When we heard, we cried a little inside. No more carrot cake at Thanksgiving. No more red velvet at Christmas....

Unless you order now and freeze it for later! If you're a huge fan of VeryVera casseroles and cakes and you just can't live without them, then make sure you order before June 26th! Orders can be placed online at www.veryvera.com .

Vera shows off her signature icing technique for Atlanta planners and writers in 2011.

Vera will be taking at least a year off from her restaurant and catering business to work on a cookbook (which we're sure is going to be fabulous!) and we can't wait to get our hands on it. Fingers crossed that she re-opens a cafe in 2014! Bobby Flay better watch out - because with a year to perfect all of her recipes, Vera may just want to "throw down" again!

If you're in town before June 26th, make sure you stop by Vera's Cafe for lunch!

VeryVera Cafe

3113 Washington Road, Augusta Ga

Open: Monday - Friday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

(706) 860-3492

Here in Augusta – we like to celebrate! Any ol’ occasion will do, but one of my favorite local celebrations is First Friday. Head downtown on the first Friday of every month and you’ll see everyone from families with kids, hipsters, guys in bowties, edgy artists and possibly zombies – all out shopping, eating and just celebrating life in an awesome Southern city. It seems like every month I have a new list of favorites, so don’t be surprised if you see another list pop up. In the immortal words of Lavar Burton – “But you don’t have to take my word for it…” come out and experience First Friday for yourself!

Fashion Shows – Retail shops like Curvitude Boutique and Vintage Ooollee take full advantage of First Fridays by hosting special fashion shows and offering post show specials and deals. Perfect for curvy divas and vintage vixens – or for those of us just looking for something unique and affordable. (Thanks to Curvitude for the awesome picture!)

Live Music – Lots of downtown businesses, like local design team, Wier / Stewart, allow bands and musicians of all kinds serenade the crowds. If you’re a music junkie – band jump down Broad Street and get a little bit of everything! If you prefer to sit and listen, many of the bars downtown have live music and drink specials inside. (Thanks to Wier / Stewart for the awesome picture!)

Entertainment – Lawd, Jesus, it’s a fire! But a good one. Local groups like Pyroteque have free, family friendly shows during First Friday. You may also come across belly dancers, folk dancers and just regular folks dancing in the street. (Thanks to Pyroteque and Rich Bennett for the awesome picture!)

Shopping – Local stores like Psychotronic Augusta, The Book Tavern and shops along Artists Row are open late and offer special deals for First Friday shoppers. From $1 vinyls to acrylic paintings of James Brown to BOGO books – you never know what you’ll find ‘til you look! (Thanks to First Friday for the awesome picture!)

I’ll see you next time!

There are very few people that make such striking first impressions as Leonard ‘Porkchop’ Zimmerman. I’d been a huge fan of his work around Augusta for years, and I didn’t actually meet him until the night before his gallery opening at Gaartdensity. A special friends and family showing, Matt and I were the last ones to arrive before close, and suddenly we were the only ones there. In the gallery was Matt, Leonard, the gallery owner and myself. Leonard walked me through the story of his collection, paintings of robots staring at the stars, and a bird on a robot’s shoulder. The collection was the story of the sudden loss of his partner in 2006 to Leonard’s path of grieving and living life thereafter. We hadn’t known each other 5 minutes, and we both cried together as he told me stories of he and Brian. It was beautiful.

Since that gallery showing, I see Leonard all over downtown, having worked just a few doors down from Wier Stewart, where he works as a graphic designer. An Augusta native and SCAD graduate, you can always spot him in Downtown Augusta, in converse shoes (which may not be the same color shoe on each foot), and he’s always chewing on candy or has a dum dum in his mouth. If you can’t find Leonard, you’re sure to see his Happy stickers around town as well.

A connoisseur of sweets, it’s an understatement to say Leonard has a sweet tooth. Mixology has never really been my thing, but of all the years I spent bartending, there is only one drink I can proudly claim to have created: The Porkchop. Sweet and fruity. And perfecly Porkchop. And now that I’m retired from F&B, this will be the only drink that is “by Sally”. I’m quite proud of my concoction, and Leonard absolutely loves it!

The Porkchop:

Cut the end off the bottom side of a Twizzler, place in glass. Fill glass with ice.

1 oz. Mandarin Absolut Vodka + 1/2 oz. raspberry Schnapps. Top off with pineapple juice. Bite off that first bit of Twizzler and you have your straw.

Make for your friends and have a Porkchop party! Get adventurous and add other candy garnishes! You can visit his site and see more of his work here.

Photos courtesy of Noah Fecks and Leonard Zimmerman. Find the original blog post here: http://www.sallyannk.com/2013/06/the-porkchop_7.html

I can still remember going to my first ASU basketball game during my freshman year all because a friend of mine was a cheerleader and wanted me and the rest of our friends to go to the game to watch her!  Little did I know that first game would get me hooked on ASU Basketball!  That was about 5 years ago and till this day I still get excited when October comes around because I know Jaguar basketball season is right around the corner! Everyone gets excited to watch some great basketball. 

I always arrive with my game day posters and my Jaguars team spirit in hand on game days!  

Besides the game there are a lot of other things that will keep just about anybody that comes happy.  The game day environment in Christenberry Field House is great! Fans of all ages come out every game to support the teams and to enjoy some really great basketball.  Plus it also doesn’t hurt ticket prices are affordable. There’s also the ASU Study Abroad sponsored concession stand where you can get just about any candy you can think of plus huge tubs of popcorn for snacks during the game.  Halftime is probably the busiest time at the concession stand and thankfully you don’t have to wait long to get your snacks and back to your seat before the 2nd half starts! 

 
So whether or not you’re an alumni, student, community supporter, kid or just a basketball fan in general, I highly recommend coming out to catch a game at Christenberry Field House because trust me there’s still plenty of chances for you to catch a game this season!  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

So remember Augusta is not only the home of the Masters but also the Augusta State Jaguars!  Go Jags! See you at the game!

Augusta State University
Christenberry Field House
3109 Wrightsboro Road
Augusta, GA 30909
(706) 737-1632

WATCH VIDEO

Watch the Video!

Three ladies from the ACVB participated as Team Visit Augusta in the ESi Ironman 70.3 in Augusta, Ga. We were so proud of them! Peggy (pictured above), the cyclist for the team, shares her experience from the triathlon along with some fun pictures from last year.

Watch Video

Make plans to go downtown on September 30th to watch this year’s Ironman 70.3 – it’s super inspiring!

Ironman Website

Top 5 things to get excited about in Augusta, Ga this September!

Witness for the Prosecution

September 14 & 15, 21 &22, 28 & 29

DCTheatreScene.com calls Witness for the Prosecution “a six-course meal of a play, a lip-smacking, eye-rolling, stomach-rumbling grand buffet of – wait for it – vintage fifties, English-style murder. It is… so full of twists and turns that it might have been dreamed up by – Agatha Christie. And it was!” See it at Fort Gordon Dinner Theatre. $40 per person gets you dinner and a show – you can’t beat that!

Ricky Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder

September 14

The Morris Museum of Art kicks off their 10^th anniversary Southern Soul and Song series with bluegrass legends Ricky Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder. In a video we saw recently to promote the show, a woman says “That Ricky Scaggs, I love him more than my luggage.” See him live at the Imperial Theatre and we’re sure you’ll love him too.

Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival

September 14 – 16

Three days packed with awesome food and beer, live performances and locally created art and crafts. You can eat, shop, wander around and see performances on three different stages and eat some more – all in the heart of downtown Augusta. It doesn’t get much cooler than that. { See video }

Blair Crimmins and the Hookers ( <– Click & watch them!)

September 22

Put on your bow tie and suspenders and head to Stillwater TapRoom for a night of throwback fun. Blair Crimmins and the Hookers bring back the 20s vibe with their brassy tunes and catchy lyrics. Luckily, you can enjoy a cold beer with your prohibition-era music. Now, get busy learning the Charleston.

Evening of Festivities

September 29

Symphony Orchestra Augusta begins an exciting season with Evening of Festivities. Join Music Director Shizuo Z Kuwahara and SOA as they explore Latin themes from the Old World to the New World featuring guitarist Jason Vieaux. If you’ve never heard a symphony live, you definitely don’t want to miss this.

My friend and I were tired of eating at the same places. Not particularly being a fan of chain restaurants, we decided to try a new place called Taste. Taste is located in North Augusta in the beautiful neighborhood of Hammond’s Ferry, along the bank of the Savannah River.

Taste is a simple, quaint tapas restaurant and wine bar with a Southern feel. They use ingredients grown locally in both Georgia and South Carolina. They offer both inside and outside dining; it’s cute and welcoming and the staff is great!

Tapas restaurants are my absolute favorite because it promotes sharing with friends, which means you get to try a nice variety of dishes. What did we try? Well, it’s more like what didn’t we try?

On special was the white peach sangria, made at the restaurant. It tasted fresh, crisp and fantastic! They also serve a red sangria that looked very good. I’ll without a doubt be trying that on my next visit.

We ordered the smoked apple wood bacon pimento cheese with crackers and toast points to start. Now, I’ve grown up in the South my entire life and no one makes pimento cheese like my grandmama, but it was better than hers! Of course, I’d never tell her that.

Then we had the roasted pear wedge salad with feta cheese and a house-made vinaigrette. It was just right and hit the spot.

Another great thing about tapas restaurants is that you eat smaller portions so you can save room for dessert! Because we all know when something tastes good that it’s difficult to stop eating.

What did we have for dessert? Chocolate bread pudding. Yum. We had to wait a little while on this dish, but it was well worth the wait because it was baked fresh to order. It was heaven in a dish.

Taste is one of my new favorite spots and I will definitely be returning to try more of their dishes and weekly specials.

Taste is open Wednesday through Saturday for lunch (11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.) and dinner (5:30 p.m. – until).

Taste is located in Hammond’s Ferry at 465 Railroad Street, Suite 100 in North Augusta, SC 29841. Call today for more information or to make reservations (803) 341-9881 or visit their website: EatAtTaste.com

Nestled away in the beautiful Forest Hills neighborhood in Augusta, Georgia along the legendary Rae’s Creek (which runs through the Augusta National Golf Club’s infamous Amen Corner) is Rae’s Coastal Cafe.

To be honest, the restaurant is a little difficult to find, it’s hidden and is a nice, quaint escape from the city. But, one call to the cafe and the friendly staff will be more than happy to guide you to your destination. Or you could always follow the smell of their unforgettable food!

My first trip to Rae’s Coastal Cafe was for a friend’s baby luncheon. Traditionally people have baby showers to celebrate the birth of a child, but she wanted something different and non-conventional. So, we chose a different, non-traditional restaurant.

They serve seafood, Southern and Caribbean style dishes. The atmosphere is quite cozy and nestled within a very pleasant neighborhood, surrounded by lots of trees and vegetation. You really feel like you’ve left the busy city, even though it’s simply minutes away.

Our waiter, Derrick, was fantastic and very knowledgeable about everything on the menu. The management was also very friendly and came out to check and make sure everything was perfect, and it was!

For an appetizer, we ordered the Onion Bloom and the Shrimp Pate with Mango Chutney, which was delish.

I ordered the Coconut Shrimp for an entree, which was served with the Rae’s House Salad (fresh greens, tomatoes, pita croutons  and Rae’s house made  dressing), and rice and black beans. I was very satisfied with my choice.

After hearing so many people rave about Rae’s famous She-Crab Soup, we couldn’t leave without trying it! And? It was fantastic! The soup was cream-based, similar to a chowder, but lighter with a sweet, fresh crab taste. Simply said…it is the best soup I’ve ever tasted.

Rae’s is open for both lunch and dinner. The Cafe also has a full bar and outdoor seating. Oh, and don’t forget their Key Lime Pie; it’s the perfect combination of sweet and tart, just as it should be.

If you haven’t tried Rae’s, you’re missing out on some scrumptious food!

Rae’s Coastal Cafe
(706) 738-1313
3208 W. Wimbledon Drive
Augusta, Georgia 30909

Hours of Operation:
Tuesday – Friday    11 am – 2 pm for lunch
Tuesday – Thursday   5 pm – 10 pm for dinner
Friday  -  Saturday    5 pm – 11 pm for dinner
Sunday  12 pm – 10 pm for lunch and dinner