Last Thursday, I came face to face with two fixtures of Atlanta culture - Atlanta Botanical Garden and resident Atlanta author Emily Giffin (both of which are gorgeous, by the way). The gardens open on Thursday evenings during the summer for Cocktails in the Garden, where you can enjoy flora and libations aplenty. My boss Katherine generously invited me to join her this past Thursday, when Emily Giffin made an appearance to promote her newest book, The Heart of the Matter. As some of the first guests to arrive at the book signing, we happily chatted with Emily about oppressive sweating, mosquito bites and childhood romance. The heat was sweltering and I think I was even sporting the ever-embarrassing sweat-stache - my boyfriend claims this ONLY happens to me, but I refuse to believe this is true.
Drinks in hand, Katherine and I made our way through the vegetation to the Outdoor Kitchen, where the chef of Parish served up spicy shrimp gazpacho soup shooters and mini oatmeal cream pies. The gazpacho shooters were addictingly tasty - by the time I was done, I'd knocked back so many that our table resembled a freshman dorm room. Unfortunately (and entirely out of character for me) we waited too long to snatch an oatmeal cream pie before they disappeared. I can only imagine that they, too, were a delightful tease of what I'm sure is an incredible menu at Parish.
For an alternative to your typical happy hour bar, trade low-watt indoor lighting for a beautiful evening of vines and vino right after work. Plus "Cocktails in the Garden" just sounds like an event for elegant ladies of leisure...gotta keep dreaming, right?
