I Love Sunflowers

I've eaten at Cafe Sunflower in Sandy Springs several times, and it has always been wonderful.

The decor is cozy. It kinda reminds me of what I wished I could dress up some of my earliest apartments like, kinda a youthy-arty-bohemian feel. The staff is lovely. Like the staff at R. Thomas...good looking, healthy looking folks. They radiate it. Our waitress recently was just amazing. Of course we embarassed her by telling her. She was also a good waitress.

I was on business, and no one seemed snarky when my friend and I pulled out files and spread them across the booth. I appreciate that...and we did come early so we wouldn't cut their tippage by hogging the table (And I like to tip high if I do this.)

In any case, I had:A lively Berry Zinger hot tea
So nice - I wish more places served more varieties of tea.

A warm zucchini soup
Usually I have had this cold. This was very nice. Creamy, nutty, touched with cilantro. Very very nice.

Tuscan Portobello sandwich - Portobello mushroom, goat cheese, spinach, onions on whole wheat ciabatta...rich, filling,great textures, the softess, nicest bread. The side of sweet potato fries (which I hate) were REALLY good. More like steak fries, thick, which allowed for their flavor to shine, and their richness to be enjoyed...the skinnier versions I usually find fall flat and far from the sensuality of the humble sweet potato. The little salad thingy also on the side was not so hot...but everything else was.

Always a repeater. Always great vegetarian...Try the little box thing in the appetizers as well...that is totally rad and fun! I am pretty sure even non vegetarian and picky meat monger boyfriends would like this place.

To every season...

Turn. Turn. Turn. Everytime I need something light and heathy to eat, I will go to Season's 52.

This was my second time eating here. Both times I was generally impressed with, well, everything, especially for a rather new chain in the ATL area. The service is efficient and not pushy. It is quick and accurate, attentive. The atmosphere is cozy considering it is pretty massive.The food is well priced, flavorful and good for you. The first time I was here I was initially feeling snobby due to the over abundance of aging yet bouyant bosom, very high heel wearing, very blond haircut coiffed and rather tight bodies of the Cougars here, but then I realized the food was so good for you, in order to keep their bodies, they eat here. Well, for once I will take a tip from them, everyone can use some bouyancy as well as some tightness, and here you don't have to sacrifice taste for health.

Truly, it feels like you are indulging. The menu changes every season as well, so there is always a reason to come back. Every item on the menu contains less than 475 calories, and each meal is nutritionally balanced to include the highest quality lean meats and seafood, good carbs and beneficial oils such as extra virgin olive oil.

I had:Edamame w/ Green tea salt - I love soy beans...and this salt was very nice and soft, not as harsh as standard sea.

Wasabi soy salmon salad - This was REALLY nice. I almost cried it was such a perfect salad. It was huge. It was crunchy and sweet and spicy. It had wasabi peas in it. The salmon was moist and not overcooked. The yellow beets that came with it were a sweet and beautiful side note contrasting visually and flavorfully with the main salad. Truly it was a work of art. For a meal salad, and I rarely order them because they always make me sad...this was exceptional. and Yes I ate it all. While my companions coyly packed up "leftovers" I licked the plate clean.

Last time I was here I had a steak and blue cheese flatbread which was also super yum.

I will be back again...

Life's a Beach

Or at least we we hope it is. I mentioned before that belle bleue gave us some cookbooks to sort through. One I picked up was The South Beach Diet Cookbook. Both the cuisine and the people in Miami were delicious when I visited last year, so I figured maybe there is something to this. We will try some of it out.

First recipe was a lentil and chicken soup...it was okay, but not impressive.

Second recipe we tried was a five spice salmon on spinach. We both found it very light and flavorful. The spinach they had us cook in the microwave;this was a new and surprising thing for me...It came out really well! The recipe was quick to make and not complicated either. A keeper, and a repeater.

1 large salmon filet

3 tb lime juice

2 ts olive oil

4 tsp finely chopped ginger

1tsp Chinese five spice powder

1/2 tsp sugar substitute

4-6 c fresh spinach

2 cloves garlic finely chopped or pressed

Marinate the salmon with the five following ingredients in a glass bowl for 30 minutes.

Place the spinach in a 3 qt glass bowl and toss with garlic and 1 tsp olive oil. Cover and microwave for two minutes. Drain and cover to keep warm.

Grill salmon on a well greased indoor or outdoor grill until flaky. 4 minutes if filet, longer for steak.

Place salmon on spinach and serve! I served with some tabouli on the side.

yum!

A Happy New Year in Six Courses

This year we were joined by three other couples to ring in the new year with cream, duck and more...Our six courses began around 8:30 and went till 11:30. Perfect timing for a little pre-countdown fireworks, champagne, and in the boy's case, setting all the fireworks off at once on a table in the backyard.


7:00p Hors d'oeuvres

More cheeses than I can count including an inspiring applewood smoked cheddar, the gooiest goat I have ever had drowned in truffle honey and olives cooked in duck fat, and a triple cream brie that tasted like butta. A Target tapenade and an assortment of lemon and almond stuffed olives rounded out the plate and sadly four of us managed to eat almost all of this prior to the other guests arriving, luckily they had cheese in reserve, including a British favorite that I can not remember the name of, but was good.


8:30 Le Grand Repast

Amuse Bouche - Smoked salmon steak, creme fraiche with meyer lemon peel and chives


First Course - Fried veal stuffed olives


Second Course - Garlic fennel soup with homemade bread

Third course - Salmon mousse (in an traditional mold!)

Fourth course - Spinach salad with pear and gorgonzola


Main course - Cassoulet: French white bean, duck and sausage stew with mashed potatoes


Dessert - Tarte Tatin with homemade cinnamon ice cream and carmelized bacon



I can't really comment individually because it was all perfect. Everyone's courses were lovingly prepared and shared.

I am truly blessed to have such gifted cooks for friends!The portions were wonderful, I didn't even get full, and no one had a hangover! However the dessert was taken by folks at random times...some of us, not till breakfast the next day!


11:30
Fireworks, champagne

Midnight
Everyone removed their holiday finery and jumped into pajamas. For the next two hours or so, we worked on the champagne and worked off the fat we just consumed by playing "Dance Dance Revolution" a PS2 game that involves dancing on little pads to techno music and following dance steps...I loved it, but whew it was hard!


11:00a
Breakfast is pumpkin roll, cherry orange scones, more bacon!, fruit, coffee, tea, a bizarre mimosa concocted from Cold Duck and Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice and Sausage pinwheels.

Everyone goes around the table remarking on what they were grateful for in 2007, and we all wish each other a wonderful 2008. It truly was a great way to start the year. It ended with yet another bottle of wine being opened and Belle Bleue whipping out about 20 cookbooks for us to rummage through before they went off to Goodwill to make room for her new books. After a dinner like ours, I stuck to the "light" cooking books.

After napping all day with alternatively the boy and the dogs on the couch and then finally getting up, cleaning all the party stuff up, the 400 bottles for recycling and the various guestrooms, we opened one more bottle of red and tucked into some reheated cassoulet. I can only hope 2008 will be this nice (and delicious!) everyday after.