happiness is...

...brunch at the grit in athens.


scrambled eggs {real ones}, potato wedges, homemade whole wheat biscuits, apple butter, and coffee. yes, please. they even make some killer salsa.

the grit is hands down the best vegetarian restaurant i have ever been to. even the non-veggies like it! if you are ever in the athens area, i highly suggest you stop in.
xoxo


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Tour de Cycling

K and I spent last two weekends enjoying all things cycling (bicycling that is), including mountain biking at Dauset Trails, a mountain bike clinic at Fort Yargo State Park, and the annual Twilight criterion race in Athens.

Muddy mountain bikes after an off-road triathlon at Fort Yargo

Dauset Trails is a nature center in Jackson, Georgia that includes over 17 miles of trails perfect for mountain biking. Although I am somewhat new to the mountain bike scene, I really enjoy speeding through the woods over roots and up and down hills... just leave me to the green trails. I did take a few spills, one of which was simply due to my inability to unclip quickly from my pedals, so I hit the ground. The other two were legitimate falls, as I tried to keep up with K on the blue trails. I ended up walking most of those, so next time it'll just be greens for me. Overall, I had a great time, despite my bruised and bleeding knee.

K on his mountain bike looking like a pro.

The Twilight race in Athens is always quite an event, as the entire town comes out to watch the night races. There are various races throughout the day, and cyclists must qualify in the morning races to participate in the main event at night. We headed downtown around 5:00 to catch the amateur race and the women's pro race before the men's pro race, which begins at twilight.

I definitely would not want to be in the middle of that pack!

We moved to a different part of the track for the men's pro race so we could try to identify our friends in the race and cheer for them. This was actually quite difficult as the cyclists were travelling at about 45mph and looked like a big blur as they passed.

Trying to figure out which of the riders were our friends. For some reason it was easier to tell after they had passed.

The evening was a definite success, and our friends Joseph and Frank did well in the pro race. We had a chance to eat at one of our favorite Athens restaurants, Transmetropolitan, and see a lot of our good friends, including Cath of the AsianCajuns! I also had some time to catch up with some of my fellow future pharmacists that I haven't seen since we began rotations. Overall, it was a great evening. I am tyring to convince K to at least try the amateur race next year, so come join us for Twilight 2010 and watch him race!

Outfit Details: dress and scarf, F21; boots, pearls, clutch, and sunnies, vintage; "A" necklace, Anthro

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Taqueria Del Sol

One of my favorite Atlanta eateries has finally made its way northeast to Athens.... Taqueria del Sol! I fell in love with TDS during my college days in Decatur, so when I moved away, I was quite sad to leave it behind. Now, however, I have a location right down the street! The food is what I like to call fancy, authentic mexican, and the salsa is fresh and delicous. It's a great place to relax with a basket of warm chips, three types of fresh salsa, and a margarita in hand.

I usually order a couple veggie tacos (veggie jalapeño refried beans, queso blanco and roasted tomatillo salsa) and mexican rice (complete with onions and peppers), but the fried chicken (strips of fried chicken breast, lime jalapeño mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato) and carnita (twice cooked tender pork with salsa frita, cilantro & onions) tacos are tastyas well. The salsa comes as a trio of yumminess (two tomato varities and one salsa verde), and you can create your own margarita if you find their recipe not quite to your taste. Perfect for a midweek afternoon or a Saturday evening! Check out their website for locations and hours.

image courtesy of TDS

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Melting Point + Gabriel Kelley and The Reins

Melting Point is a restaurant/music venue here in Athens that I drive past daily on my way home. I am always enticed by the oversized Christmas lights on the brick patio, and I can just imagine sitting at one of the outside tables in the fall with a seasonal ale in my hand... 

Happily, one of my favorite bands, Gabriel Kelley and The Reins, played a CD release show at Melting Point the weekend before last, so K and I finally had an excuse to see what the hubbub was all about.We were definitely impressed. The burgers and sweet potato fries were yummy, as were the drinks. 

Not to mention that Gabriel Kelley puts on a great show. Based out of Nashville, the band has a great folk rock sound that feels like driving with the windows down in the fall. Gabriel's voice is incredible, and the laid back feel of the music and the band members makes you feel right at home... like the scene in Almost Famous where all the musicians are sitting around singing and playing acoustic guitar. (Ok, so I'm a bit of a hippie. You can't tell me that you don't know that feeling.) K bought the EP, and I have been listening to it on repeat for the last week. It is real, honest music played by some really talented guys. Check out their MySpace page or travel blog to keep up with them! 

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