Borders Lenox- Closing!

As discussed in our Pinkberry post this week, the Border's at Lenox in Buckhead has just started its "Going out of Business" sale. Currently everything is 20-40% discounted, with an additional 10% discount with your Borders Membership Card.

With those kinds of discounts they probably come a little closer to matching the prices at Amazon.com, but of course "limitations apply". If history is any indicator- you should probably wait about 2-4 weeks when they really start marking everything down 50+% just to get rid of their inventory.

Many Borders bookstores have been closing all across the country since the company filed bankruptcy in February of this year. There are plans to close about 200 stores throughout the US in 2011. Economists credit the economy, discount online retailers (amazon), and the rising popularity of e-readers (kindles).

I don't know about you, but this doesn't surprise me... similar to blockbuster vs. netflix (and now redbox)- blockbuster just doesn't stand a chance!  It sucks that our neighborhood bookstore is closing, but I'm intrigued as to what will replace it! It's a huge 2-story space (probably around 20,000 sq.ft.) right on Peachtree Road.  Any thoughts on what you would like to see there? I would vote for an H&M...

Cafe Agora

This weekend Cory and I checked out Cafe Agora, a small, hidden greek restaurant next to Buckhead Bottle Bar and near the intersection of Peachtree/E. Paces (see map below) just south of Brookhaven in Buckhead. A friend had told me about the place, and since both Cory and I love greek food, we decided to try it out.

Cafe Agora is definitely hidden along the East Paces side street (tip- look for the bright blue awning). When we first walked in there was one other patron there (it was 1pm on Saturday, and I assume they do most of their business for the weekday professional lunch crowd). They had a small picture menu posted on the wall, and warning- they do not list ANY prices. I have heard that they change the prices accordingly to how they feel.

Gyros are our absolute favorite thing to get at a Greek restaurant, especially for lunch. The tender, seasoned sliced meat with lettuce, onion, tomato (sometimes) wrapped in a warm, soft pita and all topped with the creamy yogurt sauce: Tzatziki. So of course, we both order the gryo- me, chicken and Cory, lamb. With no prices on the menu, I was interested to see how much the gryos would be. After a 5-10 minute wait (which is always a good thing for quality food!), he rang us up at $15 dollars even (!). Now, mind you, that price includes ONLY the gyros- no fries and no drink. I'm not sure if eating in would have given us a side, or if they put an extra fee on to-go orders, but that was just a little too pricey for us.

Our favorite Greek restaurant is located in Roswell/Apharetta off of Highway 9: Athens Restaurant. They offer a $6.50 lunch special that includes the gyro, fries, and a drink and it is all so nostimos ('delicious' in Greek). But we were hoping to find a closer option for us with this venture.

I have to say that the gyro itself was more flavorful at Agora than at Athens, however I prefer Athens tzatziki sauce. You can see the picture of my chicken gryo with the meat and grilled onions. I won't lie- it was delicious, I just think we weren't impressed with the service of the restaurant.

Overall its unfortunate that we didn't fully enjoy our first experience, but I think we will definitely try it again, and maybe eat in next time.

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!

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.

First Post!

Cory and I decided to try our hand at blogging... we are focusing on our new home base: Brookhaven, Georgia. We feel that there is such a lack of consolidated information about Brookhaven. Since its not a City, just an area, there is no single source of information. We hope that this blog can be a reference, guide, and review (of course) of this area we now call home!

Brookhaven is a small area north of Buckhead. Once known as North Atlanta, Brookhaven has started to spread from the wealthy suburbs north of Peachtree Street, to the areas of Ashford Park, Brookhaven Heights, and Brookhaven Fields.

Cory and I just bought a house in the Brookhaven Heights neighborhood, and so far we absolutely LOVE the area- it's like our own little gem. We feel a part of the big city, but also a part of a small community.

Please check back for our Brookhaven Review posts about local restaurants, shops, festivals, activities, and organizations. We welcome any comments or suggestions! Hope to be back blogging soon.

Thanks!

Malory and Cory