Saturday Splurge: Cafe Jonah & The Magical Attic (Atlanta, Georgia)

Finally! A Saturday Splurge for my readers who live in the Atlanta area! If you haven't been to Cafe Jonah then frankly, my friends, you are missing out! I was introduced to it this week by my very dear friend David Prado (who also happens to double as my spin instructor and blog guest contributor). David, being a man of many talents, is also finishing his last year of law school, and we all know that law school requires lots of study hours spent nursing multiple cups of joe. If anyone should know the best place in town to get coffee and other treats, it's David!

The moment you walk into Cafe Jonah you feel as if you stepped into your mother or grandmother's house. It instantly gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling. You might even be tempted to go wearing your pajamas and bedroom slippers. It truly feels like you are in someone's home because.... well, you are! The cafe uses every room in the house. There is a large communal table in the entry room and wooden tables scattered throughout the other rooms. There's even a inspirational library upstairs if you're so inclined.

And the best part about Cafe Jonah is the fact that every Sunday they have a 'Pay What You Think It's Worth' brunch, and they give 10% of the sales to charity. Fantastic idea and even better food!

I sampled the kale and goat cheese quiche with a side of steel-cut oatmeal topped with brown sugar and a dollop of yogurt. The quiche was good, but let me tell you... the oatmeal was TO DIE FOR! Next time, I'd order the large portion alone and call it a day. It was so hearty, healthy and delectable!

Oh... and Cafe Jonah has a garden in the back, where rumor has it they grow fresh herbs and veggies to use in the kitchen. That's about as local as it gets!

Cafe Jonah would be a great place for a weekend brunch, a coffee and some computer time, or an afternoon snack. You'll feel like you're at a friends, and you'll leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Definitely stop by next time you're in the area!

Cafe Jonah & The Magical Attic

3188 Paces Ferry Place

Atlanta, Georgia 30305

404-343-4107

www.cafejonah.com

Saturday Splurge: Petite Abeille (Manhattan)

I'm a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to the 'foodie' thing. For fear of total world wide web embarrassment, I'll refrain from telling you how old I was when I tried sushi for the first time... or Indian food... or anything slightly 'exotic' for that matter. I grew up on hearty, homegrown American fare - meat, potatoes and vegetables - with a side of sweet tea (no meal in Georgia is complete without sweet tea).

Yesterday, I joined my lovely friend Andrea Ryan for brunch at a super cute Belgian restaurant near Union Square, Petite Abeille. The first time I had Belgian food was actually IN Belgium, so the bar is quite high when I go to a Belgian restaurant in the U.S. of A. Petite Abeille did not disappoint.

The charming thing about it was that it's very nondescript from the outside. I can't tell you how many times I've walked down 17th street, completely oblivious to its existence. The front of the restaurant looks like a small coffee or pastry shop, but as you move past the bar, you find yourself in a delightful environment - black and white checkered floors, chalkboards on the wall displaying the day's menu, antique odds and ends scattered throughout (like vintage suitcases), Tintin comic book drawings displayed on the walls and a very lovely and intimate back patio. 

For those of you who don't live in New York, let me explain. It's very rare to sit on a patio in the city. Maybe in Brooklyn, but it'll be a cold day in hell before you find yourself on a back patio in Manhattan. Fall was in the air yesterday, so of course we opted for an open table on the patio. It felt like one of life's small victories. Patio? Hell yeah! We'll take it!

We started brunch with coffee, because honestly, what's a Saturday without coffee? Then, like good friends do, we ordered variations of the exact same thing - omelettes with mesclun salad and stoemp. What is stoemp? you ask. Good question. I had no idea, even as I was eating it. A later visit to Wikipedia informed me that stoemp is a traditional Belgian dish consisting of mashed potatoes and some sort of vegetable (in this case, leeks and onions), seasoned with thyme and laurel. One bite told me that I can get down with some stoemp. For real.

Our brunch at Petite Abeille put me on the fast track to a fantastic day... one of those days where the sun is shining, people are smiling, birds are chirping and you find yourself with a little skip in your step. Yes, it may be hard to see the connection between brunch at a Belgian restaurant and inner peace, but hey... sometimes happiness is found in the most nondescript of places.

PETITE ABEILLE

44 West 17th St.

New York, NY 10011

212.727.2989

Saturday Splurge: Bluebird Sky (Manhattan)

Brunch in Chinatown might as well be self-imposed torture. I find myself making the same mistake over and over again because I really, really, really like Jing Fong's dim sum. Even when I wake up early, trying my best to beat the crowd, there's STILL a mob of people outside waiting for a table... and by mob, I do not exaggerate even the least little bit.

So imagine my delight when just a few blocks away, I stumble upon a very wonderful brunch option, hidden away on a quiet street with no line at all! Hot diggity damn! I find this brunch discovery so shocking because 1) it is right off Canal Street on Baxter (how have I never noticed this place?) and 2) it's not the least bit Asian-inspired though being located smack dab in the middle of Chinatown.

Wait! Wait! I haven't even told you the best part! They actually have shrimp 'n grits, one of my absolute favorite dishes! Shrimp 'n grits makes me want to pack up my things, move to New Orleans and never look back. I might just do it... you watch.

So obviously, I got the shrimp 'n grits. And boy, were they tasty! My brunch-mate Arionna, from Harlem Food Local, went with her brunch staple, eggs benedict. Now Arionna is a pretty tough critic when it comes to food (as she's an excellent cook and has her own food blog), but even she was sold on Bluebird Sky in approximately 2.5 seconds.

It actually got really hard to talk to each other after the first few bites. We were both having silent love affairs with our dishes, forgetting the other was across the table. Oh...and did I mention the prices are extremely reasonable for brunch in Manhattan? My wallet danced a little jig.

On top of the food and the prices, Bluebird Sky has the most attentive servers around. They obviously enjoy their jobs and want people to have a good experience there.

I would highly recommend Bluebird Sky for brunch with a good friend OR for a nice cup of afternoon joe. While we were there, even Iron Chef Marc Forgione stopped by for his morning coffee.

That about sums it up. Just go... trust me (and Marc Forgione).

BLUEBIRD SKY

121 Baxter Street (between Hester and Canal)

New York, NY 10013

212.966.4646

www.bluebirdskynyc.com