzaziki sauce I’ve ever had!
I had a few bites of the grits (definitely been a WHILE since I’ve had those), but the toast went pretty much untouched since this was one mammoth of an omelette! The man-friend tore into a plate of pancakes and sausage before I was able to snap a picture, but since his plate was practically spotless afterward, I think it’s safe to say he enjoyed it! 😉
After breakfast, we met up with a friend of the man-friend and headed off to the Buford’s Farmers Market! And well, since I can NEVER say no to free samples…
Queso fresco, nachos, pork dumpling, black bean noodles, cinnamon tortilla, aged Gouda, kimchi dumpling, more queso fresco (what can I say, I love my cheese), and Finnish butter cookies.
Obviously since Buford had just taken care of MY lunch, I wasn’t really feeling hungry, but since the boys practiced a bit more restraint the face of the freebies, after we checked out, we headed down the road to one of our friend’s favorite Asian restaurants, Bo Bo Garden.
I sipped on some jasmine tea and took a few bites of the fried calamari appetizer that the boys ordered. It was some of the best I’ve had…then pieces of squid were HUGE and not greasy at all!
After that, the boys demolished a plate of shrimp fried rice (well, almost…the plate was seriously twice the size of my head!) and we all shared the sautéed Asian greens which were AMAZING!
After that, the man-friend and I headed back to the hotel for some much-needed chill time…there may or may not have been a two-hour nap involved! 😉
And then…it was time for MORE FOOD?!!?
We met up with Laura and a friend of hers for dinner at a place called Seven Lamps. Knowing it would be too hard to choose from all the delicious selections, we went with a variety of tapas again…
A complimentary plate of butter-dipped radishes with pickled ramps and mortadella mousse-filled pistachio macaroons
I tried one of the pickled ramps and thought it was pretty tasty, but radishes are one of the ONLY vegetables I don’t like and the thought of eating them with cold butter? Yeah, not really my thing.
BUT let me tell you about those macaroons!
Ever taste something that IMMEDIATELY takes you back to your childhood where you get all nostalgic and sappy and stuff? Yeah, that’s what happened with these babies…this is going to sound SO weird, but the mousse tasted straight up like mashed Vienna sausages! And paired with the sweet macaroon (my FIRST ever!), it was almost like eating a sweet bologna sandwich! It was so mind-blowing that I was just sitting there like a goof trying to figure it all out! Lol
Buttered lobster bun with celery aioli, served in a steamed brioche bun and sashimi of smoked wild salmon with grapefruit, orange, avocado, and basil
These two dishes were everyone’s least favorite of the night. While I LOVED the celery aioli and the soft spongy texture of the steamed bun, the lobster seemed to be missing something and the “smoked” salmon sashimi didn’t taste smoked at all.
Luckily, our next round of plates made up for the disappointment…
Smoked ruby beets with medjool dates, bacon jam, o.j. fennel, and bucheron and hand-cut cottage fries served with Duke’s mayonnaise
The beets were not only my FAVORITE of the night, but my favorite dish from the ENTIRE weekend! The sweet/salty/smokey/cheesy flavor had me on my KNEES! I swear I could eat a plate of this every single day for the rest of my life!
The fries were REALLY good…amazingly spiced and SERIOUSLY addicting.
Spicy lamb meatballs with cranberry beans and parmesan and savory crepes with filled with wood-grilled kale and Vidalia onion, and SMOTHERED in Gruyère gratin
The meatballs had a good flavor but weren’t as spicy as I expected but the crepes were fantastic…and those cottage fries may or may not have been used to clean every last bit of that melty Gruyère off the plate!
Instead of sharing in our last two plates, the boys ordered a secret, off-the-menu selection…
A 50/50 burger made from brisket and top round, and topped with house-made thousand island, caramelized onions, bread-and-butter pickles, and a grilled cheese gratin
I had a small bite of the burger and thought the flavors were great, but to be honest, I was totally tapa-ing 😉 out at this point and I kinda felt like this!
We spent the rest of the night hanging out and chatting it up at The Victory Sandwich Bar where I was content nursing a root beer spiked with ABSINTHE until I saw this baby…
There’s ALWAYS room for a Jack & Coke SLUSHIE!!
Needless to say, the next day’s meals were pretty slim and definitely involved a lot of green. It’s always nice to let loose while on vacation but it felt SO good to get back on track! 😉
Have you ever tried a macaroon? If so, what’s your favorite flavor?
Finish this sentence: There’s always room for ______!
butter-dipped radishes… i’m not sure I’ve ever heard of such a thing (gosh I feel like i’m always saying that on the foods you try), but they sound delish!!
Haha! Don’t worry, I’d never heard of HALF the stuff we ate over this weekend! 😉
ohmygoodness I am so hungry now! I think you would have to roll me out of that restaurant if I ate all that stuff. It looks and sounds SO delicious!
We have a very exclusive Macaron confectioner in Zurich (https://www.spruengli.ch/luxemburgerli.php) who makes really popular macarons. I think one piece costs about 1.50$…..it’s ridiculous but well, if you taste them you know why!
Oh, and there is always room for CHOCOLATE. Sorry, very boring, but there is NO time in my life when I can not eat chocolate! (ok, maybe when I have a real nasty stomach flu….I would probably still eat it but feel sorry for the waste…if you know what I mean, ahahahahaha)
Well, let’s just say breakfast the next day didn’t happen until MUCH later! …and lunch was a smoothie! Ha!
Those macarons look GORGEOUS! And stuffed to the max! Oh man, I bet they are so good! I actually Googled macaron recipes the other day…I know they’re supposed to be a huge pain in the butt to make, but I would LOVE to make some PB&J ones! 😀
Oh man, those crepes… that burger… droooool 😉
There’s always room for beer. ha
The whole thing looks like such fun, Heather, but that omelette…yum…I’m a sucker for a good omelette!!
There is always room for pancakes! 🙂 Some amazing eats! I’m not a macaroon fan…maybe I just haven’t had an amazing one yet!
Haha! YES, there is ALWAYS room for pancakes! Oh how I love that you love them just as much as I do! 🙂
DAMN. That’s some hot food pr0n 😉 That sounds like so much fun! I love mammoth sized omelettes. They make the world go ’round 🙂
Haha, I’ve only been to the Majestic when I was drunk.
I’m with Lee, I’ve only been to The Majestic while drunk and that was right after seeing Blondie crush cans between her boobs at The Clairmont Lounge…also a landmark in Atlanta.
Yep. Same here. Or at 3am after MJQ finally kicks everyone out. Jeez, I can’t even imagine staying out until 3am anymore.
Wow…sounds like QUITE the evening! Lol I did hear a lot of people talking about the Clairmont…might have to check it out one day…and THEN go back to the Majestic! Bet that omelette will taste even BETTER! 😉
Oh man those burgers are so thick! I’d definitely get one of those.
And I totally know that feeling of stuffed-to-the-brim. It’s a mixed feeling of pleasure and pain. Haha 😉
There’s always room for kabocha squash! You knew that was coming, right?
Bahahahaha! Omg, seriously Sarena, I am dying! LOL
that burger looks incredible!
There’s always room for…dessert! That’s pretty much my life motto right there.
I have never tried a macaroon!!! I have always wanted to though.
There is always room for a cookie! 🙂
Man, that is a lot of food porn!
I need to link my review back to yours – you got some AWESOME pics! Those macaroons were my favorite from the weekend… but the beets were a close second. And the burger!!! OMG – I could eat that forever.
Honestly, I don’t think I fully appreciated the macaroons until the next day when I was thinking back on everything…just had to wrap my head around all those flavors! Lol Guess it was a true “mind-blowing” experience! But omg, those beets!!! I could bathe in those things! Wait, that might get a little sticky…and bring a WHOLE new meaning to the term “toe jam”! Bahaha!
Wow, ummm foodporn indeed. And I totally have to agree, I am a sucker for some good samples! I read somewhere that eating samples can reallllly add up though 🙁 so now I try to only take the BEST ones instead of every single thing. I used to try them all but now I’m a bit more selective. But it’s hard to say no.. I mean… it’s FREE food (college student love alert haha).
Also, I really wanna try macaroons, these look so cute. I have never had them and I feel like I’m missing out 🙁
Omg, I KNOW! One day I went waaaaaaaay overboard on the samples at Sam’s Club! I’m sure I had about 500 calories just from all those little nibbles! I definitely need to work on being more selective!
You HAVE to try a macaroon! I never knew what all the hype was about and now I do…they’re flippin’ AMAZING!
There’s ALWAYS from for fro-yo 😉
Amen sistah!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa-MEN!!
Wow, so many interesting samples at the farmer’s market.
I’d say there’s always room for dessert! I don’t care what kind it is, but I can always manage to have a bite of something sweet!
Drool, drool, foodporn, drool… You had tons of tasty eats! I love going to Costco for the samples, unless the lady catches me coming back for seconds and says no more 😛
Haha! Too funny! Don’t you know you’re supposed to dress in layers with a hat and sunglasses?! Duh!
OMG how did you have time to eat all that! Jealous!
Always room for dessert. Whenever my bf asks, I always say, maybe, just a bite. That’s usually an understatement. 🙂
Haha! Honestly, I have absolutely NO idea! And I can’t believe I didn’t gain like 20 pounds over the weekend…even though I felt like I did! Lol
Oh my goodness! There are so many things here that I want to eat, but the hamburger won me over. Couple that with the grown up slushie and I am in heaven! Thanks for sharing.
Woah, talk about some serious food porn! Why have I never thought of having an omelet with tzaziki sauce before? I love tzaziki sauce so much I sometimes eat it with a spoon! 😛
That beet dish sounds incredible with the dates and bacon jam. So many good flavours! And crepes smothered in gruyere? Yes please!
There’s always room for more food. Sometimes I’m seriously amazed at my ability to pack in more food, even when I think I’ve hit my peak of fullness. There’s always at least a little corner of my stomach where I can fit more food. 😉
Oh my gosh, YES! I don’t know how I always manage to forget just how much I adore tzatziki! I swear it could go on just about anything! I’ve even made tuna salad out of it before!
And I swear I’m the same way with packing it in…especially when it’s something I may never get another chance to eat! Lol
I’m way impressed with you cheese consumption and so happy you didn’t let any Gruyere go to waste. A woman after my own heart.
And while it might not compare to your fancy high brow dinner, I’m loving your omelette too. P.S. what’s wrong with drunk food? Well, unless you’re drunk all the time, but that’s a whole ‘nother issue.
Haha, you know me! Ugh, they killed me at the restaurant the man-friend and I went to for V-Day…we got black Forrest ham-wrapped asparagus with warm goat cheese fondue for dipping…and all I wanted was something to sop it all up with. AFTER our meal, I realized our waiter forgot the FRICKIN’ BREAD!! *bangs head against wall* 😉
Seriously. That’s a huge party foul.
at first glance, i thought i saw strawberries and white chocolate.. i then read the caption of radishes and cold butter. really?? blech! i like radishes, but with butter? i would pass!
otherwise, i already told Laura that i was coming to atlanta (either march or june) and we were having a blend jack & coke slushie!
I know, just the thought of it! Ick!
Are you planning to come around the time of her show in March? I told her I would try my best to make it! It’d be awesome if we could all hang out! 😀
Quite the spread- that omelette looks fantabulous! Saying hi from WIAW!
Thanks so much for stopping in Deirdre! Hope had a great weekend! 🙂
Mousse that tastes like mashed up Vienna sausages? You’re right – it does sound a little strange 😉 I’ve never had a macaroon before, but that’s definitely not what I envisioned them to taste like 😛 And I don’t blame you for passing on the radishes – they’re bad enough on their own, and I can’t imagine that cold butter would make them taste any better. Honestly… does cold, hard butter make anything taste better?
And there’s always room for dessert… no matter how full I am, I have a second stomach just for dessert
No, just the mousse tasted like viennie weenies (does everyone call them that?). The macaroons themselves tasted like sweet little clouds of deliciousness…and surprisingly the pistachio flavor came through really well over the mousse…it really was a great combo!
And seriously, I don’t eat butter much, but if I do, I want it MELLLLLLLLTY!! 😀
Burgers and macaroons… oh my gosh. Feed me now please?
I gotta say, you did some impressive eating on this trip – everything looks amazing! I have tried macaroons and I know I’m in the minority here but I’m not a huge fan. If I’m going to indulge in something sweet I’m going to love it and it’s going to have chocolate in it! haha
Hi Heather! I’m so pleased to have stumbled across your blog 🙂 I’m new to the blogging world and would love to make some awesome blogger friends! As for this post, I love all the pictures 🙂 That Asian greens dish looks so delectable and refreshing- you’ve given me a suggestion as to what to pick up at the grocery store this afternoon! I look forward to reading future posts 🙂 See ya around!
Awww, hi there Bunny! Thank you so much! Love hearing from new readers! And welcome to blogging! 😀
There’s always room for PEANUT BUTTER!!!
Seriously, that is a lot of creatively beautiful and weirdly yummy sounding food. I am pretty sure I would have died over the combination of beet, date, and fennel. No wait, I AM dying…
I’m pretty sure I DID die! Several times in fact! And the best part? Everyone else was so into the other dishes that I practically got the entire beet dish to myself!! Heavvvvvvvven!!!!