It's Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep of the Week @Morellis

Wouldn't you like to look down and see a tweet about chocolate Guinness or ginger beer ice cream?  Maybe you're the "Elvis Lives," mascarpone fig or strawberry rosewater type. Link up with Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream & Desserts at http://twitter.com/#!/morellis for the latest "scoop" on new scoops. Then head on over to Morelli's brick and mortar shop for the real thing.

Can't Wait for Double Zero Napoletana to Open!

It's exciting to watch new restaurants take shape and Double Zero Napoletana has really captured my attention. Not only do the owners have the restaurant pedigree (Sugo and The Iberian Pig) but they have the incredible passion that always spells success in this business. I can't wait to try their modern versions of southern Italy's Campania specialties, and a pizza from those wood-burning ovens they had flown in from Italy, ooooh, and that homemade gelato they keep telling me about!

In case you are wondering about the name, Double Zero's pizza is made according to the laws stipulated by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, which regulates the production of Neapolitan pizza. Under these laws, only ingredients from the Campania region may be used in creating pizzas. Double Zero is the only type of flour that can be used for Neapolitan pizza, hence the restaurant's name.

And listen to this planned specialty: a shared starter called "The Roast," a 1.5 pound pork shoulder baked in a 1000 degree oven and served in cast iron alongside six accoutrements and a thin pita-like bread made from pizza dough. Oh yes!

Double Zero should open up around the third week of April in the old 3 Dollar Cafe on Roswell Road, just OTP. Don't worry, I'll let you know when it's open! In them meantime, you can see photos and watch the progress on their Facebook page.

$25 For Three-Courses At Spice Market?! I Love You Hotel Restaurant Week!

It's no secret that some of Atlanta's best restaurants are located inside hotels. Now the shocker:you will be welcomed, even if you are not a hotel guest. Really. Atlanta hotels are celebrating their first Hotel Restaurant Week dining event to drive this point home. Diners will experience the tantalizing menus, exemplary service and plentiful ambiance of these hotel restaurants for a nominal price. No passes, coupons or room keys needed! Each participating restaurant will offer a special three-course menu for $25 (tax, gratuity and alcohol not included). At Spice Market in the W Atlanta Midtown, choose an appetizer of chicken satay or chicken samosas, an entrée of pork vindaloo or Malaysian cod, and sorbet or kulfi, a dense frozen dairy dessert, as your finale. Find menus and reservation links on the website.

Spice Market: In the W Atlanta Midtown, 188 14th Street, NE; 404-724-2550.

Spring Brings New Things at Fleming’s

The season is already off to a great start at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Dunwoody. Last week, the restaurant opened its completely revamped patio giving guests more room for al fresco drinks and dining. The patio includes a new cover that shields guests from showers or too much sun, two televisions, new lighting and comfy furniture. Fleming's patio tastes as good as it looks: "5 for 6 'til 7" bar specials are available indoors and out from 5 - 7 p.m. each night. Each menu item is $6 until 7 p.m., including five cocktails, five wines by the glass and five full-portion appetizers such as tenderloin carpaccio, seared ahi tuna, sweet chili calamari, roasted mushroom ravioli and Fleming's prime burger. New "5 for 6 'til 7" drink specials include the 99-calorie Tickled Pink cocktail, Mionetto Prosecco and two bottles of Guinness Draught.

When you come to Fleming's to try out the new patio, be sure to ask about their new chef's prix fixe menu, available starting today. The three-course, $39.95 menu will change weekly.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: 4501 Olde Perimeter Way in Perimeter Place Village; 770-698-8112.

Taste of the Nation 2011

There is a special place in my heart for Taste of the Nation, one of Atlanta's premier foodie events of the year. As a fundraiser for Share Our Strength, Taste of the Nation has been helping end childhood hunger among American children for 23 years. This will be my fifth year helping with the event by working on the restaurant committee. Getting an inside look at the hard work and planning that go into an event like this has been such an amazing and inspiring experience. The dedication from Share Our Strength's volunteers and from Atlanta's chefs is a clear sign of how deliciously fun this year's event will be.

This year's fundraiser is slated for Thursday, April 14 at the Georgia Aquarium and will honor chefs, like Aria Executive Chef/Owner Gerry Klaskala, who have supported Taste of the Nation Atlanta for 10 years or more. More than 50 of Atlanta's top restaurants will be on hand with flavorful dishes and wonderful wines, including Aqua blue, Aria, Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse, Marlow's Tavern and Woodfire Grill.

Tickets can be purchased online. General admission is $250 for the 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. gala. VIP ticket purchasers ($350 per person) enter at 6:30 p.m. for the preview party.

Countdown to the Sushi Showdown

If your NCAA Basketball bracket has been a dissapointment, RA Sushi is giving you a chance to redeem yourself. This Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., the midtown restaurant will offer a different kind of bracket competition known as Maki Madness. For this eating contest, guests can turn in their three point shots for Tootsy Maki (the restaurant's signature sushi roll) by entering for free at RA Sushi. On March 31 from 6:30 to 10 p.m., participants will compete to see who can demolish two uncut signature Tootsy Maki the fastest. The "final four" will advance to the championship sushi showdown at 9:45 p.m., where these wasabi warriors will find out who can consume the most Tootsy Maki in three minutes.

The grand-prize eater will win sushi for a year (12 $50 RA Sushi gift certificates) along with bragging rights. Second, third and fourth place eaters will receive RA Sushi gift certificates in amounts of $100, $50 and $25, respectively. All registered participants will receive a complimentary RA Sushi sweatband and Appetizer Card for use at another time (while supplies last). For viewers, there’s $7 Tootsy Maki all day and drink specials including the Free Throw Bomb ($6), 3-Pointer ($8), Rim RA’cker ($7) and Chang Beer ($3). Learn more on Facebook.

RA Sushi: 1080 Peachtree Street at 1010 Midtown; 404-267-0114.