Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

The Optimist

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Birthday dinners are key.

 

Every year I think long and hard about what restaurant to try on my birthday.  It’s a big deal!  You have to start out the next year of your life with a happy stomach.  It sets the stage for the next year’s eats!

This year I was excited to try out a new concept by Chef Ford Fry (of JCT Kitchen and No. 246 fame).  The Optimist (914 Howell Mill Rd,. Atlanta, GA 30318, 404-477-6260) opened just a couple of months ago.  After being reviewed by some of the pissiest critics in Atlanta, I have not seen a bad write-up.  My mom, baby sister, best friend, and her husband all came out to celebrate and eat.

Mom, me and Baby Sis

 

Despite having a broken air conditioner (sorry about my butt sweat on the seat…), the kitchen cranked out some phenomenal food.

To start they bring out what are the BEST dinner rolls I’ve ever eaten.  I normally wouldn’t rave about bread, but these was exceptional.  The fluffy, light rolls were just the right amount of sweet to complement the flaked salt sprinkled on top.  I wish Blais should serve these at The Spence.

 

We also ordered East and West coast oysters (I did not partake, but am told they were delish), tempura-fried long beans with a buttermilk dill sauce, and corn hushpuppies.

The beans were good, especially with the dill sauce.  My best friend’s husband even tried one.  He doesn’t eat vegetables, but gave these a thumbs up.  More proof that anything fried is delicious.

 

The hushpuppies were the favorite of the night.  Done “beignet-style,” these were not your mamma’s heavy puppies.  They doughnut-like balls of sweet, corn-filled bread were sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with a side of sweet creamy butter.  The butter proved to be totally unnecessary; these puppies stand alone in their perfection as they melt your mouth.

 

One (minor) complaint – if you don’t eat shell-fish and aren’t a huge fan of fried, there aren’t many starter options beyond a salad.  I’d love to see a couple, lighter easy-to-share items.

Choosing a main dish was difficult for me.  The entrees read like a fine list of food porn.  Eventually I selected the Alaskan Halibut.  The fish was possibly the best quality I’ve experienced.  It was earthy and almost meaty, complimented flawlessly by hen of the woods mushrooms and the rich red wine bordelaise sauce.

 

Mom selected the trout served with marcona almonds and greens.  It was an excellent dish; much lighter in flavor than the halibut, but offered a nice contrast of flavors between the flaky fish and the crunch of the almonds.

 

My friends both selected the skirt steak with romesco sauce and beef jus.  At a seafood restaurant.  I silently judged them until I tried a little bite.  That steak could rival some of the better steak houses in town.  Sadly, my pics didn’t turn out from this point on due to lighting and laziness.

Sides are not included with the entrees.  We ordered an heirloom tomato salad, roasted beets with apple, and lightly roasted carrots with ginger vinaigrette.  Each was alight and refreshing, allowing the farm-fresh flavors to shine.  If you are vegetarian or vegan, you could easily create a satisfying veggie plate from the side selections on the menu.

 

The desserts were surprisingly good as well.  We were treated to a peach cobbler with a rich side of beer cream sauce and a graham cake that was soaked in a fantastic syrupy sauce and topped with a toasted layer of house-made marshmallow creme.  I’d eat bother again.  And again.  Little did I know that I had a bigger surprise coming…

 

My mom and baby sis had baked my grandmother’s carrot cake, then cut out circles of it to form a 29!  It was delicious.  Despite having lapped up too much of the other 2 desserts, I manages to eat my share of this carrot cake.  This is a special cake in my family.  It’s the cake that my dad requested every year for his birthday.  I had an extra few bites for him. 🙂

We left the restaurant comfortably stuffed and a bit sweaty from the sauna A/C-less dining room.

Me, Greg, and Mallory

Our poor server was sweet, but painfully new.  And sweaty.  Service was spotty – cocktails were slow, I had to ask for water on multiple occasions, and we were nearly done with our entrees before she managed to bring out the bottle of wine Mom brought.

While mildly annoying, the service issue won’t stop me from returning.  The new girl will learn, and the food was so good I wasn’t irked enough to complain.  I have a new go-to spot in Atlanta.

 

This has nothing to do with food, but I have to share.  On the way home I paused to take a picture of a parked car:

This dude’s friends are awesome.

________________________________________________________________________________________

My birthday weekend started out with a session with my trainer.  After he killed my legs, I had a deep tissue massage, which I credit for my ability to wear heels to dinner.  It was exactly how I wanted to spend the day.  Figure competition training is hard, but rewarding.  This week I realized that I’m able to increase the weight I left in my solo sessions, and that my arms are coming along!

I look forward to my daily trek to the gym… in part because I never know what fun sights I’ll see…

Workout Recap (7/9- 7/15):

  • Monday – Chest/Biceps
  • Tuesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 1.65 mile walk
  • Wednesday – Back/Triceps, 1.5 mile walk
  • Thursday – Shoulders/Glutes
  • Friday – Chest/Biceps, 2 mile walk
  • Saturday – Legs
  • Sunday – 2 softball games, 100 push-ups

***

Thank you all so, so much for your kind words on Friday’s post.  I LOVED hearing about all of the goals you WILL accomplish.  If you haven’t already, click here to check out the post and enter to win The Simply Bar sample pack in my birthday giveaway. 🙂

Is food an important part of celebrations in your family?  Any cake-traditions?

What is the craziest thing you have seen in the gym?

Comments

  1. Love that pic of you with your mom & sister- quite a good looking bunch y’all are ;)! SO much deliciousness in this post! I definitely drooled multiple times when you Instagrammed photos of your meal this weekend! That graham cake sounds good but I’m thinking they need to add some chocolate for the full s’more effect! Oh and we must be on the same wavelength because I carrot cake was my requested flavor too this year. Glad you had a wonderful (and delicious) birthday, Laura!

    • Thank you! I normally would agree with the chocolate addition… but this bar was downright perfection!

  4. Glad you had a happy birthday! I must be behind the times because I hadn’t heard of that restaurant either. Looks really good though, I’ll add it to the ever-growing list.

    • Next time you find your way down here you have to try their puppies! I’m sure the A/C will be fixed by then. 😉

  9. Looks like you had a great birthday! Happy {late} birthday. Those hush-puppies have my mouth watering 🙂 Annnndddd, I just read your post on your new figure competitor challenge! How friggin’ exciting.. I can’t wait to read all about it!

  11. Happy Birthday! Looks like an amazing celebration! You, your mom and your sis are beautiful! I love that you spent your dinner with family and friends! Ice cream cake was my go to birthday cake as a kid. I miss that…

    I love when people wear sweat bands to the gym. It totally gets me pumped to get all sweaty! It cracks me up every time!

    • Ice cream cake was mine too! From Dairy Queen. I loved that icing they used for writing the message for some reason…

  14. Lol to butt sweat … Good food is worth it 😉

    Such a great meal– I’m swooning over those dinner rolls. YUM

  15. I love the crazy sights at the gym! I used to work at a gym that was linked with a hospital, so there were a lot of older people coming through, and they’d always be “working out” in slacks, loafers and belts. My current gym has several people that show up in those giant plastic sweat-suits, which I kinda thought had been debunked back in the ’80s 😀

    And belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mmm, I could definitely go for some of those green beans. And too cute with the cake.

  16. Love that someone wrote that on a car! Hilarious! Happy birthday again girl!!! I am glad you had a nice experience. That carrot cake looks amazing!! Yum! We usually do angel food cake for our birthdays! It is my mom’s favorite. Jesse always wants cheesecake. 🙂

  21. Happy belated my friend 😀
    You are so right about starting a fresh year of life on a good food note 😀
    I love that pic of you, your mum and sis, you all look perfect 🙂
    Glad your restaurant choice was such a hit (butt sweat? Let the next sitter worry 😉

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  22. Congrats about the weight lifting increase and happy birthday. In your honor I ate three peanut butter cookies. 🙂

    The meal looks excellent, I like how simply everything is plated, and it looks like yummy cuisine without being over the top.

    • I so appreciate that you sacrificed and ate those cookies for me. 🙂

      You hit the nail on the head – nothing was so over done that you missed the natural, fresh flavors.

  23. I really want to try that place. We were next door on Saturday, at 5 Seasons, which I’m sure isn’t nearly as good!

    • Yeah… I hate to say it but this was better than 5 Seasons. 😉

      We need to do The Lawrence!!!

      • I think most things are better than 5 Seasons! I swear the first time I went, it was really good. Not sure what happened!

        When do you want to go to the Lawrence? During the week is fine with me if that’s easier to plan.

  24. Happy late Birthday! I’m so glad you had a great dinner and it looks amazing! 29 is going to be a great year! I turn it in Sept so I’m constantly thinking positive…and applying eye cream;)

  26. Look at you lovely ladies! You picked a delicious spot. I am cracking up about 1) the husband who doesn’t eat veggies and 2) that last picture! 🙂
    Your mom and sis were so sweet to make that cake for you… special way to remember your dad, too. Congrats on all the weights progress, too!

  28. Looks like a very fun way to kick off a new year, and to celebrate the previous one. You look beautiful in the photos! Man, what I would do for a bite of your grandmother’s carrot cake. That is my all-time favorite dessert. I love the fact that you ate it in addition to the restaurant desserts!

  29. Happy birthday lovely lady!! I feel very awkward about celebrating my own birthday, so I tend to go for a fantastic restaurant with my family to celebrate the night too. Gosh, those hush puppies look wonderful! I’ve never actually been sure what hush puppies are, but now I know that I want to try them. Yep.

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