Girl on the Go

Sun in My Belly's Supperclub

2012-01-20T23:30:00Z

I'm thinking of stealing the paint-a-jar idea for our front porch. What a great way to recycle old jars and caps.

Simple things done creatively and well. That’s how I’d describe both the food and the décor of Sun in My Belly.

First the décor. This was my first visit to the neighborhood café, opened by partners Alison Luker and Max LeBlanc, although I’d enjoyed Sun in My Belly’s catering for years at events and at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I instantly fell in love with the large, yet cozy feeling space. The tables are covered with brown paper and colorful votive holders, which upon closer inspection, turned out to be painted detergent caps. The mantle in the dining room where we ate was crammed with candle-filled colorfully painted jars and more detergent caps. Unpretentious, comfortable and relaxing.

Although the tables were set very close together it wasn’t an annoying too-loud, too-close situation but rather a “Would you like to try a fried green tomato?” way. Which the lovely lady to our left said to us after she got a much larger portion than she thought. Wanting to be helpful and mannerly, we of course said yes and were rewarded with delicious tomatoes topped with yummy pimiento cheese.

In addition to a few "big bites" like grilled salmon, grilled meatloaf and mushroom ravioli, Sun in My Belly now is offering a Supperclub menu Tuesday through Sunday, a four-course meal for $35 that changes weekly. We opted for one order of fried chicken and one Supperclub menu, which that night include potato latkes with smoked salmon, capers and crème fraiche, watercress salad, grilled flank steak and pineapple upside-down cake. (Check the website for the weekly menu.)

I was kinda sorry I offered my husband the larger latke. I could have just had these for dinner.

Our favorite dishes were the latkes, cumin spiked spaghetti squash that came with the flank steak and the huge fried chicken breast with delicious breading on it. We substituted the dessert with the brandy crème brulee, which was delicious. This was one Supperclub I was happy to take part in, if only for a night.

A few more notes. When you drive there look for a sign for J. A. Bailey & Sons Hardware as the Sun in My Belly sign is very small and not visible from a car at night. And take your own wine, which they happily open and pour for you.

Sun in My Belly is at 2161 College Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30317, 404.370.1088, 404.370.1088

Weekend Getaway: The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens

2012-01-13T20:53:00Z

We’ll probably never sleep in that tent. My husband keeps promising (threatening?) me that he’s going to take me camping somewhere in North Georgia for a fun weekend getaway. But as I keep discovering new locations nearby that suit my more refined tastes (indoor plumbing), the possibility of that night on the cold, hard ground is becoming more remote than the odds of me dragging him to a day of shopping followed by a Chick Flick Film Fest.

My latest discover is the gorgeous and little-known Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens. I had no idea that such a luxury property existed inside the 13,000 acres of these beautiful gardens. I’d visited Callaway Gardensseveral times, for the magnificent Fantasy in Lights during the holidays and for trips to enjoy biking along the wooded bike trails, with stops at Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden, Robin Lake Beach, the lovely Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel and my favorite, the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center.

After an easy drive south of Atlanta about 80 miles, we turned into the beautifully landscaped and wooded drive up to the Lodge, where the only indication of it being a Marriott property were two small signs on posts that read Autograph Collection, which is Marriott’s exclusive group of independent hotels and resorts.

The huge fireplace in the expansive lobby drew me in like a magnet and I pulled myself away only to go check out my room. Each of the 150 rooms in the Lodge has its own balcony, and mine overlooked the rock fountain directly below and further away, the beautifully landscaped saltwater pool where steam was gently rising off its heated surface. The swirling whirlpool and outdoor fireplace looked inviting and would be the perfect setting for a day of relaxation and romance.

The heated saltwater pool is open year round. I so wish my backyard looked like this. Hey I'd settle for just the whirlpool.

After a brief sigh of appreciation for my beautiful room, view, and free easy wireless connection, it was off to Spa Prunifolia (yes, we wondered about the name too. Seems it is named for the resort’s signature flower, the plum leaf azalea.) After relaxing in the quiet relaxation room, with another lit fireplace, I had a really soothing and much needed Swedish massage in one of the 13 treatment rooms.

The evening began with a dirty gin martini served by our friendly and accommodating waiter Travis in the Ironwood Lounge. Then we moved into the Lodge’s main dining room, the “Farm to Fork” Piedmont Room, where we enjoyed a magnificent dinner prepared by Executive Chef Daniel Walters with locally produced ingredients, starting with duck confit flatbread and ending with salted caramel apple tart. Glenda was our charming and gracious server.

It was a short getaway and after a wonderful night’s rest in the super-comfy bed, we were off. But I’m already planning a return visit. As long as there are rooms that pretty, pillows that soft and food that good, my husband doesn’t have a prayer of getting me into a tent. But somehow I think he’ll be happy for a long weekend getaway to the Lodge.

For more on The Lodge and Spa at Callaway, click here.

Ten Top Meals in ATL for 2011

2012-01-06T20:56:00Z

As I sit here on day four of my weigh-what-my-driver’s-license-says diet, I am reliving some of my most memorable meals in Atlanta in 2011. Yeah, perhaps not the healthiest thing to do but it’s keeping me in my office and away from those frozen cookies from Rooster 14 that lie in wait downstairs. If I didn’t have the metabolism of a snail at rest I’d have a cookie dispenser behind my desk full stocked with chocolate chip cookies at all times. Along with a strawberry daiquiri machine. Ah, but I digress. Back to memories of meals past.

As usual, our city saw its share of new restaurants that soared in popularity and old favorites that closed last year. But these 10 are still going strong.In no order at all, here are 10 places for awesome meals in 2012:

A bowl of chicken soup at Southern Art can cure just about anything that ails you

Southern Art

Like eating at your fancy grandma’s house, the one who was always encouraging to set a spell and eat more. Get your southern fix along with the best chicken soup and biscuits I ever had here. For more, click here.

The Wrecking Bar

Hopheads and foodies alike love this place for, well, beer and dining that is way above your general pub fare. A former Georgia Tech engineer turned restaurateur renovated this historic home near Little 5 Points into an upscale brew pub.

For more click here.

Alma Cochina

Downtown welcomes the Latin-inspired cuisine of this newcomer. Be sure to get the butternut squash guacamole and check out the variety of tequila cocktails.

For more click here

Brunch at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead

More than 50 items at this luxurious and legendary brunch buffet, including prime rib, lobster ravioli and king crab legs. Make sure you schedule a nap in the afternoon.

Click more click here.

Cellar 56

This upscale Buckhead wine bar inside the East Andrews Courtyard is about the most romantic spot in Atlanta to dine. Get the grilled mac and cheese and Guinness braised short ribs along with your favorite wines.

Tantra

The gin drinks, killer lamb chops, excellent atmospher and sensual atmosphere made this Buckhead spot the perfect place to celebrate my birthday.

For more click here

Burgers at Smashburger come out fresh and juicy

Smashburger

Smashburger hit Atlanta in July. My son declared this the best burger he’s ever had. And he’s done lots of research.

For more click here

Genki

The towering tuna symphony at the Virginia-Highland location was a highlight of the year. Oreo fans will want to try the Fried Tempura Oreos for dessert.

For more click here

Tavern Fiorentina

Tucked onto the side of a Kroger shopping center, Taverna Fiorentina is never a spot I would have wandered into. But after being invited to lunch there, I plan to return for a taste of Italy.

Local Three

Comfort does feel good at this new Atlanta favorite where the menu changes daily based on the freshest ingredients and you'll find variations of pig on your plate and on the walls.

For more click here

Here's to more delicious dining in 2012. If only I burned calories while writing about food ...

Bounce into 2012 at Sky Zone

2011-12-30T13:36:00Z

Some of my best childhood memories involve running down the street to the Imwold’s backyard to play on their trampoline, where we enjoyed hours of adult-free supervision while flipping, jumping, twisting and narrowly avoiding paralysis while dodging the metal frame. There may have been a broken arm or two but this was back in the lawsuit-free days of diving boards and skateboard accidents that may have involved a trip to the hospital, but never a courthouse. Sigh.

I still love trampolines and can’t wait to visit (the much safer) Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park, which boasts 32,000 feet of wall-to-wall trampolines. I guess kids would love it too – here they can literally bounce off the walls, take fitness classes, play 3-D dodgeball and host birthday parties. Jump times start every half hour – select from 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes with rates starting at $9 for 30 minutes. I can’t think of a better way to spend a winter’s day with your kids or even get a start on your exercise routine for 2012.

Alma Cocina Welcome Addition to Downtown ATL

2011-12-23T15:44:00Z

I have trouble with menus like the one at Alma Cocina, the newest restaurant from Fifth Group. Faced with dishes with ingredients such as braised lamb with cucumber-mint salsa, butternut squash, poblano-goat cheese potato gratin and charred corn on the cobb with garlic aioli, I feel like Kim Kardashian picking out a pair shoes for the day. How can I possibly decide about so many delectable choices?

The challenge started with picking out one of their Latin American-inspired signature cocktails. Stick with a variation on my new favorite and get the Mojito Moorea, which includes a hint of vanilla? Or try one of the ginger drinks, which are delightfully refreshing. I finally decided on the El Centro, one of Alma’s many tequila drinks, which has fresh ginger and chamomile aromas. Chris went for the Naranjarita, which has blood orange infusion, orange brandy and hand-squeezed citrus juices. See what I mean?

Described as contemporary Mexican cuisine, the food at Alma includes such wonders as the recommended butternut squash guacamole. We scraped up every bite. With the help of our excellent server, Ric, we finally narrowed down our choices for the rest of the menu.

We had to try the Corvina sea bass ceviche, which Ric served with another basket of chips and advice to dig all the way through the layers to get to the avocado mousse. In a losing battle not to appear too gluttonous, we may have passed on the butternut squash soup, which is one of our favorites. But the addition of lamb meatballs and tequila-compressed apples put that on the must-try list.

The selection of five types of taquitos was tough, but Ric let us have one order with one of each of the braised lamb and the fried avocado and we opted to share one entrée – the grilled flat iron steak with the potato gratin, avocado-arugula salad with adobe sauce.

For the rest of the post and photos please visit Jan's Girl on the Go blog.

Two New Holiday Traditions in ATL

2011-11-29T15:05:00Z

Photo by Joey Ivansco.

I’m still mourning the Pink Pig. The original one that sat on top of Rich’s and gave generations of young Atlanta schoolchildren bragging rights as we proudly sported our “I Rode the Pink Pig” stickers in the universal effort of young children everywhere to inspire envy in their friends.

Then there was Festival of Trees and Art of the Season, two more Atlanta Christmas traditions that have, well, gone with the wind.

So I’m thrilled that Atlanta has added a few new traditions this year, one that I can attest is already drawing huge crowds.

People are raving about Garden Lights Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. These gorgeous gardens have been blanketed with close to one million energy-efficient LED lights, including 200 topiary forms that change color in time to holiday music on the Great Lawn.

My daughter and I tried to go last Friday night but it was so sold out and there was a huge line just to get into the parking lot. So here’s my first tip – buy tickets in advance if you wish to go to avoid the disappointment. There are only a limited number of tickets available each night. And yes, the Garden is open even in the rain and there are no rain checks, so grab your rain gear and head on out if the weather is bad.

You can enjoy dinner at MetroFresh in the Garden and toast your own dessert with a Make Your Own S’mores kit at a fire pit. Other food and refreshments are available for sale as well.

Garden Lights Holiday Nights runs nightly from 5:00 to 10:00 through Jan 7, closed December 24 and 31. Tickets are $18.95 for adults; $12.95 for children 3-12. ABG is at 1345 Piedmont Ave, 404.876.5859. Parking is available onsite for $5.

Christmas on Peachtree is an indoor holiday event at the old Macy's building.

If you have wee ones, check outChristmas on Peachtree, the largest indoor Christmas festival in the Southeast. Remember the old Macy’s building when Atlanta used to have retail downtown? It’s been turned into an events facility, which is now housing this 70,000-square-foot event.

Geared to families with children 10 and under, Christmas on Peachtree includes a Symphony of Lights music and light show, a Cartoon Network Children’s Adventure Area, a retail village, North Pole Café and of course, Santa.

Several local children’s choirs and dance groups are performing here as well. Click here for a calendar of performances.

Christmas on Peachtree runs through December 31. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children 3-12. A portion of each ticket sale goes to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. www.choa.org

http://www.christmasonpeachtree.com/

Black Friday Alternative: Afternoon Tea

2011-11-17T20:55:00Z

Take tea now, shop later with the Black Friday Tea at St. Regis Atlanta

I know exactly where I’ll be the afternoon of Black Friday. And there won’t be any badly lit dressing rooms, crying toddlers, evil-eyed strangers fighting me over parking spots or racing from store to store chasing the biggest discounts.

I’ll be in the beautiful St. Regis Atlanta, daintily lifting a finger sandwich off a silver tray while reviewing the pretty freshly baked pastries and sipping warm tea. Then my daughter and I will lift a glass of sparkling wine and toast to the Post-Thanksgiving Tea Tradition, and how happy we are to be together and far from the insanity of Black Friday shopping.

We adopted this tradition from a high school friend of my daughter’s. Her friend Monica has tea with her mother on the day after Thanksgiving every year, a tradition started by her grandmother. They invited us for several years to share in the lovely tradition and now we have made it our own.

As Henry James said, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

We saw Santa at Tea at the Ritz a few years ago.

My other favorite quote about tea is from Eleanor Roosevelt, who compared women to a tea bag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

This year we are going to the St. Regis, which is hosting a Black Friday Tea. In addition to the usual teas, petite sandwiches, sparkling wine and pastries, this tea includes a $50 Saks Fifth Avenue gift card. Enjoy the tea now and shop later. A regular Holiday Tea is offered daily through December.

If you have younger children, they can have tea with Santa, who will be at the St. Regis from December 2-4; 8-11 and December 15-24 from 2-5 p.m. He will visit with each child and give them gummy fish and bears straight from the North Pole.

Black Friday Tea is $88, which includes the $50 Saks gift card. Holiday Tea and Tea with Santa is $40; $24 for children 12 and under. Call 404.563.7797 or visit www.stregisatlanta.com/holiday-tea

Woman Seeks Shuttle Spot for Short-Term Relationship

2011-11-09T20:58:00Z

Woman Seeks Shuttle Spot for Short-Term Relationship Park your car at Park 'N Fly Plus and drop your dog at Pet Paradise where he can lounge in his own suite or just chill in the bone-shaped pool. “Last time I parked right by the airport it was like $4 a day,” my friend Melissa said this week as we were discussing parking at the Atlanta airport for her trip to Boston. “Was that during the Eisenhower administration?” I asked. People get all rah-rah about Atlanta and how we have the world’s busiest airport. Can’t tell what good that does me, other than making flying out of the world’s busiest airport a multi-hour process. I’m fairly jealous of my buddies who travel out of smaller airports like Greensboro and Charlottesville where you just tool right up to the terminal a short while before your flight leaves. And now that our beloved shuttle parking lot right on Virginia Avenue closed a few years back we’ve been adrift when it comes to parking at the airport. Truth is we usually take MARTA, our public transportation system, to the airport. It’s easy, fast, inexpensive, and you don’t have to worry about the famous Atlanta traffic. But there are times when it’s not an option — an early-morning flight before MARTA starts running or for longer trips when we have overpacked. By we, I mean my husband who totes a much bigger suitcase than I do. Even though he only needs two pairs of shoes, exactly two toiletry items and zero jewelry. We’ve had some not-great experiences with parking right at the airport, where long-term parking is generally available although it can involve a very lengthy walk to the terminal. This past summer my son and I went to DC, returning Sunday a few hours after the time my husband was leaving to go to a conference. So I took a set of keys and he parked the car right in short-term parking with explicit instructions to leave me the exact spot where the car was. Instead of a parking spot number, I received a series of blurry texts with photos that were supposed to lead me directly to the car. Which they did not. They led me instead to a series of increasingly bordering-on-irate calls to my non-phone-answering husband to try to determine the car’s location. Now there’s a new airport parking lot opening that sounds promising for our next trip. I’m headed there tomorrow to check out one of the opening events for Park ‘N Fly Plus. In addition to the usual parking spot and shuttle to the airport, here is what gives Park ‘N Fly its Plus. Park here and you can: • Have your car washed and detailed or get your oil changed • Leave your pet in his own personal suite to swim and relax at Pet Paradise • Check your bags for your flight if you’re traveling domestically with AirTran, Delta or American Airlines. This is a huge plus in my book and I’ll definitely be trying this service. Rates for parking start at just $10 a day for uncovered, $12 for covered and valet service is available. Check it out for yourself this weekend at the grand opening events at Park ‘N Fly Plus. Get 25% off Jiffy Lube services during the event, free wiper blades for all cars serviced, 1 night of free boarding at Pet Paradise, 1 day free uncovered parking and $5 off a deluxe car wash at Park ‘N Shine. Hours for the event are Friday, Nov. 11 from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 1 p.m.

Biscuits to Cry for at Southern Art

2011-10-18T20:10:00Z

Biscuits to Cry for at Southern Art

Just looking at this bowl of chicken noodle soup makes me feel warm inside. It's good for whatever ails you.

The place: Southern Art

The drink: Bourbon and ginger beer. But only a few sips, I promise. This was lunch after all.

She needs a hot, steaming bowl of delicious chicken soup from Southern Art. That was my first thought when my daughter told me she stayed home from work with a bad cold.

Catherine is in DC though so sadly, no soup-bearing motherly visit was possible. But for anyone else who lives in or visits Atlanta, you’ll want to put Southern Art at the top of your dining list.

Art Smith (Oprah’s former personal chef, TV personality, award-winning cookbook writer and Southern boy from Jasper, FL) served us the kind of meal you’d get if the church ladies made their best dishes and served them all at once. The food is so good you’ll be praising the Lord, no matter what your religion.

Located in the former Pied du Cochon spot at the Hotel InterContinental in Buckhead, Southern Art has transformed the space to be much more open and welcoming. Guests enter through the Bourbon Bar where they may want to stop for a delicious bourbon and ginger beer cocktail, or any of the other 70 bourbons available. Come Thursday through Saturday nights for live entertainment.

Chef Art Smith has restaurants from coast to coast: DC, Chicago, Palo Alto and now Atlanta

But that’s not the only bar here. Southern Art has added a second bar for all you passionate pork people — an Artisan Ham Bar featuring ham and charcuterie. Our meal started with the ham board, a selection of Southern hams, charcuterie and various pickled items. This is the South and if something stands still long enough, we’ll find a way to pickle it.

But now I must lavish love on the Angel biscuits, because, yes, it was love at first bite. In the South you can fling a handful of flour in the air and it will land on a place that serves biscuits. But a truly delicious biscuit is harder to find than a drag queen at a deb party. But honey chile, I found them here. Light and flaky, these biscuits studded with rosemary and cheddar cheese are worthy of the name Angel Biscuits.

I’m also passionate about poultry and the chicken soup and fried chicken both made me happier than a pig in the mud. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like chicken soup,” Art said as he spoke of eating the nourishing nectar as a child. “I have four restaurants and I put a little bit of my family in each one. For the love and comfort chicken soup brought me, I hope to share it.”

Chef Art's Buttermilk Fried Chicken made with Springer Mountain chicken. Those green things are brussels sprouts leaves.

The fried chicken was served at Oprah’s 50^th birthday party and at the White House twice. But us lucky Atlantans can now have it breakfast, lunch or dinner at Southern Art. “Fried chicken doesn’t take sides,” Art said. “We all appreciate and love it.”

We also had a big heaping portion of Carolina black rice risotto that the addition of Flat Creek Lodge asiago cheese made extra rich and satisfying. Art told us he had lost 120 pounds (yes, an entire person!) and developed more vegetarian dishes as a result.

By the time dessert came my stomach I was only able to manage a few bites of the buttermilk chocolate cake, banana pudding and peanut butter pie. Other classic favorites on the menu include 12 layer red velvet cake, fruit cobbler and bourbon pecan pie.

Although it’s in a fancy hotel, prices are fairly reasonable. Lunch entreés range from around $13 to $18 and dinner entreés are $18 to $35. Validated parked is available in the back lot. As one of the Southern Art staff noted, “Us Atlantans hate to pay for parking.” She got that right.

“I thought Atlanta needed an elegant Southern restaurant where you could sit down and feel comfortable,” Art said. I know that I had no trouble making myself right at home.

Southern Art is at 3315 Peachtree Road, 404.946.9070

www.facebook.com/SouthernArtBourbonBar, www.twitter.com/SouthernArt

Pal Around with Picasso at High Museum

2011-10-10T15:14:00Z

Even it you don’t think you like modern art and are mystified why a shovel hung from the ceiling or paintings of soup cans are art, I’m betting you’ll find something to enjoy in the intriguing new exhibition at the High Museum of Art: Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters.

I got to see a preview of the exhibition last week and will definitely return for a longer look. I don’t really consider myself a fan of modern art, but then I realized the first painting I ever bought was modern. It’s quite large – a good thing as it fights for attention with the land of cotton that is my house, thanks to my husband’s extensive folk art collection.

Seems the High and the Museum of Modern Art are great buddies and this exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the two, the first of two primary exhibitions born of the partnership. This one, as HMA Director Michael Shapiro called it during our media preview, “celebrates the mother lode of modern art.”

Opening October 15, the exhibition has 129 works of art from 14 modern artists. Most of them you’ll recognize: Picasso, Matisse, Calder, Miro, Mondrian, Pollock, Warhol and Jasper Johns. I am not as familiar with Leger, DuChamp (the shovel guy), deChirico, Brancusi, Bourgeois and Bearden but I enjoy learning about new artists and how they fit in with their contemporaries.

For the rest of the post, please visit the Girl on the Go blog.

CineBistro a Must-See!

2011-09-27T12:47:00Z

No sticky floors. No groping teenagers in the back row. No crying babies, cell phones, rushing in to get a good seat just to watch 20 minutes of ads. And CineBistro calls itself a movie theater?

Yes. Atlanta welcomed its first movie theater for grown-ups this past weekend and I’ll never go to the old-fashioned kind again. Here are the best things about the movie experience before we get to the even better part – the food.

• You select your seats when you make buy your tickets.

• Huge comfortable seats with a small desk for meals and a large built-in drink holder. The theaters range in size from 90 to 120 seats.

• Stadium seating so all views are unobstructed.

• No ads prior to the movie. For the 30 minutes before when food is being served, beautiful and relaxing nature films are shown.

For the rest of the post, visit the Girl on the Go blog.

Free Knowledge, Culture and James Brown

2011-09-21T15:18:00Z

September 24 is the seventh annual Museum Day. Thanks to the Smithsonian, more than 1200 museums in all 50 states, plus DC and Puerto Rico, will be free to people who download a ticket. Just visit the Smithsonian site here to get your ticket, good for admission for two people.

Around Atlanta I can visit Bulloch Hall in Roswell, a beautiful antebellum home where Mittie Bulloch, better known as mom to Theodore Roosevelt, grew up. Another one I’d love to visit is the David J. Sencer CDC Museum to find out how the CDC follows clues to solves the origins of mysterious diseases. How did they ever figure out Legionnaires’ Disease, an outbreak that occurred at a convention in 1976?

For the rest of the post, visit the Girl on the Go blog.

Q&A with Atlanta Author Lisa Baron

2011-09-14T11:54:00Z

My big regret about my interview with Lisa Baron, author of the hilarious Life of the Party, A Political Press Tart Bares All, is that we weren’t doing it over a delicious cocktail. And we didn’t have more time. She’s that kinda gal. Loads of fun, but confident enough to share a few serious insights as well.

In her own words, her book is the story of “a woman who is socially moderate, wears her skirts a bit too short, is often over served but gets the job done working for a high-profile Christian politician. Lisa, a self-professed not-so-nice Jewish girl, was the spokesperson for Ralph Reed, the Director the Christian Coalition. She says the theme of her book is that you have to carve your own path in life. “Coattails are for cowards.”

Purchase the book on Lisa’s site or on Amazon.

JS: What inspired you to write the book?

LB: The idea that when I finally stopped pretending to be something I wasn’t, I became who I am and became successful, in life and as an author.

In a world where I probably didn’t work, conservative Christian politics. I realized one of these things just doesn’t belong. It was me. All along I sensed the

absurdity of it and knew my life had the perfect trappings of a book so I was making mental notes.

JS: What advice would you give to young girl starting a career in politics?

LB: Stay true to yourself, get job done, know all the questions, and keep your personal life separate from of your professional life. Answer all the questions like you know all the answers, particularly in a political environment. You have to be on your toes because you are being asked so many questions. You must be credible and knowledgeable. If you don’t know the answer, pretend you do.

JS: What qualities do you think are most important for women succeed in politics?

LB: You have to have a tough skin and unforgiving work ethic, I still believe that women have to work harder to succeed than men do. When I see a female CEO or U.Ss senator, I know they worked 10 times harder to get to where they are than male counterpart. I automatically have more respect for them.

JS: what do you always take with you when you travel?

My Kindle and my iPod

JS: What’s next?

I’m working on another book and I’ve also become an expert on political scandal so am often quoted about that.

By Jan Schroder

Follow me on Twitter at GirlontheGoJan

Bottoms Up at Barnsley

2011-09-06T19:39:00Z

For me the quality of a wine tasting doesn’t depend totally on the wine — it’s a lot about the personality of the person conducting it. So we were in luck during a recent media trip to Barnsley Gardens, where the food and beverage director and self-professed wine snob Greg Teague led us through a holiday-themed wine tasting.

After an enjoyable shuttle ride up to this lovely resort about 60 miles north of Atlanta, our group was seated and began our Holiday Hobnob with the Wine Snob. Greg lead us through wine pairings of seven delicious holiday dishes with wines to complement their flavors.

Although the thermometer was still pushing triple digits, the aromas of sweet potato soufflé, gingerbread and pumpkin pie put me in a holiday mood. Well, not really a holiday mood – more of a let’s-eat-like-the-holidays mood.

Greg was funny, entertaining, informative and happy to answer any and all questions we had. One of my favorite ideas, which I will definitely be using for the holidays, was to break up a piece of peppermint or use a whole peppermint inside a glass of champagne for a fun and festive cocktail. Unwrapping a peppermint is definitely in my skill set. Love those little effort/big result-type entertaining tips.

For the full post visit the Girl on the Go blog.

Where to Eat in Atlanta

2011-08-31T19:42:00Z

“Hey, we’re coming in town – where should we eat dinner?”

“We’re celebrating a big event – ideas on where we should go?”

I get these type questions a lot – both because I write about restaurants and well, I guess I make it no secret that I love to eat. Here are just a few of my favs that I love to suggest.

Low Cost

For those times when you need a quick meal or are traveling with the kids and are watching the budget.

Tacqueria Del Sol. Cheap Mexican, but you do have to wait in line. The shrimp and corn chowder is always on my order.

Smashburger. Awesome burgers – cheap and fast. (For my longer review, click here.

Hankook Tacqueria. Nothing fancy but killer Korean tacos. Take your own wine and beer.

P. Red’s BBQ. A rare combination of killer pork and awesome Brunswick stew. Large portions.

Farmburger. For ethical cow eating. (For my longer review, click here.

Souper Jenny. Awesome, homemade soups. Lines are long as peak lunch time.

Flip. More awesome burgers from “Top Chef” winner Richard Blais.

Figo Pasta. Fresh, inexpensive Italian, with several locations.

For the rest of the post, visit the Girl on the Go blog.