A sexy bald man came to visit

J and I are blessed to have awesome friends trickling into our home a good part of the year. It's still a mystery how we are able to lure these busy people away from the big apple and sunny frisco to trek far south, many for the first time, to our adopted town of Atlanta. But whatever made them come, we are very grateful, especially when they bring along the sexiest bald man we've ever met.

Max Brenner, the ultimate bald man, came into our lives with the lovely couple G and S. Max gave life to the most insane morsels that summon, at once, the nostalgic warmth akin to that invoked by a piece of creamy caramel and the euphoria only an adult palate could experience from an intense square of dark chocolate. It took but one bite for me to declare that the bald man is here to stay in this house for a very very long time.

A FAB monsieur

I had a miday rendez-vous with a FAB monsieur, a croque monsieur from the newly opened French American Bistro that is. While not the best lunch date I've ever had, I am delighted to know that he is nearby when I need him.

Chubbier than his Parisian cousin, the FAB monsieur was a little on the dry side. Perhaps sat at the bar for a tad too long, the FAB monsieur suffered from minor sweating on his cheesy top. But despite his imperfections, the FAB monsieur remained unmistakably French in both composure and taste. Perched against the glammed-up bistro bar and accompanied by a thoughtful wine list, the FAB monsieur stood head and shoulders above the bland downtown herd.

Bigger than her head!

Look at that! Is there any question why E is one of my favorite eating buddies of all time? Nicole Richies of the world, take notes, even skinny blonds can eat with gusto!

He is perfect because he is mine

I never fully understood the depth of feeling embodied in that phrase until I stood back this morning to admire one adorable little baby - my very first at the ripe old age of 27. Chest swollen with love, I wanted to scream to the world "I've made a little baby macaron"!


He is perfect because he is mine! He doesn't have the most intense chocolate color, but I know he is chocolaty through and through. He has a few hairline cracks here and there, but I know he is beautifully chewy at heart. He has a less than plump filling, but I know the kaya buttercream surprises with an exotic pandan kick. Most of all, he is perfect because he is created by me, who has neither the artistry of Pierre Hermé nor the experience of Ladurée, but dares to try because I love macarons.

Don't you wish you are the lucky one getting this goodie bag filled with love? :)

The nibbler was defeated by a frito pie

Is frito pie a southern thing? I couldn't tell you, but I've never heard of it until coming to Atlanta. Here it has quite the following among the men at my office, and judging by the line at Gibney's lunch counter, quite a fan base among the male downtown office workers. So for those of you who don't know, a large scoop of chili over a bag of fritos makes good man eats.

There is no pretension on the Gibney's menu. The featured choices are chili dog, chili burger, chili over franks, frito pie, and chili smothered dog. After much pondering and one failed order, we finally figured out that the difference between chili over a frank and chili smothered dog lies in the bun. Chili over frank is simply that, chili over a frank, but smothering apparently cannot happen unless the frank is inside a bun. Duh!

I ordered my first frito pie and found out that frito pie is not good eats for a nibbler. You see the chili was quite watery and began to turn the fritos into a mushy mess as soon as it was ladled on. I now see how this bowl separates a man from a nibbler. You either possess the ability to wolf down all the chili and fritos in record speed or deal with a bowlful of very soggy and shapeless frito remains. The nibbler had none of the skills and was proven utterly unmanly. Can't say I am entirely unhappy about the defeat. :)

Easter bunny vs. Serta sheep

Easter is arguably the first food driven holiday of the year. In celebration, I staged a grand fight between the Easter bunny and the serta sheep. And. . . drum roll please. . . the Easter bunny won! Both were, however, severely injured during the fight and then devoured by yours truly.

The Easter bunny hailed from Henri's bakery located next to the Trader Joe's in Sandy Spring. A minimalist interior at this bright and sunny bakery allowed the goodies in the cases to speak for themselves and the Easter bunny practically jumped out at me. The serta sheep had a much different upbringing. It enjoyed a short life amongst a vast number of sophisticate pastries in The Little European bakery tucked into a small shopping center across the street from Henri's bakery. Considering their very different backgrounds, the two looked surprising alike in built and complexion.

The taste was what separated the two. The Easter bunny had a very soft and yielding incing layer that complemented a surprisingly moist crumb. The serta sheep's icing cracked a bit upon meeting the teeth and the cake center felt a bit dry on the tongue. What the cake did have was a great eggy flavor that shone through the sweetness of the icing.

Determining the winner wasn't the easiest decision as both were. . . eh . . . gone too fast for a second opinion. In retrospect, the decision was made purely based on the fact that Easter bunny's lightness would lead to larger quantity consumption of its kind.

I am falling for Tradie Joe's

It's true that I absolutely adore the dark chocolate covered ginger. I am also not ashamed to admit that I licked the bowl after the last spoonful of creamy tomato and roasted peeper soup was gone. But these were merely manifestations of lust, not love. Love only began to blossomed when the cashier at the Sandy Springs Trader Joe's surprised me with this beautiful bouquet at check out because, just because that I made the 20 minute drive to pay a little visit and say that I appreciated them being there. So call me naive, but I may be falling for Trader Joe's for life.