Music lovers revel in Shaky Knees and Boots. Food and drink lovers, however, dare not jostle shaky spoons or glasses lest they waste coveted tastes of some of the South’s best bites and beverages at this year’s Atlanta Food & Wine Festival(AFWF). The 2016 festival spills out from Midtown June 2-5 and introduces a new Southern spring sport -- Friday Night Bites -- underneath big-top tents in Piedmont Park. For the first time, tasting tents will be open on Friday evening from 3:30-9:30 p.m. as well as on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Key tastemakers include Atlanta chefs Gerry Klaskala (Aria), Kevin Gillespie (Gunshow, Revival, Terminus City), Joey Ward (Gunshow), Matthew Ridgway (Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman) and Reid Harrison of White Oak Pastures. RJ Cooper of Midtown newcomer 5Church Atlanta is chomping to let attendees sample some of his dishes, too. The soon-to-open restaurant is located at 14th and Peachtree streets, pretty much at the AFWF epicenter. Buy Friday Night Bites tickets online and peruse the mouthwatering schedule of other day and class passes and ticket options.
Starting Wednesday, June 1, OTP-ers feeling landlocked at lunchtime can easily sail into Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar at The Avenue East Cobb for their midday meal. Doug Turbush’s Marietta restaurant known for high-quality, sustainable and fresh seafood will serve lunch daily from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Executive chef Brendan Keenan casts a midday menu with starters, sandwiches, “Catch” seafood entrĂ©es, soups and salads and raw bar favorites such as peel-and-eat shrimp and raw oysters. Lunch nets a school of dinner specialties as well, including lobster rolls served warm with drawn butter or cold with lemon mayo and chowder fries topped with Benton’s bacon, fried clams and Fresno chile. The Drift burger is always a hit with landlubbers and comes stacked with American cheese and wood-grilled onions and a heap of fries. The AJC recently reeled Drift’s lobster rolls onto its list of “7 lobster rolls you’ll be eating this summer.” All the more reason to Drift over for lunch.
Hand over the keys to the liquor cabinet and some snazzy glasses, and Natalie Migliarini comes through with Beautiful Booze. This Seattle-based cocktail developer/stylist/ photographer and boozy content creator for brands, hotels, travel and events recently “toured” the cocktails of Mexico City, and she generously shares souvenirs by the glassful.
Chef Kevin Gillespie is loading the Gunshow kitchen chamber for June’s “Hired Guns” dinner on Sunday, June 12 and Monday, June 13. Chef Kenny Gilbert of Gilbert's Underground Kitchen in Fernandina Beach, Florida, blasts into the Glenwood Park restaurant to join Gillespie, Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward and the “kitchen dudes” (and dudettes). As Gilbert mingles with diners and shares his innovative take on tropical and traditional cuisine, guests will easily see why this seventh season “Top Chef” contestant claims fame as one of the show’s most likeable chefs. His career has taken him from Florida and Sea Island, Georgia, to Colorado, New Jersey, Spain, France and the Caribbean. Gilbert has appeared on “The Today Show,” written his own cookbook, created a line of spice blends and has cooked for the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl party and numerous celebrities. Oh, and did we mention he conquered kitchen master Bobby Flay on a recent episode of “Beat Bobby Flay”? Buy tickets via Xorbia; $95 per person (not including drinks, tax and gratuity). Hone in on them now, before this tantalizing trophy is out of sight.
South African destinations such as Cape Point, Olifants River, Breede River Valley and Klein Karoo may call up visions of safaris, and that’s partially correct. Stem Wine Bar general manager/sommelier Chris McNeill is on the prowl for pours from the world’s up-and-coming wine regions, and he’s bagging quite a prize collection. Explore the varied winelands of South Africa via Stem’s weekly pairings of six wines and small bites created by owner/chef Doug Turbush. Safari attire and khakis are not required but would fit right in with the unpretentious and fun environment at the Marietta wine bar. All wine tastings begin at 6:30 p.m. Advance-purchase tickets only. $40 per person (plus $3.19 service fee). Additional 20 percent gratuity will be added at in-store checkout. Seats are limited and fly away fast so reserve your spot today. Click on the dates below to purchase tickets:
An all-American holiday deserves an all-American meal of steaks, seafood, signature dishes or even some Tex-Mex. All Ray’s Restaurants -- Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River, Ray’s at Killer Creek and Ray’s Rio Bravo will be open and eager to serve from noon-9 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 30. As a token of appreciation, the restaurants are extending a 20 percent discount to all veterans and active-duty military plus one guest. Additionally, Dining Club members will receive double points for Memorial Day purchases.
Eater has sifted through hundreds of nominations for the Young Guns class of 2016 and boiled the crew down to 48 semifinalists from across the nation. Gunshow sous chef Spencer Gomez is one of the two Atlanta representatives on the list, and Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward could not be more proud of the 28-year-old Gomez. Ward describes this kitchen dude team member as a “natural leader who demonstrates the kitchen talents, skills and composure of someone twice his age.” He furthers, “Gunshow would not exist in its current level of execution without Spencer.” Eater’s annual class of Young Guns celebrates exceptional new culinary talent in the 30-and-under crowd with fewer than five years experience. Eater will announce its 2016 Eater Young Guns winners on June 28. Congratulations, Spencer! We’re pulling for you more than smoked pork at a Terminus City barbecue.
Saturday, May 28 is a very busy day – opening Memorial Day weekend, carving open National Brisket Day and uncorking National Wine Day. Come along with us as we Wine Down for National Wine Day. Find a magnum of keen-o vino ideas: tipsy, chillable and floatable wine glasses; tips on pairings, including unpretentious wine and popcorn pairings; and for the desperate house wines of Atlanta, ways to open a wine bottle without using a corkscrew. Cook with wine (in recipes as well as your glass) and turn out red wine spaghetti, merlot meatballs, wine and chocolate cake bites, red wine ice cream, white wine mojitos, peach or raspberry wine slushies, sangrias and more. This board is a veritable wine-o-pedia, and a very fine vintage, indeed.
Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. What better way to welcome the al fresco season than to “Basque in the Sun” on the open-air patio at Gypsy Kitchen? On May 29, the Spanish restaurant in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta is hosting a special Memorial Day weekend edition of the popular Sunday social. Enjoy live music by a flamenco guitarist, flavorful paella, $4 tinto de verano, $5 glasses of rosĂ© and half-off select bottles of wine. Flamenco and specials begin at 4 p.m.; DJ takes over from 7 p.m. until who knows when. Gypsy Kitchen will be closed on Monday, May 30, in honor of the Memorial Day holiday.
Saturday, May 28 is National Brisket Day. “Oh,” you say, “there goes my day, watching the smoker smoke that darn brisket into a state of tenderness.” Not so. The Brisket Burger ($14) at Ray’s Restaurants is ready at lunchtime, Monday through Saturday. Ray’s plops the beefy boy on a toasted brioche bun and dresses it up with local craft beer cheese, house-made pickles, bibb lettuce, vine-ripened tomato and onion and serves it with hand-cut fries, chips or a side salad. There’s a reason the Brisket Burger falls into the “Handhelds” menu category at all three Ray’s Restaurants –Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River (also available on Bar Bites menu) and Ray’s at Killer Creek (also available on Bar Bites and dinner menus). You will need the napkin.
How much fun can one squeeze into a holiday weekend?Johnny’s Hideaway packs a dance floor full -- and then some -- in a pre-Memorial Day bash on Sunday, May 29 beginning at 8:30 p.m. Band X, Atlanta’s favorite high-energy party band, provides adrenaline-pumping music, and cover is only $5. Hospitality workers enjoy Sunday night industry specials. Open into the wee hours of Memorial Day morning. Can we rank a salute for that?
A sold-out, all-star chef dinner hosted by food writer Kate Parham Kordsmeier and photographer Heidi Geldhauser, held May 1 at Umi, raised nearly $24,000 for charity. The inaugural event for the Emily Cameron Art Scholarship, honoring the late photographer Emily Cameron, gave $10,000 to Atlanta-based painter Natalie Escobar. Kordsmeier and Geldhauser, along with Cameron’s parents, established the scholarship to change the life of a service-industry worker pursuing a career in the arts. The remaining $14,000 in proceeds was donated to The Giving Kitchen to go toward crisis grants for members of Atlanta’s restaurant community facing unanticipated hardship. Some of Atlanta’s most-celebrated chefs, including Fuyuhiko and Lisa Ito of Umi, Gerry Klaskala of Aria and Joey Ward of Gunshow, united to prepare the multi-course meal at Umi. To toast the occasion, Gunshow’s Mercedes O’Brien mixed a signature cocktail named “The Emily,” featuring bourbon, SHISO liqueur, honey, lemon, seltzer and strawberry absinthe ice pearls.
Kickstart Saturday morning, May 28, with a bit of Revival. Executive chef Andreas MĂ¼ller is stopping by Morningside Farmers Market to lead this Saturday’s chef demo before hunkering down in his kitchen at the Decatur restaurant. The homegrown fruits, vegetables and fresh foods of MĂ¼ller’s boyhood in Sweden stuck, igniting a passion for seeking farm-fresh ingredients throughout his chef-hood. Bingo. Hits the asparagus on the head for a farmers market cooking class. Shop the year-round market for locally grown organic from 8-11:30 a.m. but peel yourself away around 9-ish for this demo on the patio of market-adjacent Morningside Kitchen. Another reason to praise the morning, Morningside Farmers Market requires all produce to be certified organic.
Award-winning chef RJ Cooper has stirred fine dining scenes in Atlanta, NYC, Miami, Anchorage and Washington, D.C. He’s choosing to hang his toque back in the South at 5Church Atlanta, opening late spring/early summer at the corner of 14th and Peachtree streets in Midtown. Cooper will drive a modern American menu tailor-made for Atlanta while collaborating with 5Church partner and chef Jamie Lynch, who oversees the menus at locations in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. A Detroit native, Cooper began his culinary career working under Guenter Seeger at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead and Gilbert Le Coze at Brasserie Le Coze in Atlanta. NYC’s Le Bernardin, Brasserie Le Coze in Miami and The Crow’s Nest Restaurant at Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage further stocked his pot of experiences. In Washington, D.C., Cooper won accolades as executive chef at New Heights Restaurant as well as the 2006 Chefs Rising Star Award and 2007 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic for his work at Vidalia. He moved on to open two of his own restaurants in the D.C. area -- Rogue 24 and Gypsy Soul. This chef knows his way around culinary landscapes, in Atlanta and beyond, and he is thrilled to further his Southern-inspired fare in our city. Follow 5Church Atlanta on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
If only the radio could disperse captivating wafts of grilling meats when Star 94.1 FM host Jeff Dauler and chef Kevin Gillespie chew the fat about grilling at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 26. Tune in and let The Jeff & Jenn Show and the red-bearded chef/restaurateur/owner of Gunshow and Revival fire up your morning.
Cue the 'Cue because May is National BBQ Month. Pull the pork out of the wings and throw it into the limelight with “So Good You’ll Slap Yo Mama” smoked pork butt or 16-hour pulled pork. Strut the bird in bacon bourbon BBQ chicken kabobs, spicy smoked chicken thighs or go tandem with BBQ chicken and ribs. Slather on barbecue sauces – Guinness, Cheerwine, smoky bourbon, homemade root beer, blueberry, Alabama white, North Carolina vinegar or South Carolina mustard to name a few. Rather massage your meat? Pat it down with Buffalo spice rub, sweet and smoky BBQ dry rub mix, cowboy spice mix, pulled pork rubs or coffee rib rub. Your grill will be thrilled.
Haylie Duff is a mama, actress, cookbook reader and writer, and Cooking Channel personality who hosts – and keeps in real life – a Real Girl's Kitchen. Her Instagram, Snapchat andblog dole out recipes, tabletop ideas, entertaining tips and sweet baby pictures (for dessert).
What’s for dinner at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland? How about a tender, juicy, herbed and marinated Berkshire chop? Spicy broccoli casserole and mashed potatoes round out the plate ($22). So good, you’ll want to hog every bite.
The return of king salmon to the cold waters of Alaska’s Copper River affirms seasonal eating extends well beyond the garden gates. The king is back and making an appearance on Ray’s Restaurants’ menus for a limited time. Copper River salmon is coveted for its superb flavor, texture and naturally high omega-3 oil content, and king salmon runs are carefully managed for long-term sustainability by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. All are feel-good reasons spawning salmon lovers to look for this market-priced fish on the menus at Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta, Ray’s in the City in downtown Atlanta and Ray’s on the River in Sandy Springs. Ray’s at Killer Creek executive chef Mike Fuller has created several specials to be featured throughout the season, including a cast-iron Copper River king salmon with local butter beans, Carolina gold rice and Meyer lemon aÑ—oli. Hooked? Try this recipe at home.
Ahoy, mateys! Drop anchor at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill in Roswell during this Thursday night’s Alive in Roswell festivities. The Big Ketch crew will be selling cold lobster rolls, beer, wine and cocktails out on the front lawn at the Canton Street port o’ call during the 5-9 p.m. multi-block party. Live music, kids games, face painting and other family friendly and free activities will run concurrently on historic Canton Street and in Roswell Square, and many shops and businesses will remain open for the evening. Jump on the free trolley to tootle back and forth.
Lace Larrabee from “Laugh TV” on Fox headlines this month’s Comedy Session at The Blind Pig Parlour Bar in Buckhead on Thursday, May 19. Can the intimate, speakeasy-style bar contain all of the laughter drawn forth by Larrabee, host Neal Reddy and comical guests Ian Aber, Emma Arnoldand Michael Rowland? Good question. The best way to find out is to grab a $12 ticket here and now. All four 2016 shows have sold out, and a limited number of tickets are available. Doors open at 7 p.m., and show begins at 8:30 p.m.
- June 12-13: Kenny Gilbert of Gilbert's Underground Kitchen in Fernandina Beach, Florida (Tickets on sale now.)
- September 11-12: Brooke Williamson of Hudson Housein Redondo Beach, California (Tickets on sale August 11 at 8 a.m.)
- October 23-24: Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina (Tickets on sale September 23 at 8 a.m.)
Who doesn’t value that precious slice of life and lunch pressed between the morning inbox and the afternoon outbox? Bellina Alimentari, Ponce City Market’s haven for all things Italian, knows deciding on where to lunch can be a pressing matter. Their weekday value lunch combos are spot on, offering customers a choice of a half panino and soup or half panino and side salad for $12. Panini are made using artisan pane toscano and schiacciata breads baked in house each day. Irresistible panino choices include pollo with Italian chicken salad, arugula and artichoke spread; prosciutto cotto featuring Spotted Trotter ham, pecorino Toscano and greens; salsiccia with spicy Spotted Trotter Italian sausage and roasted fennel; and funghi pressing roasted mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto. A little pressure, a little heat. For sandwiches, that’s a good thing.
Feel the love -- and feed it delicious food and crazy good cocktails. Cobb County has so embraced Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood tavern that Marlow’s Tavern is opening its newest location at 2960 Shallowford Road in Sandy Plains Centre on Tuesday, May 17. Those in the Sandy Plains area will find lots to love about their new neighbor -- classic American dining, thirst-quenching libations, world-class hospitality and a covered patio. New chef-driven spring dishes such as Banh Mi Chicken Wrap, Pan-Seared Crusted Barramundi and Firecracker Shrimp join already popular salads, sandwiches and burgers -- all focused on fresh ingredients. General manager Matt Breska relays the welcome mat is out. Come on over and unwind with one of beverage hospitality manager Jefferson Garrido’s hand-made signature cocktails, a cold bottled, canned or local craft brew or glass of wine from the global selection. Open for lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. Information: 770-693-8278.
Prosecco Perfection bubbles over with fizzy blends destined to become your consummate warm-weather cocktails. Switch out winter’s heavies for refreshing nose ticklers revolving around prosecco, Champagne and sparkling wines. Brides, toast to cotton candy Champagne cocktails, multiple ways to “pimp your prosecco” and a bouquet of blissful wedding drink ideas. Fruit stand and herb garden finds inspire seasonal sensations such as a plum and thyme prosecco smash, raspberry limoncello prosecco, rhubarb prosecco sparkler, blueberry mojito royale, elderflower mint champagne and white peach, rose and raspberry sangria. Sip-wise, it’s bubble or nothing for us this summer.
Visit the CommunionDecatur Instagram page to see if the backyard beer garden at chef Kevin Gillespie’s Decatur restaurant Revival is open or closed on that particular day.Communion hours are Thursday and Friday from 4-10 p.m., Saturday from 12-10 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30-9 p.m. (weather permitting).
Fried green tomato fiends, Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta should be on your radar. Ray’s crispy fried green heirloom tomatoes emerge from the kitchen with creamy homemade fresh mozzarella and pickled Vidalia spring onions ($11). Spring and summer love.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training athletes seem to show up at every organized run, racing for the larger purpose of raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and its goal of eliminating blood cancers. Southern Proper Hospitality is assembling its threesome of events in May and June to benefit the life-saving mission of LLS. The Southern Proper restaurant family includes Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Smokebelly BBQ andThe Blind Pig Parlour Bar.
Crank up the roadster and drive back in time to the Roaring ‘20s and The Gatsby Party at The Blind Pig Parlour Bar. On Saturday, May 21, Buckhead’s favorite speakeasy will throw a bash to rival Jay Gatsby’s soirees. A Gatsby-themed five-course dinner lavishes guests from 7-10 p.m. The Gatsby Party follows from 10 p.m.-2 a.m., rollicking with a limited open bar, passed hors d’oeuvre, live 1920s-era music and legal (charity-based) gambling. Buy tickets here: $250 for the All-Access Gatsby Pass (dinner, party and $50 Smokebelly BBQ gift card); or $50 for The Golden Ticket Party Pass (10 p.m. party only). Online purchase service fees will be added at checkout. Info: 404-931-2169.
Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails executive chef Derek Dollar plans a straight-from-the-vine Bountiful Garden Dinnerexperience in Milton’s Acre on Sunday, May 22. Starting at 6 p.m., guests can tour the one-acre “farm” while enjoying hors d’oeuvre and libations. Afterward, a four-course, family style dinner with wine pairings satisfies garden-piqued appetites. Starlit skies and the soothing strums of a cellist frame the idyllic meal. Nonrefundable tickets are $200 per person (plus online service fee, tax and gratuity) with 75 percent of ticket sales moving on to LLS on behalf of owner Chris Hadermann’s campaign for LLS’ Man of the Year. Info: 770-817-0161
The Southern Proper Hospitality Golf Tournament for LLS tees off on Monday morning, June 6 at the Polo Golf & Country Club in Cumming. Tournament fees for the four-person golf scramble are $600 per foursome or $150 for singles. Fees cover greens and carts; range balls and practice facility; hot grill station lunch with menu items such as roasted corn and black bean salad, three chili Vidalia onion slaw and a burger bar; awards reception dinner featuring street tacos, a salsa bar and sides; and on-course beverages. Participants will have a chance to win tournament prizes, bid on silent auction items and compete in various tournament challenges. Sign up here; online purchase service fee will be added at checkout. Info: 770-887-7656
Cruise past the pasta and into some of the “pasta-less” culinary classes Bellina Alimentari offers. All classes take place at Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market. Sales tax will be added during online checkout. Bonus: Culinary Club attendees will receive 10% off any purchase in the Market. Shop away, friends.
- Be that Healthy Mamma, the one who quickly prepares appealing meals that are balanced, fun, kid-friendly and Italian-inspired. Bellina owner and mom Tal Baum leads this demo and tasting Wednesday, May 11 from 6-7:30 p.m. $35 per person; buy a ticket online to reserve a seat.
- Amaro, Italian for “bitter,” is an herbal liqueur sipped as an after-dinner digestif -- unless the Amaro-enamored mixologist crafts a cocktail around the heady libation. Explore Italy’s Amaro culture during an Introduction to Amaro class on Wednesday, May 18 from 7-8 p.m. Tickets are $28 per person.
- When “DIY” refers to dough-it-yourself, you must be in Bellina’s Pizza Making Class, 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24. Push up those sleeves and play with dough while learning how to create perfect pizzas at home and tasting the fruits of your labor. $45 per person plus sales tax; buy class tickets online. Calendar conflict? Stop in and pick up Bellina’s new pizza making kit ($35), which includes pizza dough mix, organic tomato salsa, Sicilian oregano, marinated olives, extra-virgin olive oil from Liguria and a recipe to guide you from dough-to-table.
- Explore a trio of Italy’s exquisite natural wines paired with local artisanal cheese during a guided 3 Wine 3 Cheese tasting and interactive learning hour from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 26. Tickets are $28 per person.
Glean tips and recipe ideas from Ormsby’s executive chef Scotley Innis at the Westside Farmers Market (WFM) on Sunday, May 15. Innis will pop over to his neighborhood market to do the noon chef demo, then it’s back to Ormsby’s for the Sunday brunch crowd. Keep Ormsby’s in mind for brunch after shopping the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. market at 14thStreet and Howell Mill Road. Purchase Community Farmers Markets' new spring seasonal cookbook ($12) at WFM for brunch-time reading and planning the week’s menus.
Sitting down to a Garden Dinner more local than this would mean sitting on a squash. Chef Derek Dollar and team would rather plant a long table and many chairs between neatly planted rows in Milton’s Acre so guests can gather and feast outdoors at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails on Sunday, May 15. A reception featuring hors d’oeuvre and libations welcomes guests to the grounds around the 150-year-old farmhouse in historic Crabapple. When the dinner bell rings, guests will sit down to a four-course dinner with wine pairings. Rest assured heirloom vegetables from the garden will make their way onto chef Dollar’s seasonal seed-to-table menu. $135 per person (includes tax and gratuity). Reserve seats by purchasing tickets online. Milton’s rolls out its popular monthly Sunday Garden Dinners during the May through October growing season. Next up for picking: June 12, July 17, August 21, September 18 and October 9. Questions? Call 770-817-0161.
Even those butting heads over where to dine can agree Food that Rocks is the place to sup from 7-11 p.m. in Sandy Springs this Saturday night, May 14. The Hammond Park festival, produced by fest-expert Taste of Atlanta, is a suppertime fantasy come true for the indecisive set, those seeking new dining destinations and diners spying their favorites on the list of participating restaurants. Noshers at the 21-and-over event can enjoy samples of beer, wine and craft cocktails between bites. Local artists the Tommy Dean Trio, Tony Levitas and Friends, and Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project amp up musical vibes while guests vote for their favorite restaurant of the evening. Winning chef takes home a custom Bohemian guitar. This party is going somewhere -- to benefit Sandy Springs-based charities Second Helpings Atlanta, Ian’s Friends Foundation and the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance. All-inclusive tickets are $55 each in advance (plus small service fee); $65 at the door if still available.
Last Saturday, chef Matthew Ridgway hosted the quintessential Derby Party for Kentucky Derby viewers at The Southern Gentleman. This Saturday morning, May 14, the executive chef, who straddles both Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman, saddles up for a ride from The Shops Buckhead Atlanta to the chef demo booth at the Piedmont Park Green Market in Midtown. The market unpacks inside the 12th Street and Piedmont Avenue park entrance from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Earlier is better than later for the best selection and checks shopping off the list before the chef demo begins.
Always a beauty, Aria is back after a quick, albeit luxurious and rejuvenating, spa treatment. Chef-owner Gerry Klaskala is behind the kitchen door, creating critically acclaimed dishes as he has done for the past 16 years. The front of the house sports a frisky new look leaning toward daily comforts over more formal occasions. “Before, the room made you feel like you needed to wear a jacket, a place for a birthday or anniversary. We wanted to make it feel more comfortable, soothing, and relaxing. I’m digging it so much,” Klaskala told Atlanta Magazine. We won’t spill all of the beans here, come glimpse the easygoing glam by making dinner reservations online. Living spontaneously, without reservations? No hesitations. The bar area offers no-reservation-required seating for casual diners. Photo by LuAnne Demeo.
No worries about how to squeeze in shopping for fresh veggies and grabbing something more substantial for evening chow call. Chef Kevin Gillespie’s Terminus City BBQ is popping up at the midweek Peachtree Road Farmers Marketon Wednesday night, May 11. Shift your market basket to the non-dominant hand to finagle a strong grasp on TC’s chopped whole hog BBQ sandwiches ($6). The big dilemma is how to wipe the awesome sauce off your chin. That’s what friends are for...stagger those bites. The midweek Peachtree Road Farmers Market rambles at The Cathedral of St. Philip in Buckhead from 4:30-8 p.m.
Jackie Gebel (@jrgebel) of No Leftovers
Food & Travel snaps incredibly succulent shots at restaurants,
bars, culinary finds and hotspots. Forget the doggie bag. There will be no
leftovers when feasting on these photos.
Barramundi, also known as Asian sea bass, rates a “best”
in the sustainable seafood arena from the Monterey
Bay Seafood Watch. Locally, the new spring menu at Marlow’s Tavern is one of the
best places to catch this big boy. Mild, sweet barramundi is scallion-crusted
and pan-seared before landing on the plate alongside quinoa “fried rice” with
edamame, baby carrots, Napa cabbage, ginger, scallions and sesame-soy glaze
($16).
“Paws” for a breather after a beastly week and enjoy the
human equivalent of a good ball toss or belly scratch session at A Toast for Tails Party hosted
by Ray’s at
Killer Creek on Friday, May 13. Bring the pack to this 5-8 p.m.
shindig benefitting our furry friends at the Atlanta Humane Society. Woof down, or
slowly savor, chef Mike Fuller’s specialty dishes hot off Ray’s Big Green Egg,
buy drinks at the cash bar and ease out of workweek mode to live music on the
patio. Tickets are $20 per person. Call ahead to reserve a spot or two,
770-649-0064. “Wine” down further by staying on for Ray’s at Killer Creek’s regular
Friday special of half-off wine bottles priced $200 and under.
Chefs and farmers are key drivers on the road from farm
to table. So tight is their relationship, they’re practically married.
Sometimes it’s a match made in heaven. Sometimes counseling could smooth ties. Nosh Talks, partnering with Slow Food Atlanta, explores the
unique bond between chefs and farmers, how they work together and their
respective perspectives at a Chefs
& Farmers panel discussion Monday, May 9 at Monday Night Brewing.
Repping the chef angle are Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward, Nick Leahy of
Saltyard and Jarrett Stieber of Eat Me Speak Me. Steve Whitmire of Brasstown
Beef, Lauren Cox of Woodland Gardens, Charlotte Swancy of Riverview Farms and
Sue Pavlin, director of The Common Market Georgia pitch for farmers at the 2-5
p.m. talk. Buy tickets at Eventbrite;
$10 student, $20 restaurant industry community, $40 non-industry members.
