philosophy update

I've been derelict in my blogging duties. Instead I've been happily reading and writing on the history of philosophy. This semester has been a lot of Husserl, Rawls, and Adorno. This post is really just an apology and a promise to blog something more substantial in the near future. As soon as I'm done with course work I'm itching to write about all the things that have been occupying my free head space for the past few months: The Bad Brains punk, Mark Twain's travel writing, the Czech architect Adolph Loos, and Bellini's painting St. Francis in the Desert... oh and more greasy food. -Al

Photog blog love /// A detour into girly

Now that most of the major vendors are booked for our wedding, I can start focusing on the little details.  The internet is full of inspiring blogs, but lately I've really been jonesing on that of my friend Melissa Williamson.  I've known Melissa since bid day at UNC, when we were paired up with the same temporary big-sorority-sis (totally gross I know).  Melissa rocks, and so does her photography.

A bride-to-be herself, her eye for fun wedding details is extraordinary.  Her two latest posts have really stimulated my new-found yen for sparkly things and pretty updos.

property of Melissa Williamson Photo

property of Melissa Williamson Photo

Gah, seriously!?!?!  Totally gorgeous!  My inner girl, who my inner tomboy usually quashes, is making a serious play for dominance right now.  

PS.  This blog will be back to its normal greasy food-obsessed self later this week - look out for a post on fried chicken!

Still Number One

I know what you're thinking and its something along the lines of "Lilly's delusional - March Madness is over and UNC did not win," and you'd be correct, but that's not what I'm talking about (for the record, very proud of the Heel's showing this past season and very excited to see what they'll do next year!).  Once again, I'm talking meat.

Our burger journey has taken us all over Atlanta, and taken over over our blog (and we haven't even blogged about all of these).  We've still got a few more places to explore (I'm looking at you H. Harper Station.  Didn't take pics or blog about this one, but I was mighty pleased with the rillettes, pork belly, and cocktail that I had there.  I'll definitely be back for their fried chicken and burger) but after revisiting the first and favorite, Farm Burger has maintained its position at the top!

We went last week with some friends.  Alex ordered the special, which was topped with pimento cheese and a fried green tomato, and I got the #5, which was layered with pork belly, fried onion rings, pickled jalapenos and barbecue sauce.  

Photo by Live to Feast.  I did not take any pics of my own that night.

Mine was salty, flavorful, moist, and tender, hitting all the notes you'd want a burger to hit.  Alex's pimento cheese burger was practically falling apart the thing was so moist, which, in case you're concerned was not a problem.  Each of us thought we'd out-ordered the other, and polished off our burgers easily.

Why so good?  For one, the patties at Farm Burger are incredibly tender and toothsome, unlike some of the denser (and therefore, tougher) patties we've had at other places.  Another positive (unless you're concerned about your sodium intake) is their deft hand with salt.  An under-salted burger hits a flat note on flavor, while a well-seasoned burger sings out.  And in this case, Farm Burger hits all the right harmonies.  Well done, Farm Burger, well done.

Spring Happenings

There has been lots of excitement this week in Atlanta.

There was an intense storm that felled several trees in the area (this one is on Emory's campus) and killed six people :(

Spring arrived, again, which is pretty exciting if you were living in the Midwest or Ireland last year when it remained chilly until June.

I'm trying to sprout seeds again.  The chevril is so far more successful and less finicky than basil (I cannot keep basil alive).

Little parsley-like leaves are sprouting now.

Wedding update!  our invitations have arrived and they are GORGEOUS.  In the picture below they're still wrapped.  No sneak peaks until they've been mailed.

The top right painting is the draft for the invitation we're making for our second ceremony in Northfield, MN.  Top left is a bud arrangement of ranunculus, which might be my favorite right now.

Bottom left, Matzoh Ball Gumbo, (published by UNC Press!) a collection of recipes and stories of the southern-Jewish experience, a little light-reading in preparation for Passover.

More to come on weddings and Seders in the next few weeks I'm sure.  Have a great weekend!

Blurry Vortex Burgers

This past weekend we continued our Atlanta burger journey at the Vortex in Little Five Points.  The Vortex touts itself as a "biker-burger bar" that takes a hard-line with customers (see "rules" on the website) and considers itself an "idiot-free" zone.  They also make you wait at least an hour if not more for a burger, which may be part of the hype.  Their burgers are known for their hugeness and over-the-top aspects.  The menu includes the "Coronary Bypass Burger" which consists of a 1/2 lb patty, a fried egg, 3 slices of American cheese, 4 slices of bacon, and plenty of mayo.  Thankfully, no one ordered that (though some members of our party were tempted). 

 We started the meal with piping-hot fried dill pickles served with jalapeno ranch.  Yum.

 I ordered the bison bacon-cheeseburger with fries.  The fries were terrible!  Apparently they normally do a crinkle-cut but had run out by the time they got to me.  They arrived cold and bland :(  After the first few I ignored them, but I did polish off that burger.

 Our friend Cayenne ordered the pesto burger with fried zucchini slices (not as exciting as the fried pickles but definitely one of the best sides we ordered).

 Alex ordered the bison Texas burger, which arrived between two slices of Texas toast and was topped with fried onion rings and bbq sauce.  It was the surprising hit of the night, and the tater tots were the best side of the table.

I think our friend Adam ordered the mushroom swiss with bacon, with a side of potato salad that he definitely regretted ordering. 

I forget what Carl ordered, but he finished it so it must have been good!

All in all, the sides were a waste of stomach space but the burgers went down easy.

Leaving, we may have felt like this...

... in the way one normally feels after consuming insane quantities of meat.  

Farm Burger is still champion in our minds, but the Vortex was a fun visit. 

Georgia Mountains

A few weekends ago we had the pleasure of a trip to the Georgia Mountains.  We had been looking forward to some hikes but unfortunately it rained the whole time.  However, the nearby towns provided plenty of interest and it was quite an enjoyable weekend over all.

 We visited Dahlonega, GA.

 15 years ago, a bear walked through downtown Dahlonega.  15 years later, they're still talking about it.  That should give you an idea of the pace of life in Dahlonega.

 The downtown was ridiculously cute.

 The locals were proud of their southern heritage.

We had fried gator, crawfish, and oysters at The Bourbon Street Grill.

We also stopped in Helen, GA which is weirdly a recreation of a German alpine village.  Everything was closed on Sunday, but we were able to get a good sense of the place.

 The person in a cap is not a reenactor.
 

Between Helen, GA and Sautee Nacoochee, GA was a small retail area with a fabulous antique store set in an old haunted house.  I didn't take any pictures, but there were definitely some good steals to be found.   Across the street from the antique store is the Nora Mill Granary which features a mill dating back to the 19th century (with the original grindstones) that sells grits and porridge among other delicious things.

For a short weekend, the Helen area was great!  Just 2 hours away from Atlanta, scenic, and with a lot of character.

Flavor-tripping

When I was in Taiwan I picked up some "miracle fruit" tables.  You may be familiar with miracle fruit from the nytimes article about flavor-tripping parties.  The fruits coat your taste buds and cause sour-flavors to become intensely sweet.

And so, we threw a party.

 We laid out an array of condiments, buttermilk, vinegars, "sour cupcakes" with goat-cheese frosting, out-of-season strawberries and kiwis, grapefruit, limes, and lemons.

We placed the pills on our tongues and tried not to make jokes about E as they dissolved.  We looked cautiously at each other, feeling no change, wondering if it worked.

I tasted a slice of lemon.

It was like CANDY.  The transformation of flavors was so unexpected and exciting I burst into laughter.  Everyone else reached for the lemons.  Hijinks ensued.

 

All the pictures of people are blurry because we couldn't stop giggling/grimacing from the different flavors.

At the end, the verdict?  We had tried various horrific cheeses (see photo below) to great disgust.  The unsweetened mochi I had made was also disappointing.  However, things with a natural sour-taste were amazing.  The strawberries and kiwis tasted like peak-summer farmers stand berries, not sad winter grocery-store buys.  The citrus was unbelievable, and the vinegars tasted amazingly mild (though you still felt the "burn" at the back of your throat).  Salt and vinegar chips were the winner of the night, by far.  A stout beer tasted like coca-cola.  Goat cheese tasted like starbursts (not my thing, but other people liked it).  Carrot sticks and broccoli were the same, but mustards and sriracha were awesome, though several of us overdid the sriracha and spent several minutes trying to calm our mouths down!

The hour passed in the blink of an eye.  It felt like a mad-scramble of nibbling and eating and when it was over, we were exhausted and in some cases feeling a bit pickled from the vinegar.  Overall, the experience was in fact trippy after all and I think we were all glad to have tried it.  And in case the urge comes again, I have a second pack safely stowed away ;)