Naughty & Nice Coexist on “Keep the Balance” Limited Time Special Menu at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill

Working on that delicate balance of yin and yang? The “brrrr” factor of cold weather can dip dinnertime toward melt-away morsels dressed in creamy sauces, juicy meats and smoky bacon. While nonstop daytime schedules, however, demand high-energy, lower-calorie power lunches of grilled seafood, plentiful veggies and cool salads to avoid embarrassing post-lunch snoozes. Empathizing with the struggle, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill sets forth a “Keep the Balance” menu of “Nice” low-cal lunchtime pleasers and comforting (and a wee bit decadent) “Naughty” dinner dishes. Enjoy both through the end of February.

To stay alert, focused and energized, choose a “Nice” lunch special surfacing under 500 calories. Net a grilled shrimp wrap with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, feta and tzatziki sauce served with a side house salad or side Caesar ($11.95) or choose a refreshing shrimp and crab salad plate with mixed greens, yogurt aioli, tomatoes, eggs and cucumbers ($11.95). “Naughty” brightens nightfall with soul-satiating dishes such as succulent Maine lobster mac and cheese with Gouda béchamel sauce and Parmesan crumbs ($23.95) or The Big Ketch bacon double cheeseburger boasting two griddled beef patties, Applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, crispy onions and pickles ($13.95). Stay even-keeled and seek balance now by hurrying into either The Big Ketch Buckhead or Canton Street for these powerful lunches and richly rewarding dinners -- before this menu casts away. 

The Big Ketch Canton Street Celebrates Year Two with a Splashy Anniversary Party Oct. 8

All hands on deck for party time! The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill on Canton Street in Roswell cruises full steam ahead past the second-year buoy marker into a party packed with oceans of fun, food and drink specials on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 2-8 p.m. Chef Derek Dollar is cooking up an all-you-can-eat low country boil for hungry partygoers ($20 plus tax). A special occasion like this one deserves a dozen oysters -- slurp down a dozen, specially priced at half-off. Toast to Roswell’s coast over $6 sangria and $3 local canned beer while rocking to live music and trying your luck in a raffle.

Half-Off Half-Shells Honors National Oyster Day at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Aug. 5

Saturday’s special is “shore” grabbing attention among the bivalve set at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill. On National Oyster Day, Aug. 5, the local beach house satiates oyster slurpers with half off the price of a dozen oysters from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at both locations (Canton Street and Buckhead). If Saturday’s sunk for you, reel in this offer every Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m. during Oyster Happy Hour.

Hit The Big Ketch for Sun, Sea and Sandwiches during National Sandwich Month in August

National Sandwich Month spreads across August like PB&J, but with much more intriguing options (not to dis the lunchbox staple). Atlantans fishing for a beach feel and seaworthy sandwiches can steer to The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Buckhead or Canton Street locations to pull in prize “Ketch” sandwiches, each served with your choice of side item, Aug. 1-31. A ciabatta grouper sandwich ($17.95) layers blackened grouper, bacon, tomato, Arcadian lettuce and honey horseradish dill sauce within a toasted ciabatta bun. Or, drift toward the luxury of lobster grilled cheese boasting chunks of lobster meat sautéed in butter and nestled amid melty American cheese, tomatoes and jalapeño cornmeal Texas toast ($16.95). Cool and lovely, the shrimp and crab salad croissant ($14.95) heaps a salad of large diced shrimp, lump crab meat, Meyer aioli and diced celery onto a buttered and toasted PFG croissant, dressed with tomato and lettuce. Unlike the usual beachy chow, these are all sandwich, no sand.

Searching for that Lost Shaker of Salt? Try The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Margaritaville Beach Bash June 11

Wasting away, looking for that elusive lost shaker of salt could be challenging due to being “Buffeted” with so much fun at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill– Buckhead Margaritaville Beach Bash on Sunday, June 11. Parrotheads can sing along as the live band covers favorite Jimmy Buffet and beach music hits at the 3-7 p.m. beach ball of a party. Quarter-pound cheeseburgers are $5 each. Chase ‘em with ice-cold $3 Coronas and $5 flavored margaritas. Wear that loud and proud Hawaiian shirt. Really, what else would you wear?

Ride a Tempting Tide to The Big Ketch for New Half-Off Seafood and Wine Specials

Your boat to succulent savings has come in! The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Buckhead and Canton Street launched two new daily deals in addition to their regular weekly specials.

Mondays: On the new “Double-Up Peel ‘n Eat” Mondays, pay the half-pound price for a pound of peel-and-eat shrimp to dunk into zesty house-made cocktail sauce.

Tuesdays: Enjoy half-priced bottles of wine, the perfect pairing to The Big Ketch’s fresh seafood selections.

The Big Ketch will continue to offer fan favorite specials like half the price for a half-dozen oysters during Oyster Happy Hour Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m. and the $1.99 menu special for kids 12 and under from 4-6 p.m. every Monday-Wednesday. For more information visit thebigketch.com.

Appetizing Aperture

The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill crab and shrimp dip ($8.95) hits the spot for those still feeling a little crabby from clawing their way through tax forms. Plowing through this dip, served hot with pita chips, is pure pleasure. Hmmm. Can’t quite say the same for the taxes.

Dine at Any Southern Proper Restaurant to Feed “No Kid Hungry” on April 11

Give in to your desire to dine at a Southern Proper Hospitality restaurant on Tuesday, April 11 and know some of the moolah is going to provide nutritious food for American children. Earmarked as a give-back day, 10 percent of sales at all Southern Proper restaurants will go to No Kid Hungry. Do double duty – lunch and dinner – feasting on fresh seafood at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill in Buckhead and Roswell, modern twists on Southern classics at The Southern Gentleman in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta and mouthwatering smoked meats at Smokebelly BBQ in the heart of Buckhead. Jumping on the give-back meal train come dinner time, Gypsy Kitchen in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta offers a tantalizing menu of cuisine inspired by the regions of sunny Spain while Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple focuses on regional fare and seasonal harvests. All offer handcrafted cocktails, craft brews and wines to enhance lunch and dinner selections. 

Bite into The Big Easy at The Big Ketch in Buckhead and Roswell through April 30

The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill kitchen krewe charts a course along the Louisiana coast, landing quite a haul of Cajun-inspired culinary adventures to enjoy come lunch or dinnertime. Sink your teeth into crawfish bites, flash-fried and served with low country aioli ($8.95), or gator bites, marinated, flash-fried and served with New Orleans barbecue sauce ($8.95). The fried crawfish po’boy with shredded lettuce, tomato and low country aioli ($14.95) and the gator tail po’boy swapping in remoulade and a drizzle of NOLA barbecue sauce ($13.95) are Cajun nirvana on rolls. Net New Orleans BBQ shrimp, blackened and served over smashed tomatoes with grilled green beans and Worcestershire-spiked Creole garlic butter sauce ($21.99). Jumbo gumbo cravings? TBK seafood gumbo satisfies, piling blackened shrimp and crawfish tails over a Creole seafood gumbo with seasoned rice and flash-fried okra ($22.95). Cajun good times roll through April 30. Hop on board. 

Tip Back a Tito’s Mule and Southern Proper Donates to No Kid Hungry

Meet some really smart mules, Tito’s Mules. They’re at all Southern Proper Hospitality restaurants. Why so smart? Each Tito’s Mule cocktail ($10) sold packs a double, no, triple punch by quenching thirsts with a blend of Tito’s vodka, fresh squeezed lime and ginger beer AND by sending two donations to No Kid Hungry. Both Southern Proper and Tito’s will donate $1 to No Kid Hungry for each Tito’s Mule purchased at Gypsy Kitchen, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, The Southern Gentleman and Smokebelly BBQ. Harness the power of this intelligent, do-good cocktail choice. Introduce a couple of friends to Tito’s Mules and toast your multi-tasking skills. Enjoying more Tito’s Mules adds up to more money for No Kid Hungry. Promotion runs through March 31.

Southern Proper Hospitality Food Drive Weighs in with 765 Meals for ACFB

Atlantans came through in a big can-do way, contributing more than 917 pounds of canned goods during a holiday food drive sponsored by Southern Proper Hospitality for the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB). In dining terms, that adds up to 765 meals! Contributors received a $15 off restaurant coupon when turning in five of the needed non-perishable items at Gypsy Kitchen, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, The Southern Gentleman and Smokebelly BBQ. Food drive or not, the ACFB always welcomes donations at acfb.org.

"Keep the Balance" Limited Time Special Menu Nourishes Body, Comforts Soul at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill

Life’s a balancing game. Cold weather and early sunsets tip dinner time craving scales toward hot, soul-soothing foods with crispy crusts, melt-in-your-mouth morsels and creamy sauces. Comfort foods call you to the dinner table. Busy days, however, demand high energy, lower calorie power lunches of grilled seafood, plentiful veggies and cool salads to avoid embarrassing post-lunch dozing. 

The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill “Keep the Balance” menu, available for a limited time, graciously satisfies both needs. Each “Keep the Balance” low-cal lunch item surfaces at under 500 calories. Choose a grilled shrimp wrap with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, feta and tzatziki sauce served with a side house salad or side Caesar ($11.95); basil-Blue Moon mussels and clams with a side house salad or side Caesar ($10.95); or salmon, tuna, grouper or grilled chicken ($10.95-$17.95) and a choice of two sides -- grilled broccoli, green beans, side house salad or Caesar salad. A shrimp and crab salad plate boasts a healthy base of mixed greens along with yogurt aioli, tomatoes, eggs, cucumbers and white balsamic dressing ($11.95).

Luscious dinner dishes “Comfort Your Soul” with flavorful riches like cornmeal-crusted flounder, gnocchi, creamy clam sauce, wilted spinach and toasted almonds ($22.95); seafood pot pie well-schooled in lobster, shrimp, scallops and creamy seafood béchamel, topped with a garlic-Parmesan crumble ($23.95); and Maine lobster-stuffed ravioli with lobster-brandy cream sauce, diced tomatoes and scallions ($22.95).

This menu moves out to sea soon so hurry in to either the Buckhead or Canton Street location of The Big Ketch stay balanced with low-cal lunches and comfortingly decadent dinners. 

Reel in $1.99 Meal for Kids 12 and Under at The Big Ketch

We love them, but like anyone, kids can get a bit, shall we say, “crabby” when they’re hungry…and that’s usually around 4-6 p.m. Parents, your rescue ship’s come in and it’s docking at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill. Both the Buckhead and Canton Street restaurant locations are offering a $1.99 Kid’s Fun Zone meal deal Monday through Wednesday from 4-6 p.m., dine in only. Children 12 and under can sink their claws (and teeth) into a Fun Zone menu meal, normally $6.95, for only $1.99 (plus tax) with the purchase of an adult entrée. Youngsters go for land and sea choices of grilled or fried chicken fingers or shrimp, crispy fish bites, cheeseburger or grilled cheese sandwich, and each comes with a side of seasonal fresh fruit, chips, coleslaw or corn on the cob and a beverage. Drop anchor on your way to and fro? We think so!

Catch Drift, Seed and The Big Ketch at Chattahoochee Nature Center’s 5th Annual Harvest on the Hooch on October 16

Wise owls are hooting about the fifth annual Harvest on the Hooch fest at the Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, October 16. Pounce on this opportunity for the whole family to spend an afternoon outdoors enjoying autumn’s splendor along with samplings from top local chefs, wineries and craft breweries, live bluegrass music, corn hole, hula hoops, scavenger hunts and other garden games. Be sure to join in a complimentary tour of the CNC between bites of tasty specialties from Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar, Seed Kitchen & Bar and The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill – Canton Street. Harvest on the Hooch highlights the vital connections between garden and plate while raising funds for the CNC’s Unity Garden, which supplies more than four tons of fresh produce annually for North Fulton Community Charities. This rain-or-shine event inevitably sells out. Snatch your tickets now: $45 adult; $15 child over 10; no admission charge for children under 10. VIP options available on ticket purchase page.

The Big Ketch Buckhead Turns Six, Waves in a Week of $6 Specials September 19-25

The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Buckhead’s beachfront property, is always ready to party, especially when marking an anniversary. The restaurant coasts into its weeklong anniversary celebration on Monday, September 19 with $6 specials honoring six fun-loving years. Take advantage of $6 chef-crafted appetizers and $6 drink specials throughout the week. The party culminates with a big blowout from 1-9 p.m. on Sunday, September 25 featuring $6 Champagne and house wines, $6 specialty cocktails, beer specials, giveaways and live music from Jason Pomar (1-5 p.m.) and the Cothern Miracle Band (5-9 p.m.). Guests who dine at the Buckhead beach house during the anniversary week celebration will be entered to win a $500 gift card. Stick around for games, giveaways and the 6 p.m. Champagne toast and gift card drawing.

Experience Culinary Camaraderie with Smokebelly BBQ, The Southern Gentleman, The Big Ketch and More at Taste of Buckhead September 15

Taste of Buckhead, hosted every fall by the Buckhead Business Association, shows off tastes from Buckhead’s premier restaurants as well as samples of wine, beer, spirits and other goodies. More than 30 chefs, mixologists and reps from beloved Buckhead restaurants -- including Smokebelly BBQ, The Southern Gentleman and The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill -- will come together on Thursday, September 15 for this year’s event at The Stave Room at American Spirit Works in the SweetWater Design District. This year’s event premieres The Taste of Buckhead Spirit Wall, in lieu of the wine wall of past years, where attendees can purchase a ticket for $20 and take home a donated bottle of spirits. Wall proceeds will pour into The Giving Kitchen and the organization’s mission to help workers in the restaurant industry. A silent auction and VIP experience round out the night’s entertaining agenda. General admission tickets are $50 each and include unlimited tastings. VIP tickets, $75 each, include exclusives such as a tour of American Spirit Whiskey’s distillery, chef demonstrations, food samples, specialty cocktails, interactive stations and a VIP gift bag. Buy tickets here.

Buy Tickets for Fifth Annual Eats & Beats on August 11

Unlimited food from top Atlanta restaurants, open bars, live entertainment by Yacht Rock Review, a wow-some wall of wine and unique silent auction items. All this good stuff and chef bands, too, when the fifth annual Eats & Beats shakes The Buckhead Theatre on Thursday, August 11 from 7-10 p.m. Gypsy Kitchen, Smokebelly BBQ, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill and The Southern Gentleman are a smattering of the more than 25 restaurants participating in this benefit for Children of Conservation and The Giving Kitchen. General admission is $85 per person and includes restaurant tastings, open bar and entertainment. VIP admission, $175 per person, allows for 6:30 p.m. entry, private VIP suite access with wine tastings, premium bar, additional restaurant offerings with wine pairings for each dish and access to the private balcony viewing the theatre. Buy tickets online.

Get Your Oyster Fix for Less -- The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Offers Half Shell Special for National Oyster Day, August 5

Suck down a bevy of bivalves without blowing a wad of cash on National Oyster Day. Down the magnificent mollusks for half the moolah at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill on National Oyster Day, Friday, August 5. Join in the celebration and take advantage of half-priced oysters from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. this Friday at both locations of the local beach house (Canton Street and Buckhead). More wise pearls: enjoy this offer at either location every Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m. during oyster happy hour.

Garrett Teckmyer of The Big Ketch Buckhead Sails to Milton’s Garden Dinner July 17

Chef Garrett Teckmyer, executive chef at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill in Buckhead, puts down the fishnet and picks up the plow, so to speak, landing a special appearance at the July 17 Garden Dinner at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple. The Milton’s Acre garden harvest guides the night’s farm-to-fork menu for Teckmyer and Milton’s executive chef Derek Dollar. Guests enjoy libations and passed hors d’oeuvre upon arrival at the 7-9 p.m. food fête, and they’re welcome to tour Milton’s Acre. A memorable four-course meal follows, served family style on communal tables set amid garden rows and accompanied by wine and a cellist’s soothing music. Menu items may include squash blossoms stuffed with prosciutto and cream cheese; pimento cheese and crawfish; or roast duckling with fingerling sweet potatoes, oyster mushrooms, heirloom snap beans and candied pecan apple butter. Regardless, it’s all downright delicious. Buy tickets online, $135 per person plus service fee (non-refundable tickets include reception, dinner with wine, tax and gratuity).

Search for Your Lost Shaker of Salt at The Big Ketch Buckhead Margaritaville Beach Bash June 12

Engulfed in beach vibe, swaying out to a Jimmy Buffet cover band, downing $5 margaritas and $3 Coronas and eating a $5 quarter-pound cheeseburger…it’s paradise. Who cares if you can’t locate that lost shaker of salt? The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Margaritaville Beach Bash is Buckhead’s little corner of paradise on Sunday, June 12. Party surfs from 2-6 p.m.