Elder Tree

As an Atlanta native and an attendee of Georgia State University #bleedblue #statenotsouthern ... I knew about a few local spots in the area for having a good time. However, nothing prepared me for the wondrous joy that East Atlanta Village holds. It's basically a rich hipsters dream come true. That being said, as a college student, I didn't know a whole lot about this area until my 3rd year when I had a decent paying job.

East Atlanta has a grungy look to it with a strip like feel to it once you're on Flat Shoals Ave. There are a few highfalutin (in price) places lingering around such as the sushi bar and Argosy. However, a wonderful gem that I've stumbled upon is called Elder Tree.





This pub like establishment supports all varieties of British soccer teams. A good friend of mine frequents enough to have been a card carrying member for a while due to his love of Arsenal. (Please keep soccer opinions to yourself unless you plan on singing praises of Real Madrid.) One of the perks of pretending to be an Arsenal fan is the fact that whenever they score the bar hands out a free shot of Fireball. It got pretty wild last time they won -- 4 nil pretty quickly, imagine that cinnamon-y goodness.



The atmosphere at Elder Tree reminds me vaguely of Hollister in that the lighting is practically non-existent. I'd recommend going in the afternoon if you're sight isn't super great. The ceiling and lower halves of the walls are painted a deep black color as are the bar top, booths and high top tables. In the back of the L-shaped restaurant is an area to play darts. Surrender your ID to play all night basically.

As far as the beverages go, Elder Tree does not disappoint. The Moscow Mule is quite popular among my friends as are the Sidecars. Their draft list features a lot of local brews and typical UK beers. I'm a fan of the Dirty Martini, though the up-charge for the olive juice is not super appreciated. C'est la vie. The food is traditional British pub food ranging from Bangers and Mash (make sure you add a fried egg on top) to Meat Pies (that go great with the English Mustard) to Fish and Chips (vinegar is on the table). If I had words to explain how lovely their mushy peas were, you better believe I'd describe that buttery green goop with the most colorful adjectives of them all.

Feel free to check them out whenever you're in the Atlanta area. It's a great establishment with decent service and food for just about every palate.  

Website is attached below!


-Sra B.

http://eldertreeatl.com/

Hodgepodge Coffee House and Gallery

Local cafe that's got just about everything your heart could desire:


This wonderful gem is located about 5 minutes from where I'm currently living.
The owners are previous neighbors of mine and they are wonderful human beings.

Now normally when someone says something like that, it makes me think that the business isn't that great... it's like saying "Oh they have a great personality..." to cover up the fact that your super shallow friend might not be attracted to a person automatically. But nay. This place has yet to let me down.

The atmosphere at Hodgepodge is great for working from home. It's not as crowded as the local chain places and it feels like a fun studio apartment. The only real distraction that I've noticed thus far is the amazing smells coming from the open kitchen and bakery. (The gluten free goods are amazing, and this is coming from a non-celiac.)

There is a lovely childrens area for those with youngsters in the 'Living Room' section of this lovely coffee shop home, and displays of local art and goods to buy. The number one aspect that keeps me coming back to this homey loft styled coffee shop is the fact that everything is local and organic without the harsh price tag. A 16oz latte (the "Bless Your Heart" is my fave) with soy milk is only $5. With organic coffee and a consideration for the lactose intolerant -- I love it.

The wall of local events is always cluttered with things to do all week and flyers for lost animals. From far away it looks like a cluttered collage but when you get up close and personal, there's a system to it. Promise.

Now, I hope that I've painted a relatively decent picture of this lovely establishment. Now I'm going to talk to you more about the food and hopefully get your mouth watering enough to get you to come check this place out.


The coffee at Hodgepodge is quite splendid. My go to beverage is the Bless Your Heart. It's got the rich coffee flavor that's swimming in a caramel sea with clouds of chocolate swirling around. It's lightened up with a bit of soy milk and decorated with a cute little foam flower. It allows for the right amount of caffeine without inducing jitters but keeps me going for those long haul planning and training sessions required for team building. (Teaching is great.) My S.O. enjoys their Americano, but he's also the kind of person that would take is coffee as a shade darker than black if he could. Different strokes there.

The coffee at Hodgepodge is locally roasted in Atlanta. It's from the Batdorf and Bronson Roasters. I'm not coffee enthusiast, but it tastes really freaking awesome.

As far as the food, I can't say enough about their Jamaican patties. They're amazing. The vegan options are super delicioso as are the beef and chicken. The crust is super flaky and buttery, and the inside is just full of yummy goodness.
The Jamaican curry and grits is probably one of the most unexpected flavors that I've had in a while. I didn't expect this coffee house to have genuinely good entrees, seeing as how most coffee shops specialize in coffee and breakfast sandwiches, but again amigos, negative. The chef in the back knows what he's doing. Not only does he make wonderfully unexpected dishes, but he also runs the food out to your table. #NiceGuy

The green curry isn't spicy per say, but it definitely has that kick of certain spices. The chicken is as tender as a pillow (weird analogy, but just go with it), and the grits swim in the sauce as though they're little buoys of flavor. If this were an episode of chopped and someone made that for me, oh man, you'd get the $10,000 reward easy peasy.


I hope that I've painted a lovely picture for you of this establishment located in Ormewood Park in the South Eastern region of Atlanta. If you have any questions feel free to comment below.

Here's the website for this lovely establishment:

http://www.hodgepodgecoffee.com/


Que aproveche!

Sra. B

Food blogger by night...

Buenas tardes amigos!

I am a Spanish teacher in the Atlanta area and I'm super passionate about food!
I've decided to start a food blog so that I can talk about my stress eating induced by the children or talk about interesting Spanish food just in case I have too much vino with dinner so that I can tell my kids about it.

Living in the downtown area has been wonderful. I love the atmosphere and culture of Atlanta. I've met a few people who aren't super into the idea of living in Atlanta, and I think that's because they haven't seen the 'behind the scenes tour' of Atlanta.

I don't know a single native atlantan that goes anywhere near down town unless its to work. Everyone that I know hangs out in the Decatur area, East Atlanta area, or in the Edgewood are... basically anywhere ScoutMob likes to give discouts. (If you don't have ScoutMob... download it.)

I'll be starting my first entry soon. First I have to finish this lovely meal and I'll let you know how it was.

**Edit**
Also, amigos, I'm a synesthetic meaning that I taste colors and hear them as well. It's pretty interesting -- therefore if I every explain something as a color and you don't understand it, please let me know. It's normally just the best way for me to express the flavor profile. I'll try to leave a key of certain colors so that you can sort of see where I'm coming from.

:)

--Sra. B