Bacchanalia

Bacchanalia is touted as one of Atlanta's best restaurants.  Some people even say it's Atlanta's best restaurant.  I agree with the latter.  Hands down, the best food I've ever eaten.

The good food comes with a price.  Justin and I have wanted to eat at Bacchanalia for a few years, but knew the cost meant we needed to save the visit for a special occasion.  Justin has gotten into flipping houses and said once he sold the first house, we would dine at Bacchanalia.  The flip house sold a few months ago, so Justin made a reservation.  Bacchanalia is popular, so a Saturday night reservation wasn't completely easy to get.  If we wanted to wait and dine at 9:30 p.m., would could have gotten a reservation a couple of months ago.  We tend to like eating a little earlier, so we waited for a 6:00 p.m. reservation.

I've been looking forward to June 20 for several weeks.  June 20 is when our reservation was for.  We dressed up and headed across town.  Traffic meant we had to detour slightly and even with the detour, we arrived about five or six minutes late.  Justin will attest to this, but I do not like being late for things.  I managed to remain calm since I was really looking forward to this dinner.

Surprisingly, they do not offer valet parking.  Nearly every other restaurant in the city has valet parking, but the highest rated one does not.  This made me smile.

We were seated immediately and the dining experience that is Bacchanalia began.

The menu is divided into five courses - a first and second appetizer, a main entrée, a salad/cheese course, and dessert.

 

This menu is from another day, but is very similar to the one from last night.  My selections are below: 

• Georgia White Shrimp
• Gulf Crab Fritter
• Ricotta Gnudi (not on the menu above)
• Many Fold Farm Brebis
• Peach Fried Pie

I think my favorite course was the crab fritter.  Oh, was it good.  The shrimp was served with clams and a foamy broth.  The crab fritter was served with an avocado puree and a Thai pepper sauce.  Gnudi is a gnocchi made with ricotta instead of potato.  It was delicious.

 

The fourth course is the one I was least looking forward to.  I'm not too adventurous when it comes to food.  I've gotten a lot better in the last couple of years, but I'm still hesitant to try some foods.  Cheese is one of those foods.  I love cheese, but I don't like tangy cheese.  I prefer cheese made with cow milk.  Don't ask me why I'm so anti-sheep's milk cheese.  Goat cheese is a little too tangy for me, so I don't eat it.  The brebis was made into an ice cream (no sugar) and served with blueberries, oats, and homemade cream.  Oh, was it tasty.

 

My dessert consisted of two small fried peach pies, served with ice cream.  It was wonderful.

 

Justin had the following items:

• Confit Foie Gras
• Gulf Crab Fritter
• Magret Duck Breast
• Sequatchie Cove Dancing Fern
• Blueberry Souffle

He said his favorite course was the crab fritter, too.

 

Once we were seated, a server brought a small bowl with gougeres.  These were tiny biscuits filled with a soft cheese.  They were amazing.  They also served a melon gazpacho with a melon and cucumber "sandwich" between the first and second appetizers.  Between the cheese and dessert courses, they served a small peach smoothie.  It was perfectly refreshing.

Not only was the food impeccable, but the service was also top-notch.  The server was attentive, but not overly intrusive.  Everyone working seemed to have a purpose.  No one stood around doing nothing.

I told Justin I wish we could eat at Bacchanalia frequently.  We would be broke, but the food is worth it.

Hipe Bluetooth Shower Speaker

I enjoy listening to music while showering.  Anytime I'm at home alone, I crank up the speakers on my desktop computer in the guest room and shower away.  Luckily, the guest room is across the hall from the bathroom Justin and I claimed as the master bath.

 

The problem with this set-up is that I'm infrequently home alone, so I rarely get to listen to music while showering.  Justin isn't opposed to music, but because the speakers are in another room, I have to turn up the volume pretty high to be able to hear it in the shower.  This borders on torture to anyone not in the shower.

 

One afternoon, I searched for a bluetooth enabled speaker I could use in the shower.  I found some options, so I knew what I was looking for existed.  Win!  I shared my want with Justin and considered ordering the speaker for myself, but decided to wait.  It wasn't something I needed.

 

I had actually kind of forgotten about the speaker until my birthday.  Justin presented me with an Amazon box the morning of my birthday.  Inside was the Hipe speaker.

 

I am in love!  I immediately began charging the speaker so I could use it later that morning when I showered.  After it was charged, I paired the speaker with my mobile phone and opened Pandora.  I'm pleased with the speaker.  The sound is good and I don't have to wake the dead by turning up speakers in another room of the house.  Don't ask me how I know this, but moon walking in the shower is so much easier than moon walking outside of the shower.  Heee! (said in the style of Michael Jackson)

Thanks Justin!  I'm so lucky my husband listens and remembers things I say I want.