The W Buckhead W-Tante Party

Last night I attended the W Buckhead W-Tante party. The theme for the evening was "where modern luxury meets Southern charm." How appropriate for the Buckhead opening. Attendees included the Atlanta Housewives, NBA Player Kevin Willis, Mara Davis from Dave FM, Suchita Vadlamani from Fox 5's "Good Day Atlanta", the guy from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" along with many others I couldn't quite cut my way through the crowd to see. The event kicked-off promptly at 7:30 p.m. with cocktail servers passing out cranberry martinis, wine, and some type of stiff bourbon drink. My favorite presentation was the champagne girls (that's what I called them). They wore ball gowns made from plastic that had holders for champagne glasses. Occassionally, you would see them sneaking back into the kitchen to refill the skirt with glasses of champagne! There was a photo booth that had props such as crowns, gloves, pearls and even wands that was quite popular. After much anticipation, the rooftop bar, Whiskey Blue, finally opened around 9ish or so. After a short elevator ride, we arrived on the top floor. What a chic setting -- a huge bar, rooftop patio with comfy sofas, and tons of cozy places to sip champagne or any other drink of choice. Did I mention a great spot for people-watching? I'll certainly be making a trip back there soon -- I hear Thursdays are the night to go. Oh, and I forgot to mention the human vending machine -- very clever way to give away W t-shirts, hats, etc.

A Group Dinner at Pizza Fusion

The team headed out on a chilly, Atlanta night to try the new Pizza Fusion restaurant in the Aramore on Peachtree. First things first - free, self-parking in the garage! From there, just allow the smell to lead you to the restaurant.

Clean, sleek interior

When you walk in you immediately notice the clean, sleek atmosphere. This is Atlanta’s first LEED Certified restaurant meaning everything from the light fixtures to the delivery vehicles is energy efficient. We sat down with the owner Jeff Melnick and got the whole schpeel . They use over 75% organic ingredients in the menu, tables are made from recycled wood, toilets are low-flow and customers who return their pizza boxes get a special discount. I love the concept of this place just as much as I love the food!

Owner Jeff Melnick

Energy efficient delivery car

We had a deliciously organic meal that started with wine and bread sticks. The mutli-grain and organic white sticks came with tomato marinara sauce and we added a side of olive tapenade. The combination of olives, garlic and red peppers made for a perfect dip.

Multi-grain and organic white bread sticks with marinara and olive tapenade.

We wanted to get a good taste of the pizzas so we ordered four of the Specialty Pies – Founder’s Pie, Greek, goat cheese & sundried tomato and the Seattle. All specialty pies are served large, which is 18” x 9”, and on a wooden plank. You have the choice of multi-grain, organic white or gluten-free crusts and we decided to test out each one.

Greek on gluten-free

goat cheese and sundried tomato on white

Seattle on white

The chalk wall boasts great lunch specials ($9.99 for a personal pizza, soda, side salad) and the build your own pizza option is enticing. In addition to organic beer and wine they also serve Boylan sodas that use natural sugar and my favorite, Honest Tea.

We had such a great time at Pizza Fusion. It’s unique in that the restaurant can host a group of ten or a couple on a date and everyone feels comfortable. The pizza is great and I love supporting a restaurant that uses organic ingredients and energy efficient appliances.

Find more of our pictures from the night on our flickr page, here. Pizza Fusion: 2233 Peachtree Road, Suite M; 404-351-9934.

Dine-out For a Safer Atlanta

In light of the current economy, restaurants as well as Atlanta, have seen the crime level rise. On January 6, John Henderson became a victim to senseless crime when he was robbed and shot after hours at The Standard on Memorial Drive.

Local restaurants in the area are banding together to stop crime and keep their communities safe. So if you dine-out on January 28th, participating restaurants are donating 20% of all their proceeds to Atlanta Police Foundation, and Atlanta Crime Stoppers John Henderson Reward Fund.

So far the list of participating restaurants includes the following:

Agave
Atkins Park
Dakota Blue
Food 101
Little Azios- East Atlanta
Ria's Bluebird
Six Feet Under (both locations)
Taco Mac
The Standard
Vickery's Glenwood
HomeGrown Restaurants
Doc Chey's Noodle House
Osteria 832 Pasta & Pizza
Stella Trattoria
U Restaurant Group
Beleza
Cuerno
Fritti
Sotto Sotto

Band together for the city you love, and the restaurants you frequent. Come out on January 28th and support Dine-Out for a Safer Atlanta.

Time for Wine

The Atlanta area has some great wine events this month. Whether you want to learn more, eat a perfectly paired meal or just try new kinds of wine, we have it all covered.


Share your dinner with eight "Pinots from Burgundy" at Woodfire Grill's first wine tasting of 2009 on Wednesday, January 21. During regular dinner hours (6 - 10 p.m.), guests can sample eight Pinots from different communes and vintages, poured blind, for $15. Nothing to hide with a blind pour, it happens to be the best way to learn how to assess body, flavor and aroma. Sample wines at your own pace, at your table or at the bar. Reservations recommended.


There's a plethora of wines out there from Australia and New Zealand or so it seems to us in the southern part of the Northern Hemisphere. Mates, we're hopping to Toulouse Bistro at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 25 to sample a variety of wines from Down Under and to find out what the Toulouse Wine Guy has to say. The price of $30 per person is a pittance, considering we'll taste 15 wines and freshen our palates with light bites in between. Toulouse Bistro: 2293 Peachtree Road, NE; 404-351-9533.


Reap the benefits of a bountiful winter harvest, wine included, by dining at Aqua blue's Winter Harvest Wine Dinner on Wednesday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m. The night's line-up of four courses with wine pairings is only $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Start with the sun-kissed, tropical flavors of maki served with mango, kiwi and Mandarin oranges; ease into Muscovy duck breast served with pan-seared winter greens and sweet roasted pecans followed by a hearty beef roulade stuffed with sun- dried tomatoes. Dessert melds together antioxidant rich plums and dark chocolate in a plum and decadence bombe served with a dark chocolate mousse. Specially selected wines include Adami Prosecco, Colberldo, Italia NV; Bouchaine, Pinot Noir, Carneros 2006; Edge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2006; and Michael David's Zinfandel, 7 Deadly Zins, Lodi 2006. Reservations required. Aqua blue: 1564 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell; 770-643-8886.

Eat Like You Work Here: South City Kitchen Makes Mouths and Wallets Happy

With your nose glued to the grindstone, you’re beginning to feel like a dull Jack or Jane. You know, all work and no play? Turn the tables to relish the play without the work when you take advantage of Fifth Group Restaurants’ “Eat Like You Work Here” patron appreciation special on Tuesday, January 20 at South City Kitchen Midtown and Vinings. That night, you’ll save 25 percent off your meal tab, same as the employees! You can tell the wait staff and culinary crew genuinely love to work at these bustling sister restaurants - and who could blame them?! Chef Chip Ulbrich's sophisticated Southern cuisine keeps the masses coming back for favorites like buttermilk fried chicken and the seasonal vegetable plate or new additions such as Fudge Farms pork ribs and grilled Meyer beef meatloaf. Share their joy and eat up (and don't worry, they won't make you wash dishes)!

South City Kitchen Midtown: 1144 Crescent Avenue; 404-873-7358.
South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700.