As you all know, I am fairly new to Atlanta. I have really come to love and appreciate specific venues, vendors and opportunities in the Atlanta area, and I want to share special stories about each one with you. So here goes…

An M Famous evening always begins with a fabulous group of friends.  This fact was evident as I entered the Grape Wine Bar in Atlantic Station with a crew of my favorites.  The Hostess greeted us warmly and escorted us to our reserved table.  I have been looking forward to this all week!  As I took my seat at the head of the table, we were given a sample pour of wine to try.  The red zinfandel was the perfect choice to kick this evening off right.  As we looked over the menus and began making our first course choices, we decided to order a bottle of this intense red wine that has a savory finish.  Giarrusso Dry Creek Valley Zin is mild enough to play well with a wide range of dishes including two of my favorite starters….the Scottish Smoked Salmon flatbread and the Three Cheese Crab Dip.

The Flatbread is made with Dill Crème fraiche, red onions, arugula, goat cheese aioli and capers.  The flavor is indescribable.  This is perhaps the BEST flatbread I have ever had in my life.  The crab dip is to die for – flavorful but not overpowering.  Of course, both were a huge hit at the table.

Elizabeth and I each ordered a glass of “Black Bubbles” and toasted this great night.  Black Bubbles is actually a Sparkling Syrah with all of the things I love about champagne and red wines combined into one addictively refreshing glass.  This is a MUST TRY!!!! Kurt wanted to switch from wine to a Bourbon and Coke with his steak.  I have found that most people have no clue that The Grape Wine Bar is far more than just that.  They have a full bar complete with an assortment of beers and every cocktail you can imagine – available at all three of their Atlanta locations.

Our main courses were as diverse as our drink orders:

Grilled Mahi Tacos

Pan Seared New Bedford Scallops

Shrimp and Grits

Porcini Rubbed Sirloin

Pimento Cheese Burger

There is literally something for everyone on the menu. The staff was even nice enough to allow Kurt to substitute 2 of the usual side dishes for something different.  Everything was prepared perfectly, and we all found ourselves almost too full to try dessert… almost!  Our Servers, Quinton and Jason, were absolutely terrific and eventually convinced us to try their three favorite deserts….

An absolutely SINFUL cheese cake

A tiramisu that was light and velvety

And a brownie with Ice cream and caramel.

Completely full and enjoying my friends at the table, I found myself trying to find something, anything that could wrong with the evening…But I couldn’t.  The service was some of the best in Atlanta, the food and drinks were perfect in every way.  The LIVE music was a special addition to the small intimate venue.  If you have never been to The Grape Wine Bar, I encourage you to try. After a couple of visits I will almost guarantee that you find yourself personally greeted by the staff at your favorite location, laughing with them and catching up like old friends.  It is truly a “Chic Cheers” where everybody knows your name.  Special thanks to everyone with The Grape for a great evening and don’t forget to enter to win a $50 gift certificate to this terrific venue by clicking here! The M Famous Monday’s drawing will be announced on Friday.

Thank you so much for your interest in this week’s M Famous Approved venue!

Mr M Famous

Christopher Macken

Happy almost Friday everyone!!  Check out our newest entry below – another man in need of help – comment on the blog, Tweet me or shoot me a Facebook message.  You have until Saturday night at midnight to vote and offer advice!  Sunday, as usual, I will tally the votes and give my final rundown.  Keep those stories rolling in! Friends, family and coworkers sit down and submit the “on Goings” of your friends’ relationships and let the public be the judge and jury…it’s time to play…Hitch or Ditch…

CMC,

Man, I broke some unwritten code somewhere and read my fiance’s diary, journal whatever the hell you want to call it. I have no excuse I was being nosy. She writes in the damn thing all the time and she acts like it is a national treasure. I have come to hate this freakin thing. I have racked my brain on what she could be saying in there, so the other night after she fell asleep I grabbed it and read the whole thing. She talks about everything in there. A good bit of it is about me. Nice stuff like the things she appreciates about me and she is looking forward to the wedding, etc. BUT she writes alot about our sex life and her lack of interest and pleasure. She’ll talk about how she faked this or forced herself through that. I don’t want to say too much, but basically her overall mediocre physical relationship with me! I mean I am at a loss here I thought we were doing just fine. Clearly this is how she really feels. I can’t marry someone that feels that way, right? I know women are less focused on that stuff than men, but seriously, she is going to be the only person I am with in that way for the rest of my life and she is disinterested?! If I hadn’t read it would she have just continued this way forever?

Sam

So,  everyone what do we think – Tweet Me, Facebook Me or comment below.  Sam needs our help!

Be M Famous

CMC

Happy Sunday morning everyone. Below is a Hitch or Ditch that really touched me. If you missed the story of Rebeka, read it here, before checking out my take below.

Dear Rebeka,

Let me begin by saying that, honestly, I completely understand what you are feeling.  I, admittedly, am not a therapist, but I would think that this could be a common issue for couples to experience.   The fact that your husband may not be able to father a child for you doesn’t change the love that the two of you share.  It seems to me that you are trying to make the “marriage” too much like “parenthood.”  The fact remains that they are two totally separate things.  The old saying, “The grass is greener” comes to mind here.  Your thoughts of leaving him based on something out of his control is NOT the answer.  If you have a man that loves you, then you owe it to the two of you to attempt to work through this.  Remember, “for better or worse.”  This would be the “worse,” and I have never heard anyone say that marriage was a breeze.  My question for you is, “Do you love him, and does he love you?”  If the answer is yes on both parts, then you absolutely must….  STAY HITCHED!

Now for the topic of children.  There are many ways to be a mother.  I have a friend that found out, after many failed attempts and many miscarriages, that she would not be able to give birth.  They now have two beautiful boys and a very happy family.  They adopted both of their children, and I can assure you that her feeling of motherhood was not altered because she didn’t actually give birth to them.  Those are her babies!  Take a moment and think about the precious, beautiful, smart, sweet children that are in foster care or waiting (hoping) to one day be adopted….to be able to have a Mommy to tuck them in at night or a Dad to throw the baseball with.  The thought of these sweet children growing up with out having a family to celebrate the milestones of life saddens me.  So to you I would say two things…1. You and your husband should see a marriage counselor.  This is not a reason to walk away! And 2. At least look into giving one of the countless children a loving home.  In my eyes this would make you not only a mother, but a hero too!

You can do this! I believe in you!

Mr M Famous

Email me,  Tweet Me, or Facebook Me

Sorry for the delay – we had a few technical difficulties this morning, but I can tell you that this one was worth the wait. I am going to label it as another “Stay Hitched” or Ditch situation.  Check out our newest entry below – comment on the blog, Tweet me or shoot me a Facebook message.  You have until Saturday night at midnight to vote and offer advice!  Sunday, as usual, I will tally the votes and give my final rundown.  Keep those stories rolling in! Friends, family and coworkers sit down and submit the “on Goings” of your friends’ relationships and let the public be the judge and jury…it’s time to play…Hitch or Ditch…

Mr MFamous,

My husband cannot have children……..Still shocks me to “say” that outloud. I have wanted to be a mother since I was old enough to understand where babies come from. I think I always just assumed that wanting them would be enough of a reason for having them to just be super easy. I never actually considered that not being able to get pregnant would be an option. My husband and I have been married for 5 years. We wanted to travel and enjoy our time together before we had kids, so we spent the first years of our marriage just being a young carefree couple. Almost 2 years ago we decided we were ready. We started trying under the assumption that it would happen quickly and easily. After a year of trying and no baby, we both started to get frustrated and worry. So we went to see my OBGYN and she started testing my hormone levels. The preliminary tests on me were normal so we moved to him. 3 months ago we found out he is completely infertile. The likelihood that he will ever be able to get me pregnant is almost nonexistent. After the shock wore off, I feel like we tried to move to the “we can fix this” phase. We started investigating treatments and sperm donors, even adoption. But I have to tell you, as the weeks have gone by, I find myself getting madder and madder at him – furious actually. I know that sounds irrational, and he can’t help it. He didn’t plan this, but the site of him actually disgusts me at times. This last year has really taken its tole on us and my patience level is just wearing thin. The fact just remains that I want to be pregnant and experience that and I want my child to be a little of me and a little of my husband. And the fact that he will never give me that is just feeling more and more like a deal breaker every day! I am considering leaving him. I am young enough to find someone else that can make my dreams come true. Again, I know that sounds crazy and awful – it feels a little crazy and awful to admit it, but how is this reason for leaving him any different than finding out other dreams and aspirations don’t line up for a husband and wife? Like money or where you want to grow old? I think my marriage is falling apart and I had to reach out to someone even if it is just a blog post on a random web site – no offense.

Rebeka

So,  everyone what do we think – Tweet Me, Facebook Me or comment below.  Rebeka needs our help!

Be M Famous

CMC

I am honored and thrilled to announce that I have been named Atlanta’s real-life Ken Doll! On Friday, February 18, I will be the special guest at Wreak HAVoC’s Fake February Barbie and Ken Valentine’s Day held at Opera Atlanta.

So whether you have that special someone or you bring a group of friends, join me this Friday and have the perfect Valentine’s Day celebration. Dress as your favorite theme Barbie and Ken – preppy, athletic, hipster, jersey shore…be creative!

Click here to RSVP! Hope to see you there.

Be M Famous

CMC

Happy glorious Sunday everyone! Time for my response to Hitch or Ditch…Round 5!

Sam,

Let me start by saying, Congrats!  I mean that.  Sometimes we find love in the most non-obvious places.   Case in point, your soon to be groom!

With that being said, I also need to point out that sometimes we find that we are surprised by the lack of support from the most OBVIOUS places.  Your friends were out of line to address the situation in that manner.  Now, if they had concerns based on his work ethic, intellect level or the way he treats you, then I would tend to agree with them.  However, the fact that he may not be as “Preppy” as they would like leaves me questioning how great these friends actually are.   He is probably not a card-carrying GAP customer, but that doesn’t negate the love that the two of you share.   This reminds me of something I heard somewhere (not sure where) “A friend’s job is not to correct the mistake, or even to prevent it from happening to, but rather to be there to help put the pieces back together and help you learn from it.”  Coco Chanel once said, “ My Friends, there are no friends.”  I think that most everyone agreed with me on this one, and so the obvious answer is…DITCH…your friends!  And Hitch the man!  If they are truly your friends they will be happy for you and support your marriage to a man that loves you.

Cheers to you!

Mr M Famous

Thursday has arrived once again! Time for Hitch or Ditch – Round 5!  The newest entry is below – comment on the blog, Tweet me or shoot me a Facebook message.  You have until Saturday night at midnight to vote and offer advice!  Sunday, as usual, I will tally the votes and give my final rundown of what the public thinks about the fate of these couples.  Keep those stories rolling in! Friends, family and coworkers sit down and submit the “on Goings” of your friends’ relationships and let the public be the judge and jury…it’s time to play…Hitch or Ditch…

Dear Mr. MFamous,

Sorry for the confusion on how to write in for Hitch or Ditch. It has been quite a day today and to be quite honest I might regret even sending you this email but I am about to bust to talk about this and I don’t have anyone in my life that is impartial enough to talk to. This ordeal involves all of my best girlfriends and I have never felt so alone. So tonight I went for wine with my favorite girls. I mean we lived together in college, some of us still live together now. In theory they know me better than anyone else. I met my boyfriend a little over a year ago at a networking event for work. Admittedly, he pursued me more at first. I just wasn’t that interested. I thought he would make a great friend, but never considered dating him until he asked me out for coffee and then drinks and then dinner. Over the past year, we have really developed a strong relationship. So much that I even feel a little guilty for not liking him at first. I love him. Well apparently he contacted one of BFF’s in the group to help him plan a proposal. Which I love. He is trying to make it perfect for me. But tonight I found out that the reason for our dinner was so my friends could tell me that they don’t picture me marrying him. Half way into the evening they all got these really serious looks on their faces and one of them says to me “we just thought you would marry someone a little preppier.”  They told me they like him just fine, but they are worried that me marrying him would be a mistake. I just sat there and listened. Even now, I don’t know how to react. I mean they have been sitting around discussing us behind our backs but I really can see myself with him forever but they have known me for so long, maybe I’m the one that’s wrong. And I just feel sick that he contacted them for help and they are saying this about him. If I marry him anyway will they always think less of me? What a mess.

Thanks
Sam

So,  everyone what do we think – Tweet Me, Facebook Me or comment below.  “Sam” needs our help!

Be M Famous

CMC

Thank you all for supporting the mascara promotion!  As many of you know, I created Christopher Macken Cosmetics, a brand of high-end, high quality cosmetics.  This weekend we “tested the waters” with a Twitter teaser, asking for new and existing followers to re-tweet and follow in order to be eligible to win.  The response was wonderful!  I am truly grateful!

After the random drawing, the winners were chosen. Click HERE and HERE to see if you were the lucky winner! If you were the lucky winner, email me and include your mailing address.   Congrats!  If you weren’t the lucky winner this time, remember, I am going to be giving away something new every week – from wine to sub sandwiches. If you would like to be entered to win products from some of my favorite places, subscribe to the weekly M Famous Monday’s newsletter by clicking here. Thank you again and good luck next week!

Mr M Famous

Happy Sunday morning everyone. Below is our toughest Hitch or Ditch yet. If you missed the story of our husband in need, read it here, before checking out my take below.

STW, I have tried to write this response so many times, and every time I have found myself feeling so hurt for you.  The fact of the matter is, your story reminds me of a prior relationship, and therefore, I found myself inadvertently responding to my situation instead of yours.  So this morning, as I sit here with my coffee, going back over the responses (which by the way were MANY), I am ready to try to shed some light on this situation.

First of all, let me tell you that your story touched so many people.  Almost everyone took very pointed stances on this and offered very strong options.  Some said “Stay Hitched” and even more felt the answer was “ditch.” All in all, after the votes from Facebook, Twitter and the blog were counted, it seems that 50% say DITCH, 40% say “Stay Hitched” and 10% are undecided.

With that being said, I have my take on things…Here we go.  I am sorry that this is happening.  The pain of heartbreak can be one of the most debilitating hurts ever felt, and no doctor can fix it.  “Erock” said it best on the blog when she said, “Time heals all wounds,” and it does.

In addition, I too have had a similar situation where my first love (who traveled a lot) and I met when I was 19. After a beautiful long-term relationship, I found out he had other boyfriends in other states.  I was so hurt I couldn’t get out of bed.  But eventually I picked myself up and moved on.  I am so happy to have gone through that experience, because now I have the ability to see exactly what kind of person I want in my life and more importantly, what kind of person I do not want.

Now, I know it sounds like my advice is heading towards “Ditch.”  On the contrary, my advice to you is going to be to “Stay Hitched”…for now.  You are already married, and that fact makes this a bit more difficult.  As “Chirpykt” said, “Marriages are not disposable.” You have to see this one through and confronting her is the first step.  Stand your ground and let her know you are aware she is being dishonest.  Then be prepared to either walk away or try to work through it depending on how she responds.  If you walk away, then do so and don’t falter.  Walk out the front door of the house and into the door of a divorce attorney.   If this marriage is to be saved, both of you have to want to save it.  Keep in mind the amount of work that you have to put in if you decide to stay together.  You have to be able to never question her or doubt her when she goes to work, to a friend’s house or to the store.   That trust is going to be very difficult, and honestly I don’t know if I could do it.

I have to say, it sounds like the ladies who commented would love to meet a devoted sweet man.  Thank you for all of your thoughts and comments!  Final tally….“DITCH” but after you see the marriage through despite how difficult it may be. Please follow up with me in a month – we would all love to hear how you are doing.

Cheating is not the answer. It is the cowardly way of getting around confrontation.  I’m sorry for you and wish you well!

Stay M Famous everyone,

Mr M Famous

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Hello Thursday! Where have you been all week?!

So, this is Hitch or Ditch – Round 4! Check out our newest entry below – comment on the blog, Tweet me or shoot me a Facebook message.  You have until Saturday night at midnight to vote and offer advice!  Sunday, as usual, I will tally the votes and give my final rundown of what the public thinks about the fate of these couples.  Keep those stories rolling in! Friends, family and coworkers sit down and submit the “on Goings” of your friends’ relationships and let the public be the judge and jury…it’s time to play…Hitch or Ditch…

Mr M Famous,

I can probably guess that I am the first guy you have had write you for help. Maybe not, I don’t know, but man, I need help. This is more of a “stay hitched” or ditch situation. If you don’t want to help because we’re already married, I’ll get it.

Here’s the deal – my wife and I have been married for a little over a year. We have dated since we were 14 and 15, went to the same high school, same college, etc. We shared every first. Not to say too much, but she is literally the only woman I have ever kissed and same for her. She is just a really great girl. I never had to worry about any of that crazy stuff college girls can get into. But over the past few months I have noticed that she has been drinking a little more during the week and spending more time on the weekends with her friends. Dude, in all honesty, I really would not have started to worry, but stupid Facebook caught my eye. She left her page up one night – I’m not even on Facebook – and I noticed that she had a chat screen up. After looking closer, I realized she was chatting with her boss. She works for this small little firm with 2 other people. I saw the word Saturday so I scrolled through their conversation. They were discussing their weekend TOGETHER – she told me she was with friends! It is so unlike her to lie. I didn’t want to assume anything, so this past weekend I followed her. She drove to his house and spent the evening. Like a dumba** I just sat down the street in my car watching his house and waiting on her to leave. Finally after watching them kiss goodnight, I drove home. Got home after her and told her that I had gone over to a buddy’s house. She was in such a fog from her night with him, she didn’t even question me.

I go back and forth between sick to my stomach, so angry I could kill them both and so hurt I could die.

STW

So,  everyone what do we think – Tweet Me, Facebook Me or comment below.  “STW” needs our help!

Be M Famous

CMC