Archive for May, 2015

Alpharetta GA: TopGolf

Posted: May 27, 2015 in Uncategorized
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While in Georgia, we were excited to pay a visit to Topgolf in Alpharetta.

For the unitiated, Topgolf is an entertainment complex centered around the sport of golf. It’s a driving range that’s tech’ed up so you can compete against friends and family to score points. Anyone from first-timers and kids can compete and have fun playing against regulars and pros.

You get a bay (a spot at the driving range) for your group and treat it like a bowling lane. You can organize your teams, or play individually, choosing from a variety of different games on the nearby computer. Sensors in the golf balls and targets help calculate your distance and score. You can bring your own clubs, or use those provided.

Plus, while you’re playing, you can order up food and beverages and they’ll be brought over to you for you to enjoy.

On our first time there, of course we had to try the “Perfect Bloody Mary.
Topgolf Bloody Mary

We also heard they had a Bloody Mary Bar earlier in the day on Sunday, but alas, we didn’t make it in time for that, so we ordered up one of the Perfect Bloody Marys:

Topgolf Bloody Mary

MIX:  Topgolf’s “Perfect Bloody Mary Mix” and Kettle One.

CHASER: None

FIXIN’S: Lime and 2 Olives

PRICE: $8

We liked the salted/flavored rim to the glass and the overall flavor of the Bloody Mary was very good.

In addition, all of the food we tried was delicious (and our large group tried a lot–chicken & waffle sliders, chili cheese fries, signature nachos, chips & guac, etc.).

After our Bloody Mary, we switched to their margarita and that gets two thumbs up as well.

Overall, we had a great time at Topgolf and can’t wait to get to another location very soon.

Atlanta, GA: Seasons 52 in Buckhead

Posted: May 27, 2015 in Uncategorized
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While in Atlanta, we dined at Seasons 52 in Buckhead.

We had sampled the Bloody Mary (or so we thought) at Seasons 52 while in Phoenix earlier this spring and found it to be rather pedestrian. However, this menu listing caught our eye:

Seasons 52 Bloody Mary Nectar

We definitely didn’t remember a “Bloody Mary Nectar” being offered, so we decided we had to try it.

Bloody Mary Nectar Seasons 52

MIX:  House mix, made with crushed tomatoes and sriracha–plus gin! (so technically, a red snapper?)

CHASER: None

FIXIN’S: Mint, sundried tomato

PRICE: $9.95

We were very glad we gave Seasons 52 a second chance. This one was excellent–very different, the perfect mixture of sweet and spicy and, of course, extremely fresh. We wish there was a Seasons 52 near us so we could have the Bloody Nectar more often. Be sure to give it a go if you find yourself in a Seasons 52!

Atlanta, GA: Six Feet Under

Posted: May 27, 2015 in Uncategorized
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Our travels next took us to Atlanta, where we visited Six Feet Under, a popular pub and fish house across from the famous Oakland Cemetery.

There, we enjoyed seafood tacos and oysters upon oysters, including one that came in our Fish House Bloody Mary:

Six Feet Under Atlanta

Atlanta Six Feet Under Bloody Mary

MIX:  Zing Zang and Absolut Peppar

CHASER: Guiness

FIXIN’S: Celery, lime and an oyster (ours was missing the olives!)

PRICE: $8

This Bloody Mary was excellent because we enjoy Zing Zang and the addition of the oyster made it fun. They also get bonus points for the salt/spice on the rim of the glass.

This is a great bar to check out if you’re in the area–even better if you can snag a spot on their rooftop patio!

Birmingham, Michigan: Toast

Posted: May 20, 2015 in Uncategorized
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In Michigan, we stopped at an adorable place aptly called Toast for brunch.

Toast has a couple of different bloodies on its menu:

Toast Birmingham Bloody Mary List

On this visit, we went with the Garden Mary to wash down our Greek Omelette.

Toast Bloody Mary

MIX:  Toast has a house mix that they described as spicy… it had a little zest to it, but we’ve had much spicier. That’s not to say it wasn’t good, however.  The Garden Mary typically comes with cucumber vodka and Zing Zang, but we wanted to try the house mix, so they substituted for us.

CHASER: None offered

FIXIN’S: Two Olives, Cucumber Slice, Pickle

PRICE: $9.50

This drink was very flavorful and fresh. We really liked the atmosphere here at Toast and hope to get back soon to try the other varieties of Bloody Marys as well as some other menu items!

New York (East Village): Prune

Posted: May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized
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On this trip to NYC, we were so ecstatic to finally be able to test out Prune.

Located in New York's East Village, Prune is a popular place for dinner, brunch and bloodies.

Located in New York’s East Village, Prune is a popular place for dinner, brunch and bloodies.

 

Based on a recommendation from fellow blogger Drunken Tomato and appearing on a number of “Best of” lists, we couldn’t wait to get our lips on one of their many bloody mary offerings—11 to be exact.

Prune Bloody Mary List

On this visit, we enjoyed a Chicago Matchbox with our brunch.

Prune Bloody Mary New York

MIX:  Housemade Lemon Vodka a

CHASER: A “beer back” of Red Stripe was provided. “It’s meant to be consumed between sips of the bloody to cleanse the palate,” our waitress instructed.  Our response: Sips? What are sips? J Ah, a chaser, just like being back at home.

FIXIN’S: Pickled Brussels Sprouts, Baby White Turnips, Caperberries, Green Beans and Radishes

PRICE: $12

We’re happy to report that, even after a 30-minute wait time to get in, Prune lived up to the expectations. The drink was delicious (we wish we could have tried a few of their other varieties!) and the food was amazing as well.

We enjoyed the Monte Cristo during our visit to Prune.

We enjoyed the Monte Cristo during our visit to Prune.

Such a cute and charming little restaurant and one you should definitely make time for when you’re in the City.

 

Astoria, New York: MexiBBQ

Posted: May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized
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Still in Astoria, we headed over to MexiBBQ, which is exactly what it sounds like—a combination Mexican and BBQ joint.  According to their website, “MexiBBQ takes the immense popularity of barbecue joints in New York combined with New Yorkers’ intense love of Mexican cuisine, and features barbecue favorites with a Mexican accent.”

This place had also come up in our best bloody mary searches, so while our primary objective was to grab lunch, we couldn’t very well leave without testing out the bloody as well.

MexiBBQ Bloody Mary

MIX:  Unknown

CHASER: None offered.

FIXIN’S: Lime

PRICE: $7

They get bonus points for the salt/spice on the rim of the glass, but other than that, there really wasn’t a lot that stood out to us about this one. The food, however, was a different story.

MexiBBQ Fish Tacos

We thoroughly enjoyed our grilled fish tacos and there were quite a few other items that looked intriguing as well.We’ll be back, but next time, we’re eyeing up the margaritas and/or sangria.

Astoria, New York: Daly’s Pub

Posted: May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized
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On a recent visit to New York, we found ourselves in Astoria. Naturally, we had to check out the best bloody mary in the area. Per the interwebs, that spot would be Daly’s Pub.

Daly's Pub New York

Kate, our very friendly bartender, gladly whipped one up for us and chatted for a bit.

The recipe that Daly’s uses, she told us, came from a former bartender, who came up with just the right combination of spices to land them top billing. According to Kate, that bartender also used to bring fixin’s, such as shrimp to garnish the drinks.

Daly's Pub Bloody Mary

MIX: Sacramento Tomato Juice is the base

CHASER: None offered.

FIXIN’S: Lemon

PRICE: $8

This bloody was quite flavorful—you could taste the horseradish and Worcestershire—and knowing how much we love Sacramento, you could probably already guess we enjoyed it. It’s also quite charming that this bar does not serve food, but they have baskets of Doritos on the bar, a surprisingly good compliment to the bloody. Thanks so much for your hospitality, Daly’s!

Cleveland: Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Posted: May 18, 2015 in Uncategorized
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On a quick trip to Cleveland, we weren’t able to scout out any particular Bloody Marys, but we did find ourselves in the airport with time to grab a drink. So, we stopped at Great Lakes Brewing Co., where we were pleasantly surprised to find a few options to choose from.

Great Lakes Brewing Bloody Mary List

We went with The B.L.T.:

Great Lakes Brewing Bloody Mary

Here’s what it had to offer:

MIX: Homemade, with Absolut Peppar

CHASER: None offered.

FIXIN’S: Bacon, Lettuce

PRICE: $?

This was a pretty average bloody mary by our standards, even with the bacon. We wish we had tried some of their beer instead.