Costume Contest & World Bazaar

Just got a few emails about some upcoming events!

Costume Party tonight! Friday, October 29th at Library Coffee Co. Enjoy free appetizers and a costume contest. Prizes will be awarded for best costume.

Also, from the Brookhaven Art Alliance, a new (?) organization called the Brookhaven Community Connection is hosting a "Bazaar"/Market next weekend at Village Place. See below for information about the event.

Have a great Halloween weekend!

General Election Voting!

As many of you know, we have a big State and Local general election next Tuesday November 2nd. I'm sure the lines at your local polling place will be long, so DeKalb County (among many other counties) has started an early voting campaign. Early voting in DeKalb began Sept. 20th and runs until Friday, October 29th. See below or click HERE for more information on when and where you can vote early:

During the early voting period, in-person voting will be conducted at the main Voter Registration office at 4380 Memorial Drive from 8 A.M. until 5 P.M., Monday through Friday. Four additional advance voting sites will be open from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. for the week of October 25 – 29. The additional sites are:
Decatur: Clark Harrison Center 330 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Room A Decatur, GA 30030 Map		North: Chamblee Civic Center 3540 Broad Street Chamblee, GA 30341 Map
Tucker: DeKalb County Fire Headquarters Training Conference Room 1950 West Exchange Place Tucker, GA 30084 Map		South: Porter Sandford Arts Center 3181 Rainbow Drive Decatur, GA 30034 Map

Don't forget to vote (if you haven't done so already) between now and November 2nd! If you need more information on what candidates are running for/about in your area (and in GA), click HERE for a list that I found helpful.

I voted at the Chamblee Civic Center on Monday of this week and there was approximately 4 other people there voting, and I had no line to wait in!

And of course- don't forget to get your trademark "I'm a Georgia Voter" peach sticker.

Yoforia & Kaleidoscope

Cory and I enjoyed a nice yogurt treat last night at our local Yoforia. Yoforia is a self-serve, organic and low-calorie frozen yogurt place. With a modern and clean feel, its a nice alternative to a sugary sweet ice cream cone. The only draw-back is they don't offer any doggie cones, so Jasper is a little disappointed when we visit.  And keep it tart - the imitation savory flavors don't always stand up to the real thing.  But we love being able to mix and match flavors and add our own toppings and for $0.39 an ounce- its not breaking the bank either (be careful though... the tubs they have hold a lot of yummy yogurt and 39c adds up quickly!). Sorry we don't have pictures of our treats... we ate them too fast :) They did have a flavor we hadn't tried, honeydew, that was quite tasty!

Our local Yoforia is located in the up and coming Village Place shopping development (see whats coming in HERE). And Cory and I love walking around that area and looking at the new restaurants, retail, and modern condos/townhomes.

We talked a little about Kaleidoscope (see above for progress pictures) last week, and it looks like its progressing along very well. With an almost complete interior- I'm hopeful that it will open in November! Maybe they might even catch some of this wonderful warm fall weather so they can utilize the incredible patio out front. We also walked by POUR- Wine Market and Tasting Room and talked to two guys who were sipping wine (of course) and discussing floor layout (we assume they were the owners). When I asked when they plan to open- they said hopefully next week (!). We will keep you posted on if they make it :).

Also the new baby store- Eggs Nest, also looks very close to opening. We aren't in the market right now for any baby items, but it looks like a cute kids boutique!

Costco- Opens October 28th!

The new 146,000 sq.ft. Costco at Town Brookhaven opens this Thursday, October 28th. Get a membership ($50-$100) by stopping in, or by signing up HERE. The store will open at 8am, so be sure to stop by for the great deals and free samples!!

The new membership warehouse is Costco’s largest and is the first of the three large commercial buildings to open in the mixed-use Town Brookhaven on Peachtree Road, the Sembler Co. development which includes residential apartment homes above ground-floor retail and restaurants. A Publix Supermarket and LA Fitness center are scheduled to open in Town Brookhaven early in 2011.

The Brookhaven location will feature a fresh bakery, meat, produce and deli, optical department with an independent doctor of optometry, 1-hour photo, pharmacy, tire center, hearing aid center and food court. The store will offer a wide selection of fine wines and beers, but will not sell liquor.

(Courtesy of Brookhaven Reporter: www.reporternewspapers.net)

Brookhaven Updates!

I had drinks with some work ladies at Haven last night. Not the best place for drinks (aka beer- they have a minimal bottle selection, no draft + they don't have a great place to just hang out & drink), but the food is pretty good. They cater a little more toward the older Brookhaven crowd. Cory and I have eaten there with family, and they have a great outdoor patio (dining only) and good food, but a little pricey (typical dish $18-30).

Which leads me to... Brookhaven is screaming for more reasonable, fun places to eat & drink & hangout, so we are looking forward to Kaleisocope opening up in a month or two. I passed by there last night (too dark to take a photo), but its coming along. The bar and kitchen area has been constructed, but the floors and walls are still unfinished. My guess would be a Dec/Jan opening (previously anticipated opening of October). We look forward to checking it out! My only advice to them- make sure to have a great draft beer selection, reasonable prices, and great food!! :)

Also while walking over to Haven I noticed two new spaces being developed. One, POUR (no link yet, only Twitter: @PourWineAtlanta) looks very interesting. All they had was a printed out sign that said POUR - Wine Bar & Tasting Room. Sounds very fun and exciting! They are expanding into a huge area directly next to Verde. The last space I noticed was a new boutique coming in called Egg's Nest- next to the Cocktails & Canvas space. Looks like more of a kids boutique.

Lots of stuff moving into the area! Keep em' coming!! Especially the restaurants.... stay tuned as we try everything out!

Brookhaven Biking

We are not huge road bikers, although we both own them. I've actually only been once since moving down here, and I just rode around Capital City CC a couple times because it was a nice neighborhood ride. I might have to dust off the old road bike and see if I can still fit into my biking shorts to try this ride though. My mom forwarded me this link from bicycling.com. It is 19 mile ride through Brookhaven which passes by some cool points of interest. Check out the map below and the link here. Don't forget to say hey as you pass me!

Taste of Atlanta!

This coming weekend (October 23rd & 24th) is the Taste of Atlanta event at Tech Square (Spring & 5th Street area) in Midtown.

Not only will there be delicious tastes from more than 80 of Atlanta's favorite restaurants, including 4th & Swift, Morelli's and Holeman & Finch Public House (world's BEST burger), a Farm to Festival Market and Family Zone, but this year the festival is adding some special events. You can check out all this and more at their website HERE.

Tickets are $25 dollars before and $30 day-of. Purchase tickets HERE and use coupon code: TOAPC for an additional $5 off (offer valid only for tickets purchased online). One adult ticket will give you 15 taste coupons- so use them wisely!

This event is described as Atlanta's premier food+wine+beer+cocktail festival so it sounds like fun! Lets just hope we have more fun than we did at the Taste of Brookhaven...

Brookhaven Arts Festival

This weekend the Brookhaven Art Alliance held the 7th annual Brookhaven Arts Festival. The festival was held both Saturday and Sunday and boasted artists, musicians, sculptors, local organizations, food vendors, and kiddie fun.

With a lot of other stuff going on this weekend, Cory and I were only able to make the end of the show yesterday (Sunday). We grabbed the pup (Jasper) and walked over to see the festival. A few of the artists had started to take their stuff down, but we walked around and checked out everything, listened to some music, and bought some beer (our only purchase).


The festival was still packed full of people, and there was a lot of vendors and artists booths to check out (probably around 75 or so) when we got there.  We didn't stay too long since things were starting to wind down, but we saw all that we could and stopped in a couple booths to talk to the artists (and of course, Jasper made some friends!).  There was definitely some interesting local artists and photographers, and we got some great ideas to use for the house.

This is definitely something we will go to again next year and hopefully spend some more time (and money)!

Brookhaven & Beyond

Don't forget about the Brookhaven Arts Festival this weekend on Apply Valley Road behind the Brookhaven MARTA station! The festival is this Saturday and Sunday and will have arts, crafts, music, food, and much more. Tune in Sunday evening for our take of the event.Also- please check out our friend Brandon's blog: American Beer Geek in Paris. He is definitely a connoisseur of beers, so read all about his experiences as he tries to find the best beers in one of the top wine countries in the world.

Enjoy! Have a great weekend,

Brookhaven Pumpkin Patch!

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's already fall, and almost Halloween, so Cory and I picked up our pumpkins last night. Now I know you can get them at any grocery store, but we wanted to pick out some really nice ones, and of course, support our local community.
The Brookhaven Christian Church is located right off of Peachtree Road, near the Oglethorpe Campus and Ashford Dunwoody Rd (4500 Peachtree Rd.). They currently have a pretty large selection of pumpkins out front ranging from $1 to $25 dollars (cash only). And the hours are 11am-7pm.If you haven't picked up your pumpkin- please do so soon! Check back for our photos after we've carved ours up.

Enjoy your Friday!

Panahar

Long time visitor, first time blogger. We have been here multiple times since we moved into the neighborhood so when our friends Stacy and Chris asked us if we wanted to go again tonight, we couldn't resist. Panahar is a great little hole in the wall on Buford highway that serves authentic Bangladeshi cuisine (very similar to Indian, but different spices and cooking methods). The staff is a friendly bunch of guys who serve up some delicious dishes, and they are never afraid to offer their own recommendations.

One of the best things about this place - you can bring your own wine and beer without a corking fee. It definitely cuts down on the cost and makes the food taste better. We were definitely hungry tonight, so we tried a few favorites and a few new things:

We tried the Mulligatawny (left) which was very similar to a creamy tomato/vegetable soup. And of course we ordered the pakoras, which are fried sliced vegetables mixed with gran flour, coriander, and onions.

I ordered the Shaag Poneer which is a creamy spinach sauce with homemade cheese and chicken.

Malory ordered the chicken Korma. It is a spiced cream sauce with cashews, shredded coconut and raisins.

Of course, everything must be eaten with plenty of Baashmotee rice and garlic Naan.

Finally, Stacy and Chris turned us on to some Mango Chutney. It goes great with the naan and the rice. The best thing about Bangladeshi food is you just kind of mix it altogether and let all the flavors blend.

This place makes some great food, and listen to the staff, they know what they are talking about. Don't forget to try and make a reservation - especially on Friday and Saturday nights (and don't forget, they are closed on Mondays). They do get booked up quickly. Go check it out.

Library Coffee Co: Wine Tasting

Our favorite local coffee shop (and early-night bar), Library Coffee Co is hosting a wine tasting this Wednesday (10/13) at 7pm.

This months tasting features "Italy's Best." This monthly event fills up quickly, so if you haven't signed up make sure to do so soon! The tasting costs just $20 per person and includes a range of wine samples (between 6-7 samples) and 3 appetizers (bruschetta, hummus/ veggies, & cheese). Call (404) 841-8818 to reserve your spot today.We have been to 3 of the wine tastings, and we have enjoyed them all (above picture was from the Argentina vs. Spain themed tasting we did on Cory's birthday this year- pictured: Ryan, me & Maddy). The atmosphere is great, and we love learning more about wine: how its made, how to properly drink, and what to pair it with. Our favorite tasting so far was the Blind tasting we did in August with Stacy and Chris (see blog links at bottom right).

The regular Sommelier (wine connoisseur) who leads the tastings is a wonderful speaker and very engaging- you won't be disappointed! My only advice is to get there at least 20 minutes early- tables cannot be reserved, and if you have a party of more than 4- it can be tough to all sit together! At the end of the tasting (~9pm) they offer the remaining wine bottles from the tastings at $6-$7 a glass.

Enjoy!

El Potro

This weekend we decided to try out some more local ethnic Brookhaven Restaurants we had heard about. Cory was really in the mood for Mexican (as he is most Friday nights) so we tried out El Potro. El Potro is located just north of Briarwood & Buford (3396 Buford Hwy NE), directly under the massive Asian Pearl billboard.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a nice outdoor patio and quickly grabbed a seat. The restaurant was bustling with patrons, but it wasn't too difficult to find a table which was nice. The menu was pretty typical Mexican with quesadillas, tacos, combo plates, etc all roughly $6-$9 (not bad!). Drinks were also pretty reasonable: Cory enjoyed a 32 oz. Dos Equis Amber and I enjoyed a $3.75 house margarita in a cute glass. For dinner Cory had the vallarta special (it was ok...) and I had the chimichangas (very delicious! pictured below- $6.50). We also saw a few others ordering some interesting looking sauces/salsa, so we will definitely try those next time and see how those are.

Overall, we were hoping for some more authentic mexican cuisine and less tex-mex (we do, however, need to go back and explore the menu a little more). We were really on the lookout for some aztec-style Mexican (like Zapata in Norcross) complete with molcajetes and mole. The atmosphere was pretty cool (helped by a gorgeous night), there was a diverse group of folks there, and it was pretty inexpensive. We definitely were pretty happy walking out of there will full stomachs for less than $20! This will probably become a good hangout for us and our friends as an inexpensive local Mexican, but we will still be on the lookout for some down home mexican cookin'.

Moore Farms- Market Open!

This is the first week of the Fall Harvest, so take a moment to order your farm box for next week (see photo above of our goodies from last week's box)! Remember you can pick your box up at numerous locations- the Brookhaven location is the Cooks Warehouse at Peachtree St & Dresden. This week's boxes include:

$20 - Apples, Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Lettuce,
Collard Greens and Green Onions.

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$30 - Apples, Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Lettuce,
Collard Greens, Eggplant, Florida Avocado,
Sweet Peppers and Green Onions.

Click here to log in and place your order:www.moorefarmsandfriends.com.

 

 They are also having a Farm Day next Saturday (October 16). Learn more about that HERE

Brookhaven Happenings

We've received a few emails with some updates on Brookhaven happenings, and I thought I would share:

• Tonight (and every Thursday) Live Music at the Library Coffee. Join them tonight from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm for the Gary Harris Band. This four member band led by Jazz Saxophonist Gary Harris, will play a range of upbeat tunes. Remember - they have cold beers from the tap starting at just $3 a pint plus an extensive wine list with glasses starting at just $6.
• Next weekend (October 16 & 17) the Brookhaven Arts Festival, hosted by the Brookhaven Art Alliance and presented by Brookhaven Bank, returns to Apple Valley Road. Located directly behind the Brookhaven-Oglethorpe MARTA station, this arts and entertainment event is convenient to everyone in Atlanta. Free to the public, come join more than 125 artists that will be displaying and marketing their fine arts. There will also be live music throughout the festival.
• Cory and I are also planning a visit to the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on Saturday in Buckhead (every Sat. from 9am-12:30pm) to pick up some yummy seasonal veggies and check out some chef demos. Visit their website to also find a great harvesting calendar.There's also a smaller, more local Farmers Market every Thursday evening (4pm - 8pm) at the Old Five Points junction (Ashford Dunwoody & Johnson Ferry Road) in Chamblee/Brookhaven. More information here (facebook).
• There is also a Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club Make Over Day on October 17th (9am-4pm)! The National Business Aviation Association and Club Sport will spend a full day giving the Brookhaven Club a much needed makeover. Projects for the Makeover include:
  
  1. Playground renovation
  2. Teen Center renovation
  3. Spruce up/painting of Club rooms
  4. Volleyball courts
  5. Softball Field and much more!
  This will be a fun and rewarding day for all. Please volunteer by registering HERE. Make sure you add Club Sport as the Company Name when registering.
  

Hope to see you all at a few of these events!

Now on Twitter!!

Hey guys, if you're feeling adventurous... follow us on twitter @BHreview.  Or, if you've got any suggestions, comments or just want to chat feel free to email us at brookhavenreview@gmail.com. 

Holeman & Finch's Burger

I had heard about this burger from a number of different sources including Food & Wine and Food Magazine.  And after Alton Brown recommended it as the best burger in the country, I knew I had to try it.  So I found about tonight: the one night they are serving their infamous burger during dinner hours.  That's odd you might say.  Wouldn't they always serve it during dinner hours?  No.  Chef Linton Hopkins at Holeman & Finch public house only serves 24 each night.  At 10pm he calls out on a bull horn "It's burger time" and 24 people get to share in the experience that is the Holeman & Finch burger.  But tonight, you got to enjoy unlimited amounts of their burger from 5pm to 1am. 

I did feel like I was cheating a bit by coming tonight.  I feel like being one of the 24 to get a burger is a great privilege. I also figured that people only considered this as the best burger they have ever eaten because they are usually a couple beers or cocktails deep by 10pm and a burger sounds oh so satisfying.  But either way I had to have one and I had been looking forward to this for awhile.

We ended showing up around 6:45 to a packed house (it's pretty small inside) and they said it was a 3 hour wait.  Well, bring it on.  We headed to the bar where it was first come first serve if you could find a table and luckily for us within the hour we found 2 seats.  By the time we ordered, I was already feeling like one of those couple beers deep folks who were craving a hamburger (so I didn't totally cheat).  It also didn't help that we were sitting right next to the kitchen where I watched them create numerous burgers.

We finally were served.  The burger itself was very simple.  It consisted of 2 patties with cheese, red onions, and homemade pickles on a toasted bun served with hand-cut fries and a homemade ketchup and mustard on the side.  While we were waiting, we had seen a couple being served around and I thought to myself, "Is this really what the fuss is about?"

Then I took my first bite. The meat itself was so flavorful and rich that it almost tasted creamy.  It was lean and juicy and I knew why it was so plain.  There was no reason to dilute the taste of this beef with any sort of gimmicks.  We both thoroughly enjoyed the burger and I was on the verge of ordering one more to take home.

I know the 10pm experience is probably very cool and I can't wait to find myself there again, being one of the proud and the few to get to eat one of the burgers.  While we may have cheated tonight, don't cheat yourself and go try one.

Field of Greens Festival & Kenari

As I mentioned in my first post of the day, we had a great time at the Field of Greens Festival at Whippoorwill Hollow Farm in Covington, Georgia. There were probably about 25ish restaurants there all showcasing some of their best organic and local dishes with most of the ingredients coming from Georgia Farms. We were pleasantly surprised to find both Haven and Valenza both local Brookhaven restaurants in the Village Place Development.
Some of my favorite dishes included a creamy cauliflower soup, sangria with fresh fruit, spicy lamb sausage with succotash, and a spice cake with homemade ice cream all topped with bacon peanut brittle (YUM! See photo below)We also were very surprised to stumble upon a local juicer who happened to be from Roswell. Cory and I are both from Roswell, and haven't quite ever come across any farmers since Mr. Coleman, and he pretty much only sold pet rabbits and pre-made pies...Anyways, this farmer- Johnathan Hosseini recently leased an old horse farm in Roswell (right across the street from Cory's parents- small world!) and started his company The Kenari Neighborhood Food System and growing ingredients to make his juice, also named, Kenari. Johnathan's focus has been on promoting urban food systems and vibrant, healthy neighborhoods. His hand-brewed juice/tea is made mainly from ingredients grown on his farm and is rich in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.

Cory and I loved this juice, and when we happened upon it tonight at the local Whole Foods in Buckhead- we bought a large jug ($7.99- top right). After further consumption it tastes like an apple cider tea hybrid with a little bit of spice. It's quite refreshing! Stay tuned as we learn more about Kenari and their Neighborhood Food Systems.

See more pics of the festival at Stacy Eats!

October!

Sorry for the lag in postings!! October has proved to be a busy month already. Cory and I have lots of posts planned and many restaurants to try, so please check back throughout the month to see what we're up to.

This weekend was action packed with the braves games, GT football, and Field of Greens Festival. The festival was well worth the $15 ticket price, and was everything we wanted the Taste of Brookhaven to be. More to come on that festival, but in the meantime, check out StacyEats for more details and photos- Stacy was the one who turned us on to this event, and we thoroughly enjoyed going with her and Chris.

Stay tuned for our photos and review of the event- there were even a few Brookhaven restaurants in attendance!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Monday.