Sunday afternoon in Peachtree Hills

Today, we went to the ADAC Sample Sale. It's an annual event where the public can shop at the normally "designer-only" Atlanta Decorative Arts Center, while benefiting a charitable organization. This year's charity was Camp Twin Lakes, which is how we found out about the sale. Even though we didn't make it to the sale until the last few hours on the last day, we still managed to find two items that we loved and desperately needed to continue our slow, but steady progress towards furnishing our house. Determined not to go into debt to fill up the space that is 3 times the space of our old small apartment, we've been adding as tax refunds, bonuses and other extra money comes in the door. The new buffet for the dining room and chest for the master bedroom gets us 90% complete!

Enough about the story of how we've finally learned to somewhat manage money (still not perfect, but much better than in our 20's), and more about the sale. It's held in the garage at ADAC, which is tucked into the secluded Peachtree Hills community. Over 15 showrooms participated, selling furniture, art, carpet and other interior design items. Delivery was available for a very reasonable price, and we even got ours the same day. Camp Twin Lake volunteers handled the checking-out process, where you could "round-up" to support the cause. In case you aren't familiar with Camp Twin Lakes, it is an organization that allows children who have special needs to experience camp and feel like a "normal" camper. Some of the special needs campers include children who require daily kidney dialysis, who have received heart transplants, who have sickle-cell anemia, and many others. It's a great organization with many ways to get involved, if you are looking for a new area of community service.

Although we were anxious to get the sale, it was a requirement to get some food first. Our experience with brunch in Atlanta has been more disappointing than rewarding, so we were not expecting a lot for a place that just happened to be around the corner from ADAC. Treehouse was a pleasant surprise. The menu and the restaurant were not fancy, but the service was wonderful and the food was fresh and thoughtfully prepared. My husband wasn't feeling too well after overdoing it a little at the Taste of the Highlands yesterday, so he wanted something light. The usual eggs and toast breakfast wasn't on the menu, but the answer was "absolutely" when he asked if he could order it anyway. My frittata was bursting with broccoli crowns, in contrast to the cheaper stems some places serve, and the salsa served with the home fries was better than what you get in most Mexican restaurants. Top this all off with a nice surprise when the bill came - $21 for a frittata, the eggs and toast plate, and 2 mimosas. We'll definitely be back, even though it's not really on our normal weekend route.

culture on a hot afternoon

Today, Derek and I decided to take in a little culture in Atlanta with a visit to the High Museum of Art. The 100 degree temperature deterred us from walking, so we drove to the museum deck, where we found a surprisingly high rate of $10. Another $30 for two tickets later, and we began our tour of the High. Having come in from the road with no lunch, Derek was hungry, so we headed to the museum cafe. Not a ton of choices, but we finally settled on a 1/2 of a turkey sandwich and the soup of the day, mushroom. I should have followed Derek's lead on ordering a Heineken, but I went for a glass of white wine instead. It seemed like the best drink deal in Atlanta when he sat down a huge plastic glass in front of me, but the quality (as well as the fact that the server combined 2 different types of wine in the same glass!) couldn't stand up to the quantity. I didn't try the sandwich, but the mushroom soup was hot and tasty.

The museum itself has greatly improved over the years, especially with the addition of the items loaned by the Louvre. The detail in the king's ceramic pieces, the intricacy of the tapestries and the creativity of some of the modern works all combined together to make the trip worthwhile. The only criticism is the flow of the museum. Unless we were completely lost and going the wrong way, it seemed as if the natural path through the Louvre exhibit required you to either use the elevator or a set of fire escape-like stairs. In total, it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, and we will go back when the next Louvre collection arrives.

After our tour, we decided to try Table 1280 for a cocktail and snack. The interior of the lounge is light and airy, with a sleek bar and several bistro tables inviting you to take a break. I was delighted to see a good, although pricey, wine list, but disappointed that the lounge menu only included a salad, crab cakes ($16), a burger ($15) and the soup of the day. We were hoping for something we could share and pick up with our fingers, so we decided to skip the snack.

Our hearts were set on a finger food, so we moved on to Eno for a light dinner. I splurged on a glass of Schramsberg, while Derek tried a glass of Newton Chardonnay, along with mussels, fritto misto and an artichoke salad. The salad was dressed properly, with fresh arugula, asparagus, strawberries, almonds and a light cheese that didn't overpower the other ingredients. We were a little concerned about the mussels when they arrived, because the broth looked like honey-mustard dressing. No cause for alarm, though, because the color was due to saffron, and the consistency was as brothy as we hoped and was perfect for foccacia dipping. Eno's fritto misto was just as we remembered -- a blend of calamari, shrimp, onions and lemon slices, lightly coated and golden brown. As usual, we were fulfilled with a treat of delicious appetizers and wine for a special day out.

The Assessment: for light bites and a good, consistent wine list, ENO delivers every time