This one’s a game changer! Kevin Gillespie’s slow-roasted pork shoulder “French Dip” is a Gamechanger exclusive. Gillespie’s passion for pork is well known. This pigged-out version of the classic beef French dip sandwich trots out roasted, shaved pork shoulder bathed in a jus of roasted Vidalia onions sided by spicy horseradish cream. ($14).
Squeal in pre-pork glee and grunt in post-bourbon contentment about a memorable night of eating at Ray’s at Killer Creek and meeting Allan Benton, straight from his smokehouse in Madisonville, Tennessee. There’s a whole lot of umami to enjoy at the Friday, Aug. 25 dinner: the smoky-salty-brown sugariness of slow-cured Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams paired with the long, sweet finish of bourbon from Kentucky’s award-winning, 200+-year-old Buffalo Trace Distillery. Executive chef Mike Fuller’s five-course Benton Ham-inspired menu opens with Benton’s 31-month cured ham, house-made cheese coin and blackberry jam paired with Ray’s Barrel Select Buffalo Trace Kentucky Mule Slushy. Courses proceed through Pearson’s peach-glazed belly and fresh burrata with Eagle Rare bourbon; smoked ham and lobster taco with red bean paste, avocado, radish and pea sprouts served with Rockhill Farms bourbon; dry-aged rib-eye with summer corn, butterbean and ham hock pot liquor and cast-iron corn bread paired with Ray’s Barrel Select Blanton’s; and conclude with homemade sugar cookie sandwich with buttermilk-strawberry ice cream joined by Ray’s Barrel Select Buffalo Trace Old-Fashioned. $70 per person (excludes tax and gratuity). Reservations required for the 6:30 p.m. dinner; call 770-649-0064.
Atlantic Station turns into a smokin’ hot barbecue spot this weekend when Twin Smokers BBQ and other Atlanta eateries pull out their signature barbecues at the seventh annual Atlanta BAR-B-Q Festival Friday, August 14 from 4-10 p.m. and Saturday, August 15 from noon-8 p.m. The Travel Channel recognizes this annual event as one of the top 10 BBQ festivals and competitions in the U.S.A. Pro and backyard teams vie in wing and barbecue competitions. Live music and chef-driven cooking demos flow each day, and Kids Korner gives tykes a place to expend energy. Complete schedule online. Wings are king at Friday night’s T.G.I. Wings sampling, giving way to extensive pro-am ‘cue action at Saturday’s Taste of the Pig sampling. The Bourbon Experience barrels in for bourbon lovers as a separate ticketed event. General admission tickets are $6 in advance and $10 day of show. Buy barbecue and samples directly from participating restaurants, vendors and teams at an additional cost. Bourbon Experience tickets are $30 each.
Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub in Village Place Brookhaven is defining its own “rush hour” of sorts by offering half-price appetizers from 5-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday evenings. Who wouldn’t want to rush in for addicting bites like these: house pimento cheese with Tillamook, piquillo peppers, local apples and crostini; Berkshire pork potsticker with ginger, toasted sesame and chili soy; ahi tuna tartare with avocado, tomato, coriander, feta and yuzu; Indian curry chicken spring rolls with garam masala, tamarind and cilantro-yogurt dip; and duck fat pub fries to dab in bacon mayonnaise. Appetizer prices are regularly $4-$12. Summer’s scorchers are no match for Kaleidoscope’s array of cold beer, cocktails and global wine list.
Tangy sauce and twangy tunes are coming to Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in Crabapple on the Sunday between Father’s Day and the July 4th weekend. The farmhouse-turned-restaurant throws summer’s first BBQ & Blues evening on Sunday, June 28, ushering in lazy evenings with live music, cornhole, craft brews and cocktails. Eats? Right on cue, chef Derek Dollar presents a choice of three meats basking in the glory of distinctly different sauces: sweet tea-smoked chicken with Carolina gold BBQ sauce and cheddar corn muffins ($18), pulled BBQ pork shoulder with Crabapple BBQ sauce and Texas toast ($17) or a half rack of ribs with Georgia red BBQ sauce and cheddar corn muffins ($20). Choose two of these Southern sides to round out your entrée -- white cheddar-and-bacon mac, creamed Silver Queen corn, garden potato salad or cracked mustard coleslaw. Feel free to make a meal of sides ($4 each) or order them alongside a bowl of thick Brunswick stew ($7). Shindig runs 5-9 p.m. Pull your phone out and call 770-817-0161 for reservations, then flag the remaining three BBQ & Blues 2015 dates: July 26, August 30 and September 27.
When was the last time you grilled a local cattle farmer? Asked questions about raising Berkshire pigs or Angus and Braunvieh beef cattle? Chased the conversation with meaty samples testifying to these extraordinary meats, raised nearby without added hormones or antibiotics? Twin Smokers BBQ comes through as your meaty mentor, hosting its monthly Meat & Greet night on Thursday, June 4. From 6:30-8:30 p.m., meet farmers from Gum Creek Farms, located southwest of Atlanta, and Brasstown Beef, a few hours north in Brasstown, North Carolina -- and savor morsels of their naturally raised meats. The Luckie Marietta District restaurant with a passion for regionally inspired meats and barbecue styles beefs up the evening even more with great specials. Carve out more information by calling 404-698-4707.
FLIP burger boutique refuses to confine tender pork carnitas to tacos, tamales and burritos. Not even an option at the burger boutique where The Carnitas carries head-hauncho status as June’s “burger of the month” ($14). The specially seasoned pork patty sits atop cilantro-lime mayo, crowned with shredded pork carnitas and green tomato ketchup. Shredded cabbage, pickled red onions and cilantro sprigs are the three amigos alongside the bun-bound burger.
Admittedly, Kevin Gillespie -- Gunshow owner, chef and”Pure Pork Awesomeness” cookbook author -- is obsessed with all things pork. His quest to raise awareness about the versatile Southern staple continues during Pork Awesomeness, an Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Sunday Classslated for May 31 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Loews Atlanta Hotel. Cuts, breeds, flavors, recipes and cooking techniques are all “fare” game in this class that’s stuffed tighter than a pig in a poke. For tickets and class registration information, click here.
Brady
Lowe began Cochon 555 five
years ago right here in Atlanta to promote sustainable farming of heritage breed
pigs. Stopping in 10 cities across the United States, the culinary competition
and tasting event is returning home to Atlanta with a stop at the Sheraton
Atlanta Downtown on Sunday, February 17. Joe Schafer of King + Duke is one
of the five chefs preparing a snout-to-tail menu using one of five pigs in the
pork-centric competition. The lineup of 20 event judges includes Gerry Klaskala
of Aria, Ford
Fry of
JCT.
Kitchen & Bar,
No.
246
and
The
Optimist, Drew
Van Leuven of
Seven
Lamps and
Chad Clevenger of
Alma
Cocina.
Guests and judges will determine the “best bite of the day” and send the winner
on to the June 16 Grand Cochon competition at the FOOD & WINE Classic in
Aspen, Colo. Seven Lamps Mixologist Arianne Fielder will compete against five
other mixologists in the new “Punch Kings” cocktail competition open to VIP
guests. All guests will pig out on pork and sample five bourbons in addition to
the wines from five family wineries. And there’s more action in the pen: a
butcher demonstration from Rusty Bowers of Pine Street Market, a raffle,
ice-cold brews and a champagne toast, Fernet Branca digestifs and pork-spiked
desserts. VIP ($200/person) admitted at 4 p.m.; general admission ($125/person)
at 5 p.m. Purchase tickets online.
They say pigs can’t fly, but The Iberian Pig has certainly soared to the top of the Decatur restaurant scene since it was opened by the Castellucci restaurant family two years ago. In honor of two years in business, The Iberian Pig is inviting Decatur residents and visitors to partake in their two-year anniversary and appreciation celebration beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday, September 26th.
Tune into your Latin side with live music by a Spanish trio and Tyson Bittrich and take in the artistic work of Hense as he unveils his new mural at 7 p.m. Enjoy food and drink specials all night like $3 Sherry Cañas -- a small Spanish snack and sherry; $6 glasses of sangria, cava and craft cocktails; and $5 "Haute" dogs. Suckling pigs will be slow roasted all day and carved in the dining room as tapas ($10). Call ahead if you want to reserve one solely for your table; $280 covers pig, salad and sides for 8-12 people and a bottle of wine.
Chefs will cut into Jamon Iberico de Bellota, aged for 48 months and procured when the bistro opened two years ago; it's the rarest and highest quality Jamon Iberico available! Try some at $18 per ounce. Experience the true flavor of Spain, paella, served for the first time at The Iberian Pig and priced at $16 for two and $32 for 4 people. Although reservations are suggested, go ahead and pop in if you're in the neighborhood.
The Iberian Pig: On the square in Decatur at 121 Sycamore Street; 404-371-8800.
In a deal sealed over grill and flames, New York Butcher Shoppe is sponsoring the Backyard Division cooking competition in this year's Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival on Saturday, October 1. Sure, there's a pro league, but New York Butcher Shoppe's heart is into helping aspiring BBQ pitmasters grill to their greatest potential with top-quality meats. New York Butcher Shoppe is providing all of the meat and a $25 gift card for each of the 20 teams that may make up the Backyard Division. They're even judging teams for the most creative name and will pick up the $200 entrance fee for their winning choice.
The New York Butcher Shoppe also is providing the meat for the "Anything Butt" competition on Friday, September 30. For more information on the festival and competition, visit the event website. The New York Butcher Shoppe has three locations in Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, and they're on Facebook, too.
New York Butcher Shoppe: Dunwoody at 2458 Mt. Vernon Road; 770-399-6328. Sandy Springs at 4969 Roswell Road; 404-303-0704. Alpharetta at 5354 McGinnis Ferry Road; 678-624-0047.
