Peachtree Road Race T-Shirt Finalists

Thursday, June 28, 2012


Less than a week away is Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race, held annually on the morning of July 4th. The race spans just over 6 miles along Peachtree Road, with the start at Buckhead's Lenox Square Mall and finishing at Midtown's Piedmont Park. The Peachtree, as it has been nicknamed, draws an assortment of local and international participation, featuring both competitive & novice runners. The coveted prize of the day is the T-Shirt that is received once a runner has crossed the finish line. The 5 designs (above) are the finalists and the winning design is revealed the day of the race.

Taken Too Soon

Wednesday, June 27, 2012


Many heavy hearts today after learning that writer/director Nora Ephron passed away yesterday at the age of 71. Her books and movies have made such an impact worldwide for their personal and sensitive portrayal of relationships in everyday life....  Top favorites include Heartburn (1986), When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and Julie & Julia (2009).

I've held onto my December 2010 issue of Town & Country magazine that featured Nora on the cover with friend and neighbor Ina Garten. Inside, the pair enjoy a lively discussion about books and food over a beautifully prepared lunch while sipping on rose Champagne. Here's raising a glass to you Nora Ephron!

Watch the attached videos below of scenes from Heartburn, set to Carly Simon's Coming Around Again, the amazing theme song from the film, followed by the Times Talks series, with Nora Ephron, Meryl Streep. and Stanley Tucci talking about the experience with making their movie, Julie & Julia.





Summer of Eating

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

So, I think this summer will officially go down as the Summer of Eating....  Partly because there have been so many great restaurants opening their doors, as well as established ones that are continuing to serve impeccable food. In the last couple of weeks we have enjoyed savory dishes from the following and all that I highly recommended making a visit to.

Cardamom Hill -- We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at this Westside eatery....  Ordering among other dishes, their signature Kerala-style Fried Chicken (pictured above).  



Cakes & Ale -- Pictured above and below are dishes we enjoyed last week....  Fresh Tomato, Cucumber, & Zucchini Salad as an appetizer and a Whole Roasted Fish with fresh herbs for an entree, followed by a delicious Counter Culture Cappuccino with our desserts. Sorry for the dark photos....






The Optimist --  We stopped in for a little late night dessert and coffee to see what all the hub-bubs about. I knew that our desserts would be interesting, since Chef/Owner Ford Fry has hired pastry chef Taria Camerino from our favorite Sugar Coated Radical. We sat in the bar area, which evoked a more intimate and cozy atmosphere. Plus, loved the interiors, designed by longtime friend Smith Hanes. {See more pics here and read more here}



Ibiza Bites -- Hitting the Wednesday night Food Truck Gathering in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood and feasting on Fired Green Tomatoes and Coconut Fried Chicken.






Sweet & Cool Treats.....  After seeing the photo (above) that Cacao posted on their Facebook page, a must visit was in order -- Dark Chocolate Milkshake with Aztec Spices.


The Fresh Market is carrying Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (photo below), which are so unbelievably rich and delicious its hard not to grab all available flavors in the case for a taste test! So we did, and loved the Dark Chocolate, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, and Salty Caramel.



House of Windsor Gets a New Owner

Monday, June 25, 2012

House of Windsor

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, are reported to be purchasing a home in the Brentwood neighborhood of LA. The 6 bedroom / 8 bath residence was designed by Windsor Smith as a lifestyle "concept" house. Furnishing the interior became a collaborative effort with top interior designers lending their signature styles to the spacious allotted rooms. House of Windsor, as it was fittingly titled, was open to the public for a limited time viewing, and featured in & on the cover of the October 2011 issue of Veranda magazine (photo below). Selected furnishings from each room were sold on One Kings Lane, click here to read more from my previous post.



Watch the attached video below for an inside tour of House of Windsor

Florida Bound....

Friday, June 15, 2012


Please excuse the lack of posts over the next week....  I am headed to South Florida in search of interesting vintage finds for new inventory. Follow me on Twitter, @duchessfare, for updates from the road....

Father's Day FOODIE Gift Giving / Part 2

Thursday, June 14, 2012

3 more notable FOODIE gift giving ideas for Father's Day....

Choose from an assortment of items perfect for Dads at The Cook's Warehouse, or let them help put together a basket filled with grillin' & chillin' supplies, as pictured above.




If you're in the Atlanta area....  head to The Spotted Trotter, a boutique butcher shop offering the freshest of meat provisions. Their ever changing weekly menu features fresh sausages, cuts of beef, salami, smoked items, and some unexpected savory choices as well. And stop into Cacao Atlanta to satisfy Dad's sweet tooth with a gift giving basket (pictured below) brimming over with handcrafted treats.


Father's Day FOODIE Gift Giving

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

A couple of gift ideas for Foodies on Father's Day, Sunday, June 17....  New York Mouth offers their "World's Greatest Dad" collection, featuring local NY area made products all neatly packaged in a canvas tote bag and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has put together their Father's Day Collection, offering 4 handcrafted and delectably delicious ice creams.  More info below....


New York Mouth's "World's Greatest Dad" collection (pictured above) is stocked including favorites The Gracious Gourmet's Balsamic Four-Onion Spread and McClure's Bloody Mary Mix. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (pictured below) features 4 flavors right up Dad's alley -- Whiskey & Pecans, Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts, Juniper & Lemon Curd, and Plum Sake Sorbet.


20% Off PILLOWS at Hable Construction

Tuesday, June 12, 2012


Hable Construction is offering 20% off all regularly priced pillows, including new designs created by Susan Hable in her Athens, GA studio. Enter at checkout discount code JUNE, now through June 17th.

GO & TRY >>> Revolution Doughnuts

Monday, June 11, 2012


We stopped into Revolution Doughnuts in Decatur on Thursday afternoon. This is a recently opened neighborhood shop offering delectable doughnuts handcrafted with locally sourced and simple ingredients. Revolution Doughnuts created a ground swell of interest and their fan following first by selling their doughnuts at local farmers markets in the Atlanta area, and then by funding their brick & mortar storefront through the Kickstarter program, exceeding the $10,000 pledged goal.

We tried 3 flavors....  The Cinnamon Sugar, Salted Caramel, and Dark Chocolate Dipped. Some varieties are offered in a "cake" style rather than the traditional "yeast" style doughnut. And take note..... Revolution Doughnuts closes when they sell out at the end of the day.


Interior photos above & below.....  Followed by the video from Kickstarter, with an insight to Revolution Doughnuts' evolution!




Recalled >>> Premiering at SIFF

Friday, June 8, 2012

Longtime family friend & filmmaker Michael Connors is premiering his latest work, Recalled, tonight at the Seattle International Film Festival. The movie is set within a military themed storyline and stars among others Seth Gabel, Bow Wow, and Aiden Quinn. In undertaking this project, Connors didn't have to look too far from his own personal experiences for content inspiration....  Both his father & sister are West Point graduates and while he was an undergrad at Harvard, Connors was part of the ROTC program. Following his graduation in 1997, he served in the US Army for 4 years. Connors completed his graduate degree in film studies at Columbia. Watch the trailer for Recalled below....


3 Happenings Tonight, Thursday 6/7

Thursday, June 7, 2012


From May through September, every Thursday night from 6-10pm the Atlanta Botanical Garden hosts Cocktails In The Garden. Fresh off the heels of opening their new Buckhead retail store, Lilly Pulitzer will sponsor this seasonal event for the month of June, fittingly titled "Lilly or Louder". FYI, the first 50 people at the door wearing Lilly designs will get a free gift.




Pie Shop will be hosting a Happy Hour tonight from 6:30-9pm. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door.....  Pie Shop offers a deliciously delectable assortment of both sweet & savory pies. On hand for tonight will be at least 15 different pies to sample. 




Park Tavern and the local animal rescue group Georgia Homeless Pets have partnered for a fundraiser tonight from 5:30-7:30pm. $20 Cash at the door gets you 4 drink tickets and admission to Park Tavern's live band, all overlooking Piedmont Park. 


Go Try >>> The Pinewood Tippling Room

Tuesday, June 5, 2012


We did get a chance to try The Pinewood Tippling Room last week, a recently opened restaurant in downtown Decatur, taking over the former Cakes & Ale space. The menu is Southern inspired, with a selection of small dishes, sides, & sliders, offerings for your sweet tooth, and a spectacular freshly prepared cocktail menu alongside beer & wine.

We started off with cocktails....  and ordered the Black Eyed Pea Hummus, the Bacon Burger Slider, the Po' Baby Slider, and the Fried Green Tomato Slider, plus a side of the Corn & Bacon Succotash. Enjoying everything, leaving without ordering dessert was not an option. We decided to share the Funnel Cake and Chocolate Jar -- both over the top!

The Pinewood has started serving a weekend Brunch on Saturdays & Sundays too.....  Click here to check out the menu.


Cooking Class with Asha Gomez

Monday, June 4, 2012

Asha Gomez Preparing Sweet Potato & Spinach Rice 

Scoutmob offered a deal a few months back for hands on cooking classes led by Chef Asha Gomez and featuring her signature Indian cuisine, a style influenced through her upbringing in the Kerala region of India. Wanting to learn more about crafting Indian dishes, I jumped on the deal! I had also just read rave reviews of Asha's Atlanta based restaurant Cardamom Hill, and how she was applauded for her use of in-season ingredients and a fresh take on traditional dishes.

Our class was Saturday morning at Cardamom Hill.....  We started in the Dining Room with a Chai Tea service and welcome from Asha. We then moved into the kitchen, where we watched Asha create the meal that we would be enjoying for lunch -- Kerala Vegetable Stew, Red Cabbage Thoran, Kerala Beef Curry, and Rice with Sweet Potato & Spinach. Asha not only discussed the steps to preparing each dish but also spoke of the importance of knowing the history of the ingredients.... particularly how the spice trade route played a role in the development of Kerala inspired cuisine.

Asha mentioned that there are 2 more Scoutmob/cooking class deals in the works....  One focused on Vegetarian cooking and one devoted to Lentils. She added upcoming news, that she is close to inking the deal on opening her own cooking school, a space that will accommodate a large & long table for students on one side and instructor on the other. Asha hopes that the interiors will feel less like a commercial kitchen and more like you are learning to prepare dishes in her home kitchen.

Asha beginning to prepare the Kerala Beef Curry with onions, garlic, and ginger. During each step, she invited students to come and look into the pots to see & smell what was happening.


Kerala Vegetable Stew -- with carrots, potato, and green beans


Kerala Beef Stew, Red Cabbage Thoran, and Rice with Sweet Potato & Spinach -- when all were ready, we served ourselves right out of the large pots and headed back into the Dining Room to savor and enjoy!


 My Dish....  Not ashamed to say we went back for seconds!



Asha's Collection of Spices

ON THE MARKET >>> An East Village Garden Apartment

Friday, June 1, 2012

Chloe Sevigny

The interiors of actress Chloe Sevigny's East Village home were featured about a month ago in New York Magazine. Since the article was published, Sevigny has decided to place the 1 bed/1.5bath garden apartment on the market and listed it for $1.7 million. Read more from my previous post here and see additional exterior/interior photos & floor plan below....








Images Here & Here


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