Desta Ethiopian Kitchen

Justin has been trying to get me to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant for a while. I put him off for months, but finally gave in Saturday night. We headed to Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, which is about a mile or so from our house. This is apparently a very popular restaurant because the parking lot was full and we waited for about thirty minutes for a table. They do take reservations, so I would highly recommend making one if you plan to dine here. We waited in this little covered porch area, so the wait wasn't unbearable.


After we were seated, we ordered and began looking around the small restaurant. I noticed the woman at the table beside me was eating with her fingers. I was kind of surprised until I realized everyone in the restaurant was eating with their fingers. I looked at Justin and said, "I don't think they have silverware." He said, "Yeah, I kind of expected that they wouldn't." I kept looking around and got more and more bothered by the idea that I would have to eat my food with my fingers. I was so relieved when my food arrived with a fork and spoon. It's like they knew!

I ordered the veggie pasta, which was spaghetti. The sauce was spicier than usual and had a lot of garlic. It was good, just not my favorite food ever. Justin ordered the fish tibs with shiro. It was like a thick soup that was served with rolls of spongy bread. His entree came with a spoon, too. He really enjoyed his food and wants to eat there again. I'm glad because he's been wanting to eat there for a while.

We opted to skip the desserts, but they all looked really delicious. I'm sure we'll dine here again since I know Justin really enjoyed it and wants to try more entrees.

(Photo source)

Si Senor

I'm not gonna lie. This week was brutal at work. I did the happy dance as I walked out of the building Friday evening. This one project started as a pretty easy task that took about fifteen minutes of my time each day. I spent about twenty-five or so hours on it this week. Lucky for me, it technically ended on Friday, but I'm sure there will be a little clean-up work next week.

When I got home, Justin and I decided to grab supper from Moe's. We eat Moe's about three or four times each week. We love it! As we were driving there, Justin asked if I wanted anything other than Moe's. I said I was willing to eat just about anything. I mentioned Mexican food and Justin said he could eat that. I suggested a new restaurant that had recently opened along my commute to and from work. We agreed to try Si Senor Mexican Restaurant.

They weren't too busy when we arrived, but they quickly got fairly busy before we left. They brought the usual chips and salsa, but they also included a small plate of refried beans topped with jalapenos. The salsa was really good! It was different than what we typically get from Mexican restaurants. The service was also very attentive, but not intrusive. Justin ordered the huevos rancheros and I ordered the fajitas quesadilla with shrimp.

The food arrived in about ten or so minutes and I was shocked at the serving size. The plates were huge and hot! We both dug in and pretty much devoured our entrees. Both were served with rice and beans. I ordered refried beans and Justin got the ranchero beans. The ranchero beans were advertised as cholesterol free. They weren't as good as refried beans, but they were tasty. I did discover last night that refried beans typically are made with lard. That ends my short love affair with refried beans. I've only started eating them in the last year or so. They always looked repulsive to me. I think it's the color and texture, but I finally tried them and fell in love.

After gorging ourselves, we paid and headed home. I was miserable for an hour or so. I ate too much. We definitely need to eat at Si Senor again because there were lots of options on the fairly extensive menu. They had a lot of vegetarian options. The prices were also really good. The two of us ate for about $22. We drank water, but they do have a bar. Those margaritas on the other tables looked very refreshing!

Happy Birthday Darren and Francine!

Last weekend, Justin and I (and Pete and Annabelle) visited our families in South Georgia. Justin's brother, Darren, and their grandmother, Francine (Nanny) were celebrating their birthdays. Darren wanted to eat at Mori's in Valdosta (I noticed that Darren posted a comment at the website in the Mori's link.). We had a great time and yummy food.

Sunday, everyone gathered at Justin's parents' house for birthday parties. Since I was spending some time with my family, I didn't make it over there, but it sounds and looks like everyone had a great time. Here are some photos from the day:

Isn't Miss Olivia adorable?

Justin's cousins, Courtney and Alisa, and their grandmother, Nanny

Miss Olivia looks like she was having a good time.

Brad and Olivia

Nanny is opening her presents.

Nanny opening another present.

Darren and Olivia

Apparently, Olivia snatched the cash right out of Darren's hand. She's so smart!

Brad, Darren, Justin, and Janice. They're a good looking bunch.

Olivia likes to ride facing backward. I'll have to try this in my car.

Darren and Justin (and The Honda in the background)

So happy!

Pricci (and a "stolen" briefcase)

Thursday, Justin and I headed to Pricci to enjoy dinner during Buckhead Resturant Week. Participating restaurants offer some of their best food for a $25 or $35 prix-fixe menu. We've wanted to eat at Pricci for a while, so we decided to get a reservation there.

Once again, parking was by valet only, so we obliged and headed inside to claim our table. I guess it's paying someone to do a simple task that I am perfectly capable of doing myself that bothers me. I do not like valet parking, especially when a set fee is required. Valet parking at Pricci costs $2 with expected gratuity. I'll tip the valets at restaurants that offer free valet parking, but I don't at restaurants that charge you a fee for valet parking. Call me cheap, but I don't like being required to pay someone to park my car when I'm paying you over $100 for a meal plus a tip for the server and then being expected to tip the valet for parking my car.

Before I step off the soap box, I'd like to mention the dress code. When Justin made the reservation at Pricci, he said the website reminded him that the dress code for the restaurant is business casual. I don't have a problem with business casual since that's what I wear to work and we would be heading to dinner after work. There was also a sign posted on the door that reminded you of the dress code and that certain articles of clothing were inappropriate (I can't remember exactly what the sign said, but something like shorts and tank tops weren't appropriate). I understand restaurants wanting to create a certain "feel" for their restaurant, but once again, the customer is paying you for a meal. Shouldn't they be allowed to wear what is comfortable? Justin and I both wore business casual clothes, but some people in there weren't. I was glad to see they weren't turned away since their clothes didn't affect my enjoyment of the experience.

Ok, I'm off the soap box for now. We were seated immediately and our waitress greeted us. She did mention that they offer the prix-fixe menu about eight months out of the year, so we could expect it outside of Buckhead Restaurant Week. They were also offering half off bottles of wine on Thursdays so we tried a slightly more expensive bottle of wine than we normally would have. Due to a change in Georgia law, we would be able to take home any of the wine we didn't consume. Even better!

We both ordered from the prix-fixe menu. I selected the roasted pumpkin soup, risotto, and galani con salsa al cioccolato. Justin ordered the roasted pumpkin soup, pasta with duck, and crostata di costagne. The menu in the restaurant was slightly different than the one on the BRW website. The soup was really good. I could have eaten a gallon of it. They also brought a selection of breads with a whipped goat cheese with cream cheese and marinara dipping sauce. It was very yummy!

My risotto was good. It wasn't absolutely amazing, but it was definitely good. I would order it again. Justin said his pasta was just ok. He really enjoys duck, but didn't think this duck was all that special. The desserts were also slightly disappointing. Neither was outstanding to us, but Justin's chestnut tart was better than mine. The service was very good, though. The waitress seemed to enjoy what she does. They had an army of servers who made sure water glasses remained full and wine glasses were never empty. The pace of the meal was also good since we were able to finish one course before the next arrived. After paying, we corked our wine bottle and headed out to claim our car.

While waiting in the line to claim our car, a woman pulls into the line and loudly announces that she wants to speak with the person in charge since something was stolen from her car. One of the valets says he can help her. She says a briefcase was stolen from her car while in their care, her light switch was moved, and her steering wheel was adjusted. The valet began researching who parked her car while she was saying, "I'm going to make sure I tell everyone about this!" She was obviously very unhappy. Justin suggested (to me privately) that she seemed like she may have had a little too much wine or was a very excitable person. I agreed. I don't see why someone would steal a briefcase from someone's car, but she insisted her's was missing. It was dark so I don't see how the valets were supposed to operate her car without moving the light switch. The steering wheel complaint also seemed a little petty. She was barely five feet tall. Nearly all of the valets appeared to be over six feet tall. I'm short so I keep my steering wheel as low as it will go so I can see over it, but someone taller than me would have trouble driving my car without adjusting the wheel since the wheel would dig into their legs. She was still ranting when our car arrived, which saddened us because we wanted to see the outcome. She pulled out behind us and left right after we did so I'm guessing her briefcase was found. I hope they got her light switch and steering whell adjusted, too.

(Photo source)

A hawk, snake, and steak tartare

Last Sunday, Justin and I raked and bagged leaves in the front yard. It was cool, but not cold, and the sun was out. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The day was gorgeous! As we were finishing the yard, we noticed a hawk bouncing around in the ivy beneath some trees. We saw he had something in his mouth and we quickly realized he had a mouse. He enjoyed his food and then perched on a tree near Justin and me.

I have a love-hate relationship with the hawks. It's really more of a hate-love relationship. I don't like mice, but the thought of them being eaten by a bird is awful. Even though the chipmunks made a terrible mess in our storage room outside last year, and I had to clean it up, I still don't want them to be eaten by a hawk. My love with the hawks is that they eat snakes. I've never seen one of the hawks in our yard eat a snake, but I really hope they do. There are plenty!

Justin told me that when he and the dogs were in the backyard while I was working in the front yard, he and Annabelle spotted the hawk just standing on the ground in the middle of the backyard. Annabelle started barking and ran toward the bird, which immediately flew to a tree. Annabelle then "marked" the area where the hawk was standing. She wanted to let him know who's yard he was in. Even though I know they're probably safe, I have a rule that the dogs aren't allowed outside alone when the hawk has been spotted in the yard.

Yesterday, Justin was raking the very back yard while I was inside cleaning. After a few minutes, Justin came back inside and we had the following conversation:
k: The area where you raked looks really good.
j: You don't want to go out there.
k: Is there a snake out there?
j: Yeah.
k: Did you kill it?
j: No, it got away before I could kill it.
k: How big was it?
j: About a foot long, but it was really skinny. I'm pretty sure it was a copperhead.

Where is that darned hawk when you need it?! Last summer, I found out that several of our neighbors suspected that a bed of copperheads was near our yard. I guess they're still there. I really want to get the very back of our yard completely cleared of ivy and brush so that we can get some grass to grow there. I know that won't prevent snakes in the yard, but it will allow us to see them more easily. Maybe they won't like the grass and will leave. Something else that bothered me about the snake spotting was that I always thought snakes hibernated until spring. It's still winter, so why are they out and about already? Seriously, where is that hawk?

After being nearly eaten by a snake, we decided to eat at Mary Mac's Tea Room for an early supper. We've wanted to eat there for a while and decided to go. The line was wrapped around the building. I suggested we go to Flip. Their parking lot was full, but we were able to be seated inside immediately. I inquired about sitting outside, but there was a twenty minute wait, so we took the table inside. I ordered my usual shrimp poboyger with fries. Justin ordered the steak tartare burger with a side of pork belly macaroni and cheese.

While we were waiting, I joked with Justin about the raw meat he ordered. He said, "No, I think they cook it very slightly." I said, "Um, no, I'm pretty sure it's completely raw." He looked it up on his phone and said, "You're right. It is completely raw." When it arrived, his burger was topped with a soft boiled egg. To me, soft boiled is practically raw. He ate the burger and said that it was absolutely delicioius. The waiter commented that if we would just lick the plates a little, they could reuse them without having to wash them. What can I say, we were hungry. We shared a nutella and burnt marshmallow milkshake. Justin said, "These burnt marshmallows are the most cooked thing I've eaten tonight." I thought that was pretty funny because it was true.

When we got home, I showed Justin a clip from the Mr. Bean show that reminded me of the night:

Valentine's Day Tulips

Justin and I celebrated Valentine's Day this past weekend since it fell on Monday this year. We ate at Canoe Saturday night and it was yummy. Sunday, I worked in the yard for a little while and when I came inside, Justin had gotten me tulips. I was so surprised! I love tulips!

Aren't they pretty? He did a great job arranging them.

They look really nice on our dining room table. Hint hint Justin, I need fresh flowers there all the time.

I told Justin that I have plans to get him an orchid for Valentine's Day, but I want him to pick it out. He had an orchid a couple of years ago that was pretty for a short while and then it kind of died back. We repotted it and it came back to life and was so pretty for a while. We moved it and it promptly died. I know we can get one to grow for more than a couple of months. I just know it.

Canoe

Justin and I have been wanting to try Canoe for a while. We made reservations a few weeks ago for Valentine's Day weekend. The only available time was at 5:45 p.m. so we had an early dinner tonight. We arrived and the valets took the car as we headed inside to claim our table. We were immediately seated and started looking over the menu.


They had a couple of appetizer specials that Justin and I ordered. Justin had the foie gras, which was served with brioche toast and cherries. He seemed to enjoy it since he cleaned his plate. I ordered the prawn appetizer. It was a large prawn served atop a avacado mousse with finely chopped boiled egg. It was also served with cherry tomatos and bacon. I didn't realize it was served with bacon, otherwise, I probably would have ordered something else. I ate around the bacon, so there wasn't a problem. It was very good. Justin didn't love it, but I thought it was tasty.

Justin ordered the duck n' beef burger. It was topped with a fried egg, pickled cabbage, and wilted spinach. It was served with truffle pommes frites. I tried the french fries and they were tasty. Justin said the burger was delicious. It was huge and he ate it all. I had the grilled salmon. It was served with spaghetti squash, carrot saute, pecans, and wilted spinach. Mine was also very tasty. I cleaned my plate, too!

For dessert, we shared the Valhrona chocolate and salted caramel grotto with pretzel hazelnut dust. It was a hard chocolate dome shell filled with a caramel filling. The entire dome was surrounded with a little sprinkle of pretzle dust. It was so rich and yummy. Mmmm...

I want to go back and try more desserts. They had a bread pudding on the dessert menu that sounded very good, too. I love bread pudding.

I included the photo below to show the Canoe building in September 2009 after the flood. It is right on the Chattahoochee River so it's no surprise that it flooded. They quickly made repairs and reopened.

Photo sources: here and here.