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Vino Venue a night out in Dunwoody

There are to many nights the Viking and I get to go out, but when we do we love to visit a new place.  A couple weeks ago before all the crazy of that little storm called #Irma we went out for a little wine and dinner. Neither of us had been to Vino Venue so we wanted to give it a try. I am so glad we did. The restaurant is open and welcoming with a mix of high top family style setting, private tables for smaller groups  a patio with a few tables to sit at , a room for private parties and a bar.  Since we had not been before and wanted to be able to ask questions we sat at the bar. The menu was a blend of little bites and full plates and you could eat lobster mac if you wanted to indulge in something rich or have an heirloom tomato burrata salad if you are trying to eat better. I even decided to have a rich and creamy chocolate desert along with a creme brûlée it was worth every calorie. This is a place of relax and enjoy so please take the time to eat here, understand there are some r
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Summer Shade Festival at Grant Park

I will be very honest with each of you I had no idea this festival existed and that I had missed it for 15 years!  I am so happy for social media because of it I learn about some amazing events in and around Atlanta. For starters, I follow ATL_events on twitter (you should too) this fantastic event expert shares everything from festivals to restaurant opens to so much more. I was lucky enough to see a tweet about winning VIP tickets and by doing so I RT and WON!  We picked up our tickets Saturday and went right into the VIP area. We were provided cups for our drinks, tickets to "buy" them and a band to get us in and out of the area. There was a raffle for a patio set for $2 a ticket and we bought a couple of those too.  There was a wonderful pavilion with furniture and tables, food, beer from Monday Night  and wine from 3 Parks Wine Shop . Everything was amazing, we had a great place to relax, listen to music, cool off and enj
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Burgers it's all about the Burgers

I love a burger, it does not matter to me if it is with hamburger, buffalo, or turkey, I can and will eat them all. Over the years I have made many versions of them. Some stuffed with cheese, some topped with cheese, and even a few with no cheese at all.  Personally, I love them from the grill, but you can't grill year round in most of the country. So I do make them on my stove top in a cast iron pan as well. Some of my memories as a child is my Dad at the grill making us burgers and well hot dogs, the smells of the grill still bring me back to hot summer days in Florida. A simple burger with a piece of cheese and a pickle is still my favorite way to eat it. And over the years I have come up with strange, unusual and even crazy combinations. They don't always work, but I still love them. But, I ramble on, and you came here for a recipe not my story on my love of the meat patty. So here it is, my new and improved recipe for the humble hamburger. This recipe will make 4 to 6
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What a Chicken Meatball?!?

I know, don't freak out too much, I still believe a meatball should have MEAT in it. However, I am on a journey of health. So, what does that mean? Well, it means I have to make meatballs and pasta in a healthier way. I decided that my craving for pasta could go no further, so on this edition of Tasty Tuesday, I will give you some tips to a juicy, homemade, yes, CHICKEN meatball.  First things you will need to do is find ground chicken, this should be in most grocery stores in the meat case if not, you can make the same recipe with ground turkey.  Let's get started, what you will need to make this dish.  1.5 lbs of ground chicken 1 stem of basil 1 stem of parsley salt pepper red pepper flakes 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated  1 large egg 1 can of crushed or stewed tomatoes  1/2 cup white wine 1 tsp butter Olive Oil Whole wheat or Gluten free pasta (you can also sub veggie pasta) I add a little zucchini to mine tonight, it's a great way to sneak in some
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Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken

Happy Tasty Tuesday to all my followers. I hope you enjoyed the videos on how to break down a chicken. I'll start posting more videos to help with tips and tricks.  Sunday dinners are a big thing at our house and even more during Game of Thrones! I made a roasted chicken this week it was juicy and perfect for a Sunday night and you may not believe me it's not a hard item to cook.  What you will need:  1 whole chicken 5-6 lbs  1 lemon  1/2 cup butter cold  Herbs  Salt and pepper  Carrots  Potatoes  Onion Garlic 1 cup white wine  Corn starch  Take the chicken out of the packaging and clean the chicken. Make sure all the 'insides' are out of the chicken and that it is trimmed and dry.  Set the chicken aside  Take the herbs (I used parsley, basil and tarragon) and blend them with the cold butter in a small bowl. Then rub the butter all over the chicken under the skin and inside the cavity. I then salt and peppered the chicken all o
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Best Ribs in Atlanta

Like most people Sunday is for relaxing and a nice dinner. The Viking and I enjoy taking Sunday to cook a good meal, play a few rounds of Uno and watch Game of Thrones.  This Sunday was no different, while shopping at the farmers market I found a nice rack of baby back ribs. I love to grill or even smoke my meat, when I tell my friends a lot of the time they tell me how they are not comfortable with cooking ribs on the grill. There is no reason to feel this way!  With a few tips and tricks you to can become a grill master and impress your friends and family at your next Sunday dinner.  1. Pick fresh not frozen ribs (if you can). Break them out of the packaging and pat them dry.  2. Flip the ribs over you will see a membrane cut the membrane with a knife to help tendering the ribs.  3. I like a dry rub, everyone is different, but do what you like and season to taste. This recipe was a combination of paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, smoked seasoning, ginger and brown sugar.  We don't h
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Kula the Revolving Sushi Bar

If I say Sushi, what would you say? YES! Is the only correct answer.  I had the pleasure of eating at the newest Sushi place in Doraville this week, called  Kula  it is an international brand, with 400 restaurants in Japan and this is the 13th revolving sushi bar in the US. They have places in California, Texas, and now Georgia.  Hosted by Davo Eda, the Public Relations Manager, he was so kind to invite me in to see the new place. He even let me bring a friend, so of course I brought my favorite lady Callie, to help me eat and take pictures.  We were introduced to Mr. Fresh, it is the plate holder for the conveyor belt, "he" holds the green plates of food and treats. There was a tutorial of how to grab the food from the belt, as well as how to order from the menu and dispose of your plates. Mr. Fresh keeps the food germ free, has a chip in it for timing and every 2 hours he lets a specialists know it is time to throw the food out. This technology helps cut dow
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