Brew Your Cask Off Cask Ale Festival Invites You to One 'Ale' of a Sweet Time, November 9

It's that time of year again -- get your brew buds ready for one "ale" of a sweet time for the Brew Your Cask Off Cask Ale Festival hosted by SweetWater Brewery on Saturday, November 9. SweetWater brewmasters challenge teams from Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland, Ormsby’s, Marlow’s Tavern and South City Kitchen Vinings to create casks of ales for guests to sample and enjoy. Those not floating the mainstream, have no fear! SweetWater will brew something special of their own to add to the mix. The party cranks up at 6 p.m. and continues on until 10 p.m. The brewery will bring out all the stops for the event, including big tents, brewery tours and jams from The Vegabonds. $35 in advance online or $40 day of will let you enjoy the sweet life with unlimited cask samples. The party is open to those 21 and up, sorry kiddos. Boost your cask-ale cred beforehand at www.cask-ale.co.uk. Cheers to great beer!

Bring Your Appetite for Vinings Restaurant Week, October 5-13

Treat your palate to more delicious eats. Our fall food tour of metro-Atlanta restaurant weeks continues as we look forward to the Second Annual Vinings Restaurant Week, October 5-13. Two Southern-flavored destinations on our list are the historically charming Old Vinings Inn on Paces Mill Road in the heart of Vinings and the "Smynings" sophistication of South City Kitchen Vinings off Cumberland Parkway. Look for more details on their prix fixe menus from $15, $25 and $30. Bring friends, family and most importantly, your appetite.   

Fifth Group Restaurants: Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame Member of the Year Finalist

Fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and red pepper coulis at South City Kitchen Midtown has spoken to Southern heritage and big city sophistication since the restaurant first welcomed guests in 1993. Just visualizing it can make your mouth water. In 1996, Bold American Events opened on the other side of downtown Atlanta in a 100-year-old renovated Westside factory…before trendy became a Westside adjective. Over the years, Fifth Group Restaurants has added more in-town dining destinations: La Tavola Trattoria, Ecco, South City Kitchen Vinings, The Original El Taco, Alma Cocina and Lure. The different cuisines offer something appealing to every type of Atlantan. With such draw, no wonder that the restaurant group is an Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame Member of the Year finalist. The 15^th annual Hospitality Hall of Fame celebration will take place on November 12 at The Foundry at Puritan Mill. In addition to honoring Atlanta’s hospitality industry greats, this year’s event will mark the year end celebration of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (ACVB) 100^th anniversary! Join in a night of celebration and remembrance. The ACVB, Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Georgia World Congress Center trio back this prestigious event. Fill a table with 10 guests for $1,250 or purchase individual tickets for $125 each by emailing Ellie Westman Chin at ewestmanchin@atlanta.net. 

Eat Up During Cobb Restaurant Week Through September 14

 

Join in and get a taste of the good life during Cobb Restaurant Week, currently in full swing until Saturday, September 14. Prix fixe menus include three-course, $25 dinners at favorites like Ray's on the River and South City Kitchen Vinings, and a $35 dinner at the classic Old Vinings Inn. Take advantage of the $15 prix fixe brunch at Old Vinings Inn if brunch suits the Saturday agenda. Prices are per person and do not include beverage, tax or gratuity. Pick your date and make reservations on Open Table.

TomatoFeast! Celebrations at South City Kitchen - Vinings and La Tavola Trattoria Will Have You Seeing Red

TomatoFeast! celebrations will have you seeing red at two Fifth Group Restaurants, La Tavola Trattoria and South City Kitchen - Vinings. In Virginia-Highland, La Tavola Trattoria's TomatoFeast! is 11 years strong and fills this year's calendar from July 31-August 10. Executive chef Brent Banda showcases the versatile tomato in a menu that is available à la carte or as a three-course prix fixe meal for $35. Tomatoes hit all course options from appetizers ($8-$12) to entrées ($17-$24) to dessert ($6.50), and you can salivate over the entire menu on the trattoria's Facebook page. Reservations suggested, call 404-873-5430 or visit OpenTable. South City Kitchen - Vinings' menu, available August 1-10, invites heirloom tomato devotees to dabble in an array of small plates including appetizers, chilled soups, sandwiches, salads and even individual tomato pies ($5-$14). Large plates bring out entrées of blistered Sun Gold tomatoes with pecan-smoked scallops and Red Mule grits; Creekstone Farms flat iron steak with summer corn and tomato salad; Jambalaya Jaune with Gulf shrimp, chicken thighs, andouille, okra, tarragon and caramelized tomato jam, and heaps more ($17-$26). Plant your reservation on OpenTable and visit Facebook for more info.

$25 Buys Three Courses at Marlow's Tavern and South City Kitchen during Vinings Restaurant Week, September 23-29

 

Two of Vinings' friendliest restaurants are on the list for the September 23 - 29 Vinings Restaurant Week. Marlow's Tavern - Vinings and South City Kitchen Vinings are both offering three-course prix fixe menus for $25 (not including tax, gratuity or beverage). 

Your meal at Marlow's Tavern encompasses asparagus fries with tarragon and citrus aioli; southwestern grouper served with jalapeño corn grits, black bean and corn salsa, roasted tomato broth and crispy tortilla strips; and concludes with fried cheesecake with strawberry Anglaise drizzle. 

South City Kitchen Vinings fills its menu with Southern choices:  mixed baby lettuces with toasted pecans, Caesar salad with garlic grit crouton and fried okra or Old Charleston She-crab soup; buttermilk fried chicken, shrimp and grits or crispy catfish; and banana pudding, chocolate drunken voodoo zombie cake or the daily selection of High Road craft ice cream. Deliciously difficult decisions!

Read All About It! Cobb Restaurant Week Starts Saturday!

Atkins Park Tavern - Smyrna

Have you caught on to the benefits of following restaurant weeks around the ATL to sample our area's wide variety of awesome eateries at jaw-dropping prices? Cobb Restaurant Week takes the front burner September 8 - 15, showcasing some of the county's best restaurants as they offer special three-course lunch and/or dinner menus for $15, $25 and $35 per person plus beverages, tax and gratuity. Four places we heartily recommend are Atkins Park Tavern Smyrna ($25 dinner), Chicken and the Egg ($15 lunch, $25 dinner), Ray's on the River ($35 lunch and dinner; lunch option not available on September 9) and South City Kitchen Vinings ($25 dinner). Make reservations on Open Table's special Cobb Restaurant Week page. Follow along on Facebook.

Appetizing Aperture - Celebrate National Chicken Month at South City Kitchen

Photo by Lisa Hymel

What's it like to celebrate National Chicken Month in the state that produces the most chickens in the U.S.? It's super barbequed, zinging with wickedly hot wings and glowing with golden juicy-crunchy goodness, as evidenced by our finger-lickin' photo of the Southern-fried chicken served at South City Kitchen Midtown andSouth City Kitchen Vinings. 

SafePath's Good Eatin' Great Cause Culinary Tour and Competition Feeds Both the Belly and Heart

Local celebrity chefs have big hearts for children -- many are parents themselves -- and feel compassion for children whose lives have been rocked by child abuse. Good Eatin' Great Cause Culinary Tour and Competition on Thursday, August 23 from 6 - 10 p.m. at the Cobb Galleria Centre is their chance to channel their talents to benefit SafePath Child Advocacy Center, a non-profit organization focused on reducing trauma and improving the lives of children who have been abused. 

Chefs and restaurants in the mix include Chef Alon Balshan of Alon's Bakery and Market, Chicken and the Egg Chef Marc Taft, Ray's on the River Chef Josh Warner, South City Kitchen Vinings Chef Chip Ulbrich and "Food Network Star" and "Chopped" Chef-testant Justin Balmes. Try their signature dishes, tapas style, plus those of 16 other chefs and bid on cooking-related items at the silent auction.The Cook's Warehouse is also proud to be a food, beverage and culinary sponsor for this charitable cause. Tickets are $75 each, and a special ticket price is available for law enforcement and fire department public safety professionals who emailcommcoor.safepath@cobbcounty.org. 

Take Time to “Linger and Learn” at South City Kitchen this Thursday

South City Kitchen Vinings gives you all the tips you need to be a top summer chef at this Thursday’s "Linger and Learn" cooking demos at 5:30 p.m. During the interactive class, “students” will learn how to prepare (and of course, get to taste!) pickled Georgia peach salad with arugula, pecans, goat cheese and pecan vinaigrette; summer ceviche Georgia shrimp with Roma tomatoes and cucumbers; chilled roasted tomato soup with house made crackers; seared sea scallops in Romesco-style pan sauce; and Georgia peanuts and okra.

They’ll get to pair these Georgia summer dishes with summer-perfect wines including Crios Torrontes Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Chard, Vietti Arneis Stephen Vincent Crimson, Janasse Cotes du Rhone, Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon, Paul Mathews TNT Pinot Noir, Byron Chardonnay Chehalem Inox Chard, Eroica Hangtime Arroyo Pinot Noir, Le Cengle Montevina Barbera and Nopa Vinho Verde Cims de Porerra. Only $30 per person, including tax and gratuity! Limited space; buy tickets today at http://tinyurl.com/sckvlingerlearn.

South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway SE; 770-435-0700.

Hold Your Horses - It's Almost Derby Time at South City Kitchen Vinings

Dressing up and sipping mint juleps for "The Run for the Roses" is a Southern tradition.  All that horsepower.  All of those juleps.  Oh-so-hospitable South City Kitchen Vinings is throwing a Kentucky Derby party from 5 - 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 7.  You won't miss a minute of the action as the restaurant will televise it, high volume, on its flat-screen TVs.  Out on the patio, saddle up with cocktail tastings of mint juleps, mojitos and Kentuckyritas and enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvre including smoked chicken wings, Kentucky sausage meatballs, grilled pimento cheese sandwiches and burgoo-a traditional Kentucky stew. 

Hold your horses -- there's more: bartenders will teach guests step-by-step how to stir and shake up these cocktails themselves -- you'll even get recipe cards to take home so it'll be perfect every time. Even if your horse loses the Derby, you'll still win because partygoers will receive 10 percent off dinner if they choose to stay for another lap.  Purchase Kentucky Derby party tickets online for only $25 per person plus tax and gratuity. 

Linger + Learn at South City Kitchen Vinings

Wanna whip up a cool cocktail like the pros? South City Kitchen® Vinings has the perfect event for you! Head on over this Thursday, January 27 for “Linger + Learn: The Cocktail Edition.” This exciting event is $20 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) and will include a complete run-down on how to make an array of drinks including:

• Brandy Alexander
• Chicago Fizz
• Old Fashioned
• Side Car
• Classic Manhattan
• Madison Avenue

“Linger + Learn” will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30p.m. The restaurant will also be servin’ up delicious offering of nibbles and hors d’eouvres available for all participants. Items include mushroom risotto fritters, shrimp cocktail and housemade pork rinds. Call 770.435.0700 to make sure you get a spot! Those attendees who stay for dinner will get 20% off their check. South City Kitchen Vinings is located at 1675 Cumberland Parkway.

Cobb County Restaurant Week

You have until this Saturday to "Taste the Good Life" during lunch or dinner for only $20.10 per person during Cobb County Restaurant Week. From Vinings to Kennesaw, a whole slew of Cobb County restaurants are participating in the week long food fest by offering special three-course prix fixe lunch or dinner menus.

Guests can select their appetizer, entrée and dessert from a menu of options at local favorites such as South City Kitchen Vinings, Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna and Marlow's Tavern locations in Kennesaw and Vinings. Be sure to snag your seat before Saturday or this deal will be long gone!

It's SweetWater Time!

We all know South City Kitchen does Southern food right and now they are offering up perfect pairings with Southern brew too! Join South City Kitchen Vinings for an evening of not-so-traditional Southern fare and brews from Atlanta's own SweetWater Brewing Company on Thursday, August 19. There's a unique beer for each of the four courses, from hors d'oeuvre to dessert at the 6:30-10 p.m. prix fixe dinner.

Check out South City Kitchen's website for the full menu, but I can already tell you I am dying to try the entrée of BBQ-braised beef brisket with smashed lady peas and fried coleslaw. Fried coleslaw?! How can you go wrong?

Dinner is $50 per person (including tax and gratuity) and reservations are a must so call 770-435-0700.

How SWEET is this?

What’s a better way to wind down from summer than knocking back a few beers from Georgia’s own Sweetwater Brewery? On August 19, South City Kitchen Vinings will be hosting the Sweetwater Beer Dinner. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., guests will enjoy a four-course prix fixe dinner featuring Sweetwater beers.

The menu includes mouthwatering items such as, house made corndogs with orange-coriander “honey mustard” and chilled white shrimp with seasonal heirloom tomato-horseradish jam as hors d’oeuvres, paired with Sweetwater Sch’wheat—a refreshing, unfiltered American wheat ale full of delicate rays of citrus hop overtones. Hot wings-style" ale-brined, grilled Carolina quail with buttermilk blue cheese, celery puree, herb salad and Texas Pete butter sauce as an appetizer, paired with Sweetwater IPA—a big, bold India pale ale loaded with intense hop character and natural, unfiltered flavors, followed by BBQ-braised beef brisket with smashed lady peas and fried coleslaw Paired with Sweetwater Motorboat—a silver medal-winning, extra-special bitter (ESB) full of sweet caramel and wheat flavors as the entrée. To top it all off, bacon-wrapped “banana split” with chocolate stout ice cream, honey, chocolate and roasted peanuts, paired with Sweetwater Georgia Brown—an especially drinkable ale that's smooth, subtle and a little bit nutty will be served for dessert.

The cost for the dinner is $50/per person (including tax and gratuity). For reservations, call 770.435.0700 before seats fill up!

South City Kitchen Vinings Offers a Smokin' Good Time

South City Kitchen Vinings' annual Blues, Brews & BBQ event is back, which means it's time for your dose of live music, finger lickin' food, draft beer and drink specials. From Thursday, June 10 through Sunday, June 13, the Vinings restaurant will be serving up plates of Texas-style smoked beef brisket, chopped smoked pork butt, sweet tea-brined smoked half-chicken and half-racks of St. Louis-style spare ribs ($7-$8). Guests who just can't decide can opt for a combo Q plate for $15. Smoked meat plates come with Texas toast, house pickles and three BBQ sauces. Diners can also choose special appetizers, desserts and side items to complete their meal while listening to blues on the patio.

For reservations, call 770-435-0700 or book online .

South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700.

Fifth Group Restaurants Puts Pricey Pours in Their Place and Offers Wines for Our Times

After a long day, everyone deserves a glass of wine - and we deserve to not have to pay an arm and a leg for one. Luckily, all five Fifth Group Restaurants (South City Kitchen Midtown, South City Kitchen Vinings, Ecco, La Tavola Trattoria and The Original El Taco) feel our pain and are offering a "Screw This!" promotion featuring five different high-quality, top-notch wines for only $5 a glass through July 30. The list includes Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay; Cellar #8 Pinot Noir, California; Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc, California; Campanile Pinot Grigio, Italy; and Souverain Merlot, Alexander Valley, California.

Ecco: 40 7th Street, NE; 404-347-9555.
La Tavola Trattoria: 992 Virginia Avenue, NE; 404-873-5430.
South City Kitchen Midtown: 1144 Crescent Avenue; 404-873-7358.
South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700.
The Original El Taco: 1186 North Highland Avenue, NE; 404-873-4656.