Pier 1- Moving!

The Pier 1 at Lenox (across Lenox Road from Macy's) is moving down the street to Piedmont/Peachtree area. Their relocation has sparked a Moving Sale! Everything is now 20-40% off- so if bold furniture and tacky housewares are your thang (I kid...) then hit this sale up. Of course you could always wait about 4 weeks until everything is 50-70% off and really get some deals...

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...

Who has the best Froyo in all the land?

After a week or so of Pinkberry being open, we decided to give it a shot.  I will have to say, we were pretty excited from hearing all the buzz about Pinkberry (click the link at your own risk, loud music to ensue!).  Being so green in the "froyo" department, we were eager to try a different spot than our local Yoforia. 

We drove (we probably could have walked, but we had just ran the half-marathon) to the tired shopping center on Peachtree and Roxboro that's anchored by a Border's (aren't they out of business yet?) and a Joseph A. Bank.  Not a great location, to say the least, but it is in the high traffic area just north of Lenox mall, so I guess it could possibly work.  Anyway, we came in and were greeted by some very eager, young yougurtistas who were very helpful in explaining how their process worked: you choose your size and your flavor, then you pick your toppings from the bar (some were included in the price, some were extra, above) and it was all prepared by your energetic yogurt bartender.

Malory chose the chocolate and I went with the Lychee (which sounded like some disease from Thailand, but in fact, was refreshing).  The yogurt was ok, but a little pricey - for a small and a medium size we paid a little over $11, which is much more that we ever spend at Yoforia.

Overall, pink or no pink, you can color us unimpressed.  We just really like the idea of dishing out our own yogurt and choosing our own toppings (and amount of them).  At Yoforia, you can mix and match any amount of yogurt and then go all crazy with your toppings as well.  I felt like I had to be safe with my toppings as my yogurtista stared at the concotion I was dictating to her.  I didn't want her to judge my would be addition of Cap'n Crunch to an already dangerous blend of white and dark chocolate chips, carmel sauce and raspberries (you gotta keep it healthy somehow!).  Plus, she was so conservative with the scoops.  Doesn't she know that I really could care less about the yogurt and I'm really trying to make a coma-inducing sugar trailmix?  These kind of blends are stictly prohibited at Pinkberry, and I'd rather let my inner 10 year old choose my yogurt treat than my responsible (somewhat) mid-20s self, who ended up going with "yogurt chips", granola, and raspberries (I hate myself for those choices, believe me).

Either way, go try it and see what you think for yourself.  Essentially, the toppings and yogurt are the same as Yoforia with tweaks in the process and a hike in price.  We still have a couple more places to try to decide our official "fave".  More spots to come...

Pinkberry at Lenox

If you live under a rock, you might not have noticed that ice cream is slowly dying and frozen yogurt, or froyo as the cool kids say, is all the rage (see how many times I say it in this post).  More and more froyo chains are popping up all over Atlanta in replacement of the previous trendy "marble stone" ice cream spots.  To me, there's nothing better than a full-fat, creamy treat, but I can't deny that froyo is a tasty, healthy substitute on occasion. 

In Brookhaven, we've been frequenting Yoforia as our froyo spot in the Village Place Shopping Center - mainly because it's the closest one.  I haven't tried any other spots and am excited to welcome the new Pinkberry to the neighborhood.  Started in 2005 in California, Pinkberry now has over 100+ stores with 3 in the Atlanta area.  Their newest location is going in the Border's shopping center, north of Lenox Mall, at the intersection of Roxboro and Peachtree (old Marble Slab Creamery).  The store officially opens tomorrow, and we can't wait to see how it measures up to our already established Yoforia.  What's your favorite froyo place?  

Roaster's Chicken

Both Malory and I grew up in Atlanta, and are Southerners at heart. Growing up here in the South, we have a constant craving for things deep-fried and “scattered, smothered, and covered” in butter. It has been a challenge for us to find a great country-cooking place ITP, but a few years ago, we stumbled upon Roasters and have been frequent visitors since we live so close. Located on Lenox Road (about a mile south/east of the Mall), Roasters serves up great rotisserie chicken with all the fixin's. Tucked away in a small shopping center, it provides a great family atmosphere for a good price. We are usually always seated promptly, the staff is very friendly, and the food is definitely filling.

After our complimentary basket of rolls and cornbread, we typically order sweet tea, and then try to decide on entrees on their massive menu. Their rotisserie chicken is definitely their specialty, so whether it's a sandwich, salad, or whole chicken, we usually get something involving their signature .  The entrees come with two sides- and they have many great options to choose from.

While I've tried a couple of their dishes, this time I went with the fried chicken (see photo above) with coleslaw and fried green tomatoes. Their fried green tomatoes are seasonal, so make sure to ask the waiter if they have them available.

Malory pretty much always orders the ¼ white rotisserie plate, which is great for the price. She also always gets the fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes with gravy (above).

Roasters is a great spot for lunch or dinner, and the location at Lenox has a nice outdoor patio. They have another location in Alpharetta (never tried it), but we enjoy sticking to our local joint. Go with an appetite, beware of counting calories and enjoy some country cookin'!

Briarwood Park

While out and about on our usual weekend stroll, Malory and I decided to check out the "hidden" Briarwood Park. We stumbled upon this place a few months ago after noticing one of those brown road signs (that indicate landmarks, etc.) pointing to a 'Briarwood Park' down a very dark and lonely looking road. So we ventured there this past weeked, and walked pup the 1+ mile to go check out what this public park was all about. After visiting Lenox Park, we were interested to see what this one offered.

Briarwood is owned and operated by DeKalb County, and it is located off of Briarwood Road, near the intersection of Buford Highway. It's pretty tough to find- there is no main signage off of Briarwood, so keep a lookout for the brown directional signs. Briarwood has 18 acres, baseball fields, multi-use fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, recreation center, playground (photo below), picnic area, and walking trails (all per DeKalb County website). At first glance- I probably wouldn't go near the recreation center and swimming pool... it looked a little dark and dismal (pool was closed). Overall, the park is pretty small, heavily wooded, and spread out (not always the best idea in park layout).

We didn't notice any ball fields or multi-use designated fields- there was one large open area that they might consider as a field, but I'm not sure. There also really wasn't much of a walking trail- just a sidewalk next to the road through the park- maybe a half a mile long. The one thing that was hopping was the tennis courts (photo below). They are situated closer to Briarwood Road, and both courts were in use when we walked by. Note that they cannot be reserved, nor do they have lights, but there is an hour time limit when people are waiting.

Overall, I was a little disappointed in this park- we could have picked a bad day to check it out (it is winter), but it was still pretty sunny and about 50 degrees on a Saturday afternoon, and the place just seemed a little quiet for a park. I have also heard that DeKalb County is considering closing the rec center and pool to help save money (approx. $500,000!). I know we will be back at this park to utilize the tennis courts, but we will probably stick with Lenox Park for the walking trails.  Has anybody else had a better experience?