As is the meal! We’ve been wanting to try STG Trattoria since it opened, despite its opening to mixed reviews. The AJC gave it 2 out of 5 stars, and we’d heard so-so anecdotal responses as well. So why did we want to try it? Few of the obvious reasons: Italian is our favorite, we love trying the new spot in town, it’s in our neighborhood, yada yada. However, we really wanted to try it because it was opened by the owner of Bocado. And while we don’t love Bocado (the menu is just weird), we do like that it’s a fun place to have a midrange night out (it’s not Fourth & Swift but it’s not Zoe’s). And if there is any category of restaurant that Atlanta is missing out on, it’s the nice / midrange spot.
So perhaps it’s because our expectation was low, but we really liked it. We sat outside, but the inside is really charming too (the entryway doubles as a wine cellar). We had two apps: the beet salad and the pork meatballs…both yummy. And then the pork sausage pizza. We don’t have the most discerning palate when it comes to pizza napoletana, as we’ve never really met a slice we didn’t like, but we thought this iteration was satisfying as well.
Friends who like the exact things that you like are so hard to shop for. Need a new idea quick? Reader g-love sent these journals our way. We normally think a journal is not a great gift because it’s such a personal decision, but these personalized (ha!) journals are too cute to refuse. So presh!
“I don’t want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need…”
The holidays can be a lonely time. And let’s face it, some single women probably get Christmas cards and start to think about the things in their lives they don’t have. But not our Reader Melby. Nope, Reader Melby doesn’t get cards of weddings and babies and lab puppies and feel sorry for herself. Instead, she thinks about the best thing that happened to her in 2011, and she shares that with the world.** That’s right Melissa. You may not have a relationship, but you are never alone when you have a bad a pair of Tory Burch boots.*
And now we have major boot envy!! These tall, dark, and handsome boots are basically the embodiment (embootiment?) of our dream man! Dear Santa, will you please bring elaney a pair so we can stomp around Atlanta with Reader Melby??
*Reader Melby (who arguably gets called out on elaney more than anyone else) graciously gave us permission to write this post with the caveat that we must explain that the Christmas card is a complete joke only to be shared with a few of her close girl friends (and now the Internet).
**The runner up idea for her Christmas card was a picture of her with a man with his face cutout and the words “Your face here in 2012.” (Sorry Melby. We had to.)
As a long distance runner, people are always asking, “What do you do when you run? Don’t you get bored??” Well, no, not really. Sometimes we think, sometimes we pray, and sometimes we learn the words to rap songs. Like we did on the most recent 20 miler through the Emory neighborhood. And yes, we can now rap both verses of “Super Bass.” And it’s kind of awesome. Feel free to request a performance (I’m sure emum and my co-workers would appreciate a reprieve). But looks like we aren’t the only ones! Here’s to little ones with lots of personality.
Um, they were good. The Britney performance was a bit of a tease (waay too short), and emum said that the way Beyonce told the world she was pregnant would make her grandmother roll over in her grave (we think the exact quote was “First the Democrats and now the VMAs. I’m worried about our country”), but overall we were happy, happy, young pop lovers last night. Britney looked good as she accepted the lifetime achievement award (at 29, which is perhaps ancient in MTVland). Biebs is just stoic and growing up in front of our eyes. (Also, who in the world were the noms for best new artist?!? Only heard of one. Note to self: Renew subscription to TigerBeat asap). Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Gaga. She was predictably unpredictable and dressed like a man. We loved her performance, but we were a little weirded out by how long the guise lasted. She must feel really comfortable in her own skin to do that on public television. Was it brilliant or creepy? Overall thoughts on the night?
Reader Melby: “Ugh. I’m trying to work on a proposal for the CMO of [large corporation]. What I want to say is, ‘You think marketing a major consumer brand is hard? You should try being me. Let me tell you what real problems are.’”
It’s true. It really is the end of elaney. There is just not enough time in the day to do everything, and we feel the blogosphere is already sufficiently populated with neglected blogs. I started this blog as an exercise in creative writing, and it has been a very fun one. But – I think it’s time to move on (It’s sort of like watching Saved by the Bell on TBS in the mornings. At some point, you outgrow it). I will miss you, and I thank you for reading.
