Meagan McCall

Canopy Club is the rooftop restaurant for The Shay hotel in Ivy Station in Culver City. We were easily able to get a reservation on OpenTable, and they have both covered-yet-open indoor table seating and outside poolside lounge seats. It’s a really cool vibe if you’re looking for a rooftop closer than WeHo, and it’s a great place to go with a group of friends. I personally was obsessed with vibe from the wallpaper and plants. If you aren’t taking Uber/Lyft, you can either valet or look around Ivy Station for street or lot parking.

For an appetizer from their all day menu, I strongly recommend starting with the Hamachi Crudo ($23)with citrus dashi, guajillo-sesame, and sliced chives. The sauce on top is flavorful and has a good kick, and the fish was a perfect texture.

For our Entrée we went with a dish from the Evening Specials menu that’s available starting at 4pm, the Heritage Pork Chop ($32) with nduja butter, charred late harvest stone fruit, and watercress. It was flavorful and delicious, but be aware that the pork is very fatty.

For dessert we felt like we’ve had better tiramisu, but it wasn’t bad. I did love that they had a non-alcoholic section, so I went with the Kimino Yuzu Juice for $7.

We were easily able to make a reservation for Public School on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks on OpenTable, where they gave you different seating area options to select from. If you don’t park in their lot, we found plenty of street parking in the residential neighborhood across the street.

I was craving something healthy-ish and filling, so I went with the Chophouse Filet Steak Salad ($21) which comes with chopped romaine, mixed greens, roasted red pepper, pickled onion, blue cheese dressing, filet mignon medallions & crispy fried onions. The blue cheese dressing was extremely light, and I’d you’re mildly sensitive to dairy you likely won’t have a problem with it as-is. I asked if I could switch out the crispy fried onions for grilled onions since I’m gluten free, and they were able to accommodate! I also really liked how they listed on their menu with GA in circles to clearly denote which items were Gluten Friendly. I would do the same thing if I came back, but next time I would add the avocado for $3 extra.

I love Troya Mediterranean Kitchen on the hip Fillmore Street in San Francisco for its authentic and delicious cuisine. The Turkish brunch sampler for 2 ($60) is definitely something to share and write home about, especially if you’re a fan of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.

My favorite items from the sampler included the green olives with red seasoning sprinkled on top, fresh tomato/cucumber, tahini with sesame seeds and almost a creamy peanut butter dessert consistency, dried dates and walnuts (try dipping the date in the tahini at the end of your meal as a sweet treat), and both cheeses. Our server let us know that one cheese is a feta and the other is a harder, more-aged version, and that both included a combination of three types of milk - cow, goat, and sheep. This definitely made the cheese easier to digest, and I personally recommend putting the feta on the shakshuka.

The Shakshuka was also good but felt like it could have been great if we had eaten this immediately because the eggs seem to continue cooking the longer you let it sit. I do wish that the lamb sausage either was mixed into the sauce so that the sauce absorbed the flavor, or that the lamb sausage was cooked for less time so that it was less crispy. It comes with slices of lamb but as of now these seem like they could be easily removed if you’re vegetarian.

If you order extra bread, heads up that it is an additional $10, but since they bring you an entire tray of different bread types it feels worth it.

The Turkish coffee ($5) is worth trying at least once if you enjoy super strong tasting coffee, or if you’re just an adventurous person. It also comes served in a cute cup and saucer with a little treat on the side. For those wanting a regular coffee ($3.50) with their brunch, not to fear because they have this as well.

I was in absolute awe at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Garden Lights Holiday Nights. If you’re in Atlanta for the holidays, you NEED to experience this.

You need to book tickets in advance from their website, and they will sell out. I recommend going at 5pm so that you can see the plants with a little daylight, and then do a second lap after it gets dark. Dress warmly and bring gloves if your hands get cold because the majority of the event experience is outdoors.

The four displays recommend seeing twice include the Nature’s Wonders Canopy Walk, Infiniti Christmas Tree Fountain, Radiant Rainforest, and Tunnel of Light.

They have a few different bars, and one thing you absolutely need to try is the Ghirardelli hot chocolate, $6. If you’re over the age of 21, then I strongly recommend the peanut butter whiskey spiked hot cocoa, 12oz for $12. It was a great flavor combination for anyone who enjoys Reese’s.

Parking is $10, although the Uber drop off is right by the front entrance and more convenient, especially if you plan on having spiked cocoa.