Guest Post – Cheryl from Confessions from a Rambling Mind

Hi Tummy-ers. My name is Cheryl and I consider myself lucky to be able to count Lee among my friends. We met in an online fitness community many years ago and were able to hang out in person as well. Yes, she’s just as cool off-line. I blog too (clg1213.blogspot.com) but not nearly as reliably as Lee and with a distinct lack of yummy food and Murphy photos.

When people ask where I’m from, my go-to quip is: “The East Coast.” I was born in PA, hit CT and NY as a youngster before heading back to PA from 4th through 12th grade and staying for college. I journey south to VA (3y) and GA (4y), jumped back up to MA (4y), and wandered back down to PA last year. I’m currently in the State College area and I love the mix of quiet country areas with the vibrancy of a college town.

However, Atlanta will always hold a really special place in my heart. I loved the pace of life, the lack of severe winters, and my lovely house in Avondale Estates (side note: my favorite AE story is here though I was outside the restricted areas). My tummy misses Atlanta too and since I’m betting Tummy-ers share my love of “food porn,” I thought I’d share some of my missed food faves from my ATL days (I also love bullet points…):

• Café Lily – I’m not sure when I first stumbled upon this little bistro in Decatur, but I know it was love at first bite. I tend to find menu favs that I return to again and again and my choice at Café Lily was their mussels in a spicy tomato seafood sauce. It’s an app but I’d often avoid sharing aside from a taste and order it as an entrée with a salad to supplement. The Zuppa de Mare is also lovely.

• James Joyce Pub – A pub in Avondale Estates that makes the list because I share one of Lee’s loves – tater tots. Oh, and the sandwiches are yummy too.

• Roly Poly – My “creature of habit” tendency made this a weekly stop. It’s a chain with several locations in the Atlanta area serving a huge assortment of rolled sandwiches. They have both cold and grilled options, the latter accompanied by a dipping sauce. Get the Veggie Fajita and then come open one near me….I’ll be a regular.

• Sun in My Belly – Perfect spot for a lazy brunch or a fantastic sandwich in a super-relaxed café setting. Surprisingly, I didn’t develop a go to choice here but I never went wrong.

• 5 Seasons Brewing Company – I love fish but often find salmon too ubiquitous and a bit challenging to distinguish. 5 Seasons has the best bar none and is the only place where it is my regular pick.

• Your Dekalb Farmers Market – Lee’s already told you about this one. Walking along a trail, it was probably less than a mile from my house. I always found its rules a bit disconcerting (Lee’s talked about the photo ban), but they had so much to drool over. I’m not a cook so tended towards the pre-made stuff including a delicious squid salad. There’s also a table with day-old cookies at a huge discount. There’s an oatmeal chocolate chip option that makes for quite a happy Cheryl.

• Carolyn’s Gourmet Café – Okay, I only went to this spot near my office a few times since I tended to eat lunch at my desk. But they had a comfort food option that was comforting just to have nearby – The Optimist is a grilled PB&J. You could get crunchy.

I could go on, but I’m making my own tummy growl so shall stop now.