Two Cities Two Girls

Friday, May 4, 2012

Preschool Artists

The art studio, known as the Atelier, at my kids' preschool (Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool) is simply amazing. I have volunteered in there a few times this year and I am always in awe of the beauty of the place. The supplies are displayed in a way that every ingredient in the place makes you want to make something. It is an artist's fantasy land with limitless possibilities. It is a place that makes me want to play and create and dream. It is the kind of place that I am thrilled my children have had access to over the past couple of years. All art studios, for young and for old, should be this light filled, this organized, this well stocked, and this inspiring.

I took so many photos. Everywhere I looked, there sat the perfect little vignette of beauty.

This time I was there to help the kids work on a painting for an auction night. We did a "surprise painting". The kids painted a layer of color using all kinds of different strokes and marks. We dried the canvas quickly with a hair dryer. We then put pieces of masking tape over our favorite parts. Then we painted another layer, dried it, taped a few pieces, etc. We continued the process for five layers. Once the painting was completely dry, we began to remove the tape and had all kinds of layered surprises!

It was exciting to see their faces as they began to pull the tape off. Here is the final product.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Dinner at PushStart Kitchen

We had the privilege of eating at PushStart Kitchen a couple of weekends ago. And what a privilege it was. I had heard very good things about this new supperclub on the westside of Atlanta from friends and foodies and on blogs I read. I expected the food to be very good and mostly I expected a new and different kind of evening. I did not expect to be blown away and to be served a meal that I consider one of the best I have ever eaten in Atlanta. I think the Atlanta food scene is ok but when I travel to other cities I always come back longing for more from our city, more diversity, more creativity, more choice, more greatness. If Zach Meloy, founder and chef of PushStart, is the future of Atlanta dining then we are all in for a huge treat. You can read about PushStart's philosophy here and if you want to attend a dinner in the future be sure to sign up for their invite list.

The menu changes every week. This week the meal was about celebrating vegetables and welcoming spring. We started the evening with a small bite of grits on a stick and a dark and stormy cocktail while we greeted the other guests and explored the wonderful loft setting.

After cocktails we sat down to our first plate, a cauliflower soup with blood orange, croutons (that put all other croutons to shame), shallots, and garam masala ice cream. The soup was superb, the kind of soup that you dream about and wish you had an everlasting supply.

For our main course, we were offered grilled King Trumpet mushrooms the size of a french baguette. They were accompanied by a luxurious leek tart, fennel, and lemony ricotta.

For dessert, we delighted in Crispy Arroz con Leche with lavender cream and dried strawberries. The crispy texture outside that oozed with milky rice inside was perfection.

We finished off the meal with candy and cordials which translates into the best ball of something I can't begin to describe that I have ever tasted and a shot of moonshine.

This food is outstanding. Zach and his wife are a perfect team. I cannot wait to go back and take everyone I know.