we recently tried rustico prosecco by nino franco. we’ve been keeping an eye out for this bubbly since it was mentioned in june 5th’s splendid table episode. prosecco is a dry sparkling wine made from glara grapes, which are mainly grown in the veneto region of italy. these italian grapes were formally known as prosecco grapes.

the fermentation process of this sparkling wine takes place in stainless steel tanks, making it less expensive to produce then champagne. as a result, prosecco has drastically risen in popularity outside of italy in recent years. if you’re looking for a great bubbly for under $15, keep your eyes out for a prosecco.

we found the 2008 rustico at the candler park market in atlanta. we spent a nice summer evening drinking this crisp, dry prosecco!

– ryan & gub

we heart peaches and boiled peanuts from our nearby roadside produce stand! david’s produce & specialties has the feel of an old general store and offers all sorts of southern goodies. they sell locally-grown organic produce, including great heirloom tomatoes and shelled peas, as well as homemade sweets, preserves and sauces. the homemade layered cakes are supposed to be amazing, although we haven’t tried them.

– ryan & gub

david’s produce & specialties

3561 lavista road
decatur, ga 30033
404-325-0709

we always visit york beach if we are up in maine. it’s this beautiful little beach town with picturesque houses along the coast. near the boardwalk you’ll find an old timey arcade called the fun o rama as well as indoor candlepin bowling and putt putt. it’s pretty awesome. there are also lots of shops and restaurants to check out as you walk along the cute streets in this new england beach town.

one of the years we visited york beach the fog was so thick you couldn’t even see the ocean. there is a photo of the fog below.

– ryan & gub

i turned 30, which is kind of crazy. to make the most of such a big birthday, i tried to do something fun every hour and take photos.

here’s what i got into:

last time i drove to chicago, i visited the abraham lincoln birthplace national historic park in hodgenville, kentucky. this 100-year-old memorial is actually the original lincoln memorial; the washington d.c. memorial came later. the cabin where lincoln was born is on display, as is sinking spring, the lincoln family’s water source. the park recently celebrated lincoln’s bicentennial with various events and festivities.

the memorial was really great, especially when splitting up the drive from chicago to atlanta. i am also a sucker for kitchy souveniers and had a blast at the nancy lincoln inn. i found all sorts of old timey lincoln products i could not resist buying. if you are ever looking for a fun excursion while driving through kentucky, keep your eyes out for abraham lincoln’s birthplace.

– ryan

abraham lincoln birthplace

7120 bardstown road
hodgenville, ky 42748
270-358-3137

we have been on a kick of trying white wines from unique regions of the world. we recently had a rhône wine from the côtes du rhône appellation, which we learned is one of the oldest vineyards in france. we had a bottle of 2007 belleruche from m. chapourtier, made with white grenache, clairette and bourboulenc grapes. we enjoyed this crisp white wine along with fresh cut cucumbers from our garden. it was dry, light and great for summer drinking.

be sure to click on the image above to see a larger version. the wine label featured braille, which we had never noticed on a bottle before.

we found the belleruche from m. chapourtier at the candler park market in atlanta.

– ryan & gub

we really enjoyed the ola podrida show last wednesday night at the drunken unicorn! they played a steady stream of hits from their two albums and left you wanting more. seeing the songs played by a full band was great as well, we had only seen david wingo play solo before. with a full array of instruments, the songs were loud and rocking. highlights were jordanna, your father’s basement, and cindy, which closed the night.

i picked up belly of the lion on soda bottle colored vinyl and also grabbed a cool split 7″ ola podrida put out with xoxo panda, aka her space holiday. the packaging for the split 7″ is really amazing, plus it’s on blue and white swirled vinyl. order the belly of the lion vinyl here before they are all gone, only 250 were pressed.

listen to some ola podrida songs on their myspace page.

– ryan & gub

i recently tried the brew free or die ipa by 21st amendment brewery. this beer is great! it’s a golden ipa, so it’s extra hoppy but also light bodied. it’s the perfect summertime beer for hop lovers, especially if you enjoy cascade hops. and at 7% abv, you really can’t go wrong with this beer.

check out our write-up on the hell or high watermelon for reasons why craft beer in a can is a good thing.

– ryan

21st amendment brewery

563 2nd street
san francisco, ca 94107
415-369-0900

we picked our first ripe cantaloupe and it was amazing! as a tribute, we gathered photos to show the life of our melon.

fyi, we learned that you can tell if a cantaloupe is ripe by lightly thumping where the stem meets the navel of the melon. if the stem easily breaks off, it’s ready!

– ryan & gub

have you ever noticed the statue at the corner of monument avenue and mcpherson avenue in east atlanta? intrigue got the better of me this morning and i pulled over to see what it was.

i found a little park with an upturned cannon marking the spot where general james b. mcpherson was killed in the battle of atlanta on july 22, 1864, exactly 146 years ago today. mcpherson was the highest ranking union officer killed during the american civil war. according to the wiki, “the spot is marked by a union cannon once placed at glenwood road and flat shoals road to protect the flank of the front line and return fire against the defensive positions built by lemuel p. grant.”

i had no idea the statue i see on the way to east atlanta village had such historical significance. i will definitely pull over more often when i see these historical markers.

check out this old photo of the monument from the atlanta history center album archives.

– ryan

mcpherson monument

corner of monument avenue & mcpherson avenue
atlanta, ga 30316