A big van. Eight passengers. Five days of traveling. And one packed tight agenda involving more details than you want to know. Did I mention three babies? The poor dears! As great a trip as it was, we certainly stretched all of our endurance beyond imaginable limits.

At one point, the Stache and I had about a three and a half hour opportunity to carve a date out for ourselves. Picking a couple things out of the several hundred I’ve dreamt of doing in Atlanta someday, was a tough choice!

Hankering to experience a traditional southern fare, our local friends gave us a hearty recommend for The Colonnade. Described as an upscale Meat ‘n’ Three, it quickly won our vote. We headed out just the two of us, on a crazy, rainy wet excursion that included a whole lot of traffic and a quick trudge through West View Cemetary before dinner. It was intense but awesome.

Arriving at The Colonnade just before the Friday night crowd, we were grateful to miss the ‘waiting game’ thing, – although we were encouraged any amount of waiting would be worth every minute if we got stuck. Seated immediately, we were served by a superb, attentive waitress who helped guide us through the menu with recommends of her own. I just wish I could remember her name!

Y’all remember my family of origin is from these parts, right? I’ll not belabor you with the details, but I have a bit of history in Atlanta along with a personal interest in the people and culture here. “You can take folks out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the folks,” as they say. Although I was predominantly raised in California, my parents stayed culturally Southern, and our home life reflected much of that.

Nostalgia on a plate.

All that to say, I practically squealed as each item came to our table, including the soda crackers and butter along with my Iced Tea. It’s the little things, you know? We had such great fun! Food memories are unparalleled experiences don’t you think?

Perfection!

We decided to order the Chicken Livers as an appetizer. You guys(!), they were incredibly perfect! I am inclined to say they were my favorite dish of the entire meal. But just wait, you’ll soon see what an honor that title holds.

Delicious!

The bread basket that came with our meals included some yeast rolls and mini corn muffins. I warned Stache as he slathered his muffin with butter, ‘remember, Southern Cornbread has no sugar!’ The muffins were delicious with only a hint of natural corn sweetness, just as they should be, here in the South.

Nostalgia or no, my honest review has to admit to just a bit of disappointment. The highly acclaimed yeast rolls and the Tomato Aspic were neither great. Too bad, really. They both had delightful potential, but both fell short of excellent.

As is our way, Stache and I like to order a variety and then share our meals. Stache ordered the Prime Rib Special, Tomato Aspic, Rice and Gravy, and Fried Okra. I ordered the Fried Chicken, Celery Dressing with Giblet Gravy, Fried Okra (’cause it’s near impossible to have too much Okra), and Collard Greens. Pure delight!

I could go on and on. We had a blast tasting, discussing and comparing each item to mine and my mom’s recipes. The notable differences and similarities were so fascinating to discern.

Heavenly!

In my book, a meal such as this is never complete without a taste of dessert and coffee. The dessert menu at The Colonnade gave us yet another challenging decision. Amongst several enticing options, the Georgia Peach Cobbler and the Coconut Icebox Pie were near impossible to choose between. We were in Georgia after all! Going by the delight in our servers eyes, we went with sharing a slice of the pie. – ‘Heaven,’ is the only word I’ve got.

The Stache and I both left the restaurant beyond full, not only of food but with the entire experience together. If we lived in the area, I’m sure we would return, likely ordering only one generously portioned meat to share and a boatload of sides. If you happen to be in the Atlanta area, we highly recommend the iconic Colonnade Restaurant!