Tucked away in a quiet strip mall on Roswell Road is a place where young and old alike come to celebrate the weekend.  I am talking about Johnny’s Hideaway, “Atlanta’s Only Nightclub for Big Kids.”  And they aren’t kidding. 

Johnny’s specializes in music from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and they mean it.  From The Contours, The Beach Boys and The Temptations to Madonna, ABBA and Shania Twain, they basically play all of your favorite songs from the 40’s on. 

Now I am not the biggest dancer, but the music and energy of the place will get you out on the dance floor.  Please be advised that they do not allow drinks on the dance floor and will seriously take your drink away from you and throw it away.  They take their dancing very seriously at Johnny’s.

The clientele has to be my favorite part about Johnny’s.  No where else will you find 20-somethings mixed in with 80-somethings; the age ranges are endless.  There is a little bit of a “cougar” feel to the place but it’s part of the atmosphere and really, part of the fun.  It’s a place where anyone, regardless of age, can come and dance without feeling out of place or unwelcome.  Just beware ladies, those older gentlemen are persistent.

If you are looking for an intimate evening, go elsewhere.  But if you and your friends are looking for a fun, dance-filled night, give Johnny’s a try.

Posted by: Rachel

Spaghetti Junction: Make this mess a little more pleasant

So, I may be one of the most un-Green people around. If I’ve parked my car in front of one store and need to go to another in the same shopping plaza…yes, I will drive my car 5 whole feet instead of walking.

Before you start throwing your red paint on my fur coat, know that I am making an effort to turn over a new leaf. I may even buy one of those trendy “I am not a Plastic Bag” or “Green is Good” canvas bags to carry my groceries in. Maybe. But one thing that I am definitely going to try is participating in the Georgia Clean Air Campaign. I’d like to think I can do a little bit to keep the air so fresh and so clean around Atlanta…and plus, there’s a monetary benefit.

There are a variety of ways to get involved in this campaign, but I think the easiest for us young working folk is to sign up for the “cash for commuters” program. If you’re currently driving alone, consider asking around your office to see if there is someone you can start carpooling with. Fill out an application to do so here, and you can earn up to $3 a day for 90 days. That’s $180, people.

Trouble finding other treehugging souls to carpool with? Go to RideSmart to be instantly matched up.

Posted by: Tina

So, it seems like I am always craving Mexican food.  And last night was no different.  Unfortunately, it was Sunday which meant that Nuevo Laredo and Taqueria del Sol were both closed.  So, my boyfriend (AJ) and I decided to venture down Buford Highway to find an authentic Mexican restaurant.

Lucky for us, we found the perfect place.  After getting some advice from Jason Perlow’s blog (Off the Broiler) that we found off Google, we made our trek to Chamblee.  El Rey Del Taco is a 24 hour Mexican diner that serves all things Mexican from tacos and tortas (sandwiches) to steaks and seafood. 

AJ and I decided to stay with the tacos and tortas.  The tacos come in two sizes, regular and mini, which are perfect for trying.  We started with a cheese dip, then moved on to steak, pork and Chorizo tacos filled with onions and cilantro and also tried the Milanesa torta stuffed with lettuce, tomatoe, avocado, cheese and jalapenos.  It was awesome.  Our dishes came with a side of a green sauce which was extremely hot but good, a smoky red sauce and limes.  This was perfect for me because I love condiments and all things spicy. 

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves Mexican food.  It’s a little bit of a drive but totally worth it.

El Rey Del Taco – 5288 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30340, (770) 986-0032

Posted by:  Rachel

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to lunch at Maxim magazine’s new restaurant Maxim Prime.  It is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta in the trendy Glynn Hotel and is the first of many Maxim Prime locations Maxim plans to open in the future.

At first glance, the whole experience was so exciting.  The Glynn Hotel is super trendy and fun and walking through it made me feel like it was a special occasion.  The decor is very modern.  Maxim Prime is no different; very modern and trendy-feeling.  I felt like I was in a different city.

Unfortunately, the restaurant did not live up to its first impression.  The dining area was empty and the service was slow and awkward.  Our lunch took 2 1/2 hours which is understandable for a packed restaurant or a large party, but when there are only 3 other tables besides our 3 top, it’s hard to accept.  It seems like there was one server who knew what was going on and she ran around fixing things.  The manager did come and speak to our table but only did so because he knew someone in our party. 

The food was okay.  I started out with the oysters rockefeller with a lobster hollandaise that was overpowering and finished with a Cobb salad that was average, if not a little below average.  My company had sliders with a ginger sauce that was good and the steak sandwich which was just average as well.

Overall, it was not a good experience.  It was too expensive for the quality of food and service.  But, to be fair, we went for lunch.  Maybe dinner is run differently. 

Maxim Prime has a rooftop lounge which is supposed to be fabulous (it was closed when I went).  I have heard that it’s the place to be on Wednesday nights.  I would love to see the rooftop; it would be a great place to grab some drinks if you are ever downtown.  Just make other dinner plans.

Maxim Prime

Maxim Prime’s Menu

Posted by: Rachel

You don’t have to travel across the US to experience beautiful wine country…in fact, you don’t even need to leave the state. Dahlonega, Georgia (and surrounding areas) is just a 65 mile drive from Atlanta and houses 3 fabulous wineries just miles apart from each other. My absolute favorite is Frogtown. Famous for its award winning wines and delicious Sunday brunches, Frogtown is the perfect place to grab a seat outside and enjoy the view while sipping a wide variety of wines(19 to be exact). After Frogtown, head across the street to Blackstock Vineyards…not the best view, but still great wines and a fun porch with long benches if you have a large group. Next is Wolf Mountain. I would go to this one last, because its closer into the town of Dahlonega. They usually have live music and wine-making tours on the weekends. Most of the wineries overlook the foot of the Appalachian Trail so you are sure to have beautiful views on the ride. Georgia wine country is perfect for a weekend getaway with your significant other or a fun day trip with the girls. (And dont forget to stop at the outlets on your way up!)

Posted by: Brittney

Cynthia Steffe dress, Gilt Groupe sale

It’s a great thing that the internet can open up fashion horizons just about anywhere.

One trend that we’re seeing is the emergence of online sample sales, to those of us not fortunate enough to live somewhere where they have them in you know, real life.

Warning: many of these sites offer products that an everyday 20-something may not feel is “affordable”. I know that I am window shopper here for sure. But for those special pieces, or maybe your first foray into couture, check these first two out:

www.gilt.com

www.ideeli.com

You’ll notice that both are “invitation only”. Lucky for you, I’m a member, so give me a shout and I can get you on board.

Another email service I like is Shop It To Me. Not quite a sample sale – think more a “personal shopper”. You can edit what brands you are looking for and at what frequency you what deals delivered to your inbox. Then, you’ll get an email with an aggregate of sales and deals from various retail outlets (from Bluefly to Zappos to Saks and Nordstrom).

http://www.shopittome.com

Posted by: Tina

My new house in the Highlands

This weekend Brian (my fiance) moved into our new house. His collection of furniture consisted of a bed, tv, and bookshelf. Needless to say, our cute little 1400 square ft house in the Highlands still looked like a college frat house. We decided to shop at IKEA to at least find a coffee table to eat our meals. What we did find was much much more. IKEA is amazing. Not only for furniture, but for decorations, knick knacks, outdoor furniture. We bought a table, chairs, pots for our plants, wall art, bookshelf, etc for under $400. So Ikea was great, but I will caution…if you fill up your entire house with Ikea, it will start to show. This is where the friends come in. We asked around-family, friends, friends of family-and turns out….they offered an entire storage room full of goods we could borrow until we have the money for our own furniture. (a couch, coffee table, lamps, rugs). We then bought pillows and wall art to tie in the colors. Bottom line: Work with the colors , ask your friends, and VISIT Ikea.

Posted by: Brittney

So, if you are a makeup fiend like me, a store like Sephora is similar to crack (in a good way). However, it can be overwhelming and I swear I sometimes need a vanilla latte in order to manage the hyper stimulus. Your brain starts flooding with questions like: What brand is best for me? What products does each brand make? Do I need to use all products from the same brand?It sounds a bit neurotic, but if you are going to invest in good products you want them to be perfect! There is nothing worse than throwing away a relatively expensive product in the trash with little to no use.

If this shopping anxiety sounds at all familiar, try this new approach:combination sets. Several lines that offer this include Smashbox (Try Me), Benefit (Realness of Concealness), Lorac (Bronzed Beauty Set), Stila (Best of Stila Gift of Glamour) and Cargo (Bronzing Kit). This way, you can take the brand out for a “test drive” for a fraction of what all the items would cost separately. Sephora even puts multiple brands together for easy comparison (Lash Stash).

During the holiday season, look for the fragrance sampler. 1. Buy the set 2. Try them all 3. Pick your favorite 4. Take the redemption card in-store to get a full size bottle of your selection – all for $50 and the set includes several of their best selling ones too!

Final Tip: Get on Sephora’s e-newsletter list. Sometimes they have a themed bag of samples free with purchase. I just got one for eyes including creme (fine lines and dark circles), glitter, concealer and brow tint.

Posted by: Shandin

The AJC reported today that the keyboardist from the Rolling Stones, Chuck Leavell, and a local Atlanta ad man, Joel Babbit, are teaming up to create the Mother Nature Network (MNN), a website that will be dedicated to all things green. Launching in October, the founders of the MNN see the website:

“As an environmental news and information service geared toward the average Joe”

Which is fabulous for people such as myself who want to do their part but are not completely sure how to. Hopefully, this website will fill the gaps that the other “green” websites leave behind. Their unique spin to MNN is to report on both industry news and ways to individually help out.

As Babbit best put it:

We’re planning to report on global warming, but also focus on things people can do on a daily basis to improve the world. You may read about a glacier melting and feel helpless. But anybody can pick up litter and keep rivers cleaner.

Here’s to hoping they succeed.

Full Article on MNN

Posted by: Rachel