Sunday Best v.167 (A Day Late)

Orange Buddha, by Nancy Lorenz. Silver leaf, pigment, resin on panel.

Whew, an incredibly busy August has commenced! We're either traveling or hosting guests every weekend of this month, so bear with me and my old blog...it'll be feast or famine around here! I had every intention of setting Sunday Best to post while I was out of town, but that didn't happen. I hope you'll enjoy it a day late!

• I want to go complete all of these Kate Spade City Guides!
• Behind of the scenes of the delightfully surreal Algonquin Cat Fashion Show.
• Did you see the alternate ending for The Hills?!?
• An incredible, heartbreaking commercial about a Kenyan boy's bucket list and how you can help children like him get safe drinking water.
• A Craigslist missed connection for the literary set.
• Prozac Nation author Elizabeth Wurtzel's advice for twentysomethings.
• Olivia Wilde's advice for turning 30.
• And she made the cut of a list of cool celebrities.
• Why American healthcare is so dang expensive.
• Create your own ringtones in itunes.
• This music video features turn-of-the-century footage of San Francisco, filmed from a streetcar.
• Ultimate brain tease or conversation starter. I honestly don't know what I would do!

Celebrate: It's Green Tomato Season!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, most especially green tomatoes in August. I didn't give the green tomato its due when I was a youngin growing up in Appalachia, but I came to appreciate it in my late teens. It is by design that a popular movie and book extol its virtues: it's a tart, spicy, tasty delight, all the more so because they aren't easy to find in the grocery store and are at their peak for such a brief period of time.

But I got lucky on a recent stop to my local Harris Teeter, which now has a section of local produce and this week, had big, plump, perfectly firm green tomatoes!

 I set up a little assembly line to make mine. There are a lot of ways to go about it, but I was aiming to cut a few calories by skipping buttermilk. I dipped each slice in flour, dunked it in egg whites (i accidentally got a bit of yolk in there...no biggie) and then coated in a mixture of yellow cornmeal and panko breadcrumbs.

I then fried each slice in about an inch of vegetable oil on medium heat, frying until they were golden. I then let the slices cool a little bit, patted them with paper towels and then got ready to get down to business!

I ate mine on a bed of baby spinach and topped with some chipotle mayo...I think it would also be good with a sriracha aioli.

Go forth and enjoy green tomatoes while you can! They're also delicious with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar glaze and in BLTs.

Drag Brunch in Virginia Beach!

For a super Sunday Funday, Wine Club decided to take part in what's become a Hampton Roads classic: Drag Yourself to Brunch at Croc's in Virginia Beach. It's so popular, you have to make reservations far in advance and your entire party has to be present to be seated 30 minutes prior to the show. Nothing these queens do is a joke!

We had SO much fun. The queens lip sync, dance and gyrate their way through the dining room as you eat, and the thumping music + sparkly costumes definitely makes up for having to get up early to drive over there. Erica and I posed with Alessandra McQueen, definitely my favorite dancer of the whole group.

The food isn't bad either! Jen and Melissa enjoyed the mimosa brunch, which came with scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns.

Lauren had your classic Caesar salad...

And Erica probably won the day with her Shrimp and Grits with bacon, scallions and tomatoes. I had the Rosemary BLT. We enjoyed delicious cocktails, too, including mango mimosas, bellinis and an X-rated mimosa (using X-Rated liqueur).

It was a wild and fun morning. The show doesn't cost anything extra to your brunch, but these ladies are working for tips, so definitely bring your $1 bills and come ready to dance in your seat! 

Shopping in Savannah

Tired of Savannah recaps yet? Ha! I know, I should have probably been done with this by now, but life doesn't always slow down just because you want it to. More importantly, I would hate for any of y'all to go to Savannah and miss out on the must-stop shops!

 I tried on these fantastic glasses at One Fish Two Fish, an incredibly chic boutique where I wanted to buy everything (more on that after the jump). This is exactly what I plan to rock when I'm a senior citizen.

 I bought myself two souvenirs from One Fish Two Fish; first, a beautiful bangle by Spartina, a company based on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. A portion of proceeds go to restoration of historic sites on the island! The company makes beautiful jewelry, scarves and textiles...Ashleigh and I were lusting after everything.

Their store had an incredible selection of candles, and we were digging the Rewined collections, with wine-scented candles. I bought a champagne and it smells divine! Thankfully not so girly that Sean can't enjoy it.

My favorite shopping stops after the jump!

Sunday Best v.166

Watercolor flower by Kim McCarty

Whoops, I nearly forgot to post my favorite links of the week! I swear, y'all, this weekend has been a roller coaster of highs and lows in cooking. I made pert near perfect fried green tomatoes, then made a shrimp pasta dish that Sean and I both found disgusting enough that we ordered pizza! Then I insisted we go to the beach today at the last minute and didn't allow myself enough time to make the short ribs I've had sitting in the fridge for a couple days! What's wrong with me?! Hoping to get myself pulled together this week!

• Incredible life advice from author George Saunders.
• Flashback! 90s trends that were super dorky (I'm definitely guilty of the Looney Tunes shirts and one-shouldered overalls).
• A surreal reenactment of an interview between Vanilla Ice and Arsenio Hall.
• I love this piece, wherein the journalist goes apartment-hunting with Natasha Lyonne.
• I was so moved by Jay-Z's performance art film Picasso Baby! I love his concept of breaking down barriers in art.
• I cried watching this piece about a summer camp for children of incarcerated parents.
• The story of a brilliant renter-landlord matching service called Nestio.
• It's so much work to keep up with new music, so here's some fresh acts to check out.
• Kelly Clarkson bought a beautiful ring that belonged to Jane Austen and England won't let her have it!

Cocktails in Savannah

 I think it's fair to say our trip to Savannah was more of a exploration of the city's cocktail menus than its actual streets! One of the most blissful things about adulthood is having the money and time to enjoy the luxury that is leisurely sipping cocktails, and we took it to the max. Luckily, we kept snacking the whole time so I never even felt tipsy! Here's a quick recap of our picks if you want to imbibe on a trip to the Sav:

 No Savannah stop is complete without a trip to riverfront Wet Willies, a frozen daquiri bar with every flavor imaginable. Bret particularly enjoys the orange-flavored "Attitude Adjustment," and we sampled the lemonade and blue curacao "Shock Treatment." Samples are on the house!

 We grabbed early evening cocktails at the super-chic Chive Sea Bar & Lounge, located right on the main thoroughfare of Broughton Street. With a TV playing "Roman Holiday" in the background, we sipped on cucumber basil concoctions, St. Germaine champagne cocktails, lavender rosemary drinks and a muddle strawberry and basil drink, the name of which escapes me. The champagne cocktail and lavender drink were voted best in show by our group.

 We proceeded to Carlito's, where Bret ordered a huge margarita that was still considered a medium! Ash and I each got delicious peach margaritas, but the flavors are endless.

From there, we ventured to Vinnie Van Go Go's, where we relived our youth sipping on a pitcher of Spodee Odees, which is basically a "sangria" made of red wine and sunkist.

Savannah has loose open container laws, which make it a bit of a thrill to saunter down the street with a Spodee Odee in hand.

 On Sunday, we ambled over to a late brunch at Tybee Island Social Club, where every single thing we tried was delicious. Bret indulged in bottomless smoked bacon bloody marys, while I tried the Spring Socialite (Tru Vanilla Vodka, St. Germaine, Tuaca, lavender bitters with champagne and rosemary) and Ashleigh had The Scientist (rosemary syrup, Bluecoat gin, Chase elderflower liquor, fresh lemon and lime juice), which was AMAZING.

Ashleigh and I finished out the visit with a pitcher of the Social Club's blood orange sangria, which was refreshing and a little bit sparkly. Now excuse me while I make a pitcher to carry with me everywhere.

Savannah: What We Ate

Our trip to Savannah primarily revolved around eating and drinking, so prepare yourselves for a big recap of food porn! 

We kicked our trip off right with Sonic's new pretzel dogs. Seriously, it's such a delicious combination that Ashleigh took a bite and said, "This is impressive" and I deemed the folks at Sonic "genius masterminds."

Named for Louisiana's most famous politician, Huey Long, Huey's On the River specializes in Louisiana cuisine in a lovely light-filled spot right on Savannah's riverfront. We started out with delicious beignets and praline sauce...our healthy eating was officially taking a breather.

I had a delicious fried green tomato muffuletta, with perfectly tart green tomatoes.

Ashleigh had the Pontchartrain omelette, with creamed spinach, artichoke hearts, baby Swiss and hollandaise. She was dying over her side of parmesan grits!

Bret enjoyed eggs benedict over fried green tomatoes. Feeling inspired to buy green tomatoes yet?

We had a super late dinner at one of Bret's college haunts, Vinnie Van Go Go's, one of my favorite pizza places of all time.

Vinnie's is famous for its perfectly crisp slices that are bigger than your head. I had mine with sun-dried tomatoes and feta and every bite was a win.

On Saturday, we enjoyed a long, luxurious brunch at the Tybee Island Social Club. Everything was right about this place; it had a casual, but chic atmosphere, was super easygoing and had a sophisticated food and drink menu. We seriously stayed there for a few hours, and it seemed like many people do!

Ashleigh enjoyed chicken and flapjacks, with grits and bacon served in a cute enamelware mug.

Bret had "shrimpy crab cakes" served with chipotle aioli, which gave it a great kick.

I was super excited about my steak tacos: lime- and tequila-marinated skirt steak, baby arugula and the most delicious garlic aioli wrapped in a pita. I had two and it was the perfect amount of food.

After an afternoon of swimming at the beach, we went for a late dinner to Gerald's Pig & Shrimp, a cute outdoor restaurant that seemed promising when we first drove onto the island. I wish we had made it a little earlier, because they were out of many menu items by the time we arrived, including their famous limeades. Also, eating late outdoors in Tybee isn't for the faint of heart...the palmetto bugs and cicadas were out in full force by the end of our meal!

We each chose a combo platter. Bret and Ashleigh went for the shrimp & ribs, while I had the fried shrimp and pulled pork, with cucumbers, cole slaw and jalapeno hush puppies. The pork was a little dry, but otherwise, it was all good.

On Monday, we enjoyed a grand Savannah tradition: lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room, an emporium of Southern comfort food.

The Wilkes House preserves the old-fashioned experience of a boardinghouse dining room, where strangers might meet to share food family-style. Lines form early outside, and parties are combined at the large tables. By the end of the meal, you're besties!

We came in and found a table already full of perfect Southern grub: fried chicken, pork bbq, mac and cheese, beef stew, collard greens, green beans, lima beans, okra, cheesy potatoes, cole slaw, cucumber salad, butternut squash, yams and on and on and on. Anything you want more of, they'll bring you. It's like a Willy Wonka factory of comfort food.

Sweet Mrs. Wilkes' picture is displayed in the lobby!

Our party! I'm not the biggest fan usually of Southern food, but I loved everything I ate, especially the simple cucumber salad, made with vinegar, salt and pepper.

Clearly, we ate our damn way through the south! My first purchase at the grocery store yesterday? Green tomatoes.

Summertime in Savannah

Ashleigh, Bret and I had the BEST long weekend in Savannah! I was just too exhausted when I got home Monday night to write about it, but never fear...I've planned out recaps galore for eating, drinking and shopping one's way through town if you've only got a couple days to do it!

My friend Bret went to college in Savannah, so I spent a lot of time visiting there back in the early to mid-aughts, but hadn't been back in about 6 years. It was so much fun to go back with him again and sort of relive my college visits, but have Ashleigh join in and also — big difference — have a little more disposable income! His family kindly let us tag along to their beach rental at Tybee Island, which gave us a nice taste of city life and island life for the weekend.

First, just a few snapshots.

 I can't help but pause all over Savannah taking snapshots of architectural details...love the mounted antler outside this courtyard!

 The door on a Wells Fargo bank...gorgeous!

 Ashleigh demonstrates the precarious centuries-old stairs.

 We spent part of a day swimming at Tybee Island. So much fun!

We posted so many photos, we were sure our friends were going to defriend us, but Ashleigh said, "If they don't like our pics, they're not our friends" and we laughed so hard.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Sunday Best v.165

Truman Capote, looking ready for a shopping spree.

Today I'm having fun in Savannah with my besties Bret and Ashleigh (more on that when I get back!), back for the first time since 2007. I used to go down all the time to see him in college, so I'm very excited to be visiting again with some actual disposable income! 

Some extremely stellar links this week, y'all!

• Facebook flashbacks.
• Kate Middleton said pfft to the idea that a new mom should look like she never had a baby and she's a rock star for it.
• Sufjan Stevens: surprising font critic.
• A touching photo project that reminds us of the people inside the elderly amongst us.
• A dancing little girl makes the news worth watching.
• A college student embarrasses her entire generation by sending a letter to Nirvana.
• The ultimate Clueless tour of Los Angeles.
• An actress who has discovered the fountain of youth.
• Bill Clinton sings "Blurred Lines"
• Authors' favorite first lines of novels.

Jams of the Week

TV Jam: "Orange Is the New Black"

When Netflix decided to get into the production game, they came to DANCE. Seriously, their shows have been killing it and "Orange is the New Black" is no exception. It's powerfully funny and grounded, and in my opinion, some of the best ensemble cast work I've seen in a while. By far some of the best writing for a nearly entirely female cast, and I think the writers have done an amazing job of fleshing out the characters. We tore through the first season in about 48 hours.

Literary Jam: "Seating Arrangements" by Maggie Shipstead

I'm not sure if I LOVED this book, but I enjoyed it and it was a great summertime read because it's set in a beachside town in Maine. It explores the weekend of a wedding — always a good source of drama — from several perspectives and meditates on love, marriage, adultery, what matters, what's real and what isn't. That said, Shipstead doesn't endeavor to make her characters particularly likable and at times, it's hard to decide how you'd like things to go because you're not sure if you like anyone. 

Art Gallery Jam: Morgan Lehman Gallery

I became completely sucked into the website for the Morgan Lehman Gallery, located in New York City, the other night and ended up so inspired by all of the artists represented, included the work shown above by Paul Villinski. Check out some of the amazing pieces!

Dress Jam: Gap shirtdress

I hesitate to even share this because I love this dress so much and I don't want anyone to have it but me, but here's the truth: this Gap shirtdress is the most comfortable, fun, stylish, summery, dress-it-up, dress-it-down shirtdress ever. It comes in several patterns and they've just added some solid colors, including a beautiful dainty white version. Getcha one. It'll sail right into fall with tights and boots.