Shellac Nails Smyrna

12 days and no chips. Hurry to Top Nails and tell them Meredyth sent you!!!






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Location:West Spring St SE,Smyrna,United States

Bacchanalia

Handsome BF and I went to Bacchanalia to celebrate our 4th Anniversary.

Both of us certainly enjoy a fine dining experience, and neither had both never been to this celebrated Atlanta Eatery.

Reservations were made 2 months in advance.

Upon arrival, we strolled through Star Provisions and were greeted by a Hostess who took us to our table.

Immediately this meal was off to a fine start. Our table was in a private corner, free of traffic from staff and other guests.

Almost exclusive red wine drinkers, we elected to start our meal with a glass of white, as this was the suggested pairing for the restaurant's signature appetizer--Blue Crab Fritter.

Wine arrived and with it, the first of many 'gift from the chef' bonus tastes, a warm bite-sized pastry filled with soft cheese. It was delicious.

We ordered different items for each course so that we could share and enjoy different tastes. Our selections were:

Appetizer:

Me:Wood Grilled Georgia Shrimp

Heirloom Tomato

Local Cucumber, Crème Fraiche

Summerland Farm Lemon Thyme

He:Blue Crab Fritter

Citrus, Thai Pepper Essence

Both were fantastic, though we agree that his was better. Per our server, the Blue Crab Fritter has been on the menu always, and will never rotate off.

At this point, we ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. It was more jammy than wines from this region are typically, and had a bit of a merlot feel. Though it was not what we typically would choose, we enjoyed this with the rest of the meal.

Cheese and Contrast:

Me:Pierre Robert

Poached Cherries

Marcona Almonds

He:Appenzeller

Local Pole Beans

Hazelnuts

Bacon

Again, both choices were great. I think that we each thought ours was the best. I enjoy a soft cheese, and really enjoyed mine. The cheese that was part of his menu was dry, but delicious. In fact, I rarely encounter cheese that I don't like.

Entree:

Me: Fish

Sweet Georgia Corn, Bacon

Oyster Mushrooms

He:Local Berkshire Pork Loin

Crispy Belly, Local Field Peas

Butter Beans, Smoked Tomato Butter

Fresh Andouille Sausage

We shared bites of both. I think we each preferred the entree of the other.

Dessert:

Me: Caramelized White Chocolate

White Chocolate Crunch

Poached Cherries

He: Fried Georgia Peach Pie

Cilantro-Lime Ice

Fantastic, both of these. These are two that are favorites of the diners. I must say that while I enjoyed them both, that the Caramelized White Chocolate was FANTASTIC. I do not ever choose white chocolate, but did so on the advice of our server. He salivated when he described it. He was right.

(This dessert was a gift from the chef. DELICIOUS mascarpone icing--I think.)

I can see why people adore this place. Hopefully I will get it in gear soon and add a picture of us from that night.

Shellac Nail Update

Six days in and still perfect.


Please forgive the paper cut on the middle finger. This service is available at Top Nails in Smyrna.


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It's the moustache....

So we walk the neighborhood with M Doggy all the time. As a result, we get to know many neighbors, and even more fur-neighbors. I always assign a name to the animal. Often, as we regularly walk, we meet the fur-child’s parent, and learn the cat or dog’s real name. Well, this weekend, We met 2 such people and were delighted to learn the animal’s real names.


One of my favorite neighborhood cats, “orange” , is actually named Poupon (as in Grey, and I enjoy the irony). There is another kitty that I regularly address, whose name now as I type escapes me. But, the point of the story is this. Somehow bf was telling the ladies about how we name all the animals something and refer to them as that name-- either indefinitely or until we learn their real name.

Michelle, owner of the kitty who looks a lot like this:

 

wants to know what we call her kitty. I wasn’t quick enough on my feet to say "Kitty" or "Oreo" or any number of other innocuous cat names.

First, I stammered.

Then, I fessed up—“Kitler, you know b/c of the moustache."

THANK GAWD they were not offended.

Lesson Learned, BTW. No more naming neighborhood cats after Tyrannic Genocidal Maniacs. (EVEN if you have seen a website that is devoted to cats who look like them: Cats That Look Like Hitler.)

Shellac'd in Smyrna

Every woman I know has the same complaint about nail polish on your natural nails-- it chips. Almost immediately after leaving the salon, your nails start to lose that perfect look. Within a week, if anything is left at all, it looks like the hands of a guest on Jerry Springer. Sure, you could get acrylic nails, but that is costly, and damaging to your nails.

Finally, there is a hybrid nail color that:

1. Does NOT harm your nails and
2. Does not chip (for at least 14 days). That is right, 14 days. I've tested it.

Top Nails Salon in Smyna offers the Shellac service.  Check out some 5 Star Reviews of their Salon.
Top Nails is located in the Publix Shopping Center at the intersection of South Cobb Drive and the East West Connector.

I have been going to this salon for about 10 years. Donna, the Owner is fantastic. Long, the Manager is a hoot and will go out of his way to make sure that your experience is divine.

But really, you want to know what the nails look like don't you?

I can attest that this product will not chip. It is a dream come true! It takes about 30 minutes, and I love it. Take off is a breeze-- you just soak your hands in polish remover, and the polish peels up. They use a cuticle stick, or something smiliar, to remove anything that remains.

I'm a believer!

Check it out, and tell them Meredyth sent ya!

Fine Dining

More on our extravagant dining to come... However, do enjoy M Dogger trying to enter thru the drive-in window. Rotten.



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Did I eat that?

Last night we tried a new sushi place in the area--Sushinobo. It was lovely. The rolls were tasty and not very expensive. The sake was nice, but less of a bargain. We did not order this, but they sent an order anyway. I was the only one who tried it. Totally different than the octopus at Kyma.


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It does a body good!

Clearly the Des-monster does not find milk to be nearly as disgusting as I do. He is more than thrilled to enjoy a bit after his daily meds. Of course, it is lactose-free.
Who knew that most cats are lactose intolerant?
At any rate, he is back to full fiest, and we are glad.
Special thanks to the folks (especially Dr. Tyson and Paul) at Cumberland Animal Clinic who take such good care of the beasts.
*******************************
Looking forward to a fantastic weekend.
Plan include a dinner at Bacchanalia.
It all looks FANTASTIC!
I'm considering trying their wine pairings for each course.
I wonder if I will enjoy it as much as Kitty enjoys his Lactaid?
A full report to follow.
TGIF!

We have cheese at home.

Let me start by saying that I am everso glad that Alisa Maier was found safe after being missing for 24 hours.


When watching this story on the news this a.m., it reminded me of something my mother once told me when I was a child.

We were at some store, probably K-Mart, when I noticed a sign next to the restroom that said "No Merchandise Allowed Beyond This Point".

Innocently, I wondered why, and asked Mom-- Why can't you take merchandise into the bathroom.

Clearly, I did not understand theft.

Instead of explaining the concept of thievery, she told me something along the lines of:

"Well, a bad person could take a child into the bathroom, cut and color their hair, and sneak them out of the store unrecognized."

Ok-- That is a little scary, don't you think? One might say that is more harsh than explaining theft. Just saying. Then again, not out of the realm of possibility entirely.

Another of my favorite exchanges with my Mother, which, btw, she adamantly denies having, involved my desire for a swimming pool in our backyard.

It was HOT in the summer in Louisiana-- AFRICA HOT, you might say-- and a nice in-ground pool would have been much appreciated. Heck, our neighbor behind us and slightly diagonal had a pool with a diving board AND a slide.

So, innocently, I asked if we could have a pool.

She didn't skip a beat-- "No."

Naturally, I asked why the denial (as a child is prone to do), and again, she didn't skip a beat-- "The City won't allow two this close together."

Well, she could have shut me up, I assure you, with the simple explanation that they cost too much (I was sure we were destitute based on my Father's denial of cheese on my burger at McDonald's alone-- more on that later), are a pain to maintain, and well, she cannot swim. Instead, she invoked imaginary building enforcement code.

I'm not sure why she chose to explain things the way she did. Perhaps she was bored. Perhaps this was my 4000th question of the day, and she just needed some additional authority behind her explanation in order to avoid question #4001.

In any case, I survived, without a pool, without abduction, and without McDonald's cheese on my burger ("We have cheese at home"-- CB). Here is a a picture of us from the Fourth Of July weekend:

So, what did your parents tell you as a child that makes you laugh (or just shake your head) today?

What do you see?

Taken in a restaurant in Leeds, Alabama.



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Healthy And Happy Fur-kids

So-- Kitty Update-- he is at 100%. Here are some recent pics.

Believe it or not, after this many years, they get along. Des is smooching on M Dogg.

See? I didn't make this up.

Poor M Dogger is having a hard time accepting that her Daddy loves another furchild. You can see her doing her darndest to get somebody to rub her belly while Des is getting the good brusha.

She finally inched her way in. Though he looks like he is pestered, we know he loves her.

And finally, she is satisfied and relaxed.

Seriously, she gets away with everything. This is why.