The Colonnade

Friday dinner at The Colonnade. Temps have started to cool off around the Atlanta area (though we are still in the 70s during the day... how fantastical is that!) and there was a nice chill in the air on Friday evening. I had a major craving for good quality comfort food, so I hit up my trusty laptop for some recs. Since we moved to Atlanta, Citysearch has become my best friend. For the most part, their "best of" choices are spot on, and the reviews on the site are always noteworthy. The site recommended The Colonnade as the Best of Citysearch Comfort Food this year, and it has received accolades from Citysearch users in the past. I figured it would be just the thing to satisfy my comfort food craving. Located just off Cheshire Bridge amongst a slew of strip clubs, the parking lot was packed when we arrived... always a good sign, no? We had a bit of a wait, so we sidled up to the bar. The drink prices were delightfully affordable... we're talking a martini for $3.50 here people. The crowd was a mishmash... regulars who've been patrons since the 1960's, the gay crowd, families, and couples young and old. The restaurant itself was founded in 1927 and is the epitome of throwback America. It made me just the slightest bit nostalgic, because in high school I used to work at Gramma Sally's, a pancake house that also served great meat-n-three dinners. There just aren't many places like that around anymore. And it doesn't look like the Colonnade is going away anytime soon. They serve those uber-yummy warm yeast rolls to start off your meal, and they totally have that 'restaurant ranch dressing' as I like to call it... kind of runny with a great buttermilk flavor. It's nearly impossible to find in a bottle. I had the fried chicken with macaroni & cheese and cole slaw and it was delicious. The dinner made for fabulous day-after leftovers. The Mister had the braised short ribs with loaded smashed potatoes, also very yummy. There was a nice selection on the menu, and I can't wait to go back and try something else. 3. The Mister and I occasionally like to enjoy the outdoors. With the cooler temps this weekend, we decided to head up to the mountains of North Georgia in the Chattahoochee National Forest for an evening of camping. It might surprise a few of you that I am somewhat of an outdoor girl, but I went to Girl Scout Camp for 6 years as a youth so the spiders & dirt don't bother me so much...if just for a few days. We ended up at Desoto Falls, just about an hour and a half north of Atlanta. Although we didn't get to enjoy all the hiking trails, here are some pics of some of the waterfalls onsite. My apologies for not putting them directly in the post, Blogger is being pesty today. Overall it was a great evening away from the city, and the canine really enjoyed it. It was her reward for us being out of town for the last two weekends. :)