Halperns’ Purveyors of Steak and Seafood Wins 2010 National Provisioner Processor of the Year Award

It came as no surprise when Halperns’ Purveyors of Steak and Seafood nabbed the award for National Processor of the Year Award. If there are two things Halperns’ does best, it is having top-of-the line customer service and producing prime proteins.

Aside from these two things, Halperns’ accelerated growth also contributed to the winning of the award. In order to produce top-notch USDA prime meat and seafood, Halperns’ takes food safety very seriously by having a state-of-the-art 110,000 square-foot facility. Congrats, Halperns'!

It's Follow Friday - Meet Our Tweeps of the Week @katiemanderson & @WhiskAwayNic

Let foodie sisters Nic and Katie whisk you away to a delicious place as they tweet and blog their "local, organic, happy" stuff, descend on farmers markets, document meals, share six-to-nine ingredient or less recipes and "worship Polan." Whisk Away photos are tempting enough to eat!

Tweets hand feed you small bites of humor and insight. Katie's at http://twitter.com/katiemanderson; find Nic at http://twitter.com/WhiskAwayNic.

Shaun Doty + Julia LeRoy = Deeeeelicious!

Have you ever been craving two things at the same time, but could only manage to get one of them? Remember when you were a kid and you found out that Nerds candy came in a box with grape AND strawberry? I do and it was glorious. Those days have long passed and my palate has stepped its game up. I'm excited to know that Chefs Shaun Doty and Julia LeRoy will be creating a five-course meal together at Shaun's on Wednesday, July 7.

I will gladly put food in my stomach from two award-winning chefs and enjoy every second of the meal. Per person, $45 (without drink pairings) and $60 (with drink pairings). Reservations are required for this limited-seating event and are available beginning when the restaurant opens at 5 p.m. Call 404-577-4358 to reserve a spot.

Shaun's: 1029 Edgewood Avenue, NE: 404-577-4358.

It's Puppy Love for Pacci at the Atlanta Humane Society

Consider this your friendly afternoon cute puppy alert!   

Pacci Ristorante’s Chef Keira Moritz paid a visit to the Atlanta Humane Society this week to present a check and donations raised during the restaurant's month-long anniversary celebration.  All the dogs at the Atlanta Humane Society also got to enjoy some of Chef Keira’s signature Pacci Pups as a special treat!

Uncle Sam Wants YOU To Go Out and Eat This Weekend

Sticking around for the Independence Day Weekend?  No worries - there will be plenty going on in the area to raise your fork and wave a flag at.  Here are our picks for some patriotic weekend fun.

At Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland, a pig is roasting in a China box in preparation for the 3rd Annual Pig Roast on July 4. A 70 - 80 lb. Riverview Farms Berkshire pig will go into La Caja China, a plywood box lined with metal. Glowing charcoal is heaped on top, and four hours later the pork is fork-tender perfect for the $15-per-person "Meat & Three" deal. Guests can choose pork and/or Big Green Egg-smoked all-natural chicken; three sides of your choice -- house-baked beans with smoked bacon, grilled corn on the cob, Atkins Park's famous potato salad, creamy cole slaw, vine-ripe tomato salad, braised pole beans and macaroni and cheese; Texas toast, three house-made barbeque sauces and a choice of Southern banana pudding or homemade peach ice cream. Seeing that July 4 falls on a Sunday this year, Atkins Park guests also will have the option of ordering from the Sunday brunch menu from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. or from the bar menu all day long.

On the northwest side of town, Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna will host a Braves vs. Marlins bus trip. It's no wonder this special event sells out quickly: $45 purchases a roundtrip bus ride to the Braves vs. Marlins game at Turner Field, precluded by a pregame hot dog, Jagermeister and beer. (Market Village, 2840 Atlanta Road, Smyrna; 770-435-1887)


Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery adds a dash of live bluegrass to its red and white wines to unfurl the 8th Annual Reds, Whites and Bluegrass Brunch in the Vineyards. Celebrate the birth of the United States of America on July 4 over Southern regional cuisine with special wine and gift pricing. $30 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Call ahead to reserve your place at the 12:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. seating.

Go whole hog and honor Independence Day at the Woodfire Grill BBQ & Beer party from 5:30 - 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 3. Executive Chef and Partner Kevin Gillespie will roast a whole hog using his own Terminus City barbecue recipe. The three-course, all-American dinner is $38 per person (plus tax and gratuity), and SweetWater draft specials will keep beer mugs full all evening long. Beer sale proceeds will pour into SweetWater Brewing Company's "Save the Hooch" campaign for ecological stewardship of the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries and watershed. Seating is limited, and reservations are required.

RA Sushi is tipping its hat to the Red, White & Blue with its July 4th Stars & Stripes martini. Sip the patriotic cocktail at RA Sushi Friday, July 2 through Sunday, July 4.

What's the Wackiest Thing You've Ever Grilled? Tell Us and Win!

Don’t forget that tonight barbeque whiz Steven Raichlen will be signing copies of his new cookbook Planet Barbeque! from 6 pm to 8 pm at Sur La Table at Perimeter Mall.

Included in the book are around 309 recipes from 60 different countries, tips, stories and enticing photos that will send you straight to BBQ heaven.

Now that we’ve got you hooked, you can enter to win a free copy of Planet Barbeque! by simply telling us what the wackiest thing you have ever grilled is! Here at the MLA office we have grilled some pretty wacky things. Some of the items include jalapeno poppers, grapes with tarragon pork tenderloin and even chocolate shrimp!

Post your wacky grilling experience in our comments and we will pick a lucky winner this week!

Last Chance for a Lobster Love Affair at Aqua blue

Olivia Newton-John said it best - "Summer lovin' happened so fast!" After this Saturday, July 3, Aqua blue's annual Tailapalooza menu will be swimming away until next summer. Head to Roswell this week to get your last taste of lobster bisque, Maine lobster roll, poached lobster salad and the lobster combos. Tailapalooza drink specials ($7) like Mango Tango lemonade and Villa Sandi Prosecco will be heading out to sea after Saturday, too.

Aqua blue: 1564 Holcomb Bridge Road; 770-643-8886.

Vote Online In The Sears Chef Challenge

The Sears Chef Challenge has invited twelve chefs in four cities -- New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. -- to participate in a contest to find the nation's next up-and-coming chef while raising money for food banks across the country. Certified personal chef Sally Cameron of Orange County, Calif. is one of the 12 remaining chef-testants hoping to cook her way up as the best LA Chef in the Sears Chef Challenge. This friend of Melissa Libby & Associates is not doing it for herself; she's cooking to win for the Saddleback Church food pantry in Orange County and for Sheepfold, an organization that has helped abused women and their children reshape their lives for the past 30 years. Here's how you can help: watch video footage of the chef cooking demos, then vote for your favorite through July 10. You can vote everyday at http://www.searschefchallenge.com/. Online voters determine who moves on! Read more about Sally Cameron on the Everyday Gourmet website.

Pacci Ristorante Holds Gulf Aid Fundraiser—“We Cook While They Clean”

Pacci Ristorante is joining the relief efforts for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by holding a “We Cook While They Clean” fundraiser. One dollar from every seafood dish on the Pacci lunch and dinner menus will be donated to the Gulf Relief Foundation until the fishermen are back at sea. This nonprofit organization provides relief to the Gulf Coast fishing community and its families. So stop by Pacci and support this important cause by selecting any of the savory seafood items on Chef Keira Moritz’ menu including calamari with spicy aioli; mussels and clams in anisette cream with heirloom cherry tomatoes; halibut with roasted alba mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, grilled corn and corn butter; and sea scallops with wild mushroom risotto and sweet pea nage. Pacci has been committed to sustainable fishing practices from its start and is part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, which certifies seafood suppliers from sustainable fishing environments and promotes ocean resource conservation through sensible seafood choices.

Pacci Ristorante: 866 West Peachtree Street, NW, adjacent to the Hotel Palomar; 678-412-2402.

Chef Moritz with an 80-pound halibut