Seventeen

Babette's Cafe was discovered by yours truly, when I was seeking a a job in a really awesome book store called Atlanta Book Exchange. They buy and sell used books. Every wall is covered, floor to ceiling, with used, stinky books. It was fantastic. It looks a little bit like this.....

Room after room is filled to the brim with books owned by strangers, with strangers' finger prints, strangers' notes, and even stranger odors. I feel like I could work in a place like this, breathing in poems, prose, and expositions day in and day out. Submerged in the great words of the great works of the great writers before me. I just think a book store is the absolute best place for an aspiring writer to become inspired....sucks that they weren't hiring......... fantasy kill.

So I walked out towards my car, and saw directly in front of me, Babette's Cafe. "I'll just grab a menu togo, and I'll come back another day when I have more than $20 in my wallet," said the thrifty, thin girl in my head. After I shut her up, I told David the bartender that I'd like to sit down at one of the white-clothed tables. I already knew that I was going to order. Two small plates.... the half order of steamed mussels ($5) and the mushroom and squash risotto ($6).

Preceding my mussels and risotto, my model-esque waiter, who says things like "would you like something to drink while you peruse the menu?", brings me a baguette in a linen-lined bucket with a ramekin of homemade butter. I love you, I want to say, but, instead, I tear into the crunchy, warm bread. They've got me! 

The mussels were in front of me 5 minutes later, swimming in a strawberry-serrano pepper sauce. The sweetness of the sauce was an interesting and  yummy contrast to the salty mussels. I particularly enjoyed sopping up the sauce with the remainder of my baguette. Mmmmm. The risotto appeared to me as a shiny, hot blob topped with cheese.  It was definitely filling. I didn't finish it. I wish I had saved room (and cash) for dessert.

I had a great experience at Babette's. I'll definitely be back to try dessert, and possibly even an entree. But if I find myself back there in a cash crisis again, I find comfort in the prices of the small plates! God Bless appetizers. 

    

  

Sixteen

SO. Fried green tomatoes.  a twist on A CLASSIC

This recipe was designed using 2 green tomatoes.

Yields 12 servings.

1 c. all purpose flour

1/8 c. uncooked grits

1 t. baking powder

2 t. granulated garlic

1 t. cinnamon

1 1/4 t. salt

1 t. cumin

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. black pepper

2 eggs

1 T. half'n'half

2 t. hot sauce

6 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. butter

Heat the oil.

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat the eggs, half&half, and hot sauce in a separate bowl.  Cut the tomato in 1/4 inch slices and place in egg mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Fry 3 slices of tomatoes at one time for approximately 2 minutes on each side, or until crisp and brown. 

For topping:

3T. Cream Cheese

3T. Honey.

1 t. fennel seeds

1t. lemon juice

Mix honey fennel seeds, and lemon juice together.

Place a nickel-sized dollop of cream cheese on each tomato. Drizzle honey-fennel mixture over top. ENJOY!

Fifteen

Field trip to the Farmer's market with grandma. Need I say more? All I could think was ... score, groceries!! She told me to get anything I wanted, and I imagined a refrigerator full of fresh produce, meat, and fruits!! O, the glory and bounty of the International Farmer's Market! I could imagine all the dishes made with love that I would serve to the ones I love, hot and steaming, and all I managed to come away with was a bag of grapes, and some green tomatoes. You'd think I would have filled the basket or two, if you could see the dire condition of my fridge. This was no time for selfish gain, however, I was too busy letting my 85-year-old grandmother attempt to steer a basket she could barely see over.  I did, though, grab the tomatoes out of ambition. I've been wanting to cook new items for myself more, and Fried Green Tomatoes seem simple enough.... plus they're deeeeelish!!! Fried green tomatoes are a staple of the south, and I want to add them to my repertoire of "Things I can make with my eyes closed" So when I obtain what I deem a worthy (and simple) recipe, I will post it, along with a picture of my creation......

Fourteen

Today was a day of impulses for me. Nothing stupid, but it excited me greatly. First of all, it was an oddly warm day for December. The weather can only be described as California weather, in other words..... it was perfect!!  AND Lately, I'd been wanting to experience my city. You know....walk the streets and discover places I'd usually overlook while driving, and meet new and interesting people. I live in the heart of downtown, but I don't know it like I want to. I have this fantastic idea of the girl I want to be in my head....The spry, friendly, city girl with great legs, who knows all the thrift stores and the best place for Sunday brunch. The optimistic, charismatic hippie, who knows the flower shop owner, and all the streets by name.        Yeah right.

It's beyond a fantasy, but it's fun to imagine. It's even more fun to actually be like that girl once in a while. So today, while experiencing slight cabin fever and thinking about how I need to learn my city and that the weather was too perfect to miss, I decided to take my lunch/dinner, which was a pork burrito from Qdoba, to Centennial Park. It was around 530 and most of the gorgeous sunlight was fading into the West, and I knew by the time I had to walk home, it would officially be dark, which is scary downtown. BUT I really wanted to feel like that girl. So I threw on a trusty LBD (Little black dress), the tiniest jacket ever ( no really. this jacket is practically sleeves, in the fashion world, it's known as a shrug), and some t-strap flip flops, and headed out, burrito in hand.   

I enjoyed the porky goodness under a steel umbrella that was shaped like a flower. The lights on the trees glowed, and warmed me inside. Families walked, couples snapped pictures, stalkers stalked; I ate and observed. It got cooler as then sun set, and so I cursed myself for wearing a dress, which I'm currently donning. But then my phone rang, and it was Him..... my B-O-Y. He happened to be just around the corner. And just like that, I had an escort! His arrival was perfectly poetic...... He found me. He gasped when he saw me..... I didn't expect to meet romance at the park tonight, but I did, and it followed me home.

Thirteen

I have the biggest caffeine-inflicted headache right now. Thanks to my double espresso Cubano from..... where else? Intermezzo. It was so black and thick, almost tar-like, pumped full of more caffeine than any human should consume in one sitting, and it kind of burned on the way down. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can only imagine this is what a hangover feels like... maybe worse but I wouldn't know. It's kind of the effect I was going for I guess. 

I've been really emotional lately, mostly concerning a B-O-Y. So I just needed to be alone to hear my own thoughts. And it's really hard to hear my thoughts when I'm with him 'cause when I'm with him, I'm emotional goo, and nothing makes sense. (Is this just me or is this all women?) This friendship with this B-O-Y, like any relationship, is teaching me a lot about myself, and in order for me to express me feelings in the least emotional (and most rational) way possible, I have to be alone, I have to write, and I have to pray A LOT! And after that, the world seems to be at peace. 

So tonight I did all three AND I added the "caffeine bomb" to the equation. The world is at peace, but now I'm over-stimulated. And what was my rationalization to counter the effects of my lethal injection? A smoothie from R. Thomas. I figured a smoothie would make up for the nutrition that I did not encounter today, and it was the healthier alternative to a slice of caramel apple pie...... yes, definitely healthier. So I decided to walk an entire 1/2 block to R. Thomas, which is open 24/7 and I ordered the Busy Bee to go. But before I could get to the door, I ran into a a good friend of mine, who also happens to be an "ex" ..... I guess you could call him an ex.... whatever. He was out with his brother and a friend, celebrating a birthday. It was awkward on his part; I could tell. I don't know why.

(that was just a little nugget that made the night a tad more interesting)Anyway. 

Back to my smoothie. It's delicious. pear, banana, mango, dates, friggin Organic bee pollen!! I'm still enjoying it! It's like dinner and dessert all in one. R. Thomas's prices are too high for the quality of their food, but $6 for this smoothie is worth it to me. I will keep going back for this if nothing else! 

In conclusion, I still have a headache and I'm still wide awake, and this smoothie didn't help my "caffeine hangover" BUT it is delicous... you should go try one. BUT you should not, under any circumstances, buy or drink a double Cubano from Intermezzo.... 'Cause you'd be askin' for it!

Twelve

I feel lonely today. There are no lights on in my apartment. My cousin/best friend, Micah is working in the studio. And I'm alone. I had errands to run today...... They've all been run. All the phone calls have been made, and now it's getting dark outside. I want my phone to ring. But it's silent, and silence is not what I want right now. I want chatter and chaos.... or at least one other body within 5 feet of me. 

Days like this make me want a creamy bowl of soup, a gigantic scarf and an arm around my shoulders. I wonder.... Do married people feel this way in Winter as well?

(FINALLY!!!)Eleven

Because I have been to Cafe Intermezzo 7+ times in between October and November, AND because I have been accompanied every time, AND because Intermezzo is .... let's face it.... over-priced, I'm forced to venture out and try some new spots...... alone. After all, if The Girl Who Eats Alone has a date, is she still The Girl Who Eats Alone? anyway.

The requirements for the new spots?? Twilight hours, coffees, teas, and desserts. Where did I end up on my first attempt to replace Intermezzo? Octane Coffee Bar on Marietta Street. Literally 5 minutes from my home, Octane is teeming with Georgia Techies, their laptops, 

and of course coffee. While the menu is nowhere near as extensive as Intermezzo (not by a long shot), they do offer the classics of the coffee variety: A coffee of the day, Cafe au lait, Espresso, Iced Coffee, etc. They also offer a host of teas ranging from Earl Grey to Organic Jasmine green tea. And if coffee and tea aren't really your.... well... cup of tea, Octane offers Arden's Garden fruit juices, sodas, and hot chocolate.

Food wise.... Octane isn't the place for a rib-sticking meal, rather, they present us with sandwiches and salads from 11 am to 5 pm and a small collection of food they offer all day which includes the soup of the day, a hummus platter, and homemade granola and yogurt among others. 

On this particular visit, I enjoyed the Potato Chowder and a Cafe au Lait.  I sat outside, and watched the cars pass by in the dark. It was freezing, and I kind of regretted my de

cision, but my pride kept me from going back in to sit with all the college students with their Dell laptops, Calculus chatter, and Georgia Tech hoodies. So i warmed myself with my paper cup of coffee and milk, and I watched my breath as I exhaled in silence, which is what I was searching for..... coffee and silence.