Take Time for Tequila and Tacos Next Week at Atkins Park

Don't miss your chance to experience the four-course "Tequila & Taco" dinner at Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland this Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Each delicious dish is paired with Tanteo, Herradura and Ocho tequila-based libations to tip back, all for $40 per person plus tax and gratuity. Dinner starts with chorizo and potato tostadas with queso añejo and squash blossom and epazote quesadillas chased by a Bloody Maria that's potent with Tanteo hand-infused jalapeño tequila. The second course features grilled mahi mahi served with chipotle lime crema, cilantro jicama slaw, El Milagro corn tortillas and fire-roasted tomato rice cooled by a watermelon and cilantro margarita potent with Herradura tequila. Smoked grass-fed brisket comes next, dressed with roasted poblanos and Vidalia onions, queso añejo, grilled flour tortilla, refried black beans and avocado quenched by a Paloma made with Ocho Tequila Plato, grapefruit soda, agave nectar and lime. Even dessert comes with tequila! Tanteo hand-infused cocoa tequila arrives with the waffle taco of salted dulce de leche ice cream, dark chocolate and roasted peanuts. Forgo the siesta until after you make reservations, or you'll miss out.

Atkins Park Tavern - Virginia Highland: 794 North Highland Avenue; 404 -876-7249.

It's Follow Friday; Meet our Tweep of the Week @summertomato

Darya Pino is the voice behind Summer Tomato.  The San Francisco foodie and health enthusiast has a PhD in science, writes columns for a variety of media and blogs about upgrading your healthstyle through nutrition, cooking, science and more.  Her blog is rich with a lot more than lycopene so reserve plenty of reading time.  Join her on Twitter (@summertomato) for lively tweep conversation!

Get Your Inner Chef On And Find Out Your Spicy Personality At Spice Market!

Spice Market, located inside the W Atlanta-Midtown, has whipped up two of the most scrumptiously entertaining self-help activities going for aspiring cooks. First, guests can book a "chef for a day" excursion in the globally inspired restaurant's kitchen for $150 plus an additional $48/person for dinner with a four person maximum (excluding tax and gratuity). Arrive around lunchtime and learn signature dish techniques as you work alongside kitchen staff at different stations while they prepare for evening service. Finish up by preparing a customized dinner for your group of friends, then sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labor at a five-course meal paired with wine. The customizable package requires at least 72 hours notice and is not valid with any other promotions, discounts or specials.

There is a reason for the cliché, "variety is the spice of life." If we were all the same, there'd be no need to take Spice Market's Facebook personality quiz this week to find out "What Spice Market spice are you?" Thankfully, our differences mean we can all determine our own inner spice on Spice Market's Facebook quiz. Once you know what you are, come in and tell your server, and you'll receive the free menu item that uses that spice. While you're on Facebook, go ahead and "like" Spice Market because when 1,500 fans "like" Spice Market before April ends, they'll extend their half-off bottle wine special through the month of May.

Spice Market: In the W Atlanta-Midtown at 188 14th Street, NE; 404-724-2550.

Aria Welcomes Fine Wine Lovers for Peter Michael Wine Dinner on Wednesday

This Wednesday, April 20, Aria Executive Chef/Owner Gerry Klaskala is calling all fine wine lovers to come enjoy the exquisite wines of Peter Michael Winery at the restaurant's Peter Michael Wine Dinner at 6.30 p.m. Klaskala will whip up a four-course menu featuring the season's freshest offerings and will pair it with Peter Michael's award-winning Chardonnay wines and Bordeaux-style blends of Les Pavots and L'esprit des Pavots. Guests will enjoy dishes such as East Coast halibut filet with Vidalia spring onion, Yukon gold gratin and pea shoots; breast of South Carolina squab with baby spinach, golden oak mushrooms and sweet garlic; roasted first chop of spring lamb served with fava beans, Babette carrots and leeks; and Valrhona chocolate hazelnut cake with crisped chocolate and Drambuie crème anglaise.

Reservations and payments are handled directly by Chris Soluri, at The Fine Wine Connection, 770-984-9663. $190.00 per person (includes tax and gratuity).

Aria: 490 East Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead; 404-233-7673.

The Georgia Fine Wine Festival at BlackStock Vineyards and Winery

Just as wine gets better with age, so does BlackStock Vineyards and Winery's Georgia Fine Wine Festival. We don’t want you to miss out on this weekend of sampling more than 60 different Georgia wines, including wines that have earned national and international awards, so take our subtle him and buy your advance discount tickets before Saturday, April 30. The two-day festival features "the finest food, wine, music and art found in the North Georgia Mountains," and will be held from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 4 and from 12:30 - 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, right outside of Dahlonega. Restaurant food tastings, an artisan market and live music round out the festival weekend while you explore the beautiful estate. If you haven’t seen BlackStock Vineyards and Winery already, its picture graces the front of the official 2011-2012 Georgia DOT Highway Map! BlackStock Vineyards and Winery: 5400 Town Creek Road in Dahlonega, GA; 706-219-2789.