Stir it Up - Jamaican in Little 5 Points

Jerk chicken - ask for extra sauce for the rice!

After waiting in line at the Vortex for 20 minutes with no table in sight, I persuaded Calvin to try something different: the Jamaican restaurant Stir It Up that I read about recently. I am so glad we tried it! Not only did the waitress accommodate our extreme hunger in a quick way, the food was truly fantastic and the dessert was out of this world. We started with the Coco bread and the Jamaican beef patty. Skip the bread, get the patty. It was hot and the beef had excellent flavor with tasty gravy inside the delicious patty (see below for half eaten photo)!

I'm no expert on Jamaican cuisine but I love spicy food and the jerk chicken did not disappoint. It was a generous serving with rice/peas and cabbage included. The oxtail was also delicious and creamy. Both of these dishes arrived quickly although some of the menu items are cooked to order and require a long wait. When we were leaving the kitchen was just bringing out some fresh macaroni and cheese - it looked fantastic. There are also some great lunch specials offered Tuesday through Friday and surprisingly, several vegetarian options available. See menu here.

Oxtail.



Coco Bread and Jamaican beef patty.



Best chocolate cheesecake - EVER!

Although we were stuffed, the waitress assured us that the cheesecake was really good and really different - she was right! While it has a very rich and chocolatey taste, the cake was lighter and less dense than traditional cheesecake. I would go back just for this! They also have a vanilla version that I want to try next time. Stir it Up is one of the nicer establishments in Little 5 Points and the food is quality as well. Try it!

Season's 52 - Buckhead

Special of the day: Grilled Cobia with Curry sauce and vegetables over Himalayan rice.

I was recently invited to check out Season's 52. Atlanta has two locations and we dined at the location in Buckhead. The second Atlanta location is near Perimeter mall and both locations have lunch as well as dinner menus. Seasons 52 prides itself on its use of seasonal ingredients, its well stocked wine room/wine bar and its upscale ambiance. The service was excellent and it was clear that we were not the only ones getting special treatment. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and timed all of our dishes to come out perfectly, allowing us to have a relaxed meal. An added bonus: everything on the menu here has less than 475 calories, allowing guests to indulge in a nice meal out without totally destroying their diet.

My favorite dishes include the flatbread - about 6 varieties are offered and the special portobello mushroom kind we tried was fabulous - and the cobia with curry sauce, pictured above. Both of these items came from the sidebar menu that changes even more frequently than the regular menu, which is updated seasonally. I also adore the mini-desserts that they serve here.

Special portobello mushroom flatbread with sour cream truffle sauce, spinach and garlic - very delicious!



Organic tomato stack salad with blue cheese. Order this if you like onions - the onions are lightly grilled but not fully cooked. We enjoyed it but definitely not for the shy of onion.



Pom Margarita and a specially made pomegranate blueberry spritzer - both were really tasty!



Grilled lamb T-bone chops with asparagus, truffle mashed potatoes and red wine sauce. I always enjoy lamb.



Roasted yellow beets with wasabi cream sauce. The sauce really has a nice kick that goes great with the creamy delicious beets.



Seasons 52 serves the cutest "mini-indulgences" for dessert. I love how small they are so that you can sample lots!



We tried (L to R) the chocolate peanut butter mousse, special chocolate raspberry Valentine, pecan pie and mango cheesecake. My personal favorites are the pecan pie and the cheesecake - a wonderful way to end the meal without feeling too guilty!

Near the end of our meal manager Brian Farkas came by and took a photo of us. We saw him doing this for other tables, too. To our surprise, just before we left our server brought the photo to us in a special Seasons 52 frame. What a nice touch! This is a great place for a special meal or a nice business lunch - those who are watching their calorie intake will appreciate the thoughtfulness of the menu and those who are not won't notice!

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

The Capital Grille - lunch post

Mini-tenderloin served with roasted butternut squash & cranberry chutney. Usually two tenderloins are included but we split this plate with the fried lobster tails (unfortunately NOT on the special $15 plate lunch!) and the chef split the plates for us.

I was recently invited to try The Capital Grille's new lunch menu, which includes special 3 part lunch plates. The lunch plates are $15 and include soup or salad, choice of entree (current choices include mini-tenderloin sandwiches, lobster roll and "knife and fork" BLT) and a side dish - see Atlanta lunch menu here. This is a more economical option for those who want to experience the great service, atmosphere, view (it's on the 8th floor) and food of The Capital Grille in Atlanta. I found all of the options I tried from $15 menu to be tasty. I also love the bread service here. In addition to the $15 plate with the porcini bisque, mini-tenderloins and roasted squash we also tried the special oysters of the day (wonderful!) and the fried lobster tails - also a daily special. The Capital Grille is a great place for a business or special occasion meal and now for lunch there is a more cost-conscious option as well.

Porcini mushroom bisque- one of the options on the $15 lunch plate menu. Creamy and tasty.



Special of the day: fresh raw oysters, shucked perfectly with lots of sauces to choose from.



Homemade grapefruit soda - really fresh and not too sweet. I preferred this to the lemonade.

This cheesecake is awesome: light, delicious and made even better by the strawberry puree and berries served on the side. I love the sugar top and the tasty crust is made from vanilla wafers. I usually don't even like cheesecake and this was so good I had to take a piece back for my co-workers.

Blackfin Bistro and Better Than Sex Dessert Restaurant - Key West

Tomato ginger carrot - the soup du jour.

We actually spent an extra night in Key West quite unexpectedly. Although our flight from ATL to Key West arrived with no problem, on the return trip severe winds kept the jet from landing in Key West. Delta's solution - drive us to Miami in a bus OR stay another night and fly out in the morning. Although we both needed to return for work, we decided to remain in Key West another night instead of taking the long bus ride to Miami. We actually hooked up with new-found friends from Louisville who we'd met on our first day. They were supposed to be on the same flight.

Once we got settled in another lodging - I can't even remember the name and it was so disappointing after our great B&B, we met up with our new friends for dinner and dessert. For dinner we went to Blackfin Bistro, upon recommendation of the clerk at the hotel. Although the menu looked pretty good, it was quite pricey and the food was mixed. I enjoyed the soup of the day (above) although $9 is a bit much I think... The burger was also good and the pasta was decent. Our friend was not too crazy about his lobster salad, though, and the whole experience was somehow lackluster.

Lobster Salad with fruit.



Chef's seafood pasta, half portion (shared with new friends!)



Blackfin Burger - with Swiss cheese, bacon and a sunny side up egg.

Our new friends had been to Better Than Sex - A Dessert Restaurant already and they wanted to go back. Intrigued we went along to give it a try. Unfortunately they were out of the signature dessert (you guessed it - it's called "Better Than Sex") but we still enjoyed some delicious treats as well as chocolate-rimmed dessert wine - whoa a serious sugar kick! The restaurant is DARK and some of the menu items have racy names. They do provide flashlights so you can read the menu. Definitely a unique place and not quite like anything I've ever experienced before.

Luckily we made it out of KW early the next day. It was a wonderful trip overall and I would enjoy another vacation there. Nice to meet you Louisville friends!

Cheesecake.



Cobbler/bread pudding.



Chocolate chip pie.



Chocolate rimmed chocolate beverage.