Christmas Festival in Tallahassee

This weekend Tallahassee will host their annual Winter Festival from 3pm -10pm this Saturday, November 20, 2012.

Capital Health Plan 3K Jingle Bell Run ~ 6:15pm
(Immediately following the Lighting Ceremony)
Location: Corner of Park Avenue at South Monroe Street
You can STILL sign up! Register at the event.

City of Tallahassee Your Own Utilities Nighttime Holiday Parade ~ 7:15pm
Start: North Monroe Street at Tennessee Street
End: Gaines Street at South Monroe Street

Also enjoy:
Arts/Crafts Dealers, Exhibitors, 5 Stages of Entertainment, Food Vendors, Animated Illuminated Holiday Displays and Youth Ornament Tree Display


http://www.talgov.com/parks/parks-winter.aspx


ALSO THIS WEEKEND...

The largest craft show, Market Days is at the Tallahassee Fairgrounds on Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm. The show costs Adults -- $6, Children 6-12 -- $4, Early Bird tickets -- $25, & Premium parking -- $3. You will find jewelry, art, woodworking, clothing, food, and so much more. If you are buying for people who appreciate buying local, you will be able to find them something here. Last year I bought a water color painting that I love.


Lemoyne is hosting their Annual Holiday Show if you are looking for local art!
November 22 – December 23, 2012

Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m.

http://www.lemoyne.org/events/annual-holiday-show/

Travel: Sandestin - An Escape

I was lucky enough to have a strapping young man accompany me to Sandestin for the Veterans Day Weekend. We called last minute and got reservations at the boutique hotel of Sandestin, the LeCiel hotel. I learned that Sandestin is a large development stretching from the bay to the beach with residential and commercial properties within its borders. There is a small downtown area with great nightlife and restaurants, a beach area with amenities and rentals, and recreational opportunities. Included in your stay is 4 hours of bike rental, one hour kayaking, and free trolley throughout the property.

Once we arrive we went straight to the beach for lunch and ate outside on the porch at Finz, which had good food and a great view. Although we were ferociously attacked by seagulls, we enjoyed our meal. We walked down to the beach and I was surprised at how powdered white the sugar sand was. I never wanted to admit that any beaches were better than the one I grew up by, but the sand in Sandestin was much finer. We finished lunch and headed to the outlet mall to shop till we dropped! To finish the day up I was treated to a delicious dinner at the Marlin Grill. The portions were huge and we could have shared an entree of the fresh fish that was perfectly prepared. We ended the night with a cocktail at the Village Door Nightclub.


http://www.sandestin.com/ExploreSandestin/Accommodations/Bayside/LeCiel.aspx?itc=rstmap
http://www.marlingrill.com/

Tallahassee Young Actors Theater - Celebrity Performance

Every season the Tallahassee Young Actors Theater hosts a fundraising performance with special guest performances from leaders throughout the Tallahassee community. This year they chose Annie to include members from the county and city commissions, sheriff, local television stars, and business leaders. They offer light appetizers and drinks before the show on their patio for a chance to mingle. The show itself is filled with extremely talented young thespians who act out a great performance, but to add a catch they insert older and less experienced characters throughout the play. Some performances were impressive such as Julie Montanaro, local WCTV anchor, who had an amazing voice and stage presence. Then there were the less skilled characters who did a grand job of ad libbing when they had forgotten their lines adding an element of comedy to the show. I would recommend attending this performance if you are able to recognize the celebrity cast member and to raise funds for a great program. If you missed the opportunity I would still suggest you spend an evening being entertained by these talented young actors.

http://www.youngactorstheatre.com/index.cfm?pageId=3&ContentId=20

Event: Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival 11.16-11.18.2012

http://pwaf.org/

Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival

November 16-18, 2012

Thomasville Center for the Arts
600 East Washington Street
Thomasville, Georgia

Get in the Spirit

Here is a list of Christmas events that are an entertaining and creative way to spend the holiday season!

Thomasville's Victorian's Christmas

December 13 & 14

http://www.downtownthomasville.com/?page_id=22

Dorothy B. Oven Park Lights

December 1st - January

http://tallyconnection.com/2012/11/the-beautiful-holiday-lights-at-dorothy-b-oven-park-in-tallahassee/

Take a stroll around Lake Ella after dinner and grab a hot chocolate from Black Dog Cafe and drive over to Dorothy B Oven Park for their holiday light show. There usually is a wait at the entrance off Thomasville Rd, but once you drive through you can park and walk around. 

The Nutcracker

December 8 & 9th

http://www.tallahasseeballet.org/index.cfm?pageId=101

The Tallahassee Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Ruby Diamond Auditorium is $35-45, show featuring the Tallahassee Orchestra.

Saturday, December 8, 2012
10:30am Children's Abbreviated Matinee*
8:00pm Opening Night
Sunday, December 9, 2012
2:30pm Full-length Matinee

Christmas in Narnia

December 14 at 7:00pm until December 15 at 2:00pm

http://www.facebook.com/events/480527618647460/

The show is performed at the Leaf Theatre in Quincy.

10th Annual Nautical Night of Lights Boat Parade

Saturday, Dec. 13 evening

Sandestin Baytowne Marina 

http://www.sandestin.com/MediaRoom/NewsReleases/SandestinChristmasontheCoast.aspx
Festive vessels will leave the Baytowne Marina on Saturday, Dec. 13, decked in joyful Christmas pageantry and parade through the gentle bay waters giving on-lookers an extraordinary visual experience. I used to enjoy these back home crowing up and now it's even better with a bottle of wine and watch the boats float by.

Florida vs George - Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

I've gone to Jacksonville for most of these games since I was a freshman at UF, and this year I was blessed to have amazing seats to the game. Now I have alumni friends and family that live at the beaches so this game gives me an excuse to visit them. I tend to have a great time since I get the best of both worlds. However this year we did lose so it wasn't as amazing as it could have been. My sister came into town with her fiance and I drove over with my boyfriend to stay in Neptune beach for the weekend. We had dinner at Salt Life (like the stickers you see on the back of everyone's cars) which is a casual but nice seafood restaurant specializing in Poke Bowls. It's a tuna roll without the seaweed served in a bowl, but it's delicious! Then we went out to Pete's since it's basically tradition now that we stop in just to make sure it's still in business. This bar is grungy but welcoming. It has a jukebox  pool tables, and a lot of smoke. It's Jacksonville's version of the Palace Saloon. Then we went over to Ragtime which was filled with beach goers that were all about 40 and up but everyone was decked out in either red, orange, or blue. I love spending time in Atlantic beach and bouncing around to the bars and I highly recommend staying at the beach instead of downtown. We usually will have a beach day in there somewhere but a cold front came through which left us in long pants and sweaters. 

On gameday the best spot to be is in the fairgrounds, but we just parked in the ghetto in an empty lot for $25 and walked over to the party. First we had to buy some boiled peanuts from the buy selling them from his bike, use the bathroom in the church where they were hosting a watch party, turn down the mobile paper towel sale out of the back of a truck, and finally eat our publix subs for lunch and then we could walk over to the fairgrounds. We hopped around to a couple of friend's tailgates before heading into the game. A word to the wise, make sure you get a precise tailgate location before heading into the fairgrounds because you'll be walking around forever looking for them. For those who tailgate in the fairgrounds, you can rent a port-o-potty for only a couple hundred and it's well worth it because the lines are not fun! Especially with a belly full of beer :)

It was about that time so we ate a couple more drunken gummy bears and headed into the game. I arranged for the six of us to sit together in the club level Gators side of course, but little did we know we would be in the front row on the 45 yard line! We jumped for joy as we walked down to row A for our seats. Although we were screaming our lungs out hoping the Gators would pull ahead, in the meantime we made friends with the security officials, the flight crew who did the fly over, but most importantly Albert and Alberta. We were on TV a few times and had a blast although we lost. I knew I was going to hear about it in the office back in Tallahassee on Monday, but for now we were having fun. The game ended and we headed back to our car and made the drive back across the bridge to the beaches. Stopped in to Poe's Tavern for some comfort food and to watch the Alabama game on TV (for the boyfriend since he came to my game). The food there never disappoints and the soups are delicious. 

The next morning we had a big farewell at Metro Diner, where the wait is so long they dispense free coffee out front so you don't leave. I got the Yo Hala on the Square which I will not be ordering again. It was two massive slices of Challah bread stuffed with sauteed bananas and cream cheese, then prepared like french toast topped with a berry sauce. It was enough to feed a few people and it seemed a little doughey and gooey for me. I'm a more traditional breakfast gal, but I like to find out if a restaurant's specialty actually tastes good. It's VERY sweet and VERY big. Another recommendation I would make for food while visiting Jacksonville Beach is Taco Lu which usually has a long wait too but they're moving to a larger location so we can all fit!  I look forward to another excuse to visit the beaches of Jacksonville!

Thomasville Treasure - George & Louie's

I rode up to Thomasville last night expecting a romantic dinner at Liam's, but apparently Liam's is closed most nights so I got a pleasant surprise. A quaint seafood restaurant just around the corner from downtown Thomasville called George & Louie's. It's been in business since 1981, so you know they're doing something right. This restaurant appeals to the traditional Thomasville diners who want fresh food without the "fuss". They offer craft beers and wine, southern fried (or grilled) fresh seafood, in house sauces, and a hint of Greek heritage offered through their salads. The restaurant is a newly renovated large open dining space with polished concrete floors, solid wood tables, and aluminum chairs that complement each other effortlessly. The walls are bright white with oversized windows making the place feel open and inviting. The indoor space is accompanied with a handful of tables outside with umbrellas.

George greeted us at the counter as I took forever to read the menu, which was handwritten on 6 large chalkboards that hang behind the counter, he prepared our iced tea. I ordered the special which consisted of an entire mullet fried (two fillets), a deviled crab, cheese grits, and coleslaw.  The mullet was fresh with a thick and crispy fried exterior. I would not get the deviled crab again, but I don't think I've ever cared for deviled crab anyways. The coleslaw was crunchy and good, but was uncomparable to the creamy cheese grits which could have been my dessert. Everything was served in a basket with wax paper, sides are served in styrofoam cups, and plastic silverware to top it all off. My handsome date recounted his childhood memories growing up just around the corner while we shared the most amazing order of cheese grits I've ever had. I introduced myself to George who had been so attentive during our meal I was tempted to offer him a seat so I could hear about the history of the place. He told us that his parents were both from Greece; the photos on the wall leading to the restrooms corroborated his story. The frames were filled with old school photographs of a family holding hands dancing in a circle with smiles on their faces. They reminded me of old photos I had seen of my grandfather and his family. I told him I really enjoyed the food and the restaurant and couldn't wait to come back to try the greek salad.

As we were leaving I noticed they had a drive through!

The menu and pictures of the restaurants are on their website.

Home of the freshest Seafood, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Louie’s Famous Greek Salad!
http://www.georgeandlouies.com/

The Front Porch

It happened! I went last night and had a scrumptious dinner. The restaurant was booked so we grabbed one of the first come first serve high tables around the bar.  The chairs have a low back so they weren't very comfortable but I was just glad we found a table for dinner. The ambiance was very airy but romantic with oversized chandeliers hanging above the bar surrounded by the large oak trees. They did a great job setting the scene. The wine wasn't overpriced and was smooth and just what we were looking for. If you're ordering a bottle, see if Lee (the restaurant's sommelier  I think) is around to make a couple of recommendations. We had something that wasn't even on the menu and was only $30 a bottle.We started with an order of the fresh and fried calamari which was tossed in a light chili glaze accompanied with an aioli dipping sauce. It was good, but I probably would try something different next time. We proceeded onto our main courses which were suggested by Joe Rego their head chef, also the champion on Food Network's Chopped show. I was with a couple other ladies so we shared a few items off the menu for entrees.

The lobster cannelloni was lighter than I was expecting served with crisp asparagus and this delicious lobster sauce. Our other main course was the scallops and creamy risotto. These were the best scallops I've ever had, they were fresh and seared on either side just enough to form a light crust on either side of the scallop. I would have liked to see the scallops served with a more flavorful side but that's just me being picky. Onto dessert, which could have used a little help. They serve their tiramisu with soaked twinkies and call it the "Twinkimisu", which actually was a nice change but they needed to soak just a bit longer to taste the espresso more. The other dessert was the roasted apple with gelato, which had a tasty sauce but they could have dressed up the apple with a glaze or something. The gelato was more like ice cream than the creamy gooey I remembered from Europe. I'm not saying these desserts weren't delectable but I was disappointed that they didn't have the traditional key lime pie they had served at the grand opening or the flourless chocolate torte. Overall, I would give shining stars to the lobster entree, the scallops and the wine of course.

The New Crepevine

Here's the deal with Crepvine. A gentleman named Serge Osaulenko (like surge but don't even try to pronounce the last name) from Uzbekistan decided to put a crepe griddle in his fraternity house after returning from overseas and realizing there was something we were missing out on, the crepe. Crepes run rampant around Europe, especially on every menu in France, but the last place I would expect to find them is in a frat house at FSU. So Serge started cooking them up and his brothers were forking  over $5 a piece for a slice of deliciousness. He saved up enough to open up a storefront and serve an even larger population at FSU off Pensacola. Meanwhile I was in Gainesville eating what I thought was the next big thing which was Pita Pit. Chicken caesar pita at 2am was the the best! Anyways back to Crepevine. So Serge started this company and it took off. Local investors got a hold of his business plan and now there are multiple locations in Tallahassee. My favorite is the midtown location off Monroe Street, mainly because it's by my house. Crepevine has turned into a unique franchise opportunity that is spreading very quickly (I think Orlando is coming soon). So today they had their grand opening of the Railroad location which has a great wrap around porch that connects to Side Bar. If you haven't tried Crepevine, you should. It's a slightly healthy quick meal that tastes pretty good and is consistent. I am going to recommend the wobbles with double turkey, no chicken and feta cheese. Their remoulade is pretty awesome so ask for it on the side so you can dip your crepe into it, a new tip I learned today :) If you try this restaurant (either midtown or railroad location) you will most likely get hooked and get crepe cravings like me!

Halloween 2012

I start Halloween off with a small gathering of good friends along with my neighbors and their friends. We ended up with about 45 people coming by our party snacking on chili and cider in the backyard with a small fire burning. I live with a few other neighbors in one building so we tend to throw parties together and include the whole building.  Halloween party 2012 was a success. Once we had a couple Octoberfest beers or cups of cider in us we headed out to the bars. It was a wednesday so I wasn't planning on getting wild, so off to Midtown we went. When we showed up at Filling Station (where we went last year) it was pretty dead. Not the party we all got dressed up for at the least. So we hopped back in the car and rode off to Level 8 where our friends had bottle service and people went all out in costume.

I was pretty impressed with the cardboard robots and the giant Ted, but my two friends dressed as Prince and Michael Jackson and I didn't even recognize them. Jerry curl and red leather jacket they pulled off a couple of great costumes. I stopped by the army surplus store and got a standard issued button up dress shirt and a couple of patches that I pinned to myself and went as a military pinup girl. I got the idea that a few of us gals could dress up like the 1940's poster girls in different outfits. My other girlfriend came as a housewife, which is what she is in real life too ;) Level 8 was packed with girls in underwear and guys in clever outfits and good music. We then headed off to Clydes which happened to be hosting the law school Halloween party so I ran into a few friends there too. They had a live band that was good but I didn't have quite as much fun there as we did at Level 8. I've noticed that they started etching glasses with your initials if you are a member of their drinking club. I made up the drinking club part but a ton of my friends seemed to be members. I'll have to look into this further to find out how I can get my hands on one of these! Here are a couple of pictures of the costumes and me of course ;)

The Front Porch Preview Party

The much anticipated Front Porch is now open! I went to the grand opening but didn't get a really good idea of what their food was like with the small appetizers they were passing around. I will say that the desserts were awesome! The key lime pie and flourless chocolate torte alone gave me enough reason to revisit and reorder. The other appetizers were somewhat forgettable, the lamb was a little chewy, the melon and prosciutto disinteresting, yet the Vidalia onion tarts with toasted pecans were pretty awesome. I didn't get enough to form a valid opinion yet I have heard from other fine diners that this place cooks up some AMAZING food; I would credit this all to Joe Rego (head chef).  There are still some kinks to work out in terms of service, but I will be back to report when I get a chance to order a full meal. The atmosphere and the renovations were well done and add a lot to this space. The outdoor patio is by favorite with a massive wrap around bar in the middle next to an outdoor dining area. There is a great diagonal accent wall against the massive oak that grows right up through the patio area.


Check it out before you go:
http://frontporchtallahassee.com/