Friday, January 22, 2010

Where Southern Ladies Lunch.........

Meet the ladies of Atlanta......
I have no idea who these ladies are but you will learn more about them later
on in the post.....
I have lived in Atlanta for 26 years and have driven past the
Swan Coach House on Paces Ferry Road
hundreds of time......so when Flour Power Joyce e-mailed me earlier in the week
and asked if I wanted to go to lunch she suggested the
Swan Coach House....Now you all know when me and Joyce get together we cause havoc but since we were going
to a Southern "ladies who lunch" Landmark
We were on our best behavior.......
Plus Rose the Santamaker wasn't with us so there was no one to embarrass......

After valet parking and Joyce giving the parking guy the business about
not knowing how the fancy gadgets on her new car worked....
He assured us that this was not his first BMW that he was parking and she
reluctantly turned over the keys.....
We got inside just in time for our 1:00 reservation.....
And nothing says a classy place for lunch like a reservation.....

The dining room was packed......all women.....It looked like a menopause convention ............
We were taken to an adorable little
2 seat table by the window......The table was set with roses....silver....and these cute
plates with their signature Swan logo.....

Okay so there were a few younger ladies in the house.....

We ordered their speciality of the house....
Chicken salad and tuna salad in little heart shaped timbales...
Cheese stix....which were delicious.....and
Frozen Fruit Salad.....


Here she is.....and I'm here to report that Joyce behaved like a true
Southern Lady....
Except for the multiple times she tried to get Manuel our server to divulge the
secret ingredients in the frozen fruit salad....
I ofcourse could not control myself from taking pictures....
And since Joyce can keep me laughing the entire time we are together I managed to keep my
laugh.....which you can normally hear in another state.....under control....


This wallpaper was everywhere.....and the lampshades matched the
backs of the chair seats.....it was all so pretty....very Southern.

We stayed and chit chatted until everyone in the place was gone....

We then hit up the gift shop....

They had such beautiful things.....
there were 4 or 5 different rooms that had all sorts of things for sale from
silver and glass....to jewelry.....children's clothing.....women's clothing
and Swan themed gifts....

Chocolate Swans....

Aren't they cute....

tea towels...... No Swans??

Okay Here are the Swans.........glass swans.....ceramic swan boxes....

A Swan Cookbook.....
I wonder if there's a recipe inside on "How To Cook A Swan".....
Joyce did check for the frozen fruit salad recipe to see if Manuel lied to us when he
told us the ingredients besides the fruit is heavy cream and gelatin
but the recipe was not to be found.....
You would think it's a national secret or better yet how Katherine Zeta Jones
keeps getting younger looking.....

Ofcourse in the bathroom there was a swan.....

What?........No Swan Wallpaper?

Yes....but I did spot a Swan Doorstop...............

Attached to the restaurant is a lovely art gallery........
Did we go through the gallery.....
Ofcourse not.....we were on to bigger and better things.....
Tuesday Morning....
for those of you who don't know what that is.....
Think a disheveled TJMaxx....

Before leaving these lovely Southern Belles that you met earlier asked us.....
"Those Yankees"....
To take their photo....They were celebrating one of their birthdays and they were
having the best time....
The women in the back with her arms up in the air asked the others to strike a
"Crazy pose"....
The cute lady on the left with the checkered jacket did her best to be wild and crazy
The other ladies.....Well...they just stood there as if to say.....
"You in the back row.....you look like a nut if you wish.....We are proper
Southern ladies......we have an image to uphold"......
They asked when they saw my big camera if I was with the
Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper and if they were going to make the
front page......
"No"......I said.......But you are going to make it into my Blog.....
They looked confused thanked me and walked away.....

And as if I didn't get enough great gifts this holiday.....
Joyce gave me this fabulous bread basket and since she calls me Sandra
after discovering at our last lunch outing that I'm a total baking fraud when I brought everyone
Oatmeal raisin cookies only for her to find out that I pulled a Sandra Lee
by "doctoring up" a package of Pillsbury ready made cookie dough....
Hey....you add a couple of nuts....a little sprinkle of powdered sugar and you have one
great tasting cookie......
She got me Sandra's new magazine......which is actually pretty good...........

The bread basket is a real beauty and it the perfect size for my
homemade bread....
I really do bake my own bread.....

Honest.

20 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Sue, that looks like a wonderful place to lunch! So glad you took us with you and that you had a good time and ate lots of good things. Love the story about the recipe. LOL!

Now, if you are going to go native on us, those little cheese morsels on your plate are called "cheese straws." They serve them everywhere from cocktail parties to baby showers to funerals where I grew up. You can buy wonderful ones now (though my husband's grandmother made the best I've ever eaten ANYWHERE) from Steinmart and such. I could eat my weight in them. LOL! I always take them to parties.

Thanks for the preview of that restaurant. BTW, did that swan chocolate cost $4 or $1. He was a cute little thing.

XO,

Sheila :-)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Ok so you two did you behave really? Can't wait to meet you both.

Linda @ A La Carte

Sue said...

Hi Mrs. Magpie....Yes, Joyce did call them cheese straws....what does someone from Jersey know about that type of things...straws...stix...all the same thing to us...they were delicious. And those chocolate swans were only $1.00.....

Ellen said...

Great post. Been past the Swan House on a few trips to ATL, but never been inside.

Barbara said...

Found a recipe for the frozen fruit salad at http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/frozen-fruit-salad/

Hope this helps!

Peg said...

What a pretty place to have lunch! I love the bright wallpaper and the food looked delicious. I know you and Joyce had fun, but I'm glad you were able to keep things under control and act like true southern ladies... ha! You girls are too much fun!

Salmagundi said...

o.k. Sue - this is my first effort at typing. Not too bad. Bob is off again this a.m. to a meeting, so I thought I could sneak into the computer. Bob is really trying to be a nurse, but I'm too impatient, so I get right to it. I get the pain pump out tomorrow, and hope to get off this stupid oxygen soon (I don't like to be tethered to anything!!! Thanks for calling - I was so surprised and excited. Did I make any sense? Later--- Sally

Deb said...

I have been to the Swan House years ago. Good to know it is still in business and as beautiful as I remember it to be.

Cheri said...

That looks like a wonderful place to have lunch and the food..... yummy!

I am having a hard time believing that the two of you were on your best behavior though. Are you SURE you told us the WHOLE story????

Girl, you are raking in the gifts... woo hoo!

Sue said...

Thank you Barbara for the link to the frozen fruit salad...I will forward it on to Joyce...

Joyce said...

Those ladies are so cute with pins on the jackets and the same hair color:) Thanks for a fun day. Use the bread basket in good health with family and friends. Glad you are enjoying the magazine.
Joyce

Kelee Katillac said...

Hi Sue!

Looks so southern!!!! Fun!!! Charming!

Thank-you for stopping by....

love, kelee

Mimi Sue said...

A menopause convention? Where do I register? Only if they keep the air conditioning on...Looks like a great place for lunch. Mimi

Helen said...

Oh how I wish I could magically transport this amazing place to Central Oregon ~~~ nothing like it here for sure. Your lunch sounds so delightful.

Linda Lou said...

Sue - now that is a swanky place for lunch - I am usually downing fish tacos or a slice of pizza with a friend-I am jealous-great view of your entre-southern style-and the GIFT SHOP...OMG!! Do they have a website so I can drool?? Looks like you and Joyce had a great time together.

Chatty Crone said...

Oh I just love that place - my mom used to live within a block of it and we went there many times. Did you try the swan desert? Yum.

Hope everything is going good!

Sandie

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I didn't realize that you've lived in Georgia 26 years Sue! You are almost a native southern belle by now!

Those "mature" ladies are so cute!

This looks like a wonderful place for lunch..very classy very pretty. I would have loved to browse in the gift shop.

Joyce really does look like Diane Keaton! Wow -- she could be her stand in!

I got a chuckle over the Sandra Lee semi home made secret for oatmeal cookies...I will have to remember that one in a pinch! The basket Joyce gave you is beautiful!

Susie Q said...

You and Joyce had such fun..I am totally envious!! Looks like a great spot. I am quite the tuna/chicken salad aficionado...mmmmmmmm.
Those ladies wer darlin'...look like my mom and her cronies. : )
I love that they asked if you were with the paper. I getthat all the time...they see us take a photo and deduce...gosh. Doesn't everyone take pics of food and plates and shops? I mean really!

: )

Love,
Sue

Kathleen said...

I looked at this when you posted but was unable to comment due to my possessed computer.
I would have loved a class like that! I have bought some goodies from King Arthur, and I feel so special when I get emails from the King..quite often!
Looks like a fun day!
26 years in Georgia..I thought it was just the last few.
I think you have to turn in your Joisey accent ....they only let you keep it so long! :)

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

"It looked like a menopause convention." Hahahahaha!

It looks lovely, and I want to be those ladies who lunch that you met up with! What a life. And I would have loaded up my pockets with the chocolate swans. (After I paid for them, or course.)