Peachtrees and Cheese, If You Please

I do love a good adventure. And not just the "Oh my gosh, run for your lives!" type. I've forced myself to search my everyday existence for little adventures, you know, the ordinary kind that could easily slip through our blur of days. This Saturday was no exception. My husband had to rush to the city in order to rent a lens for his afternoon photo shoot. At the last minute, he asked if I wanted to go along. "Sure," says I. It was Saturday, after all, and I didn't want to be cooped up in the garage alone.


We dashed to the Jeep, super hero style, and took to the expressway, doing our best to beat the almighty clock that was tick-ticking away. We pulled into PPR one minute to close time (eleven fifty-nine am to be precise) and Jon slid in under the radar (whew!).

Now what? Lens in hand, we had until 2:30 to meander around the great wide city of Atlanta. It's not a place to which we venture often. We live only a half hour away and yet we tend to avoid it as if it was infested with spiders and overrun with bubonic plague! Why? It's not for hate of the city, but for loathing of the traffic. (For those of you who have never experienced Atlanta traffic, I offer you this and this for your viewing pleasure.)


We knew that traffic hell usually emerged only during weekdays (or after 3pm on weekends) so we decided to brave the city and take in a couple of our favorite sites. First stop: Sam Flax art supplies. If you are even remotely interested in picking up an artistic hobby, this is the place to go. It's wonderful! A warehouse full of brushes and palettes and ink and paper. Their prices are really good to and this is a plus when you carve your own stamps and one sheet of rubber costs around $30 normally! They also have a stationary section that sells the most delectable assortment of papers, note cards, invitations, announcements and wrapping paper you could ever hope to feast your eyes upon (excuse me while I wipe the drool from my paper obsessed mouth...).


After exercising considerable restraint and leaving Sam Flax empty handed (cue weeping violin), we decided it would be way more fun to visit our favorite cheese shop than go home. I mean, who'd pass on a shop that lets you taste as many different cheeses as they can carry? Tucked in a shopping center on Peachtree Road, Savor Gourmet is a gorgeous haven for the foodie, harboring everything from $50 bottles of balsamic vinegar to little jars of canapes, pink sea salt with edible gold (I'm serious) to Alton Brown's latest gear guide (or trip-tastic travelogue!). The cheese selection may not be as awe inspiring as the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day, but their modest selection is varied and yummy and as go-broke-worthy as a $5 sale at Barnes and Nobel. As tempting as it was, we passed on the pound of cheese in favor of our weekend away (which, by the way, will become lovely fodder for a post next week!). We did, however, discover a tasty little beauty that harbored the flavors of both cayenne pepper and cocoa. That will most definitely be on my shopping list for next visit.


We ended our visit with lunch at their amazing bistro. Their sandwiches are made with fresh ingredients, imported from various states and European countries. They are all named after said European countries (and the occasional dictator...) and they are out of this world. My favorite? The Paris on Ciabatta: ham, Gruyere, little sour pickles and fresh butter from Normandy. Can't say no to Gruyere and French butter! Jon had the Milan: sun dried tomatoes, prosciutto, pesto and arugula on Ciabatta. I tasted it, for research purposes of course, and can say it was almost as good as the Paris!


I don't wander to the city that often, but I enjoy those times that I do. It's different and vibrant and exciting. There's always something going on and there are lovely little shops (like those visited above) to explore. I look forward to my next foray into the big city. Who knows what we'll discover. More cheese? A chocolatier? Ooooh, let the hunt begin!


Cheers!
Jen