Arden’s Garden
I decided to switch it up and just get a smoothie for this blog post. I love a good smoothie. I’m a sucker for things that make me feel like I’m on the right track to eating healthy. Ha. Arden’s Garden isn’t a hidden gem, they’re known for their smoothies and fresh fruit juices. You can even order the juices online or get them in selected grocery stores. 
They were slight busy when I stopped in around 2pm on Saturday. I browsed the menu and decided on a Summer Island Breeze. The ingredients are PH Solution, peach, papaya, spinach, ginger, sweet & spicy nuts, and hemp protein. Due to the amount of fruit, I figured this would be sweet. I thought the fruit would cancel out the ginger, nuts, and spinach but it doesn’t. Ginger is known for being strong so I could definitely taste the ginger. I wasn’t a fan of it not being sweet. I like sweet smoothies (even if that’s not the purpose of a smoothie). If I go back, I’d select a different flavor or build my own smoothies. The smoothie was almost $10 so I forced myself to drink at least half. Long story short, I didn’t enjoy this smoothie.
Despite me hating the smoothie, I love Arden’s Garden. I often buy their fruit juices from the grocery store. This was my second time at the Arden’s Garden store and the first time I built a smoothie and I enjoyed it. I would recommend it but just not the Summer Island Breeze. With that being said people enjoy their smoothies different ways so feel free to give it a try!
Sammy Cheezecake
I had a sweet tooth one afternoon and decided on cheesecake. I went to this hidden gem I found about a month ago called Sammy Cheezecake. It was my second time going there. This first time I went, I got a white chocolate cheesecake. It was amazing.
This time I got a slice of Reese’s cup cheesecake. I wanted the Snickers but they were all out when I got there (don’t worry, I’ll go back for it). On this particular day, I went around 5pm. The line was pretty much out the door. We had to squeeze in. The inside is pretty small, not very appealing just looks like a small bakery. Man oh man is the cheesecake so good! It’s just perfect. Please don’t get me started on the homemade whip cream! It’s so thick and sweet, I love it. I need a bowl of the whipped cream alone! For $5 and change, you get a nice slice of cheesecake. They have other things I need to try like red velvet cake, German chocolate cake, and cupcakes. Trust me you HAVE to try it. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll have a slice tomorrow.
I love how the owner is present. You can see him in the back making cheesecake. It’s obvious he’s passionate about his business and the work he does. In my opinion, things like that matter. The people he hires are also very friendly.
By the way, they have a 5-star rating!!!
The Corner Grille
Outside The Corner Grille
I woke up around 2pm and decided I wanted to do brunch. I found a cute small restaurant that does brunch from 9am-3pm Saturdays & Sundays. I was pressed for time so I jumped up got dressed and headed to The Corner Grille. There was a line and wait when I got there but luckily I was alone so I got the option to sit at the bar. I was seated right away. So if you’re looking to visit, beware they are busy.
I was greeted by a friendly server with a smiling face. After looking over the menu, I decided on the French Toast, with eggs, and bacon. I ordered a mimosa to drink. The food arrived in a decent amount of time considering they were busy. The mimosa was delicious. the french toast was good. It wasn’t slap your mama good but it was good. I’m not sure what it was missing but something was just missing. The bacon and eggs were great. I mean not much you can do to mess that up, right?
French Toast with Bacon and Eggs
I wanted to order the beignets. I LOVE beignets. If you’ve been to New Orleans, you should know what a beignet is. If you have been to New Orleans and haven’t been to Cafe Du Monde, you should just redo your entire trip. Seriously. When I was finally ready to order them, I was so full and I was scared to order them. Because I would be so disappointed if they tasted nothing like Cafe Du Monde’s beignets (I doubt they do). But if you’re interested try them!
The inside of the Corner Grille is super adorbs. It’s small and intimate. Makes for a great date spot. I’d love to see how intimate it gets in the evening time. Beware they have a dress code. Ha. View the website before you visit. Luckily, I read it and didn’t show up in my pajamas.
The servers are super friendly. The guy that served me didn’t even charge me for the mimosa! Always great to get a free mimosa.
I’d recommend this restaurant. Just maybe a different entree.
All photos taken by author.
Hattie Marie’s Texas Style Barbecue
Outside
Hattie Marie
I was craving Barbeque. Guess what I decided to do? Search yelp for some local barbecue to try. I ended up settling on Hattie Marie’s Texas Style Barbecue. One reason was the number of raving reviews and another was I could carry out. On this day, I did not feel like sitting in a restaurant. I just wanted my comfort food and some Hulu or Netflix. I’m sure you’ve had one or a few of those days.
Hattie Marie’s is located in College Park, GA. It’s located on Main Street where parking is annoying but the restaurant was easy to spot. As soon as I opened the doors and the smokey barbeque smell hit my nose my mouth started watering. I was also relieved to see no line because according to the reviews this place can have long wait times and lines out the door.
After, scanning the menu. I decided on the two meat plate that includes two sides but I’m a foodie so I ordered a third side. Ha. I ordered pork ribs and chicken, mac and cheese, greens, and potato salad. I was tempted to order a slice of cake but decided against it. If you choose to go here, try a slice for me.
As I waited for my meal, I glanced around the restaurant. There are options and seating for dining in. They have lovely photos of Hattie Marie on the wall. I loved this considering we’re all probably wondering who’s Hattie Marie. My food was ready fairly quickly. I grabbed my food and strawberry soda then rushed home.
I bit into the rib and it fell right off the bone and IT WAS DELICIOUS! The chicken tasted just as amazing. The barbeque sauce tasted like they made it themselves. Everything was seasoned to perfection. The mac and cheese, greens, and potato salad were perfect. This food reminded me of a home cooked meal. My dad lives in Oregon so there’s no way he’d be able to send me barbeque. Hattie Marie’s gave me the feeling of having my father’s barbeque that I miss so much.
Would I recommend this restaurant? Absolutely! Don’t forget to try the cake for me!
All photos taken by author.
Hickory & Hazel
Lobster Linguine
Hickory & Hazel is a restaurant that has southern food. It is located inside a hotel in College Park. It’s located inside of the Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel. The restaurant has very nice décor. The chandeliers and the chairs are appealing to the eye. If you go during the day expect it to be very bright. The menus are made to look like a faux wood. The restaurant is small but quite appealing to the eye.
The server was very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu items. I wanted the peach iced tea, but I didn’t want the tea to be too sweet. She made sure it was just right. After I ordered, the food came out quite quickly. Keep in mind I was not there during a peak time, the restaurant actually had only one other person dining in and a few people at the bar. Considering this I’d expected the food to come out quickly.
Now for the good stuff… THE FOOD.
Oh. My. Gosh. I ordered the Lobster Linguine, a bit pricey at a whopping $27 a plate, but it was delicious! They were not stingy with the lobster, I had chunks and chunks of lobster. The sauce was a perfect consistency. The seasoning was perfect. I did not have to add salt or pepper. The amount of spinach was perfect. It easily became one of my favorite pasta. Just thinking about it, describing it and typing about it has my mouth watering.
Overall, I’d recommend Hickory & Hazel. I’m not sure how it performs at peak times, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and we’ll say they’re able to handle it. Feel free to visit and get the Lobster Linguine or order something else. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
All photos taken by author.
Good eats in college park 