Saturday, November 5, 2016

Appetizing Aperture: Ormsby's Black Bean Burger


If you’ve been shying away from bean burgers, thinking they are akin to hockey pucks, Ormsby’s shoots a game changer your way. Their new plump black bean burger packs powerful protein from beans and cheddar, soothing guacamole and the crisp crunch of tortilla chips…and somehow, they fit it all on an egg bun. Drop in and drop a 10-spot for this bean-eficiary burger.

Atlanta Community Food Bank Roasts City’s Hospitality Titans Kevin Gillespie, Ford Fry and Linton Hopkins Nov. 7


Well done, gents. Kevin Gillespie, Linton Hopkins and Ford Fry won’t be cooking, they’ll be roasted while chefs from their restaurants prepare a three-course “Legend of Atlanta Roast” dinner in their honor on Monday, Nov. 7. Chefs Andreas Müller of Revival and Joey Ward of Gunshow rep Gillespie’s Red Beard Restaurants. The elegant affair at Legendary Events’ new Flourish space benefits the Atlanta Community Food Bank as it gears up for holiday and winter food needs. Jenn Hobby and Jeff Dauler of Star 94.1 FM emcee the evening. Read more about Gillespie on the event website.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Get out of Dodge and High Tail It to an Afternoon in the Country with Les Dames d’Escoffier International on Nov. 6


Mountain roads are clogged with folks looking for seasonal color. Psst. On Sunday, Nov. 6, you’ll find more vibrant seasoning, appetizing colors, fall flavors, heaps of entertainment and rake in silent auction luxuries at an Afternoon in the Country spreading over Foxhall Resort & Sporting Club in Douglasville. Fork into foods from some of these locals – Bellina AlimentariChicken and the EggDrift Fish House & Oyster BarMarlow’s TavernMilton’s Cuisine & CocktailsOrmsby’sSeed Kitchen & Bar and White Oak Pastures – and taste fine wines and microbrews. The 16thannual event hosted by Atlanta Les Dames d’Escoffier International overflows from big-top tents onto the resort’s expansive lawns. Buy tickets online, $125 for adults 21 and over; free parking. No children’s activities this year. Dig up details on our blog.

Dine on Three Courses for $25 at Marlow’s Tavern The Prado during Savor Sandy Springs Restaurant Week November 2-9


Sandy Springs is growing and so is the city’s appetite for diverse restaurants. Savor Sandy Springs Restaurant Week(SSSRW), Nov. 2-9, is your chance to find great dining deals while exploring the city’s variety of good eats. Marlow’s Tavern in The Prado on Roswell Road is one of the restaurants offering exclusive prix fixe SSSRW menus. At Marlow’s, a $25 per-person three-course meal starts with a choice of J.T.’s Kettle Chips crowned with Gorgonzola cheese, bacon, Roma tomato and scallion; Smoked Trout Dip with Ducktrap River smoked trout; or crispy thin Asparagus Fries. Tavern favorite entrée choices include Crispy Chicken Stack with squash carbonara; Black and Blue Steak Salad or Marlow’s Infamous Fish Tacos. Call it a night over Marlow’s Tavern house-made New York-style Cheesecake with peanut butter, milk chocolate, pretzel crust and salted caramel or Crème Brûlée. Perhaps the approaching holidays have you feeling a little elf-conscious. In that case, order the Elf Spice Cocktail ($10), a lively spirit of Novo Fogo Gold, Shrub & Co. Blood Orange, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, lemon juice and simple syrup.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

$1 Sundays are Just the Beginning at Hand in Hand


While you’re relaxing on Sunday afternoon over $1 PBR drafts, $1 fish tacos or a $5 trio of chicken, fish or pork tacos at Hand in Hand, look ahead and make note of these daily specials. All food is half off regular menu prices on Mondays. Tuesdays, burgers are $2 each. Wednesday’s $2 hot dogs are too good to pass up and fuel brains for 8:30 p.m. team trivia. DJ Jeremy Moon is happy to throw guest-provided records into his mix when he spins vinyl on Thursdays from 8 p.m. until closing. Fridays are jolly good days for $7 fish and chips.  

One Wine. One Bottle. One Night. Repeat. “One and Done” at Aria


Andres Loaiza, general manager and head sommelier at Aria, is introducing a new wine promotion, “One and Done,” a.k.a. #oneanddone. Tuesday through Saturday, Loaiza will select one outstanding bottle of wine to uncork and offer by the glass until the last drop is poured. Price per glass varies with the evening’s selection. Enjoy “One and Done” wines in both the bar and dining room. Pop onto Aria’s FacebookTwitter and Instagram to see which “one” they will open. Plan is to offer the same wine, albeit a new bottle, on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as Friday and Saturday. Thursday is a one-shot deal.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Drink Up Ray’s Rio Bravo Daily Margarita, Cocktail, Wine and Beer Specials, Add in $1.50 Tacos on Weekdays


Ray’s Rio Bravo fills glasses with an “olé” lot of daily drink specials. Each day pours out a new special available from open to close throughout the entire restaurant and bar. Monday, cheer for $3.50 12-ounce house margaritas, frozen or on the rocks. There’ll be no teetotaling on Tuesday, thanks to $5 Tito’s cocktails. Wednesday welcomes half-priced wine by the bottle and by the glass. Live in suspense to find out which tequila merits Thursday “tequila du jour” half-price status. Free up some time on Friday to tip back $7 12-ounce Texas margaritas, frozen or on the rocks. Weekends deal out $2 Dos Equis drafts on Saturday and Sunday. About those bargain tacos? Beef brisket, shredded chicken and fried grouper tacos are priced at $1.50 each from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the bar area.  

Cook, Taste, Learn at Bellina Alimentari November Culinary Club Classes


Turkey, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie can’t steal all the glory this month. Through November Culinary Club Classes and tastings, Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market reminds us how blessed we are to enjoy global and local foods and wines. Eat, drink, absorb knowledge and be thankful. Click on class name for more information. Prices are per person; sales tax added at checkout.
  • Hungering to snap mouthwatering smartphone food photos? Attend Foodie Photography led by Alyssa of ATL Bucket List. Learn how to master angles, lighting, editing and more while nibbling kitchen treats on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 6:30-8 p.m. $28.
  • Fresh Pasta Making could have you rethinking the stuffing thing. Hands-on action is followed by tasting and taking home creations. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 6:30-8 p.m. $45.
  • I Love Vino because the guided tasting delves into five uniquely Italian native varietals made with zero intervention and class includes appetizing paired bites. Kelly of A Cork in the Road joins in the discussion. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7-8 p.m. $28.
  • No baloney at 3 Meats 3 Wines. Kevin Ouzts of The Spotted Trotter squeals about artisanal charcuterie at this guided tasting of a trio of paired craft cured meats and wines. Monday, Nov. 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $28.
  • Let it Bee is sweet on the world of honey – production, ecology, flavors and uses. Cindy Hodges from Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association buzzes through a guided tasting of local honeys paired with craft local and Italian cheeses. Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $28.
  • Italy’s finest natural wines and local artisanal cheeses pair up for your pleasure at a guided 3 Wine 3 Cheese exploratory evening. Thursday, Nov. 17, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $28.
  • Have you stared at the EVOO lineup on grocery shelves and wondered if there is a difference? 3 EVOO 3 Bruschetta enlightens about the nutritional properties, versatility, uses and quality of extra virgin olive oils before class employs different kinds of EVOO in crafting classic Italian bruschetta. Tuesday, Nov. 29, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $28.
  • Thanksgiving leftovers get a reprieve when you take home fresh pasta creations from this hands-on Pasta Making class followed by a pasta tasting. Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6:30-8 p.m. $45.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Five Years for Seed Kitchen & Bar Merits Special Menu Benefitting Share Our Strength, Nov. 1-5


This week marks five years of serving East Cobb and beyond for Seed Kitchen & Bar owner and executive chef Doug Turbush -- and Turbush and his team are ecstatic to gift guests with a special three-course dinner menu available Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Nov. 5, and gift a portion of menu proceeds to Share Our Strength. Seed’s celebratory menu, offered in addition to the regular menu, includes choices such as chicken-fried Gulf oysters with habanero aioli; beef short rib ravioli; grilled redfish with butternut squash; smoked ham hock with stewed red beans and collard greens with andouille and buttermilk slaw; and Maple Leaf Farms confit duck breast with creamed Brussels sprouts. Maple custard made with Chantilly cream and Georgia pecan biscotti and an apple bread pudding with sorghum-bourbon ice cream and caramel entice as dessert choices. Cost is $39.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Next door, sister restaurant Stem Wine Bar also is celebrating a birthday and hosting a sold-out wine dinner on Nov. 1 in honor of its third anniversary.

White Oak Pastures and Savory Institute Farm-to-Table Feast and Movies Ignite Passion to “Eat It, Wear It and Regenerate It” at Ponce City Market Nov. 4


Expect more than simply “dinner and a movie” when White Oak Pastures and Savory Institute are in charge of the evening. Find out why what you eat and wear matters while noshing on fall farm-to-table fare and viewing four short films from Savory Institute at this Ponce City Market event on Friday, Nov. 4 from 6-8 p.m. There’s a whole lot of local going on here: White Oak Pastures is providing its grass-fed meats and pastured poultry for the night’s chef-grillmasters Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow, Andreas Müller of Revival, Tal Baum of Bellina Alimentari, Reid Harrison of White Oak Pastures and Jenn Robbins, and brews flow from Second Self Beer Company (which sources from local farmers). Will Harris will share his White Oak Pastures story and approach to regenerative farming, segueing into the viewing of four globe-spanning films produced by an award-winning documentary crew for Savory Institute’s project, “Eat It, Wear It, Regenerate It: Igniting a Consumer Revolution.” Leave sustained by great food and holistic thoughts prompting conscious actions. White Oak Pastures, named a Savory Global Network Hub in 2015, serves as a center for education and support of regenerative land and animal management for farmers and consumers. Buy tickets online, $35 per person includes food and two alcoholic beverages. Delve into more details on our blog.  

It’s Halfway to Cinco, Time for $5 Avion Margaritas and $3 XX Ambar Drafts at Tin Lizzy’s through Nov. 5


Halfway there, y’all. Gracias to Tin Lizzy’s Cantinas for looking forward and noticing Cinco de Mayo, May 5, is a mere six months out. Fabulous reason to float Cinco de Mayo drink specials -- $5 Avion margaritas and $3 XX Ambar drafts -- all day, every day through Saturday, Nov. 5. When excitement builds a case of the munchies, squeal for November’s featured taco, “The Stuffed Pig,” plump with seasoned pork, grilled onions, apple cinnamon chutney, blue cheese crumbles and chipotle mayo. As Tin Lizzy’s sees it, when you’re halfway to Cinco, the treats don’t end on Halloween night.

Monday, October 31, 2016

What’s New on Pinterest: Frightful & Flavorful

Knock, knock. Who’s gobblin’ at your door this Halloween? Be prepared for an onslaught of ghouls, zombies, fairy princesses and superheroes with Frightful & Flavorful fare. You’re not imagining things, we’ve found healthy Halloween snack ideas for kids. Freaky cakes resembling brains. Wonton bats to bite. Toxic waste mac and cheese. Mummy-wrapped baked brie. And after you carve that pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern, do likewise to an orange bell pepper and stuff it with shredded chicken and black beans instead of a candle.

Appetizing Aperture: American Cut's Chili Lobster

Mild-mannered lobster rolls need not apply at American Cut. Buckhead’s new upscale American steak restaurant turns up the heat in its chili lobster appetizer. Savor tender lobster chunks and use the hunks of Texas toast to sop up every drop of the addictive kicked-up sauce (market price).