6FootBombshell

Who says you have to party at 12 midnight anymore?  The “day party” is a great concept.  I get it.  Sunset Lounge, a group of young forward thinking entrepreneurs, has brought a fairly new concept to the forefront of Atlanta’s “night life”, now “day life”.  Whether this group is the first to do it, that’s up for debate but regardless, they are doing it.

Hundreds of people come together at Shout Restaurant located in Midtown Atlanta for this day party for good food, good music and good times.  I’m not sure if I experienced that this time.  It could have been the fact that it was 1000 degrees outside and we’re sitting on a rooftop at high noon or that there were just way to many women there or I wonder if I’m just getting old?  Scratch that.  I’m not old.  But it was 1000 degrees out and there was way to much estrogen in the building.   I guess that works out for you men but I prefer to be around some testosterone…cute testosterone at that.   The music was descent but not great.  I’m not sure if they changed the DJ but I remember being very pleased about the music at the last one I attended.

If you read my first review of this event back in September ’09, I almost wrote this event off because of Shout.  I felt that Shout being understaffed for this groups event was a sign of disregard and disrespect and the manager on duty that time had a horrible attitude.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a positive review about Shout this time around and I’m not surprised.  I’m assuming that Sunset Lounge and Shout made arrangements for this event months in advance so why is the waitstaff unaware of ANYTHING?  No one had any clue if the event had any drink specials.  They weren’t aware of any food specials.  When we asked our waiter about it, he asked another waiter standing at another table and that waiter didn’t know.  So that waiter asked another waiter across the patio and that waiter didn’t know.  We arrived there when doors open to avoid the crowd and the wait for food and drinks.  We still had to wait a long period of time for our drinks.  Some of the food that was ordered came out room temperature.  But this is how Shout is on a regular day.  I’ve honestly never had a positive experience at this place.

At the end of the day, kudos for Sunset Lounge and their day party.  They have a huge following so expect a large turnout if you decide to go to their events.  They opened the doors right on time and didn’t play that “lets keep the line waiting” game that most of these promoters and venue participate in.  They had someone passing out free hand towels and t-shirts.  Sunset Lounge staff/affiliates were pleasant.  If they bring back the previous DJ, bring in more testosterone and LEAVE SHOUT RESTAURANT, then I’ll be back.  Until then, lights out for me on this day party.  Although I will not return if they continue to patronize Shout, I still recommend this event.  Experience the Day Party yourself.

Cafe Circa sits on Edgewood Avenue in the Historic Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta.  This restaurant has a great bar, wonderful decor and an overall pleasant setting for a quiet evening with your cutie pie or laid back night out with your girls or boys.  A few people have told me that the food is not that great but I typically do not let another persons experience deter me from trying something out.

I’ve been to Cafe Circa 4 times.  Three of those times I ordered food.  My first dining experience was a simple ceasar sald.  The salad was so salty I could not finish it.  A salty salad was not enough for me to write them off.  Plus, it could have just been an off day for the chef.  Nothing to say “I’ll never go there again.”  Unfortunately, the other 2 subsequent times yielded the same result: OVERLY SALTY FOOD.  I wish I had something positive to say about the menu but with giving it 3 tries and all 3 times I could not finish my dish because of the salt level, maybe the people who warned me about the food were right.

Even with a not so great dining experience, Cafe Circa still has perks that are a plus for Cocoa Chicks CritiQues:  friendly staff and a GREAT bar!  There is nothing better than walking into a facility and being greeted with the staff like Cafe Circa’s.  They are always friendly, always professional and always customer service focused.

Will I return?  Yes, but for drinks only.

Although I’ve moved away from home and do not miss Boston at all (except for the friends and family) one thing that I absolutely love about that city is the diversity.  With diversity comes all kinds of good eats!

I went home recently and finally went to a restaurant that has been 5 blocks away from me my entire life that I always walked by.  Merengue Restaurant located at 156-160 Blue Hill Avenue, brings Dominican Republic cuisine to the heart of Roxbury.  With dishes like Langosta al Gusto* (Lobster in Garlic, Vinaigrette, Creole or Coconut Sauce) and Combinacion de Mariscos al Gusto* (Seafood Combination with Lobster, Shrimps, Calamari, Octopus & Mussels) you will enjoy something on the menu.  When you walk in all your senses are greeted with something Dominican.  The aroma, the sounds and the authentic Dominican decor gives the feeling that you are on their island enjoying their food.

Unfortunately, my first experience wasn’t great.  We waited 35 minutes for salmon, salad and rice and beans.  The waiter did not come over one time to apologize for the delay or just give us an update on our food.  When the food finally arrived my salmon was as hard as an over cooked piece of steak and my beans were cold.  I was completely thrown off by this because I’ve heard nothing but great reviews.  Will I go back?  I’m thinking about it because everyone’s food looked and smelled really good.  Luckily I’m in the mood of giving second chances.

If you’re ever in Boston go check them out.  I think they just had an off day.

www.merenguerestaurant.com

Kanye West, Mr. West as he sometimes refers to himself, has a new venture, no not the well sought after Louis Vutton shoes he recently released but he’s scheduled to open the first of 10 Fatburgers Restaurants in a surburban Chicago area this month.

KW Foods LLC, will bring Fatburgers to several areas, including California.  Am I surprised Kanye has jumped into the food business?   No, not at all.  He has proven himself to be a constant perfectionist with millions of albums sold and a shoe line, which range in price from $800-$1000 a pair were sold out before the store doors opened, growing his wealth seems to be heavy on his mind.

According to Forbes, several celebrities / artist are already franchise owners, of the 90 restaurants opened, Queen Latifah has one in Miami, Montel Williams owns five in Denver, NFLer Orlando Brown has a couple in DC. and Pharrell is taking Fatburger to China. They paid at least $50,000 per store and then fork over 6% of sales as a royalty.

For those unfamiliar with the chain, Fatburger is a hamburger joint that was started in South Central, L.A. nearly 55 years ago by a woman entrepreneur. She branded it “The Last Great Hamburger Stand“, supposedly the place was a mire shack and named after her boyfriend, whose nickname was “Mr. Fatburger”. Over a 40 year period she opened 32 more locations all in Cali and sold for $3 million in 1990 to a British record producer.

The lure to grilled beef on a toasted bun, filling the air. The burgers are loaded with fresh toppings of lettuce, tomato and pickles. The sandwich is huge to say the least.

One problem though is Fatburger isn’t the most profitable chain to be associated with, even with several celeb plugs, Notorious B.I.G mentioned getting a Fatburger in “Goin Back to Cali”, Ice Cube, shouted them out in one of my all time fave rap songs, “Today was a Good Day” and even the legendary Beastie Boys gave love, the chain is fighting to survive.

Their financial woes started with the “Ultimate Entrepreneur“, Magic Johnson in 2000, who invested $5.3 million with help from celebrity friends, Janet Jackson, Cher, David Spade and Sex in the City creator, Darren Starr, he planned to open 100 more locations across the US but that wouldn’t be the case. Sales fell from $30 million to $20 million in two years, probably because a cheeseburger is $5, causing Magic to sell to a wealthy Real Estate Investor, Andrew Wiederhorn, who turned out to be a fraud. He was sent to Federal prison for numerous financial wrongdoings and based on some legal paperwork maneuvering was still able to collect $4.6 million from Fatburger as a salary while incarcerated.

So as sales continue to plummeted, the chain continues to lose millions, can Ye save the day, only time will tell but to take on a venture of this magnitude shows he’s a risk taker and his a BIG EGO!

Kanye is a businessman beyond the music…

My regular Saturday routine is a short walk down Edgewood Avenue to Hev-ee Hitterz barbershop to see my new bff, Low.  Low has GOT to be the best barber in Atlanta but that’s besides the point.  When I walked in I was met by a sweet older lady holding a box of what it looked like individually packaged cookies.  Of course I said “What ya go?” but I was not expecting anything spectacular other than homemade chocolate chip cookies.

What caught me off gaurd was Low had ordered like half the damn cookies so I figured something real yummy was happening in that box!  To my suprise, this lady had a box of all natural, vegan and no sugar cookies that would make you slap your momma.  Of course she had the regulars:  chocolate chip, oatmeal, and oatmeal raisin but this lady stepped up the cookie game.  With flavors like pina coloda, sweet potatoe pie and cranberry white chocolate, Nestle Tollhouse better watch their back.

Bumps Cookies – www.bumpscookies.com

Tired of the regular pizza shop?

The Blackwood Pizza Bar located at 3560 Camp Creek Parkway, East Point, GA 30344, is a pizzeria touched with a little soul.  Along with the regular tables you see in restaurants, they also have sofas and other big comfy chairs for you to fall into as you listen to a live band.  Staff has been friendly, which is always a plus.  Topping the soul, the customer focused staff and decor is the food.  The pizza is GREAT and moderately priced!

Cocoa Chicks will definitely be there again!

Sidenote to the owner:  You should really get your website finished.  Your online presence should be just as fresh and intriguing as your real life presence .  Keep up the good work!

If you love Thai food, we have a spot for you!

Treat your taste buds and your wallet to Erawan Organic Thai Restaurant located in Sandy Springs, GA.  The food is fresh, organic, and vegetarian-friendly.  It also won’t take you to the bank.  My favorite dish is the organic chicken panang with brown rice. 

Erawan Organic Thai Restaurant – 7855 Roswell Road – Sandy Springs, GA 30350