MLA Seeks Spring Intern

Photo from Etsy/ Blue Bell Bazaar

Do you have a passion for PR and a fanaticism for food and wine culture?  Melissa Libby & Associates is currently looking for a great intern to join our team to work directly with both media communications and social media during the spring semester of 2011.  There also will be opportunities to help with events, client services and video production.

Creativity, positive energy and great writing skills are a plus!    The ideal candidate will receive school credit for their experience with MLA.  The internship is unpaid and 15 hours per week;  we strive to make it a hands-on experience that our interns can definitely benefit from in the future.  

To find out more about Melissa Libby & Associates, please visit our website and our Facebook page.  If you are interested, please send your resume and availability to atlantadish@gmail.com.  Good luck!

Time To Go A Huntin'

Well, maybe not literally but figuratively.... let's go shoot some turkeys!!

On Friday, November 19, Deadwood Saloon is getting into the Thanksgiving spirit by hosting a festive turkey shoot! Starting at 5 p.m. that day, come in for half-price turkey burgers, $3 draft beer and Wild Turkey drink specials. The actual shoot will take place outside at 9 p.m. on the back wall of Deadwood (directly behind the building). You'll get the chance to take your best Nerf Gun shot at turkey targets on the wall. The grand prize winner will receive a frozen turkey and FREE burgers for an entire year! Second and third place win goodies too!

Visit Deadwood Saloon on Facebook for more details.

RA Sushi Puts the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets on a Roll

RA Sushi is revving up the rivalry between Georgia Tech (GT) and University of Georgia (UGA) with its recent offering of team-inspired sushi rolls. Now through Saturday, November 27, fans can show support for their favorite team by ordering the UGA Bulldogs Roll or GT Yellow Jackets Roll. Normally $8.50 each, the rolls will be half-off on the day of the big UGA-GT showdown, November 27. After game day, the winning team's roll will remain on the menu through the end of the year, and $2 from every winning roll sold during the month of December will be donated to the school's food education program. If Georgia Tech wins this year's game, funds raised will be donated to their Food Processing Technology Division. If University of Georgia wins the game, funds will be donated to the department of Food Science and Technology.



The UGA Bulldogs Roll features crab mix, cucumber, shrimp tempura and spicy mayonnaise rolled in rice and seaweed and topped with red tempura bits with a drizzle of eel sauce on the side. Going for the gold effect instead of red, the GT Yellow Jackets Roll incorporates mango and yellow tempura bits into its roll-play book along with sushi rice, crab mix, cream cheese, calamari tempura and eel sauce. Game day allegiance aside, you'll have to stage your own table-top showdown to determine your favorite.

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

It's Follow Friday: Meet Our Tweep of the Week @virginiawillis

We don't think Willis actually tweets in her pantry, but she gets fine inspirations as well as ingredients in there.  The rest of the time she's out experiencing the food world and tweeting newly uncovered tidbits of info and events with the rest of us food lovers.  Got a moment?  Fill your coffee mug and sit a spell so you can peruse her blog and shop!

Help "86" Hunger With A Delicious Meal

Aria and several other local restaurants are uniting to do away with or “86” hunger over a three-night dining fest appropriately dubbed “The 86 Project.”  For every guest that dines with them Tuesday, November 16 – Thursday, November 18, participating restaurants will donate $0.86 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank to help with the upcoming holiday food demand.  Follow this project on Facebook!

Football and Bourbon Make Me Happy

When I think of football, I also think of bourbon. I don't think that means I have a drinking problem, but that's a whole different topic. On Saturday, November 13, come out to Deadwood Saloon and cheer on your favorite team at our "dipping" party! From 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., the folks from Maker's Mark will be giving away 500 signature wax-dipped shot glasses in your favorite college team colors.

You can choose from an array of options including University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Clemson, Auburn, The University of Tennessee, Louisiana State and The University of Alabama!

In addition to team-themed shot glasses, some of the ultimate Maker's Mark football fans will win specialty wax-dipped pigskins. And of course, we'll also be serving up everyone's favorite food and drinks while you pull for their favorite team!

Deadwood Saloon: 66 12th Street in Midtown; 404-671-4290

The Perfect Mid-Week Treat

Celebrate your Wednesdays with wine, every week at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse located in Phipps Plaza. Come in for four pours plus complimentary appetizers and parking, all for $25 per person or $40 per couple (not including tax or gratuity).

On the menu this week are fruity Italian wines: The La Marca Prosecco balances baked apple, sour lemon and grapefruit; rich and spicy Provenza, Lugana, Lombardy hints of peach, honey and cedar; Sangervasio Rosso, Tuscany wafts raspberry and violet in Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; and Il vino dei Padri, Bonarda, Piedmont has influences of oak, spice, wild berry and currants.

And coming up on November 17, there’s the Donnafugata Bianco, Sicilia airing lemongrass and tropical fruit; the Demarie, Arneis, Roero, Piedmont is a lively, fun white; the Tormaresca, Primitivo, Puglia has aromas of sweet plums and hints of fresh herbs of vanilla; and last but certainly not least, Monte Faliesi, Aglianico, Campania has rich plum, berry and chocolaty oak characteristics. Come try them all; you won’t be disappointed!

Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse: Phipps Plaza, 3500 Peachtree Road, NE; 404-844-4810.

Pacci Ristorante Hosts “Home for the Holidays” This Saturday

If you’re looking for a pup to take home or just want mingle with adorable dogs this weekend, then Pacci Ristorante has the event for you. On Saturday, November 13, the Midtown restaurant is hosting "Home for the Holidays," an event held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help the Atlanta Humane Society (AHS). On this special day, the AHS adoption bus (holding several loveable, furry friends in need of a new home) will be curbed in front of Pacci giving you the chance to interact with the cuddly canines on the bus and upstairs at AltoRex Rooftop Lounge. Executive Chef Keira Moritz will be grilling burgers at AltoRex and serving them with chips and a can of soda or bottled water for $5. Lunch proceeds go straight to AHS. Hot chocolate, coffee and apple cider are available for the people, while water and Chef Moritz's famous, homemade "Pacci Pups" dog biscuits are available for the pooches.

Pacci Ristorante and AltoRex Rooftop Lounge: 866 West Peachtree Street, NW, adjacent to the Hotel Palomar; 678-412-2402

Don't Miss the Last "Farm to Table and Back" Guest Chef Dinner of 2010 at JCT. Kitchen & Bar!

If you haven't already checked out a "Farm to Table and Back" dinner at JCT. Kitchen & Bar, now is the time! Regional cooking using locally sourced ingredients is the focus for Executive Chef Ford Fry's Westside restaurant, and these quarterly guest chef dinners are the icing on the cake. Top chefs around the Southeast, such as Hugh Acheson of Atlanta's Empire State South and Five and Ten in Athens and Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, have been joining forces with JCT each quarter to prepare a special menu offered for one evening only to benefit Georgia Organics. Mike Lata of FIG in Charleston will be the guest chef at the last dinner of the 2010 series on Thursday, December 9. The cost of his special four-course, prix fixe menu is $75 per person and includes wine pairings. As with all of the "Farm to Table and Back" dinners, Georgia Organics will receive 100 percent of the night's proceeds! December 9 will be here before you know it, so go ahead and reserve a spot by calling 404-355-2252 and mentioning you want the special "Farm to Table and Back" menu for everyone at your table. JCT. Kitchen & Bar is located in Atlanta's Westside Urban Market at 1198 Howell Mill Road, Suite 18; 404-355-2252.

Time To Gobble Gobble with White Oak Pastures

Turkey time is almost upon us… the cranberry sauce, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie await hungry, happy families across the land.  But what about the turkey?  This year, White Oak Pastures is offering their Free Range Bronze turkeys for the first time!  These birds are raised following the same open pasture lifestyle as White Pastures' cattle:  roaming in a natural setting and living naturally without antibiotics or added hormones.  They actually work on the farm, contributing in their own special way to pasture management. 

White Oak Pastures practices the Serengeti Model, which means large ruminant (cows) followed by small ruminant (sheep) followed by bird (chickens and turkeys), so pastures are grazed and fertilized in three different ways.  We digress.  Bottom line on these birds is that you need to order your turkey now for your holiday table.  The last day to order is Friday, November 12, so head to the website and get to gobbling!

It's Follow Friday: Meet Our Tweep of the Week FIG Chef @MikeLata

It's always nice to know a little bit about who you're having dinner with... and since FIG Chef Mike Lata is coming for JCT. Kitchen & Bar's "Farm To Table And Back" dinner on December 9, we thought we'd give you some background reads and point you toward his blog and tweets.  

Lata keeps it simple at unpretentious FIG, passionately working with Lowcountry farmers, growers and purveyors to capture the essence of the region and season.  His staff is well educated in food and wine culture and well versed in the art of hospitality.  

New England-native Lata is a self-taught chef who sharpened his restaurant focus on farm-to-table philosophies and European-style cooking using the highest quality seasonal ingredients while he honed his culinary skills in Boston, Martha's Vineyard, New Orleans, Atlanta and France before heading to Charleston.  The 2009 James Beard Award winner for "Best Chef in the Southeast" helps with several Charleston organizations, is an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance and co-found the local Charleston convivium of Slow Food in 2004.  All that, and he cooks and tweets, too!

Fries + Flute = Scrumdiddlyumptious

Pacci Ristorante is celebrating the launch of Kimpton Hotels' first custom sparkling wine, the Gloria Ferrer Kimpton Cuvée Blanc de Noirs and we all get to get a piece of the action too! Pacci is offering a “Fries and a Flute” promotion from Monday, November 1 – Tuesday, November 30, 2010. During that time, guests can enjoy a pairing of Chef Keira Moritz’s truffle fries with a glass of Kimpton Cuvée for $16.

Once you're done treating yourself, don't forget about your four-legged friends. If you post a picture of your dogs on Pacci's Facebook page and then show it to the restaurant, you'll get a free order of Pacci Pups.

A treat for you and your pups to enjoy!

Pacci Ristorante: 866 West Peachtree Street NW, adjacent to Hotel Palomar in Midtown

Worthwhile Wine Company Turns Wine to Water

Sip for a good cause this Thursday, November 11 from 6-8 p.m. at Isabella’s Café in Decatur at Isipho’s annual “Wine To Water” South African wine tasting event.  Isipho (ih-SEE-poh) is a nonprofit organization co-founded by Miranda Lynch and her dad, Worthwhile Wine's Tom Lynch, to improve the lives of the villagers of iNzinga, South Africa.

At Thursday’s event, you’ll try four Worthwhile wines along with three appetizers/desserts perfectly paired by Isabella’s Café, and all funds raised will go toward drilling a well for school vegetable gardens in iNzinga.  Sustainable vegetable gardens can help overcome the three main causes of chronic poverty:  malnutrition, disease (exacerbated by malnutrition) and poor education (excess vegetables can be sold for school materials). So come out and help Isipho use great wine to get even better water!  Tickets are $30 per person in advance and on the website, then $40 at the door.

Spending the Afternoon In The Country

With the perfect fall weather lately, I can't think of a better time to get out of the city and enjoy the countryside. This weekend, I plan on doing just that at the 10th Annual Afternoon in the Country at Serenbe. The annual Sunday afternoon event -- on November 7 this year -- features some of Atlanta’s best chefs, area farmers, premium micro-brewers and select retailers. I'm looking forward to checking out JCT. Kitchen & Bar, The Cook’s Warehouse and Woodfire Grill among many others!

Even better, food and wine are just the tip of the iceberg at this outdoor party. Drivetrain plays bluegrass, and there’ll be a pastry chef- supplied cake raffle, hayrides, food and wine merchandise, original art by prominent artists and a silent auction where dining and travel packages are up for bidding. Proceeds from the afternoon event benefit Les Dames d'Escoffier International and the Atlanta Chapter’s scholarship fund as well as Georgia’s organic farming community. Purchase tickets now before the event sells out!

Get Your Seat at This Sunday’s Toulouse Wine Tasting

It’s time for another one of Toulouse's tempting wine tastings. With holiday wining and dining season fast approaching, you should reserve your spot for this Sunday’s tasting of Reserve wines soon! The Toulouse Wine Guy will direct your tasting spree of 15 wines interspersed with light appetizers starting at 6:30 p.m. $40 per person. Be sure to make your reservations by calling 404-351-9533.

Toulouse: 2293 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite B; 404-351-9533.