looking for daily atlanta deals? meet scoutmob.

 

If you’re not already signed up for Scoutmob, you’re missing out on some great deals at restaurants, bars, and shops in Atlanta.

Haven’t heard of Scoutmob? Maybe you’ve heard of its parent company, Skyblox. If you’ve ever linked into the wi-fi network at intown Atlanta joints like Joe’s Coffee in EAV, or No Mas Cantina in Castleberry Hill, you’ve no doubt seen the Skyblox home page. The company was founded about two years ago by former Earthlink  employees, and initially started as a secure wi-fi service provider for local restaurants, bars, and cafes. As an added service, Skyblox began publishing weekly emails that clued readers in to the latest happenings and specials at Skyblox wi-fi locations and other local haunts. The weekly email grew quite popular and eventually morphed into Scoutmob – dubbed a curious guide to mobile deals for the Atlanta explorer – which debuted a little over a month ago.

Here’s what’s so great about Scoutmob.

It’s opt-in – Scoutmob publishes a brand new deal each day that you can claim if you want or ignore if you’re not interested. This is great for consumers, because you’re not committed to sign up for anything,  and it’s even better for the businesses advertising via Scoutmob, because it gives them easy visibility into how many people responded to their campaign.

It’s limited-time only – Each deal expires within 24 hours, so there’s a sense of urgency to claim the deal. Once you do, you have anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to redeem it at the location.

It’s mobile – This is truly what makes Scoutmob unique. Most deals, discounts, or coupons require you to either print something out to present at the venue, or worse yet, require that you just remember the deal when you happen to show up. Once you claim each Scoutmob deal, it’s sent directly to your mobile phone – which you then present at the venue. If you’re an iPhone user, there’s a Scoutmob app that makes the process even easier.

It encourages exploration – In addition to the daily deal (which gives you incentive to try a new place out without paying full price), Scoutmob also publishes brief recommendations on local people, places, and things you might also want to check out.

The deals are deep – In my opinion, 10-15% off usually isn’t worth the hassle of signing up for something, and it generally doesn’t persuade me to visit a place. Scoutmob deals are more apt to make me act on them because they’re significant. Almost all of the discounts I’ve seen so far have been in the 40% and higher range.

Check out Scoutmob for yourself. Visit their website or follow Scoutmob on Twitter.

cheers,

k

a fleeting bloom in winter – gloAtl’s performance at lenox square mall

Lauri Stallings has a knack for befuddling audiences with her art. When I first heard of Bloom, the site-specific dance performance that would take place in the arteries of – of all places – Lenox Mall, my first response was a wrinkled brow and a head scratch. Why Lenox Mall? Why not a venue that would be more suited to the art form than a place characterized by crowded consumerism? Yet, I was intrigued enough to brave the weekend throngs and hellacious parking lot to catch a glimpse of gloAtl’s final performance of Bloom, which was set to begin at 4pm on Sunday.

At 4:15, a sizeable crowd of curious spectators gathered around a stark white dance floor that had been installed near the Starbuck’s at the center of the mall. Several more people – including yours truly – leaned over the banister of the mezzanine above, waiting for the spectacle to begin. Most people had no idea what they were even waiting for. “There’s a dance performance today,” I informed those who bothered to ask. One guy responded, “Oh, like America’s Best Dance Crew!?” He seemed a mite disappointed when I told him the show would be more ballet than b-boy.

After waiting several minutes with eyes trained on the stage, I noticed an out-of-place character in the crowd below. A svelte dancer clothed in a burlap-and-black tutu dress stood amidst the waiting onlookers; no one appeared to even notice she was there. Another dancer emerged from the crowd, crossed the stage and exited to the stairs leading to the second level of the mall, disappearing from view as quickly as she had appeared. Moments later, two more dancers emerged from the mass of shoppers, stretching limbs, twirling and executing elegantly awkward poses while mall patrons filed by with their shopping bags – some smiling, some oblivious, and some with confused looks on their faces. The befuddlement spread to the mezzanine quickly, especially when more than one dancer nudged between the upstairs onlookers, executing arabesques and fluid backbends over the edge of the railing.

The elimination of the barrier between a performer and an audience made for some profound observations. The crowd seemed to focus more on the dancers when they were in the designated performance space than they did when a dancer was literally performing right in front of their faces. I silently wondered whether the goal of Bloom was to remind us that art – like the blooming of a flower – is organic, and that we should be conscious of its presence all around us, instead of limiting it to a stage or a designated venue that proclaims, ‘herein lies art’.

Or perhaps the intent was to solidify gloAtl as a sort of fine arts flash mob that spreads this message of organic art appreciation throughout Atlanta.

Or maybe… the objective was simply to make people scratch their heads in between sips of their double shot, no foam macchiatos as they headed for their next retail fix.

copycat brunch – the social house’s farmstead eggs benedict

When I first reviewed The Social House in 2008, I couldn’t say enough good things about the place. The homey, retro decor and the menu - featuring standard breakfast and brunch classics with a little somethin’ extra – quickly catapulted Lorenzo Wyche’s newest venture to the top of my ‘favorite places for breakfast in Atlanta’ list. Since the restaurant’s opening, however, the long waits and occasionally inconsistent food have made it lose some of its lustre for me. But there’s one favorite from The Social House that I still regularly crave for weekend brunch.

The Farmstead – one of 5 variations of eggs benny on the restaurant’s menu – includes leeks, mushrooms, gouda, and country ham along with the requisite English muffin and poached eggs. For my at-home version, I replaced the country ham with turkey bacon, though if you’re a vegetarian, you could skip the meat altogether and it’d still be very flavorful dish. The smokiness of the gouda and the aromatic butteriness of the leeks will make you forget everything you thought you knew about traditional eggs benedict. But the best thing about this dish? It can go from fridge to plate in about 15 minutes.

DO try this one at home.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
1 leek
6 to 7 slices turkey bacon
2 english muffins, sliced in half
3-4 slices smoked gouda cheese
mushrooms (preferably crimini, aka baby portabella)
4 eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil
apple cider vinegar (optional)

Preparation:
Prep the leeks by cutting off and discarding the root end and the leafy tops. Cut the remaining section down the middle and rinse well, making sure to remove any grit or dirt between the layers of the leek. Slice the leek crosswise. Stack bacon slices and chop into pieces. Chop the mushrooms.

Put a pot of water on to boil for the eggs. If you have it, add a dash or two of apple cider vinegar to the water. The vinegar helps the egg whites hold together better – which makes for a prettier poached egg. When water comes to a low boil, add eggs one at a time. I like my eggs poached medium well, so I let them go for about 6 minutes at a simmer (not a full boil!). In the meantime, place the English muffin halves in the oven on low broil to toast.

In medium or large skillet, heat olive oil and add cut bacon. Sautee bacon for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Add the leeks and saute until slightly softened. Add mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer toasted English muffin halves to serving plate, and top each half with a slice of smoked gouda. Pile bacon-leek-mushroom mixture on top. Add another slice of gouda to the mound, and finish each stack with a poached egg. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each egg, if you like.

Eat. Enjoy.

cheers,

k

before black dynamite and bushido brown

Alright, so if you don’t already know (or don’t already have your own bootleg copy), Black Dynamite comes out on DVD today. This hilariously authentic spoof of 70s blaxploitation films features Michael Jai White (of Spawn and other B-movie fame) as the ass-kicking, smack-fighting, lady killer, Black Dynamite, who will stop at nothing to avenge his brother’s death and clean up the ‘hood.

The movie premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, but unfortunately, was largely overshadowed by the heavier-themed Precious.  However, Black Dynamite has gotten a lot of positive reviews from  critics, and I for one think it’s impressive to note that Jai White not only stars in the film – delivering both comic lines and action sequences with great skill – but also had a hand in writing the script. I guess he’s had enough B-movie experience to be able to turn the genre into a comic goldmine for himself.

On a related note, I happened to be enjoying a DVD collection of The Boondocks during Atlanta’s recent snow ‘storm’ , and rediscovered one of my favorite scenes  where Huey goes toe-to-toe with Bushido Brown, a black kung fu master sporting a perfectly coiffed afro and aviator sunglasses. The beau – who’d never seen the Boondocks episode – hipped me to the fact that the cartoon character seemed to be modeled after Jim Kelly, a real-life blaxploitation kung fu action hero from the 70s. Later that day, in an attempt to cure our cabin fever, we made a trip to Videodrome and immediately came across Black Belt Jones, the 1974 flick starring none other than Jim Kelly.  Needless to say I snatched it up and, upon viewing it, was surprised to find that not only did The Boondocks borrow Kelly’s image for the character of Bushido Brown, but Michael Jai White also borrowed heavily from Black Belt Jones for several scenes of Black Dynamite. The theme song from Black Belt Jones – composed by funk guitarist Dennis Coffey – was also surprisingly familiar. A snippet of the theme (along with a snippet from Coffey’s tune, ‘Scorpio’) was sampled in LL Cool J’s ‘Jingling Baby’. Just goes to show, a good thing never goes out of style.

If you’re a fan of movie spoofs, 70s culture, tongue-in-cheek action films, or watching sexy, shirtless black kung fu masters stick it to the man, I strongly suggest you rent them both.

Later for you jive turkeys,

k

atlanta travel – touring the future on the beltline (as seen on trazzler)

Usually, if you want to get to know a city, you visit monuments of its past. But if you really want to get to know Atlanta, you can also take a tour of its future. The Beltline—a multi-year, multi-billion dollar urban renewal effort—is also a symbol of the things Atlantans love most about their town: its historic neighborhoods, urban green spaces, and its legacy of rising from the ashes. Today, the Beltline isn’t much more than 22 miles of abandoned, overgrown rail lines. But enthusiastic tour guides will lead you by bus, bike, or foot on a journey behind the scenes and into the future of the South’s brightest city. Don’t expect pristinely picturesque scenery. Like the future, the beauty of the Beltline is less about what you can see with your eyes, and more about what you can imagine in your mind.

cheers,

k

View other Atlanta travel stories on Trazzler…

a night of bliss: sade album release listening party at halo

Sade’s latest album was released yesterday, and tonight DJ Mars and DJ Doc will dedicate their new weekly event, Bliss: A Night of Intense Musical Pleasure, to exploring the diva’s greatest hits and tracks from the new release.

Free champagne from 9-10. No Cover!

Click here for more details.

cheers,

k

v-day poll results and some unconventional v-day events in atlanta

A couple of weeks ago, I polled guys and ladies separately on what sort of gift you’d like most for Valentine’s Day. Well, the results are in!

 

While they weren’t all that surprising – women overwhelmingly prefer ‘experience gifts’ to stuff like flowers and candy (wait, you guys did know that already right?), and men didn’t really have a preference -  what was surprising is that more women than men responded that they thought Valentine’s Day was for suckas, and 10% of the ladies who responded said that they just wanted ‘to be left alone’. C’mon girlfriends, it can’t be that bad out there… can it? 

Whether you’re single or seeing someone, here are my picks for some unconventional ways to spend this Valentine’s Day in Atlanta.

Witness the Black Man-o-logues – This play by DreamCatcher Productions at the 14th Street Playhouse answers the question, “What runs through the head of a black man when he is confronted with the subject Love?” Shows Saturday and Sunday. For more info:  http://www.catchingdreamz.com/

Take a Trip to Jeju Sauna -  A spa retreat like you’ve never experienced before. Just a short trip to Duluth, and you can lose yourself in another world for a whole day. Check out my review of Jeju Sauna on Trazzler.

Celebrate Valloween – A combination Halloween costume party with the sexiness of Valentine’s Day for both singles and couples. Because there’s “nothing better than playing dress-up to make a depressing holiday more palatable.” For more info: http://professionalmuse.net/

Hey Love: Bilal, Foreign Exchange, Jesse Boykins III – Sexy soulfulness takes Center Stage on Friday. Bring your boo or plan on finding one when you get there. Tickets at Mood’s Music in Little Five Points and Ticketmaster

Bloom at Lenox Mall - Lauri Stallings, the choreographer behind the 2008 genre-blending production big, that thrust ballet dancers onto the stage with Atlanta’s own Big Boi, will be taking dance to another platform this weekend at Lenox Mall. Bloom, the 3rd site-specific art installation from Atlanta-based gloATL, will feature dancers interacting with shoppers in the arteries of the mall. Spoken word artist Big Rube will also perform. It’s sure to be a sight! For more info: http://www.fluxprojects.org/bloom/index.html 

V-Day Mixology Massacre – If Valentine’s day makes you want to kill something… why not make it a cocktail? The Mixology Meetup group is hosting this event at Room at Twelve on W. Peachtree. You’ll learn how to make 3 V-day inspired cocktails at your own bar station. Then you can immediately drown yourself in them. For more info:  http://www.meetup.com/Mixology-Atlanta/

Make Sweet Chocolate Love at Cacao – If cocktails ain’t your thing, how ’bout some chocolate? Make your own chocolate treats and package them up for yourself or a loved one. Might I suggest: chocolate salty balls. Cacao Atlanta in Va-Hi hosts. For more info: http://www.cacaoatlanta.com/events

To El with Valentine’s Day – El Taco says, ‘be glad you’re single”, and invites you to celebrate your solo-ness with drink specials (like $4 Hornitos Mischieve tequila shots), special prizes from the Wheel of Taco, and an in-house photo booth and tarot reader on Sunday. Get all the details here.

cheers,

k

photo credit: Sister72

y we remember – current perspectives on the future of black history

The name of the comedian escapes me (Chris Rock maybe?), but there’s a standup skit about Black History Month that, unfortunately, is a pretty accurate summation of the Black History curriculum that I and most of my peers received in school: 

“Once upon a time there was a thing called slavery. Some time later, Martin Luther King was born….” 

While that synopsis of Black History education was grossly exaggerated for comic effect, it still wasn’t too far from the truth. Throughout elementary and high school, each February was the time for recounting the familiar narrative: we were once slaves, we were once denied the education and opportunities that other Americans were given, and had it not been for the illustrious leaders of the post-Reconstruction and civil rights era, we might never have made it through. Then we’d sing We Shall Overcome three times, listen to an excerpt of Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech, learn an African dance routine, and return to our regularly scheduled educational programming in March. While I always enjoyed hearing the familiar stories and speeches, I began to notice that, each year, the gap between the era of Black history I was being taught about and the era of Black now I was living in kept growing wider and wider. 

It wasn’t until I made it to college – where I enrolled in a freshman World History course at Clark Atlanta University – that I got a more comprehensive understanding of how Black and African history figured in the larger context of human history. On the first day of class, the professor walked in, headed straight for the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk and drew three figures. The first was a straight line. The second was a circle. And the third, a straight line that then arced back upon itself. It was only after he’d finished his drawings that he addressed the class. 

“This,” he began, pointing to the straight line, “represents the European worldview. Everything is about forward progress.”
“This,” as he motioned to the circle, “represents the Asian worldview. Everything is cyclical and eventually returns to where it began.”
“And this,” referring to the straight-line-arc, “Is the African worldview. Ever moving forward, but always drawing on the lessons of the past.”
I would later recognize the straight-line-arc being represented in the Adinkra symbol of the Sankofa bird. Sankofa being a word in the Akan language that means ‘go back and get it’, referring to the idea of taking the wisdom of the past and using it to make progress toward a beneficial future. 

It occurs to me that many of us are still celebrating Black History Month the way were taught in elementary school. We recall those icons of the past, laud their praises, recount the stories, and sing the old hymns for 28 days, then it’s back to our regularly scheduled lives in March. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should stop talking about Malcolm, Martin, and Rosa. But the ’old way’ of approaching Black History Month has caused it to lose some of its relevance in the now. We African-American artists, intellectuals, activists, and entrepreneurs are the ones who are creating the history that future generations will look to to help them guide their own progress. And now that we have ‘gone back and gotten it’… what do we do with it today? 

A couple of my contemporaries have dedicated these 28 days to answering that question in their own ways. One, by spotlighting today’s diverse leaders of new media, and the other by issuing a unique call to action for the latest tragedy to hit the Diaspora. 

Wayne Sutton, Social Media and Community Strategist at Twine Interactive (an internet marketing firm), has launched 28 Days of Diversity on his blog, www.socialwayne.com. Each day in February, Sutton will highlight an individual who is a leader or influencer in IT, the web, new media, etc. In an industry that has too few brown faces, this is a huge way of exposing those that we might not ever hear about otherwise. Case in point: today’s spotlight is on Atlanta-based blogger, video producer, and media consultant, Amani Channel. In addition to being the founder of Visual Eye Media, Amani is also the community manager for PBA’s Lens on Atlanta, and in his spare time (yes, that’s sarcasm) he blogs at www.myurbanreport.com. Keep an eye on Wayne’s blog for more folks you should meet this month. 

Bren Herrera, an Atlanta chef and food writer, is rallying the global community of food bloggers, chefs, restaurauteurs, and foodies to raise funds for victims of Haiti’s earthquake via Stir It 28. Stir It 28 is a prime example of 21st century community activism, leveraging new media in a 3-part campaign to raise $50,000 within 28 days. 100% of proceeds will be donated directly to Share Our Strength and Yéle. The fundraiser is a multi-city collaboration between Hererra, who blogs at Flanboyant Eats, Chrystal of The Duo Dishes and Courtney of Coco Cooks. Read all about Stir It 28 and how you can participate . 

(You’ll be hearing more about Stir It 28 from me soon, as I’ll definitely be participating!) 

cheers, 

k