Home Sweet Athens

Ok time for Part Deux of my Atlanta/Athens weekend post:

I can not even begin to tell you how amazing it feels to drive into Athens after a significant period of time away.  Wide eyed, I'm unable to quell the squeals as I recognize all the landmarks I've missed.  Don't get me wrong, Atlanta is great, but I was born and raised in Georgia's low country, so it's not my home.  Athens, on the other hand, was my home for four glorious years and it felt great to return.

I would venture to say the two boys in our carpool to the game were not as giddy as I was since they were a little too hungover to enjoy it.  On Friday night, after pregaming a bit, we headed to Johnny's Hideaway.  The fact that we went to this bar should give you an idea of how drunk we were.  Johnny's Hideaway is known as Atlanta's premiere cougar bar and I was ready to see some of these wild animals in their natural habitat.  It's an interesting scene that I'm pretty sure looks the same as it did when my Daddy used to go there back in the late 70s/early 80s.  I believe everyone should go there at least once, preferably after you've already had a few drinks so you'll have no qualms about joining the cougars on the dance floor with the great tunes.  It was hard to pull ourselves away, but we decided we needed a little rest so we headed home for 3 hours of sleep.  As mentioned, the boys were not feelin so hot on Saturday morning, but Patricia and I have well-trained livers so all we needed was the mandatory stop at Chick-Fil-A for a chicken biscuit and we were ready to hit the road.

It was a noon kickoff, so there wasn't too much time for tailgating but we got in a few early morning beers before walking to the stadium.  It was a must to get to Sanford Stadium early because this was not just any football Saturday; it was Uga VIII's first day on the job and we wanted to watch the passing of the collar ceremony.

New Uga!

I fell right back into all the Uga traditions: "Teenage Wasteland" playing in the stadium as the crowd files in, old footage shown on the jumbotron to the tune of a single trumpet player in the stands, and the alma matter - it was like I'd never been away.  Making it even sweeter was the fact that we beat Vandy in a blowout.  It's no secret that this hasn't been our best season, but I was happy to see we didn't lose to the Commodorks while I was around.

The Konter fam bleeds red and black

After the game we walked around downtown Athens, grabbed a drink at one of my favorite restaurants, East West, did a little shopping, and ran into tons of people.  I have come to the conclusion that I will be incapable of staying away from Athens for more than a year in the future.  That means, I'll be repeating this experience every football season.

I was heading back to Atlanta with my parents but Mark and Allison had to make the four hour drive back to Savannah so we grabbed an early dinner at Calientitos, a phenomenal BYOB Cuban restaurant.  I couldn't decide what to get so I ordered my usual cuban (this time with chorizo instead of chicken) AND a fish taco.  I typically prefer grilled over breaded fish in my tacos; but although this was fried, it was one of the best fish tacos I've had.  The plantains were also perfectly fried.  My parents and I drove back to Atlanta with the intention of going out for dessert or drinks, but by the time we got there, we were so full and tired, we just went to sleep instead.  Some may wag their fingers at me for not rallying, but I say being that tired is the sign of a great weekend.  I'll see you in a year, Athens.

   

Very Veselka

After watching UGA lose to South Carolina yesterday afternoon, I needed something to perk my spirits up once again.  Lucky for me, Dan arrived in NYC for a visit yesterday, and seeing his smiling face for dinner was just what I needed to make me forget the depressing football loss.

Dinner was a very last minute thing.  Matt and I were in charge of picking the place, and since we didn't know exactly how many people would be joining us or when we would need to be there, we had to pick someplace that was flexible.  Due to our last minute-ness (and truth be told, the fact that we had been drinking all day while watching football), this was not the time to try to get into the hottest restaurant in town; however, we never want to settle for anything merely ordinary.

Veselka won the vote so we headed down to the East Village to try a little something new.  Veselka is nothing fancy.  In fact, it's a diner; but this diner has a twist: it's Ukrainian.  That means that instead of bacon egg and cheeses, you're ordering borsht, stroganoff, and pierogi.  Like most diners, Veselka is 24 hours and most popular for the late night crowd emerging from the East Village bar scene after last call.  Even though it is busiest at 3 AM, it was still packed at 9 because people don't want to wait for the bars to close to enjoy good, Eastern European food.

Since it was my first time at Veselka, I wanted to try a little bit of everything, so the meat plate was the perfect dish for me.  The meat plate came with a cup of soup and I had to pick the borsht.  When in Rome...The waiter said most people ordered the borsht hot, so that's precisely what I did.  It tastes nothing like it looks.  It was like a magenta chicken soup - not bad.  The meal also came with a small salad with dill dressing, but I only had a couple bites to save room for the main course: stuffed cabbage with mushroom gravy and four pierogi (2 meat, 2 potato).  I'm guessing the food was authentic, but I wouldn't really know, so maybe I'm confusing "authentic" with "good", because that much I can say for sure - it was mighty tasty.  The stuffed cabbage was good, but I was expecting to see exactly what my grandma makes on my plate and the flavor of Veselka's version was good but different.  Don't worry, Grandma, I will always like yours best.  I think next time I eat at Vesleka, I am just going to order plate after plate of pierogi because they were amazing.  The dough was thick but did not overpower the filling of which there was tons.  This was not a situation where the dumpling is all dough or noodle with nothing inside.  They come with sour cream, shredded beets with horseradish, and onions.  I used a little of the toppings, but the pierogi had enough flavor on their own that they did not need a single thing.

Veselka is also great for brunch (especially if you still haven't made it home from the night before), but it can be a little heavy before a night out, so it was a good thing my hot Saturday night plans consisted of a chick flick by myself in bed.  Eastern Europeans have been in New York longer than most of the cultures that now make up our melting pot, so it's great to enjoy the food from the group that may have flown under the radar but has maintained a constant presence.

Party Hardy

The Princeton Review just released its official 2011 list of top party schools and guess who's numero uno?!  That's right, my alma mater, UGA!  I give myself a little credit for helping build the foundation of what would become such an award winning university.  I am not ashamed to say I partied.  In fact, I'm proud to say so because I emerged with a great education that I had a phenomenal time obtaining.  Congrats to my fellow Dawgs.  We've earned this.

Happy Birthday 'Merica

What a fabulous long weekend I just had!  I now plan to give you the full play-by-play so you can be insanely jealous.  Let's begin.

Dave and I landed in Savannah just before midnight and were welcomed by my loving parents who were cool enough to drive us through Krystal on the way home.  Three cheese Krystals later, I was in a great mood and falling asleep in my old twin size bed.  We woke up on Friday ready to go and ran a couple errands before lunch at Smoke Station for some juicy pulled pork.  I ordered mine with brunswick stew and fried okra on the side.  The stew was good but a little watery and the okra was legit.  It was nice to be reminded what real BBQ is like.

Friday night we went to what is probably my favorite place in Savannah, Bonna Bella Yacht Club.  Bonna Bella started life as a marina around the riverbend from my house.  We were patrons then, and we are certainly patrons now.  It's close by automobile but even closer by boat, so we made the 2 minute trip down the river for dinner.  I started the meal in the best way possible: with a really good drink.  The bartender mixed up a Bloody Pirate, which is a bloody mary made with horseradish infused vodka and an Old Bay rim.  While we were waiting at the bar, the manager walked around with a Super Soaker filled with whipped cream infused vodka.  I'm going to remember that for my next party - it was a crowd pleaser.  We had the crab, black bean, and corn fritters for an app, which were basically hush puppies but better.  For the entrees, all the boys ordered jambalaya and all the girls ordered fish tacos, each with a different sauce.  All the food was delicious, but I would have licked my lips over cardboard in that setting.  They have corn hole and ring toss set up, two bars, and fabulous seats on the river so you can enjoy the food while watching the sunset.

It's hard to believe you can top that, but we certainly tried.  On Saturday, while the boys were playing golf, I did some damage at the Polo outlet and headed to the Hilton Head house for lunch and a few hours around the pool.  Did you know deviled eggs are a Southern thing?  I didn't, but apparently they are because Dave had no idea what he was looking at.  Rather than explaining, I ate about 2 dozen with a side of my Aunt Sally's gazpacho.  We headed back with just enough time to shower and get ready for dinner at the new hot restaurant, ele.  Were we in LA or Savannah?  I couldn't really tell when we handed our keys to the valet in front of the swanky new fusion restaurant.  Dave and I split the ele roll as an appetizer, which was filled with salmon, tuna, white fish, grouper, yellow tail, crab, scallions, cream cheese, and asparagus.  It was a perfect roll.  Mark and Allison also shared a sushi roll for their app and we did a little trade.  Theirs was good, but ours was better.  Ha.  Point 1 for Tess and Dave.  My parents shared a dungeness and blue crab salad that looked great.  I'll bet it tasted great, too.  Unfortunately, we'll never know since they inhaled it before we had the chance to taste.  Daddy realized no one else tried it, so he offered up a bite, but we opted against the remaining piece of cucumber skin.  I suppose that's a good sign.  All the entrees looked tasty, but I was mostly concerned with mine.  I ordered two appetizers as my main course, the fresh rolls and the lobster soup with curry and coconut.  Both were good, but the soup was large and very rich.  By the end of dinner, I was nearly comatose after a day in the sun and an evening full of discussion of [now former] UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans' DUI indiscretion.  Tip to future Athletic Director: if you're the guy who does a "Don't drink and drive" PSA at the end of every football game, don't get caught behind the wheel, wasted and clutching the red panties of a girl who is not your wife.

I woke up the next morning ready for some serious 4th of July pool and boat time.  Mission accomplished.  We grilled out for dinner and then Dave and I went with Mark and Allison and a few of their friends to watch the fireworks from the top of City Hall.  You didn't know I was such a VIP?  Well take note.  We had an amazing view of the show and felt pretty bad-ass to boot.  Before we left, we made sure to take a sharpee and sign the wall of the dome alongside our predecessors in 1906.  After the fireworks we headed to Rocks on the Roof, the bar in the Bohemian hotel that may just be Savannah's hippest spot.  It was there that I was reminded how cheap alcohol is when you don't live in a big city.  I miss $3.50 beers.

Monday was more boating as we took Dave to Tubby's Tank House for some fried seafood and then to River Street and City Market to show him the sights.  I knew I had to bring a little treat back, so I bought a bag of taffy from River Street Sweets, which my mischievous dog promptly ate the moment I turned my head.  We grilled out again on Monday night (fish and steak tacos) with a cheese plate and watermelon-feta skewers for apps.  We capped off the night by watching Hot Tub Time Machine, which I am surprised to say was much better than I would have guessed.  I can't believe I'm about to recommend it, but here I go - rent it, you just might like it.

Tuesday was a little gloomy because I knew I would be on the plane back to the city before the day's end.  I made sure to get in another good restaurant so we went Rancho Alegre for a Cuban lunch.  I think I was 15 when this place opened and 10 years later, I still order the exact same thing every time, the ropa vieja.  The meat is simmering in spices next to a pile of black beans and rice and the most amazing sweet plantains.  We chilled for a couple hours and then stopped by Chick-fil-A before a tearful goodbye at the airport.

I'm happy to be back in NYC, but I'm definitely missing Savannah.  But admit it, if you had a weekend like that, you'd be pretty sad to leave, too.  America, I think we celebrated your b-day with style.

My signature in city hall

A refreshing, summery app

The Spice is Nice

I know I've mentioned this hardship before, but it is very difficult for me to live so far from a Chick-Fil-A.  This handicap became more obvious this week as my precious Chick-Fil-A debuted the new spicy chicken sandwich.  Forget the fact that I couldn't register for my free sandwich like everyone else; I just wanted to try it.

Well folks, thanks to my new hero, Patrick, I got my very own spicy chicken sandwich today.  You see, Patrick went to UGA, a school that takes children and turns them into brilliant adults.  So in the absence of a local Chick-Fil-A, Muhammad went to the mountain - or more accurately Paramus, New Jersey - via Zipcar to pick up a slew of the special sandwiches.  Never did I think I would use "special" and "Jersey" in a sentence together, but it looks like the Dirty Jerz has gained a cool point or two after supplying me with Chick-Fil-A (aka: crack).

As a consolation for missing my upcoming b-day party, Patrick met me in the middle of Times Square with a sandwich and a full cup of sweet tea.  For those non-Southern readers, sweet tea is the nectar of the gods that for some unknown reason is not available anywhere in the North.  Yankees are silly.  I guzzled the sweet tea amidst a swarm of tourists photographing M&M World but saved the sandwich for dinner to truly savor the experience.  Now that I've tried it, here's my official review: yum.  Way spicier than I imagined, but I can handle it.  They kept the pickles in there, which tasted even better on the spicy sandwich than the original.  I'm a fan.  Thanks to Patrick, the birthday gift bar has been set pretty high.  Boyfriend and parents, take note.

On Monday I'll be 25 and, therefore, able to rent a car.  Road trip to Paramus, anyone?

Can't figure out how to rotate the pic, but you get the idea

Globe-worthy

I've been wanting to see The Blind Side for a while but never got around to it.  However, after watching Sandra Bullock accept a Golden Globe for her performance in a beautiful amethyst frock (seriously, if I can look like her when I'm 45 I would be beyond happy), I knew it was time to buy a ticket.  I'm certainly glad I did because it was a wonderful feel-good film and Bullock's performance was wonderful.  She nailed the behavior, mannerisms, and speech of the feisty Southern mothers who have surrounded me my entire life.  Tim McGraw deserves a pat on the back too for being much more than the guy who fills half my iPod.  Good job.

My one complaint is that UGA was not prominently featured throughout the film.  During Oher's recruitment, they paraded SEC coaches across the screen.  My heart leaped at the brief glimpse of the Georgia G on a no-named assistant coach.  Perhaps it's true that Oher was not really considering The University of Georgia, but how 'bout a little of that creative license I've heard so much about?  Just about every major SEC coach was featured with the exception of Mark Richt.  As well as this movie has done at the box office, I can only imagine ticket purchases and reviews would soar if Coach Richt was included.  Sandra Bullock's character, Leigh Anne Tuohy, calls Nick Saban "a very attractive man".  Clearly, she never met Mark Richt.  And on another note, I didn't know it was possible for Lou Holtz to appear on tv without throwing his clipboard and/or hat on the ground.  UGA was featured in the background on tv in the scene where Tim McGraw's character is explaining a poem to the Oher character.  Unfortunately, they showed a Georgia/Georgia Tech basketball game.  Basketball is not our sport.

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Over the weekend, Dave and I decided it was time to get out of the cold and do something fun, so we shuffled ourselves over to MSG to enjoy the PBR.  Who am I kidding - we've had this planned for months, and I have been counting down the days, anxiously anticipating the time for beer and bulls. 
First of all, let me point out that PBR does not stand for Pabst Blue Ribbon.  Well, it does - but not in this instance.  PBR is the acronym for Professional Bull Riding - three amazing words, even better when strung together.  After spending my senior year at UGA working with the Great Southland Stampede Rodeo, the only student-run, professionally sanctioned rodeo event in the country, I was infinitely glad to have a little bit of Southern fun up here in NYC.


Allow me to set the scene.  The cowboy boot wearing crowd turned out in droves to watch each rider attempt to last 8 seconds on animals with names like Chicken on a Chain and Lacey Balls.  Please note, unlike rodeos in the South, I think only about .5% of this crowd actually dresses like this on a normal basis.   The rest came from Murray Hill and purchased their flannel shirts at Urban Outfitters specifically for the occasion.  Posers.  Nonetheless, it looked like everyone walked straight out of a Field & Stream catalog and made for some good ambiance.


For all those who laughed when I told them what I was doing over the weekend, I will have you know it was a solid evening and you should seriously consider joining us next year.  The night was even better when combined with some of my homemade pulled pork sandwiches (my new favorite thing to cook) pre-PBR and a stop for some mac & cheese, fried pickles, and spinach-artichoke dip at Brother Jimmy's after (not like the Southern food at home, but it'll do in a pinch).  I plan to throw more things like this onto the event roster in the near future.  Next up: monster trucks in March.  Who's with me?

Bowl Game + Bowls of Food

While UGA did not play in what would be considered by most standards to be an important bowl game, we did manage to seriously damage the Texas A&M Aggies in the Independence Bowl with a record 44 points.  That would be the 13th consecutive bowl game appearance and 45th overall, in case you weren't counting. The Konter/Sand fam gathered to celebrate the occasion with a very yummy tailgating spread:

• Matt and Jen prepared brisket sliders.  Kinda spicy, kinda sweet, all delish.  
• Matt also came to the table with some kick-ass guac.  There was a definite bite to it, but not so much that a beer didn't wash it down perfectly.
• Allison prepared a serious tuna ceviche dish, tossed with avocado, peppers, and an amazing sauce.
• My mommy made her highly addictive artichoke heart dip.  She made a double recipe since I single handedly ate the regular portion.
• I made a portobello mushroom and goat cheese crustini - tasty and easy
• 2 kinds of chicken wings, courtesy of Fresh Market
• We finished it all off with brownies from Matt and Allison's grandma, who happens to be a baker extraordinaire - her mandel bread was even featured in the paper...ok it was in the Savannah Jewish News, but that is technically a paper even if it is only two pages long and pretty much consists of articles about people related to me since my family comprises just about the entire Jewish population of Savannah.

Columbia Football - Who Knew?!

This past Saturday, I decided to do something a little different.  I had some time before I needed to begin prepping for my annual Halloween party, so Dave and I decided to hop on the 1 train and head to 218th St. for the Columbia/Yale football game.  I'm not gonna lie; I was a little leery - I'm used to tailgating UGA-style and thought an Ivy League university could never compare.  I was right.  You can't compare the two.  That's like comparing steak and spam.  Yes they're both edible, but I'm not even sure they can both be considered meat.  It doesn't come close to an SEC experience; nevertheless, I had a great time at the game.

Let's start with the best part: the sweetest deal in Manhattan.  A $10 ticket  buys you a great seat on the 50 yard line and 4 free beers in the tailgating area.  In case you're not a beer drinker, there's also complimentary water and coke so you can still feel like you're getting a deal.  They're basically paying you to go to the game.  Football and beer is a classic combination.  Football and FREE beer is an even better combination.  This is quite the hidden gem.

Once you get into the stadium, you'll notice a few other differences.  For a college stadium, it's not very big, but that's ok because it didn't fill up anyway.  The spectators are not big football people, and their M.O. is pretty much to cheer when they see other people cheering.

And finally, the band is a sight to see.  They were dressed casually in rugby shirts and had no adult supervision.  During the halftime show they presented a skit in which they made fun of the other Ivy League schools; however, in true Ivy League fashion, their trash talk was limited to "we're smarter than you", "Brown is full of hippies" and "There's no Ivy in Ithica hahaha".  I was hoping they would at least throw in a "yo mama", but alas, those Ivy Leaguers are just too highbrow.  The band also took it upon themselves to act as the unofficial cheerleaders of the game (even though there were already cheerleaders there).  They spent the game yelling obscene phrases from their section such as:

• 
  
  Proctologist!  Proctologist!  Ram it in the hole!
  
  
  
• 
  
  Hold her hand ::clap clap:: Tell her lies ::clap clap:: Hold her hand!  Tell her lies!  Let's score!
  
  
  
• 
  
  I also heard one that ended with "make my nipples hard"
  
  
  

All in all, it was a fun experience and one I'll definitely have to repeat.  Although I was unable to replicate the true UGA tailgating experience, this was a great way to tide me over.

Mullet Mania is Almost Here!

I feel like it's Christmas Eve and on Saturday I'll be able to run downstairs and open my presents. Topping my wish list: a Bulldawg victory over the Florida Gators. The Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party takes place this weekend in Jacksonville, and to get everyone else as excited as I am I have included a link to a short but very sweet video. Enjoy and GO DAWGS!

Gators Wear Jean Shorts