Patio Brunch at Buena Vida

Buena Vida is a tapas restaurant between the Beltline and O4W © Anna Lanfreschi

Not many things can compete with eating brunch on a lovely patio on a sunny Sunday. Buena Vida in Old Fourth Ward is the perfect restaurant to do just that.

Buena Vida’s beautiful outdoor patio © Anna Lanfreschi

Buena Vida’s interior is gorgeous © Anna Lanfreschi

The Spanish tapas restaurant is located right off the Beltline, and its expansive outdoor patio overlooks the Historic Old Fourth Ward Park.

There’s lots of the shade and the tables are well-spaced for social distancing. (The interior is also beautifully designed, but I’m waiting for a Covid vaccine before dining indoors). The whole place has calming, beachy vibes that make you want to reach for a refreshing cocktail and nosh on delicious small plates.

And Buena Vida’s brunch menu is chock-full of them. Think patatas bravas, pan con tomate, and croquetas – these tapas dishes are a great way to start your meal. But the menu also features more traditional brunch entrées with a Spanish twist, such as flan French toast, gambas and grits, or steak & huevos. Both sections of the menu have several clearly marked vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free items, should that be up your alley.  

Seasonal brunch salad topped with a poached egg; the Valencia spritz at Buena Vida ©Anna Lanfreschi

If you’d like to start with a cocktail, try the Valencia Spritz – it is delectable and not too sweet. There are also more classic brunch drinks, like bloody Mary and mimosa.

Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am – 4 pm. Buena Vida also serves dinner (obviously) 5-10 pm Tuesday through Saturday, and until 9 pm on Sundays. And their dinner menu is certainly worth checking out, but now that the weather is finally starting to cooperate, I’m all about enjoying the great outdoors by drinking on a dreamy patio!

Regardless of when you go, be sure to make a reservation for Buena Vida on Resy. And let me know what you think of this restaurant – send me a DM on Instagram. I hope you enjoy!

Anna Lanfreschi is a digital content creator and strategist based in Atlanta. She posts about food and travel on her blog, AnnaFeasts, and on Instagram @AnnaFeasts. 

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Where to brunch this weekend: Joy Café

The breakfast burrito and spicy chicken biscuit at Joy Café © Anna Lanfreschi

Head to Joy Café in midtown Atlanta if you want to try the best breakfast burrito in the city. Yes, I said it: Joy Café has the best breakfast burrito in Atlanta!

This burrito is a generous serving of cheddar scrambled eggs with house-made chorizo, sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado, and a delicious tomatillo cream sauce, all wrapped in a tortilla and served with home fries. It sounds pretty straight forward, but it is precisely its simplicity that makes Joy Café’s the best breakfast burrito this food writer has ever had.

Something about it is incredibly satisfying. All the ingredients come together perfectly, without overwhelming your taste buds. The breakfast burrito is my go-to item on Joy Café’s brunch menu, but it certainly isn’t the only one worth mentioning.

The spicy chicken biscuit is a crowd favorite, and the avocado toast may be the prettiest one served in Atlanta. It is topped with chopped tomatoes, feta cheese, watermelon radish, and a poached egg – as well as microgreens and edible flowers – and served with beetroot hummus. It is delicious, colorful, and beautifully plated. Just look at this Instagram photo!

Of course, it wouldn’t be brunch without coffee and mimosas, and Joy Café has many options for both. There’s also a lovely patio for you to dine on, in case you’re not ready to eat indoors just yet.

Joy Café’s outdoor dining patio © Anna Lanfreschi

Joy Café is known for their brunch, so expect to wait for a table during peak times. If you prefer not to wait, head in earlier in the morning (brunch service starts at 8:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays). Or you could also pop in for lunch, which is served Tuesday through Friday, 11 am – 2:30 pm. And the restaurant’s dinner service will resume January 12, 5:30 pm – 11 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

The Greek salad from Joy Café’s lunch menu © Anna Lanfreschi

Let me know on Instagram what you think of Joy Café after you check them out – send me a DM with your thoughts!

I hope you enjoy your experience,

Anna.

Anna Lanfreschi is a digital content creator and strategist based in Atlanta. She posts about food and travel on her blog, AnnaFeasts, and on Instagram @AnnaFeasts. 

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Free Yoga Class and Expert Practice Tips with Westside Yoga at Park Tavern

Warrior Pose, Vinyasa, Namaste, Repeat. Yogis are invited to get centered during a special complimentary class with Westside Yoga’s founder Amber Barry held in the meadow at Park Tavern on Monday, June 11, 2018. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., all levels of yoga experience are welcome to bring a friend, their favorite yoga mat, a towel, a water bottle, and enjoy the tranquil sunset over Midtown’s picturesque skyline. Attendees ages 21 and up can also take advantage of a complimentary house beer on Park Tavern’s expansive patio after the class. Held rain or shine, if showers appear, the yoga session will be held upstairs at Park Tavern in the Piedmont Room.

Not only offering a free yoga class, but expert yogi and founder of Westside Yoga, Amber Barry, also shares a few easy-to-follow tips for making the most on the yoga mat, in case it’s of interest to your readers!

Tips To Making The Most of Your Spring Yoga Session from Founder of Westside Yoga, Amber Barry:

 1. Get Grounded. Begin your practice with a moment of silence. Stand in Mountain Pose, close your eyes, and draw all of your attention to the points where your feet connect to the ground below you. Remind yourself that you are stable and strong.

2. Set an Intention. Keeping your eyes closed, consider the qualities you want to bring to your practice, and repeat that intention silently in your mind three times. If you find yourself feeling distracted or discouraged during practice, come back to that intention, and repeat it again until you feel more centered.

3. Stabilize the Breath. Yogis call the breath the “life force” (prana). Make the breath the priority in your practice, and you will become increasingly powerful on (and off) the mat. Keep the breath steady, and the sound of the breath will remind you to stay focused. If you lose track of the breath, simply come back to it when you remember.

Park Tavern, a favorite neighborhood bar, restaurant, brewery and events facility, is located on the Atlanta BeltLine in the heart of Midtown on the corner of 10th Street and Monroe overlooking Piedmont Park and the Midtown skyline. For more information, visit www.parktavern.com or call 404.249.0001.  

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STK Atlanta Offers New Social Hour Menu for Summer

Just in time for summer fun, STK Atlanta is taking happy hour to the next level.  

Known for it’s high-energy atmosphere and exceptional, signature and seasonal offerings, Midtown’s sexiest steak and seafood house is hosting a new Social Hour in its high-energy bar and lounge featuring an array of wallet-friendly food and drink specials available from $2 to $8.

Available every Monday through Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m., diners can nosh and imbibe on $2 fresh oysters; select beer, smoked bacon skewers, signature Lil’ BRGs served with truffle fries, tater tots, and chopped Caesar salad for $5 each; $6 select wines; elect speciality cocktails, hummus, and the daily ceviche tostada for $7 each; and $8 jalapeño cheddar grit croquettes, shrimp cocktail, and tuna tartare tacos.  

Artfully blending the modern steakhouse and chic lounge  into one, Social Hour goers are also invited to enjoy music provided by a favorite local DJ. 

For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.stkhouse.com or call 404-793-0144. STK Atlanta is located at 1075 Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta on the corner of Peachtree and 12th Streets in the 12th & Midtown development. 

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Giant sculptures return to Atlanta Botanical Garden on May 5

THE GIANT TOPIARY EXHIBITION Imaginary Worlds returns May 5 to the Atlanta Botanical Garden with an all-new menagerie of living plant sculptures. The show runs through Oct. 28 and can be seen at both the Midtown and Gainesville locations.

Photos: Atlanta Botanical Garden

Imaginary Worlds first lumbered into the Garden in 2013/14, returning now by popular demand and mostly with creations that have never been seen before. The sculptures, which will be seen inside and out, are mostly custom-made and come from  the nonprofit International Mosaiculture of Montreal.

The  sculptures — steel forms covered in soil-and-sphagnum moss and planted with thousands of meticulously groomed plants — will be staged in 14 installations. In Midtown, look for a giant phoenix towering over the Alston Overlook, as a mermaid lounging beside Howell Fountain, a massive dragon and sleeping princess near the Great Lawn, a peacock inside the Fuqua Orchid Center, and three camels making their way through the Skyline Garden. The Gainesville landscape, meanwhile, will see such characters as a friendly ogre, panda bears and frolicking frogs.

The process began taking root about six months ago when conceptual drawings were done in Montreal, metal frames were fabricated and plant palettes were chosen. The empty frames were shipped to Atlanta in January, where the Garden’s horticulturists began covering them with a mesh fabric and stuffing them with soil. More than 200,000 plants, mostly annuals, were inserted one by one. The sculptures were built in sections and planted inside a greenhouse outside the city, then trucked to the Garden when the weather warmed for assembly. 

The exhibit is free with Garden admission ($21.95; $15.95 ages 3-12; under 3 and Garden members free in Midtown). From May through October, the Garden is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; and 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Thursday featuring illuminated sculptures and Cocktails in the Garden. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.876.5859.

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