Wednesday, February 29, 2012

(Re)Discover Chattanooga - Foodworks Brunch


I know Foodworks is a great event space, and has a respected lunch and dinner menu, but this post is all about brunch.....and where there is brunch, there are mimosas.  In this case $1 mimosas, #3.50 Bloody Mary's, and $2 PBR Tallboys. Most people don't need much more than that but the food is pretty good too.


The brunch selection is pretty standard, but with a few twists. You have lots of options for eggs, chicken & waffles, shrimp & grits, and a lemon pound cake french toast that is fairly fantastic.

My biggest piece of advice for Foodworks brunch (served both Saturday & Sunday) is to get there early or make reservations.  The difference between 11:05 and 11:10 can be a 45 minute wait for a table - but don't worry, you can have a mimosa while you wait.

Foodworks is located just across the river from the downtown, so if you're visiting for the weekend (or like to be a local tourist) I recommend Foodworks for brunch then a trip to the Tennessee Aquarium!

Foodworks:
205-C Manufacturers Road, Chattanooga TN 37415
(423) 752-7487
Open Daily at 11 AM, Lunch & Dinner, Saturday & Sunday Brunch

Brunch Menu | Lunch Menu | Dinner Menu | Beverage Menu (menus are dated 2/29/12) 
website
Food Works on Urbanspoon

Sunday, February 26, 2012

one sentence sunday

Happy Daytona 500 Day!!!

(Join the one sentence blog party by clicking the link on my sidebar!!)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

one sentence saturday

Tonight is the night I'm cashing in on my Papa Johns superbowl promotion free pizza...it's the little things that make me smile!

Have a sentence to share? Join in!


Friday, February 17, 2012

the great backyard bird count

I really am enjoying blogging right now, and I hope you are enjoying reading!  You may have seen my Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post on the 15th, and maybe you clicked on the link to May Dreams Garden to see what was blooming around the world.  I spent some time checking out some of the links, and found a few new blogs to follow.  One of them was Julie at Growing Days.  This morning as I was checking my blog feed I saw her post about this weekend's 15th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

Pine Grosbeak, Norm Dougan, BC
  2011 GBBC
The great thing about this event is that you don't have to be a bird expert.  They have printable tally sheets for your zip code so you know exactly what species you're looking for, cheat sheets to help you actually identify the birds, and you can submit your results online.  There are also audubon apps available to help you identify birds :) They've done a lot of prep work to make this easy, I am planning on participating, and I hope you do too (especially those of you west of the Mississippi, you are very under represented)

So what is the GBBC? 

The 2012 GBBC will take place Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. - Source
I'm excited because this snapshot gives scientists information about migratory shifts, populations, and clues about ecosystems and other small and large scale environmental programs.  I love science, and I love nature. This is easy and it speaks to me.

Red-breasted Nuthatch by Norm Dougan, BC

Julie has a great explanation of how the Great Backyard Bird Count works - complete with a list of links and resources - so I'm going to share that and hope you can spare 15 minutes this weekend...for science :)
  1. Count birds in your area for at least 15 minutes on one or more days over the weekend. Submit a separate checklist for each day you participate. Checklists can be found here.
  2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see at any one time. You can find a checklist of birds common to your area by entering your zip code here.
  3. Finally, enter your results here.
AND there are giveaways. : )

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

february bloom day

This is my first Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post from my new house!! I don't even care if it's February and the past 20 years of garden neglect have made for very few blooms, this is the start of something very special for me.  This incredibly mild winter has confused the bulbs just enough that I have a few things to show.

If you are new to my blog, here's the story of my why I'm loving living in my Great Grandmother's cottage house.  If you are new to Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for a full list of participating bloggers.  It's so neat to see what is blooming around the world, and it's a great way to get ideas for plants to put in your own garden!

First up is one very confused bush that I have yet to identify.  There are two in what will become by patio space.  I know they are not supposed to be blooming yet, and I hope the inevitable hard freeze doesn't do too much damage.  These are just one species of plant that I will write down the name this spring, when I take a walk around the property with my grandmother.


Next come the resilient daffodils.  In the 20 years since my great grandmother passed away, there have only been one, possibly two, times when the garden has gotten any serious attention.  I knew the daffodils would survive, but I didn't know how many there would be, or where they would be.  I'm beginning to find out!


The neat thing about my new-to-me yard are the surprises.  My great grandmother died when I was 9 years old, and the only time I visited the house before I moved in this past Thanksgiving was when the house was renovated in winter of 2001.  So I am familiar with my great grandmother's style, but not exactly what she planted.. This is going to be a fun spring :)

My first surprise was not what I consider a good one.  Call me weird, or young, or something, but I am not a fan of irises.  They are gorgeous when they bloom, but I think the leftover foliage is stark and ugly.  It's also very tough, which is great for the plant, but doesn't biodegrade easily and leaves an unsightly mess.  I'm all about low maintenance plants, and I haven't found a good way to make irises low maintenance.  I was not thrilled about seeing a clump of irises come up, but at least they are off to the side of the driveway, and not front and center.  If anyone has any other thoughts or feelings please let me know.  I'd like to have a better attitude towards irises.


The best surprise so far has been the discovery of hyacinths!  I've never grown them, and I think they're so pretty & colorful.  The interesting thing is the fact that they are in a a very unexpected place.  The center of my circular driveway.  This garden is edged with hedges, and has a large bush in the center as a focal point.  Most of the interior of the circle is moss, and these bulbs are popping up through the moss in one corner.  I am so curious about what else will pop up when spring really arrives!


I hope you have enjoyed these first blooms in my new yard.  It's going to be such a fun spring!!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Saturday, February 11, 2012

one sentence saturday

It's snowing in Chattanooga, maybe we'll see winter after all!!

(What do you have to say this Saturday? Click the link on the right side of my page to add you post, or just leave a comment on Robin's blog. It's that easy!)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

(Re)Discover Chattanooga - ChatO' Brasserie

Good food, good friends, and good wine. That is the combination that brought me to ChatO at 1 North Shore this past weekend.


A friend and I met for 'small plates' & wine, and really enjoyed ourselves.  ChatO sits on the corner, facing Greenlife Grocery at 2 North Shore.  The restaurant has a small intimate feel, but the capacity is probably much larger than it looks, and everything is very warm & polished. There was no wait at 8 o'clock on a Friday in the bar section, so we happily took a bistro table.  We ordered wine and the steak tartar, and it was the perfect backdrop for some overdue catching up.

I enjoyed the food, but thanks to my friend's advice in choosing, the wine was spectacular.  The wine menu is unique in that they offer both 3oz & 6oz pours on select wines, as well as bottle service. This allows you to try more wines if you've come to taste (as we did), and creates a price range from $4 - $7 for a 3 oz pour, and from $24 to $410 for wine or what I'm sure is an exceptional bottle of Champagne. I like this setup and selection a lot, because I feel like there are choices for my pallet, and lets be honest, my wallet.

Again, I really enjoyed my visit with friends at ChatO, and the menu has me intrigued, and wanting to go back for more. I'm just having a hard time deciding between 'medium' & 'large' plates, or the Sunday Brunch.

Charleston-Stone Ground Grit Cakes, Andouille Shrimp Stew

I think I just chose Brunch.

ChatO' Brasserie:
200 Manufacturers Road ~Chattanooga
423.305.1352
chatodining.com ~ Facebook 

Hours: Monday - Thursday 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Friday & Saturday 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
 *Photos from ChatO's Facebook Page
 
Chato Brasserie on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

lady and the tramp

"Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The 15th animated film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen film process.[2] The story centers on a female American Cocker Spaniel named Lady who lives with a refined, upper middle-class family, and a male stray mutt called the Tramp."( Wikipedia, 2/7/12)

 Lady & The Tramp was my favorite movie growing up (before it was replaced with Days of Thunder, then Shawshank Redemption, but that is another story) and I had no idea that it was made in 1955 until I checked Wikipedia today.  The reason I was looking up Lady and the Tramp on Wikipedia is that Disney is re-releasing it on DVD and Blue-Ray today....just in time for Valentines Day delivery. 


Mark me down in the "Very Excited" category.  My parents have Lady and the Tramp on VHS (in the poofy/squishy box children of the 80's are so familiar with) and I can't wait to have my own copy.

Just in case someone wants to get it for me, here are a few links:  (that's right, I know my mom reads my blog) 
*Images from wikipedia & Disneystore.com

Saturday, February 4, 2012

one sentence saturday

I'm glad I worked on my pond drain this morning; it's raining again!

PS check the link on my sidebar for more 1ss posts, and please jump in!

Friday, February 3, 2012

(Re)Discover Chattanooga - Brewhaus


One great thing about living in Chattanooga is that there is always something going on, and new businesses springing up. Brewhaus sprung up on the North Shore this fall, and I was excited to try it out with friends recently. Like most places on the North Shore, Brewhaus is a small space, but they make the most of it with large picnic style tables inside and patio seating. They also have a garage style door to open up the patio when the weather cooperates.

I feel like German dining is all about comfort food and friends, and Brewhaus gets it without busting out the lederhosen. They call themselves a gastropub, and I like it.  
gas-tro-pub \'gastrÓ™'pÓ™b\ noun
environment with a strong emphasis on chef driven food, paired with good ale & wine, in a casual setting
While I don't know what all the names of the dishes mean - and had to get help from my friends that have spent more than a weekend in Germany to help me with the menu -  I do know that it was all tasty, and there was a LOT of it.  I'm all about value, and our plates were overflowing with good food.  It's really nice to be reminded that comfort food from another part of the world really is just comfort food.

Our reservation was for 11, so we got to try most of the menu.  My favorite surprise?  The honey bacon deviled eggs as an appetizer.  Not something I would usually go for, and I would have been missing out.

I haven't mentioned the beer, but only because I'm allergic.  From what I saw on the table, my friends were happy with the selection, and I'm looking forward to the wine menu...which I think we missed by 3 days.

I had a really good time at Brewhaus and will be back.  It's casual, locally owned, and the food is unique and tasty.  If you're looking for something other than the same old same old in downtown Chattanooga, hop across the river and try Brewhaus on the North Shore.  I think you'll enjoy the change up.
Brewhaus on Urbanspoon

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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Clemson & Chick-fil-A

Yesterday was National Signing Day. This is the day that high school football players fax in their letters of intent to play football for the program of their choice, based on scholarship offers. Recruiting is not an exact science. It's had to know what kind of player an 18 year old will be in college, and it's hard to know what makes them choose one scholarship offer over another. There are the normal things, program/conference reputation, caliber of specific position coaches, academic reputation, social connections etc.

And then there are the things that come out of left field. Yesterday Cassanova McKinzy - a four star linebacker recruit out of Birmingham, Alabama - picked Auburn over Clemson because Auburn had a Chick-fil-A on campus.


Here are my thoughts:
  • There is a Chick-fil-A on campus.
  • This guy might not be smart enough to play for Clemson. If this really was his priority, then even as an outside linebacker, we don't want someone that would rather be at Chick-fil-A than spending time in the weight room.
  • We didn't do a good enough job recruiting him.  He should have been so blown away by our program, coaches, facilities, and gameday atmosphere that Chick-fil-A wasn't an issue.
I also think it's funny how this has become a hot topic of conversation today.  Yesterday was a fairly calm signing day for Clemson, I think most things went as planned.  Chick-fil-A has even gotten involved sending the following tweets:



Way to go Cassanova, best of luck at Auburn.
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