Celebrated chef Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow, Revival,Communion and Terminus City trots over to Whole Foods Market - Avalon in Alpharetta on Monday, June 27, for an evening of “Pure Pork Awesomeness.” The red-bearded Atlanta native will share his fiery passion for pork at a 7-9 p.m. class and book signing at Salud! Cooking School. Learn how to select, prepare and fork into pork in new recipes. Keep that fork handy to sample the “Pure Pork Awesomeness” class tasting menu: curried pork samosas, Korean barbecued bulgogi, grilled pork tenderloin with Spanish-style garlic shrimp and banoffee trifle with candied bacon. Tickets to the exclusive evening are priced at $75 each and include one signed copy of Gillespie’s cookbook. Register here and now.
Salute summer at Marlow’s Tavern’s “Burgers & Brews” celebration, going on through August 1. Chomp into Marlow’s signature gourmet burgers, chill over craft beers and vie to win a coveted Big Green Egg (BGE) or Marlow’s gift cards.
Grill thrill seekers, share that recipe (the one friends rave about) in the seventh annual Marlow’s Tavern Grilling Recipe Contest for a chance to win a BGE, a $200 Marlow’s Tavern gift card or a $100 gift card. Can’t win if you don’t try; submit at www.marlowstavern.com through July 31. No purchase necessary; one entry per person or email address. Marlow’s Tavern co-founder and executive chef John C. Metz will judge all recipes and announce winners on September 10 with a taste-testing party at the Dunwoody location.
Contemplate your recipe while relishing signature gourmet, all-natural and perfectly seasoned burgers on Marlow’s “Burgers & Brews” menu. Suggestions include the Classic Burger Dip, piling on thinly sliced prime rib, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, romaine lettuce and a Roma tomato or the bruiser of a Black & Blue Burger sporting creamy Gorgonzola and Applewood-smoked bacon. Bypassing beef? Opt for the Naked Chicken Burger of all-natural Joyce Farms ground chicken, mozzarella, provolone, baby arugula, Roma tomato and red onion. Look for rotating burger du jour specials such as the “Chicken Fried” Steak Burger, the Colorado Lamb Burger or the wagyu beef Royale with Cheese Burger. Other specials include Beer & Cheese Soup; Red Devils house-made deviled eggs with spicy horseradish, fresh herbs, Dijonnaise and toasty Parmesan; and Loaded Burbank (potato) “Skins.” Celebratory craft beers abound to buddy up with burgers: Oskar Blues Pinner Throwback IPA, Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, Eventide Kölsch Ale, Wild Heaven Emergency Drinking Beer, Red Hare Radler SPF and Westbrook One Claw Rye.
While at Marlow’s, prep to enter the Big Burger Bite Contest by snapping a picture of yourself biting into a Marlow’s burger then posting it to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #MarlowsBurgerBite. A $100 gift card awaits the media-savvy winner so snap to it.
Go rogue. Do something different. Instead of wine or beer dinner pairings, try cocktails and cuisine. Seed Kitchen & Bar and Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar are doing just that, coming together at Stem Wine Bar to host a five-course dinner showcasing Haus Alpenz spirits on Monday, June 27. Doug Turbush, owner/chef of the restaurant trio, and beverage managers/mixologists David Peek (Seed) and Jose Pereiro (Drift) turn out an incredible menu. Think Arctic char sashimi paired with a cocktail of Cocchi Americano, house-made ginger-lemon syrup and lemon juice and pineapple soy-glazed pork belly with a mix of Smith & Cross rum, Kronan Swedish Punsch, Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, orgeat and lime. Pouring out some high-proof knowledge at the dinner are special guests Nicole Ciani, Southeast sales director of Haus Alpenz, and Tristan Andersen of Quality Wine & Spirits. Space is limited for the 6:30-9:30 p.m. event. Guests must buy tickets in advance, $99 per person (includes tax and gratuity).
Take Inspiralized for a spin and add healthy new twists to the menu, such as zucchini noodles with creamy avocado-lime-cilantro dressing. For more action, turn, turn, turn to #EverydayInspiralized cooking video series.
Call Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails Crabapple’s hootenanny headquarters on Sunday, June 26. More than a pig roast, Milton’s Whole Hog Hootenanny tickles taste buds with barbecued ribs, smoked chicken and pulled pork aplenty. Even though temptation begs you to mound the plate with pulled pork, ribs, smoked chicken, sides, sweet treats and the likes, you can always come back for more at this all-you-can-eat affair. Slake bone-sucking thirsts with beverages from the cash bar. Games and live music inspire toe tapping, hand clapping and even some jigs outside on Milton’s lovely patio and front lawn. Buy tickets online, $35 per person plus service fee. Keep hooting and hollering because Whole Hog Hootenanny returns July 31, August 28 and September 25. Finger lickin’ fun? You betcha BBQ!
Take time to coast this Saturday, June 25, and dive into backyard fun and games on the front lawn at The Big Ketch Canton Street’s Southern Ketch Soirée from 2-4 p.m. Feast on oysters and chef Derek Dollar’s low country seafood boil brimming with shrimp, crawfish, andouille sausage, corn and potatoes. Purchase Tiki cocktails or $5 mojitos and margaritas for icy-cold refreshment. Lawn games? Check. Live music? Check. Low country seafood boil tickets? Catch them right here, $39.95 (plus $3.19 service fee).
Sweet! June is National Candy Month! Candy Land champs that we are, we’re finding ways to sneak candy into all kinds of Candy Creations. Milky Way brownie bites, chocolate peanut butter Kit Kat crunch bars, German chocolate brownie cookies and mint chocolate candy bark reach out to chocoholics. Clever grill cupcakes, candy sushi, cotton candy fudge and cupcakes are sugar-coated spoofs on the real thing. DIY cupcakes in plastic wine glasses and s’more pops are good to go. “Sour Patch” grapes count as a quasi-fruit, right?
5Church, a modern American restaurant, opens its doors Friday, June 24, at the corner of 14th and Peachtree streets. 5Church will welcome guests daily with genuine hospitality, a technique-driven dinner menu and cutting-edge design. What to do with the car at one of Atlanta’s busiest intersections? No worries, thanks to complimentary valet parking and an expansive self-parking deck. This is the third location for restaurateurs Patrick Whalen, Ayman Kamel, Alejandro Torio and chef Jamie Lynch, whose other 5Church restaurants include the flagship location at the corner of 5th and Church Street in Charlotte, North Carolina, and another in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lynch, also a partner in 5Church, and James Beard Award-winning executive chef RJ Cooper have collaborated to craft a menu inclusive of 5Church favorites along with locally sourced items Atlantans are sure to love. Dishes exclusive to the Atlanta menu include:
- Slow-cooked white sea bass, grilled asparagus, marinated cucumber, preserved lemon, asparagus water, cold pressed olive oil
- Pan-seared scallops, crispy confit potato, melted leeks, cipollini onion, lemongrass-tomato coulis
- Confit duck breast, potato latke, marinated heirloom tomato, black olive tapenade, charred romaine, soft-boiled duck egg, Dijon-sherry duck jus
- Pan-roasted grouper, summer bean fricassee, American caviar, garlic anchovy “milk”
- Braised rabbit agnolotti, roasted baby carrots, English pea purée, braising jus
A 200-bottle wine list, specialty cocktails and craft beers complement the dinner menu and encourage guests to linger at impressive white concrete bars or enjoy a drink on the sidewalk and rooftop patios.
Managing partner Ayman Kamel says 5Church in Atlanta and its Carolina siblings share traits of delivering personal attention and a great dining experience. Even so, guests dining at the new Midtown location will see Atlanta’s unique personality the moment they enter, evident in large-scale artwork inspired by Atlanta and created by local artists, a hand-painted ceiling, eye-catching neo-Victorian décor and exquisite culinary presentations from Lynch and Cooper. 5Church is located at Colony Square, 1197 Peachtree Street NE. Enjoy dinner now; lunch and weekend brunch service will follow at a later date. Make reservations via OpenTable. For updates, follow the restaurant on Instagram, Facebook andTwitter. For additional information, call 404-400-3669.
Nothing like planning ahead, especially when saving the date for a superlative cause. Golfers, flag your calendars, dedicating Monday, September 19, 2016 to a day out on the greens to raise dollars for Special Olympics Georgia. Warm up those drivers and putters for the 18th annual Marlow’s Tavern Golf Classic, teeing off at 8:30 a.m. at the Country Club of Roswell. Competitions, contests on the greens, prizes and the “best of the best” in American tavern fare fill the day bogeying into an after party at Aqua blue for the awards dinner and silent auction. Marlow’s Tavern, Sterling Spoon Culinary Management and Aqua blue have raised more than $600,000 for Special Olympics Georgia since 1999, and the group hopes this tournament will top their new goal of $750,000. Help make that happen.
To sign up, contact Susan Skolnick, 770-414-9390 x111 or Susan.Skolnick@specialolympicsga.org.
Are you a student who is passionate about food/wine culture and public relations? We want to meet you! Melissa Libby & Associates is currently seeking interns for the fall 2016 semester. Interns who join the MLA team will work with and learn directly from all agency functions, including media communications, social media, special events and client services. Creativity, positive energy, great writing skills and a strong work ethic are important traits for this internship.
Internships require 15-22 office hours per week from August to December. Schedules are fairly flexible, although Monday mornings from 10:30-11:30 a.m. are required. Local candidates only! The ideal candidate will also receive school credit for his or her experience with MLA. Interns will be paid a $500 stipend at the completion of the program. To find out more about Melissa Libby & Associates, please visit our website and our Facebook page. If you are interested, please send your resume, cover letter, writing samples and availability to brandon@melissalibbypr.com. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
Julie Resnick curates The Feed Feed, a crowdsourced recipe web bank fed by an Instagram community of cooks who share recipes by hashtagging them #feedfeed. If that sounds right up your hashtag alley, hashtag have at it. Or, troll for ideas and inspirations such as chocolate peanut butter pretzel ice cream or a patriotic flag sheet cake sporting lemon chiffon meringue stars. Watch out! One could easily hashtag the day away hopping from recipe to story to video on FeedFeed Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and website feeds.
A little shot of “Stress” is sweet, according to Johnny’s Hideaway bar manager and longtime employee Nancy Tardo. “Stress” is Tardo’s signature shot, a little something she first tasted back in 1992 at a Buckhead bar called Grand Stands. Flash forward. Now, many Johnny’s regulars only drink “Stress” ($9). All of the bartenders at the Buckhead nightspot know how to blend this mix of vodka and coconut rum with cranberry and pineapple splashes, to pour in a shot glass or over ice, when guests want a little something sweet.
This week’s board -- Dear Ol’ Dad -- has some Father’s Day tricks up its sleeve, like the “shirt” bottle giftwrap idea (he’ll never guess), a secret “stache” of cookies in a nifty-gifty bag and a generous helping of DIY crafts kids can make for dad. Pointers on grilling pizza, steaks, Coca-Cola or Sriracha BBQ ribs and Jameson whiskey blue cheese burgers with Guinness cheese sauce aid those mustering courage to take command of the grill on Sunday, June 19. Dainty desserts? Forget about it. Hone in on manly maple and bacon cupcakes, whiskey bacon brownies, beer brownies and more to follow that plate of chicken fried steak with Comeback sauce. Dad, you’re so blessed.
Atlanta-native Gizzy Barton grew up shopping with her dad at Your DeKalb Farmers Market in Decatur, and now she’s executive chef at Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market (PCM), a few miles away in Midtown. The Italian dining sensation at PCM welcomes Barton to its all-female team, a fierce foursome of females that includes owner Tal Baum, creative director Alice Noel Fabi and general manager Bethany Thompson. The talented chef honed her culinary skills under Atlanta chef Kevin Rathbun in roles as sous chef at Rathbun’s and by helping open Italian-infused KR SteakBar. Backtracking further, Barton gained rich sous and line chef experience at Restaurant Eugene and South City Kitchen and while attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Atlanta. The Atlanta native’s philosophy of food as a way of life, seasonal inspiration and bringing in summer produce from local farmers is right on track with the Bellina way. Stop in next time you’re at PCM and try some of Barton’s favorite menu items such as pappardelle with Bolognese and charcuterie and cheese from the Market.
Rev your retro engines for June’s Mario Kart Mondays at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland. Co-pilot with Yoshi, Luigi, Rosalina and crew while competing in head-to-head rounds on Mondays, June 20 and 27. Ensuring they’re well fueled for the virtual course, entrants must down a Wild Heaven Emergency Drinking Beer before their race ends. Racers score points with each advancement, and spectators can earn points by ordering a Drunken Toad, Browser’s Revenge, Stolen Peach or some of the other racy cocktails on the specialty drink menu. House cash goes to the weekly winner, and June’s top scorer wins two four-day passes to DragonCon. Registration begins at 9 p.m. for 10 p.m. race start time.
Big outdoor concerts and music fests are certainly part of the summer scene. For outstanding live music, fantastic food and quality beverages in an air-conditioned, intimate setting (i.e. forgoing heat, humidity, parking issues and crowds), Ray’s at Killer Creek is the place to go. The Alpharetta restaurant lines up top talent in the bar and lounge area Thursday nights from 6-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday nights from 7-10 p.m. in June. Take a gander at the calendar to see who’s commanding the mic and when. Marty Manous plays June 16;Brandon Crocker performs June 17, 23, 24 and 30; Lauren Jordan holds down June 18; and Lee Gamble entertains June 25. Great tunes, no cover, no sweat.
Gypsy Kitchen pours on a sangria special made for summer socializing. Monday through Thursdays, The Shops Buckhead Atlanta restaurant is offering the first round of red or white sangria free for groups of 15-30 people with the purchase of food. Plan an office happy hour, ladies night out, dinner event or be creative and host a summer solstice social on the patio to take advantage of this very sangria-ble opportunity through June 30. Secure seating or space with a credit card, but no deposit is needed. Questions? Call 404-964-9243.
Grill Dad on his Father’s Day wishes and odds are he will mention hungering to spend time with those he loves. Atlanta restaurants come through with dad-friendly food and drink specials and brunch buffets to fill love tanks of all ages and sizes. And since he’s the special guest this time, reservations and the tab are on you!
Intown
Visit Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland for hearty Sunday brunch offerings such as deep-fried bacon, the fried chicken pancake sandwich and sirloin steak and eggs. Dinner specials with craft beer pairings also hit the spot. Call 404-876-7249.
Bring dear ol’ Dad to Communion, the backyard beer garden at Revival, for a beer and brat combo that’s too good to pass up. Two tokens ($10) snag a juicy brat and a cold brew to wash it down (tax and gratuity included). Hang back and challenge Pops to a few rounds of darts, cornhole, cards and horseshoes. A piece of advice: life will be better if you let him win.
Bypass TSA and fly Dad to Spain via Gypsy Kitchen in Buckhead. The full GK Experience serves six to eight with a five-course family style dinner flavored with accents from Galicia to Catalonia. Lead him to GK’s open-air patio where he can Basque in the Sun and enjoy Sunday specials including half off select bottles of wine, $5 glasses of rosé, $4 tinto de verano, paella, a flamenco guitarist and more. Reservations: 404-939-9840.
Give Dad his 10,000 Fitbit steps by way of a Piedmont Park stroll then stop at HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern for Father’s Day brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Other Sunday specials include half-price wings (from 4-10 p.m.), $17 bottomless mimosas and live music from 1-4 p.m. Children under 12 eat for free with the purchase of an adult entrée. For reservations, call 404-968-2288.
If your dad loves barbecue (and what dad doesn’t?), he’ll devour the Father’s Day special at Smokebelly BBQ -- smoked prime rib served with asparagus amandine and creamed potatoes with Asiago cheese. The $3 draft specials and Smokebelly’s usual selection of gourmet, chef-crafted staples and sides seal the deal. Call 404-848-9100.
Dad’s a bourbon connoisseur? Buckhead gastropub The Southern Gentleman offers chef specials with hand-picked bourbon pairings in addition to the regular Sunday brunch menu of simple-yet-sophisticated favorites like ricotta and cornmeal pancakes, Dixie bacon carbonara and New Orleans shrimp and grits. Sample bourbons with dad at a whiskey education and tasting area from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Make reservations by calling 404-939-9845.
OTP
Steak’s the word at Aqua blue in Roswell. Treat your meat-loving Dad to a special three-course menu featuring seafood gumbo, grilled 12-ounce ribeye served over whipped sweet potatoes, asparagus with bordelaise and your choice of dessert. Regular menu also available. $32 per person. Call 770-643-8886 for reservations.
Cotton Calf Kitchen in Braselton is hosting a “Father’s Day Endless BBQ” from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. with mouthwatering meats, savory sides, delectable dipping sauces and delicious desserts. Reservations are highly recommended: 706-684-0410. Cost is $42 per adult, $15 for children 12 and under.
In beautiful Crabapple, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails promises a special prix fixe Father’s Day brunch offering dishes such as duck and andouille sausage gumbo, Southern-fried chicken breast, blackened Atlantic salmon, basil-marinated filet mignon and chocolate peanut butter trifle, all for $32 per person ($16 for kids 12 and under). That evening, enjoy Cajun-smoked prime rib and a Big City Swine cocktail (with bacon-infused bourbon) for $28 or choose options from the regular dinner menu. Call 770-817-0161 for reservations.
Multiple Locations
Most likely there’s a dad-friendly Marlow’s Tavern location nearby ready to please the patriarch with a broad menu of classic sandwiches, salads, burgers and entrées, patio seating and lots of flat-screen TVs.
If his “daddy-isms” involve the fish that got away, reel him into The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Atlanta’s local beach house. Both locations open at 11 a.m. so Dad can catch plenty of fresh seafood specials and favorites from the regular menu including Southern-fried catfish, sea scallops and Creole shrimp and grits (prices vary between brunch and dinner). Live music graces both locales from 5-9 p.m. 404-474-9508 (Buckhead), 770-993-5749 (Canton Street).
Ray’s Restaurants has pleasing dads down to a science. At Ray’s on the River (770-955-1187), enjoy magnificent views of the Chattahoochee along with a stellar brunch buffet ($42.95 for adults, $21.95 for kids ages 5 to 10) from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta (770-649-0064) presents its signature brunch buffet ($32.95 for adults, $16.95 for kids 5 to 10) from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. In the heart of downtown Atlanta, Ray’s in the City (404-524-9224) welcomes families to savor a generous brunch buffet ($32.95 for adults, $16.95 for kids 5 to 10) from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Each restaurant offers its own dinner menu from 5-9 p.m.
Back in the day, tonic water contained more quinine than it does now. Ingesting the bitter liquid kept mosquitoes at bay and warded off malaria. British colonials in India found adding gin to their tonic made their daily dose much more palatable, and a new cocktail was born. A Gypsy Kitchen Gintonic blends Tanqueray gin with custom tonic syrup featuring notes of ginger, yuzu, rose petal, hibiscus flower and a squeeze of lime ($9). By Jove, that fragrant, spicy tonic doesn’t have a bitter bent to tame, but let’s keep the gin. Shall we?
