Crazy About Cruising

   

The drink: The Radical Cure

The place: Western Caribbean aboard the Carnival Liberty

My husband and I toasting our newfound love of cruising with the Radical Cure, our favorite drink at the Alchemy Bar

I was Lido’d out.

I had about given up on sailing on large cruise ships. It was a case of been there, done that, spilled the Island Special on the T-shirt. I’d line danced on the Lido deck, waited for a spot in the kid-filled hot tub and cringed at the hairy chest contests. My stepson had even won the International Belly Flop Contest on our most recent cruise a few years back, so really, what was left to experience?

A lot, it turns out. In December my husband and I went on the Carnival Liberty for an entire week and experienced a whole new level of fun, more in tune with my older, more mature (?) self. We set sail from Miami, with stops planned in Cozumel, Belize, Grand Cayman and Mahogany Bay, Roatan. A week later we disembarked with a newfound appreciation for cruising and a long list of more destinations we’d like to visit by boat.

Many of our favorite things on the Carnival Liberty were new features that are being rolled out as part of the $500,000 Fun Ship 2.0 initiative due to be completed in 2015. Starting with food and drink of course, here are our favorite experiences:

Drinks at Alchemy Bar. Where pharmacy meets cocktail, this new addition to the Liberty may be my favorite bar, ever. You can take a look at the light-up menu for something intriguing or grab a prescription pad, describe what ails you and the lab coat-clad bartenders will whip you up a cure right away. Although we tested several cocktails, we settled on our favorite: The Radical Cure, a martini for healing. Tanqueray gin, lavender essence, fresh limejuice and maraschino liqueur. Heaven in a cocktail glass.

Beers at EA Sports Another of the 22 themed bars on board, EA Sports is small but popular with the sports fans on board, who can watch any of 16 screens along with a ticker tape of scores. My husband enjoyed checking out the more than two dozen draft and bottled beers.

Guy's Burger Bar, one of the most popular places on the ship. Photo by Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Lines

Burgers from Guy’s Burger Joint. Fans of the Food Network will recognize Carnival’s partner, Guy Fieri, the white-spikey-haired big star best known for his show “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” This cleverly decorated spot on the corner of the Lido deck (surfboards, car bumpers, servers in mechanic uniforms) serves up big, fresh burgers fast. Order one of six types of burgers, and head to the huge selection of condiments – underneath car hoods of course – to pile up with your choice of grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and more. Burgers are served with large hand-cut fries.

They are large enough (as is my desire to still fit in my jeans post-cruise) that my husband and I could split one. (And leave room for fresh sushi an hour later from the Origami Sushi Bar, which just jumped on my plate as I was walking by.) We weren’t the only burger fans on board– the ship serves 1200 burgers a day.

Tacos from BlueIguana Cantina. Also located in a corner of the Lido deck, with rarely much of a line, the BlueIguana has one line for tacos (pork, fish or chicken) and one for burritos (chicken, beef or shrimp.) Again, the emphasis is on fresh food – even down to the tortillas, which are cranked out by the tortilla machine front and center. The fun really starts when you head to the salsa station where I loaded up on the selection of the usual, plus watermelon and jicama salsa, black and bean and corn salsa, sliced veggies and huge springs of fresh cilantro. And what’s Mexican food without tequila? Right next door is the BlueIguana Tequila Bar for margaritas and Mexican beer.

Harry’s Supper Club Our most elegant dinner was the night we indulged in delicious steaks at Harry’s Supper Club. Being devoted carnivores, my husband and I loved the big juicy cuts of meat that we were able to select when our waiter brought a huge tray of meat for our perusal. Reservations are required here and a $30 a person supplement applies.

Fresh Oysters from Fish and Chips Station I should have known from the huge smile on his face and the gleam in his eye that my husband had just gathered some food-related Intel from his dip in the hot tub. “They have fresh oysters at the fish and chips station,” he cried delightedly. Not sharing his love for the slimy, snot-like globs I did not share his delight but was happy for him to indulge. As much as possible.

And here are a few of the non-food related pleasures of our voyage.

The Origami Sushi Bar was open every evening and made a great snack for the late seating for dinner.

Lounging on The Serenity Deck. We so enjoyed staying far, far away from the Lido Deck. With the exception of one singer who had a beautiful voice we enjoyed once at sunset, the music was way too loud and the scene too happenin’ for us. Luckily, the Liberty has a huge adults-only section with plenty of plush seating, hot tubs and a refreshing lack of any type of contests at all.

Lack of Crowds. Although our ship, like most cruise ships, was sailing full, it didn’t feel too crowded. We never stood in line for more than a few minutes for anything. Even the burgers.

The Fitness Center. As part of our weight maintenance program, my husband and I took the stairs everywhere, even if it was 12+ floors. And we also made daily use of the fitness center on the Liberty where there were plenty of machines for him and exercise equipment for me. I did venture into the sauna one afternoon, which had a window from which I watched us cruise out of Honduras.

Oops – there is one more food-related item.

The Yogurt Machines. Our afore-mentioned weight maintenance program would have been far more successful as it not been for the always-available frozen yogurt machines, by which we were unable to pass without stopping “for just a bite.” After all, it may have been at least 45 minutes since our last meal.

For more information on the Carnival Liberty, visitwww.carnival.com/funship2.

No Comments by admin on February 1, 2012
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Sun in My Belly’s Supperclub

   

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

No Comments by admin on January 20, 2012
filed in Atlanta Dining
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Weekend Getaway: The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens

   

Current rates at the Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens start at just $171 a night

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 Gardens several 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. Read the full post »

No Comments by admin on January 13, 2012
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Ten Top Meals in ATL: 2011

   

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. Read the full post »

No Comments by admin on January 6, 2012
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Bounce into 2012 at Sky Zone

   

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.

Sky Zone Atlanta Indoor Trampoline Park is located at 560 Old Peachtree Road, Suwanee, GA 30024, 678-745-9900.

No Comments by admin on December 30, 2011
filed in Atlanta Attractions
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Alma Cocina Welcome Addition to Downtown ATL

   

The addition of butternut squash to the guacamole gives it a beautiful color and a delicious new flavor

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?

The refreshing orange-flavored Naranjarita cocktail. Salt on the rim of course.

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.

We had to admire the layered lusciousness of the poblano-goat cheese potato gratin before taking a bite.

We found all the dishes delicious but by the time the entrée arrived we had about reached our limit and could have stopped there. But of course we had to try a few bites because calling it quits. We took the leftovers home where I hid them for (my) future consumption.

My husband’s general response to being offered a dessert menu is, “Well, we’ll just take a look.” This time that quick look turned into this response to Ric when he returned to our table. “We are so full, we are only having two desserts.”

I opted for the churros, served with three sauces, and Chris opted for the light yet yummy grapefruit-mint sorbet.

Read the full post »

No Comments by admin on December 23, 2011
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Summer Beach Sunrises

   

The buildings at Ocean Place, nestled between beach and beautiful tree-lined streets

The Place: Amelia Island, Florida

The Drink: Gin and tonics

For years we spent all our beach holidays on St. Simon’s Island on the coast of Georgia where my husband and his four brothers and sisters owned an adorable 3-bedroom home. We ate crab cakes at Barbara Jean’s, barbecue at Southern Soul, rode our bikes along East Beach and shopped at Harris Teeter.

Then after a family meeting when a lengthy discussion about replacing a rug in the den turned into a mutual decision just to sell the house, we’ve been beach hopping. And having a blast.

This fall we revisited Amelia Island in Florida, one of our favorite beaches, and found a perfect place to stay. Located on the southern part of Amelia,  Summer Beach is secluded without being isolated and luxurious without being uncomfortably stuffy.

The property includes villas, condos and townhouses in separate developments. We stayed in the newest one, Ocean Place, which has two- and three-bedroom condos. Our three-bedroom condo had plenty of room, a magnificent balcony overlooking the ocean, easy access to pools and a huge master bedroom. The kitchen was fully equipped and the unit had a nice washer-dryer as well. Read the full post »

No Comments by admin on December 20, 2011
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Carnival Cuisine- Fresh and Free Burgers and Tacos Debut

   

Although around 1200 burgers a day are consumed on the Carnival Liberty, there is never much of a line for one of the juicy patties.

When I was growing up my best friend’s mom had a sign in her kitchen. “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.” I never really understood why you can’t do both at once and have pretty much devoted my life to that philosophy.

So I’ve been delighted to find that the Carnival Liberty, the cruise ship that is my home for this entire week, has amazing food. We are on board experiencing the beginning of the roll-out of Fun Ship 2.0, a $500 million multi-year initiative on the Carnival line, with the addition of new restaurants being just part of it. I’m planning return trips to both of these.

Guy’s Burger Joint. Fans of the Food Network will recognize Carnival’s partner, Guy Fieri, the white-spiky-haired big star best known for his show “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.” This cleverly decorated spot on the corner of the Lido deck (surfboards, car bumpers, servers in mechanic uniforms) serves up big, fresh burgers fast. Order one of six types of burgers, and head to the huge selection of condiments – underneath car hoods of course – to pile up with your choice of grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and more. Burgers are served with large hand-cut fries.

They are large enough (as is my desire to still fit in my jeans post-cruise) that my husband and I could split one. And leave room for fresh sushi an hour later, which just jumped on my plate as I was walking by. I seem to have the same problem with the frozen yogurt machines as well. Those cones just seem to swirl themselves. Read the full post »

No Comments by admin on December 7, 2011
filed in Cruising

2011 Gift Guide – Things You’ll Really Want to Keep

   

One of the best parts of my job is seeing all the new gift items. Here are several of my favorites for 2011.

Two of the top items on my list are from Graf & Lanz, which has a beautiful collection of bags for men and women as well home accessories. This felt and leather Carry All is not only beautiful but it also folds down so it's easy to pack in a suitcase. $369 at www.graf-lantz.com

The Solo wine carrier is made from thick felt and leather, with detachable straps. A perfect tote for holiday parties or a hostess gift. $79 at www.graf-lantz.com

I totally fell in love with these suitcases from www.uniquevintage.com. This carry-on is made with faux ostrich, rolls and has a handle. $124.

These Hercules XPS diamond 2.0 speakers make a great gift for just about anyone. $29.99 at amazon.com

Supposedly for kids, but my college-age son will love this plush talking bacon that says “I’m bacon” when you squeeze him. $9.99 at www.thinkgeek.com

Throw this in the microwave and warm up with this line of Bed Buddy Herbal Naturals wraps infused with aromatherapy and lined with luxurious real lavender and chamomile. From $25.99 at drugstores and select retailers. www.carex.com/products/Bed_Buddy/93

This bottle with the image of a 400-year-old distillery is Peru is so beautiful you’ll want to keep one for yourself. This flavorful spirit is good straight or delicious mixed into a cocktail. Around $40 to $50. piscoporton.com/home

Forget gathering and packing all those cables — the AViiQ Portable USB Charging Station can charge four USB devices at once, even your iPad. $79.99 at www.aviiq.com/products/portable-charging-station

Love in a Nutshell Audio book Mystery fans will love the latest tale of romantic suspense by Janet Evanovich, the bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, and Dorien Kelly. Unabridged is $29.99; abridged is $19.99 at amazon.com

Yoga gear from Neon Buddha. These cute fashions are made of 100% preshrunk cotton by women in Thailand and 1% of every sale is donated to charities. Available at department stores and boutiques throughout North America. Prices start at $35. www.NeonBuddha.net

Bubblebum Perfect for families on the go, the BubbleBum is a portable booster seat that deflates, making it perfect for trips by plane. Just deflate it and throw it in your carryon. $39.99 at www.bubblebum.us

Ricossa Moscato d’Asti This Italian sparkling wine is perfect to serve with dessert. Tie a ribbon on the bottle and it’s a perfect hostess gift. Around $14.99 a bottle.

Forget the dreaded fannypack - these bags from Hipzbag are actually fashionable. Available in a variety of materials, this faux leather one is $.24.95 at shop.hipzbag.com

No Comments by admin on December 2, 2011
filed in Product Reviews/Gift Guide

New Holiday Traditions in ATL

   

I'll be checking out these lights and more this weekend at Garden Lights Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Photo by Joey Ivansco.

The place: Atlanta Botanical Garden

The drink: Hot chocolate, extra marshmallows

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.

Read the full post »

No Comments by admin on November 29, 2011
filed in Atlanta Events
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