Pretty Southern

Author: Lauren

5Church Atlanta – Midtown’s Newest Hotspot

5Church is a much-needed addition to Atlanta’s Midtown dining scene.

I loved that place with its eclectic menu, cool bar scene, patio on Peachtree Street and the balcony above gazing into the skyscrapers. This is the third 5Church location and the restaurant has Southern roots. 5Church first opened in Charlotte (at the corner of 5th and Church Streets earning its moniker), opening a second location in Charleston in 2015.

I came in with two pals on a Thursday night. We started off with a round of cocktails. The Viper is true to its name. I loved the blend of tequila, cucumber, and cayenne pepper. For a starter, we noshed on the tuna tartare and pastrami-cured hamachi (think sushi-grade fish thinly sliced and topped with a radish garnish). Both were delicious.

One of my pals is obsessed with octopus and the charred octopus was perfect.

For entrees, we shared a few of the main courses including the filet with mashed potatoes (classic) and a vegetarian special: mushroom sausage. I’d never had anything like that before which wasn’t tofu and I was pleasantly surprised.

With our meal, our server helped us pick out a lovely bottle of pinot noir. I believe her name was Jessie, although it’s escaping me. Dear, if you’re reading this, you were fabulous. The whole staff at 5Church Atlanta aims to please.

Like Shout, the second story is available to rent out for private events (which I’ll have to host one there soon and tell y’all all about it). Also, 5Church just started lunch service, so I’ll have to get back down there to see what’s on the menu. I highly recommend this place – it’s as good as it gets in Midtown ATL.

For more information about 5Church Atlanta, check out the restaurant’s website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

August 8, 2016
4th Annual #CampFest Benefitting Camp Twin Lakes

The Young Atlanta Leadership League (Y’ALL) is hosting the 4th Annual #CampFest to give attendees the chance to feel like a kid again while raising money for Camp Twin Lakes. Y’ALL connects young philanthropy-focused professionals in the metro Atlanta area and plans event to support Camp Twin Lakes.

#CampFest will take place Aug. 6 at Sweetwater Brewery from 7 to – 11 p.m. This event will include food trucks, inflatable activities, games, a s’mores bar, and live music from Sam Hill Entertainment’s The Free.

“Camp Twin Lakes makes a huge impact in the lives of all the children we’re able to send to camp,” says Y’ALL President Micah McLain, “and our team is honored to be able to help raise money and awareness for this great organization. This is the third year I’ve helped organize Camp Fest and it just gets better and better, so I know our 2016 event will be the best yet!”

Tickets are currently on sale. #CampFest general admission tickets, which include access to the previously mentioned attractions as well as 6 SweetWater beer pours, are $35. VIP Tickets are on sale for $60 and give ticket holders additional access to a meal and dessert from Shake Shack as well as wine and liquor catering in a private air-conditioned lounge. You can also look into the Chronic Adventure blog to learn about how to make the camping experience here to be one of unforgettable moments for you.

All proceeds benefit Camp Twin Lakes and help provide medically supportive, life-changing camp experiences to Georgia’s children facing serious illnesses, disabilities, and other life challenges.

For more information about #CampFest, check out the Facebook Page. Participants must be 21 years or older to attend.

About Camp Twin Lakes
For the past 20+ years, Camp Twin Lakes has provided life-changing camp experiences to thousands of Georgia’s children with serious illnesses, disabilities, and other life challenges. Camp Twin Lakes provides week-long summer camps and year-round weekend retreats at three fully-accessible and medically-supportive campsites, day camps, and through hospital-based Camp-To-Go programs. Camp Twin Lakes collaborates with more than 60 different nonprofit organizations, each serving a different population, to create customized programs that teach campers to overcome obstacles and grow in their confidence and capabilities. Annually, Camp Twin Lakes serves more than 10,000 campers, leverages support from 3,500 volunteers, and subsidizes 70% of the direct camp costs ($550) for every camper served.

August 3, 2016
Bee Wild! A Sweet Southern Honey Tour & Tasting

“Beekeeping is like farming. You can do everything right but you can’t control the weather.” – Mama Jule Wright

Bee Wild is less than an hour outside the perimeter and the local honey is more than worth the drive. This Southern gem is more than a purveyor of sweet nectar but also a true family establishment. Generations of the Wright family have nurtured millions of bees into existence on this land. Today, they are helping to maintain the bee population in the South.

Grandfather Wright founded the farm more than 55 years ago. Today there are over 400 hives, eight apiaries and small “nukes” of starter hives. Larger boxes are producing honey with about 60,000 bees in a hive. At its lowest estimate, there are 20 million bees buzzing at Bee Wild.

A few more fun bee facts: the queen lays about 1,500 eggs a day, hatching at a similar rate. At her peak, she can lay 2,000 eggs a day with a peak hive population up to 100,000. The females are the worker bees, while the males are “stay at home dads”. The average lifespan of a honeybee is about a month in the springtime. Bees hibernate by forming a ball at the bottom of a hive then slowly migrate to the outside of the hive once it’s warming up past 60 degrees.

So let’s talk about our amazing tour of Bee Wild!

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a refreshing lavender lemonade with wildflower honey, plus savory pecans with tupelo honey.

For our tasting, the menu included local greens with chef Robert Leoci’s strawberry wildflower honey vinaigrette, plus chicken roasted in a Gallberry honey peach glaze. My favorite item we sampled were the homemade biscuits with sourwood honey.

Special thanks to Bee Wild’s proprietor John Wright for hosting us on his farm!

And double thanks to Lia Picard of The Cardigan Kitchen for organizing our Atlanta Food Blogger Society tour & tasting of Bee Wild!

July 19, 2016
Brunch at Davio’s in Atlanta

At Pretty Southern, we’re big fans of Davio’s Atlanta.

We loved our food blogger five-course tasting at Davio’s, and were delighted to be invited for brunch. Similar to our previous dining experience, our meal started with a basket of warm focaccia bread.

We also noshed on the veggie frittata with brunch potatoes.

After sampling the delicious scallops the first time, it was lovely to see they were available for brunch, too! Personally, I love scallops at any time of the day.

As Davio’s calls itself a Northern Italian Steakhouse, of course, the steak & eggs had to be top notch.

The classic spaghetti bolognese is also available during brunch

For dessert, we sampled several options.

My favorite dessert at Davio’s was the zeppole, or Italian donuts.

For more information about brunch and other deliciousness at Davio’s Atlanta, check out their website, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

May 3, 2016
Georgia Aquarium Celebrates 10th Anniversary with New Attractions

There are a few splashy new attractions at the Georgia Aquarium.

It’s hard to believe the Georgia Aquarium is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

“We are so excited to officially open our new sea lion gallery and premiere our new dolphin presentation to the public today,” said chief operating officer and executive vice president of Georgia Aquarium, Joe Handy. “We’re celebrating not only the past ten years and the amazing achievements that we have accomplished, but the next ten years and all that lies ahead. We hope everyone comes out and is inspired by all the new and wonderful things at Georgia Aquarium this year.”

Guests can enjoy watching sea lions splash about at the new SunTrust Pier 225, while learning more about these social marine mammals as their trainers interact with them. This new exhibit will educate guests on the dangers they face in the wild and key environmental factors that impact them. Georgia Aquarium currently has four sea lions that were rescued from last year’s Unusual Mortality Event (UME), where record numbers of sea lion pups are stranding on California beaches in search of food.

Say it with me now y’all, “Awww!” Those are sweet sea lions!

It’s great to see the Georgia Aquarium doing its part to help take in stranded sea lion pups.

In addition to the sea lions, the newest residents at the Georgia Aquarium include dolphins!

The AT&T Dolphin Celebration presentation is a high energy, fun, and exciting experience.

While showing the relationships they create with their trainers, guests will learn more about bottlenose dolphins through a variety of new behaviors.

For more information about the Georgia Aquarium, check out their website including times and exhbit openings, plus follow Georgia Aquarium on Facebook and Twitter.

May 2, 2016
Classic City Cooking – The Official Cookbook
Y’all know we love Athens, Ga., here at Pretty Southern.

We’re die hard Dawg fans, have brunched with Hugh Acheson, and even have a UGA student blogger. All that being said, it was a treat to find out that a UGA alumni, Juanina Kocher, has authored Classic City Cooking.

Juanina lives in New York City – Brooklyn to be exact – but truly she’s a Southerner at heart.

Her hometown is Athens, and she’s also a graduate of UGA. Red and black are definitely her signature colors, and yes, that was a reference to Steel Magnolias. This work is a labor of love and an homage to her Georgia roots. For her first cookbook, Juanina interviewed Athens legends including SEC football all-star Bill Bennett, and musicians Darius Weems, Widespread Panic and the Whigs. The Foreword for Classic City Cooking is written by Athens restaurateur Peter Dale, who apprenticed at 5 & 10, the very joint which helped to Athens fine dining on the map. Dale also co-owns The National in downtown Athens (along with Acheson) plus Seabear Oyster Bar in the Bottleworks and Condor Chocolates in Five Points.

Classic City Cooking features recipes from some of the most well-known establishments in Athens including:
“All of the recipes are my favorites,” she said. “We had a lot of help from our family and friends with the recipe testing, a lot of them we tested at home ourselves.” The stunning food photography by JP Bond is a perfect compliment to these delectable recipes. Here are a few of Juanina’s personal favorite recipes from Classic City Cooking:

1) Seafood Charmine from DePalma’s. “This dish was one of my favorites while I lived in Athens and continues to be a dish I crave when I’m back home,” she said. “I was thrilled when the DePalma’s team agreed to hand over the recipe for the book. The Charmine Sauce was perfect on the first try and just as good when made at home as in the restaurant.”

2) Scotch Egg from The Branded Butcher. “I love eggs and a Scotch Egg is a particular favorite,” she explained. “The recipe is super easy and oh-so-good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The celery root remoulade is an incredible (and genius) accompaniment.”

3) Bangers and Mash from The Royal Peasant. “My husband insisted we test this one ourselves. It’s elevated comfort food at its best. The flavors in this dish are amazing. The savory turmeric really stands out and is a wonderful compliment to the creamy mash.”

The official book launch for Classic City Cooking is Saturday, May 14, at LRG Provisions in Athens.

Purchase tickets here! The ticket price of $40 includes a copy of the book (a $29.95 value), open bar, and tasty passed bites from the talented chefs at LRG. Classic City Cooking can also be purchased from Avid Bookshop. For more information, like Classic City Cooking on Facebook and follow Juanina on Instagram. We’ll also give away one ticket to the book launch party. Leave a comment below to enter!
April 28, 2016