we are so excited that a great coffee shop opened up in downtown kirkwood! taproom coffee opened it’s doors a couple of weeks ago and is the perfect addition to our neighborhood. they serve specialty coffee, craft beer and snack foods (including charcuterie boards from spotted trotter, soft pretzels from holeman & finch and delicious pastries from mae’s bakery.)

the location is very spacious and comfortable. the vintage seating and lighting works well with the reclaimed wood and soft color palette. it was a definitely a relaxing environment for drinking coffee and/or beer.

taproom coffee started as a kickstarter project from the guy who ran the espresso bar at empire state south. we feel very fortunate they chose kirkwood to open up such a cool place. taproom is open from 7am to 10pm and serves counter culture coffee along with a rotating list of 12 craft beers on draft.

on a side note, i had never had a cortado until visiting taproom. i have to say it was one of the better coffee drinks i’ve had! it’s espresso cut with milk, so similar to a cappuccino but less milk. it was quite tasty and highly recommended!

– ryan

taproom coffee

1963 hosea l williams drive ne r106
atlanta, ga 30317
404-464-5435

we are big fans of urban pie in downtown kirkwood! their thin crust pizza is super tasty and they have a great front porch for outdoor eating. they also deliver, so you can’t go wrong.

check out their menu.

– ryan & gub

urban pie

2012 hosea l williams drive ne
atlanta, ga 30317
404-373-2778

we shared a cupcake from endulge cupcake boutique. it was quite delicious!

– ryan & gub

we were in savannah this weekend for easter, which happened to coincide with record store day 2014. i was able to find a couple of locations that were participating though, so my dad and i decided to see what savannah had to offer. after a uneventful trip to rody’s (their shipment hadn’t arrived), my dad and i headed to graveface records & curiosities, which turned out to be awesome!

we didn’t get there until after noon, the joys of parenthood, so i missed out on the main items i was looking for (ie. chvrches, lcd soundsytem). it was still fun though. they were super packed and had a ton of great stuff, including a couple of items i found for my brother. i definitely plan on visiting graveface next time i’m in savannah!

i have to vent that although i still enjoy record store day, it’s definitely becoming overpriced. i really enjoy ultimate alternative waivers by built to spill and the first album by pinback, however i don’t need them on vinyl for $25.

next door to graveface was this adorable bakery & sandwich shop called back in the day bakery. their food looked really tasty and they had super fun gifts and notecards for sale.

– ryan

graveface records & curiosities

5 west 40th street
savannah, ga 31401
912-335-8018

back in the day bakery

2403 bull street
savannah, ga 31401
912-495-9292

not too long ago we tried pallookaville fine foods for the first time. it’s the new corn dog joint in avondale estates from jim stacy. you may recognize jim from his get delicious! show on public broadcasting atlanta, his appearances on the tonight show, or from his corn dog wagon around atlanta.

if you’re a fan of corn dogs, you’ll love this place! you pick the meat; from beef frank, polish kielbasa, italian sausage, or all three. (there’s even a pickle option for vegetarians.) you also pick the batter; from golden cornbread, jalapeño or cheese. the corn dogs are freshly dipped & fried per order and are 100% delicious! i went with the fryinstein to sample all three meats, but will probably just go with the beef frank next time.

pallookaville also has poutine tater tots or fries (with actual cheese curds), fried pickles, boiled peanuts, handcrafted sodas, shakes (including adult shakes), egg creams, cocktails (included spiced cider options) and many other treats. to say the least, they have plenty of tasty delights to choose from.

here is the menu for a more detailed list of their delicious crafty foods. for a limited time, they have a cadbury scotch egg, which consists of a cadbury egg, funnel caked with pine street bacon, bacon whipped cream and salted caramel!!! sounds delicious!

we will definitely be heading back to pallookaville!

– ryan

pallookaville fine foods

17 north avondale road
avondale estates, ga 30002
404-500-1785

we recently tried the new atlanta bbq restaurant called smoke ring in castleberry hills. i have to say it was very impressive and might give community q a run for it’s money as the best bbq inside the perimeter.

the atmosphere was great, which is a huge part of the bbq experience in my opinion. it was rustic, yet modern and clean. there was reclaimed wood everywhere, vintage chairs & bar stools, drinks in mason jars, and old chandeliers made with edison bulbs and vintage baskets. it also featured a huge open floor plan with plenty of seating, unlike fat matt’s and community q. in the middle was a very inviting gazebo-type booth, we’ll have to sit there next time. there was also outdoor seating with great views of downtown atlanta.

now on to the food. we tried the spare ribs, beef brisket and crispy brussel sprouts, which were amazing! the ribs weren’t quite as good as community q, however they were still great. they featured a dry rub and were smoky, but not too overwhelming. the sliced brisket was top notch! i even liked it more than fox bros brisket, which is saying a lot. their cajun boiled peanuts and homemade pork rinds were also very tasty and highly recommended. as far as sauce goes, they had a tangy red, sweet red, grainy mustard (made with sweetwater 420) and a white sauce, so all of your bases were covered.

another perk of smoke ring was the full liquor bar. they had a good looking selection of bourbon, draft beers, moonshine and craft cocktails, including a boiled peanut martini, which sounded interesting!

check out the full menu as well as more information on chef jordan wakefield and his goal of creating a unique georgia-style bbq.

we will definitely be heading back to smoke ring!

– ryan

smoke ring

309 nelson street sw
atlanta, ga 30313
404-228-6377

we spent a nice sunday afternoon at the peachtree dekalb airport playground watching the airplanes and helicopters take-off! afterwards we hit up bruster’s for some ice cream, which the kids clearly enjoyed!

– ryan & gub

for gubby’s birthday, we had some cake with the kids before heading out to try the kimball house, the new restaurant in downtown decatur by the brickstore and leon’s full service owners. it’s in the old train depot across the street from the dq. the food was delicious, as were the cocktails! we are excited there’s a fun new place in such a beautiful old building.

check out their menu!

– ryan & gub

the kimball house

303 east howard avenue,
decatur, ga 30030
404-436-1825

there is a new crepe & coffee shop in inman park called julianna’s. it’s in the basement of a 110+ year old home and features a quant little setting for some caffeine and sweets. besides crepes, julianna’s also serves dancing goats coffee and sells local goodies, including handmade soaps from mama and local jams & jellies!

i wouldn’t say it was the best crepe i’ve ever had, but julianna’s has a super cute atmosphere and is a great option if you are craving some sweets!

– ryan

julianna’s coffee & crepes

775 lake avenue ne,
atlanta, ga 30307
404-436-1825

on a recent trip to athens for a friend’s wedding, we made a visit to white tiger. we actually hung out with owner ken (& melinda) at the wedding reception the night before. this little gem of a restaurant is hidden back in the historic boulevard district in an unassuming 100+ year old building. white tiger captures the good, easy, comfortable feeling of athens, ga. we love it!

we hit up the all-you-can-eat sunday brunch, which was quite amazing! it was $12 and included coffee and orange juice. the best part of this delicious buffet was the smoked pork! who said you shouldn’t eat bbq with your breakfast?

besides smoked pork, we are big fans of white tiger’s pimento & cheese. check out their menu for all they have to offer.

we will definitely head back to white tiger on future athens adventures!

– ryan & gub

white tiger

217 hiawassee avenue
athens, ga 30601
404-373-5507