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

Jane Lerner clears the air right away:  she is not the Jane Lerner who works as a suburban New York journalist nor is she the Jane Lerner who reclaimed her grandfather's art collection stolen in WWII.  She is an avid food writer who divides her passions between eating out and cooking in.  Ya gotta love her Twitter tagline, "A knife, a fork, a bottle and a cork, that's the way we spell New York."  Find Jane on Twitter (@janelerner) and on her Butter and Salt blog.

A Sweet Dream Comes True

The museum consultant countered, "Really, an onion museum?"  That was five years ago, before learning the "sweet" history behind the humble, mild-mannered Vidalia onion.  The Vidalia's intoxicating layers have been peeled back to uncover its growth from modest cash crop to inspiring a multitude of food products marketed worldwide -- and to being named Georgia's state veggie.  See it all when the Vidalia Onion Museum opens to the public at 3 p.m. today! 

The 1,300-square-foot space is stuffed with an interactive array of educational exhibits highlighting the sweet onion's economic, cultural and culinary significance.  Exhibits trace the vegetable's history, why it's so sweet, the fight to protect name and fame, the year-round job of producing the prized onions, "Onion Town" and the economic impact of the Vidalia onion on the state, pop culture, marketing, menus, a "Sweet World for Kids," and the living exhibit of the smallest registered Vidalia onion field right there on the premises.

Adding more spunk to the mix, the Vidalia Onion Festival also takes place this weekend with festivities, pageants, parades, concerts, car shows, onion-eating contests and arts and crafts.  Since these are Vidalia onions we're talking about, it's a given that you can play all day without shedding a tear -- unless they are tears of Vidalia joy and appreciation!  After its 3 p.m. opening today, the museum's regular operating hours will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Saturday hours available for tours.  For more information, visit www.vidaliaonion.org or the museum's Facebook page. 

Ladies 80s. 'Nuf said!

Everything 80s is excellent - the music, the fashion, the cocktails - and happily Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant is helping us get our 80s on with Ladies 80s night this Saturday! Starting at 10 p.m. the DJ will be spinning 80s favorites (there are so many I can't choose just one to mention here...) and tossing out awesome 80s paraphernalia like slap bracelets, glow necklaces and candy necklaces. Prizes for the best outfits will handed out so don't be shy about breaking out that crimping iron you've been holding onto for all these years. $6 cocktails resurrected from the 80s -- Blue Hawaiians, Long Island Iced Teas and Mai Tais -- are on special all night. Come on Eileen, I'll see you at Fadó Irish Pub on Saturday!

I See Your One Zero And Raise You Double Zero!

We teased you a few weeks ago about the upcoming opening of the new Double Zero Napoletana in Sandy Springs. An opening date of May 10 has been set, and the restaurant owners are fired up to report that installation of their handcrafted Ferrara ovens was completed two months ago! So what's the big deal about Ferrara ovens? The Ferrara family has been building these ovens in Naples, Italy for three generations. The ovens are made with only the highest quality materials to assure heat retention up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

With the opening of Double Zero, you can look forward to a full menu of traditional Neapolitan pizza made according to the laws stipulated by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, which regulates the production of Neapolitan pizza. Only products from the Campania region of Italy can be used in pizza production along with only Double Zero flour - hence the restaurant's name.

In addition to pizza, Double Zero also will serve upscale Southern Italian cuisine from the Campania region including cured meats and cheeses, appetizers, salads, hand-made pastas, main entrées and desserts. Looks like there's a whole lot more than ovens to get fired up about at Double Zero!

Double Zero: 5825 Roswell Road; 770-817-8000.

Spice Route Supper Club joins Our Libatious Nature to pair Poultry Dishes from Kerala, India with Specialty Cocktails

The South isn’t the only region known for crazing over chicken … along the spice-rich coastline of Kerala in southern India, they are just as obsessed! On April 30 at 8 p.m., Asha Gomez, the Kerala and India native who prepares Spice Route Supper Club meals, has planned a luscious dinner around Kerala's poultry specialties. Nicky and Katruska of Our Libatious Nature, a blog dedicated to exploring and enjoying handcrafted cocktails, are partnering with Asha to incorporate specialty cocktails with the same spices used for centuries in Kerala cuisine.

The threesome have planned a five-course meal with cocktail pairings that includes: Asha's signature chicken stew with silky coconut broth and savory vattayappam steamed cake served with Pineapple Sour made with bourbon, almond syrup, Triple Sec, lemon juice, muddled pineapple, egg and a pinch of saffron; braised quail curry with classic Kerala flavors of red chiles, coconut oil, curry leaves and mustard seeds served with coconut rice and Cucumber Lassi made of gin, Thatcher's cucumber liqueur, milk, cilantro syrup, muddled cucumbers; Kerala fried squab served with freshly made griddle bread and Mad Mango made with muddled fresh mango, vanilla bean, ghost pepper-infused dark rum, light coconut milk, orange bitters and orange juice; Tellicherry pepper-crusted duck with guava chutney and kale thoren paired with Smoked Figs created with Old Monk rum, ghost pepper-infused vodka, Licor 43 vanilla liqueur, homemade fig preserves and star anise. The meal concludes with dessert of vanilla bean custard with mango and Asha's chai.

The dinner with drinks is $85 per person plus gratuity. Sign up and find out the exact northwest Atlanta location of this supper club. To receive invites to future Spice Route Supper Club events, send an email to spiceroutesupperclub@gmail.com.

Don’t Forget Administrative Professionals Day Tomorrow

It’s time to celebrate those special employees that do so much for the office. From organizing and coordinating to answering every call that comes in, they seem to do it all. Book an hour or two on their calendar tomorrow for Administrative Professionals Day, and take them to one of Atlanta's delicious lunch spots. There are seven Marlow's Tavern locations scattered around town, and one is sure to be near your office. Likewise, Ray's Restaurants has three locations: Ray's in the City in downtown, Ray's on the River on the top end and Ray's at Killer Creek in Alpharetta. Buckhead options include Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse at Phipps Plaza and Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food. Westsiders are close to JCT. Kitchen & Bar and Ormsby's. RA Sushi, South City Kitchen Midtown and new Briza, adjacent to the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel, accommodate Midtowners with ease. Dash over to Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food in Sandy Springs for a lively change of scenery (and maybe a margarita). Good-bye brown bag; hello luscious lunch!

Your Email Could Win Mom Brunch

The Easter Bunny has come and gone, so now it’s time to think about Dear Old Mom!  Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 8.  

Want to impress your mom with your thoughtfulness and get to enjoy brunch with her at Marlow’s Tavern?  Forget the messy pancake mix and bacon you usually drag out for Mom’s breakfast in bed and email marlowstavernatlanta@gmail.com with why you think your Mom deserves brunch – it can be a video, essay, poem, photo or whatever it takes to express your love for Mom!  Make sure to mention your nearest/ favorite location in your entry. (Please note: Marlow’s Alpharetta location does not serve brunch, so is not included.)   
 

One winner from each location will receive a complimentary brunch for four and the winning entries will be posted on Facebook. Won’t your Mom be so proud of you?

Say Hello to Spring with "Beer Meats Grill" at Ecco This Thursday

Ecco is giving spring a proper welcome by grilling in the great outdoors with "Beer Meats Grill" on Thursday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy Executive Chef Micah Willix’s homemade sausages grilled-to-order beneath the warm glow of Midtown lights and a tasting of ice-cold domestic and European beers to wash it all down. These aren't your ordinary cookout hot dogs. Exotic combinations include merguez North African lamb sausage; Calabrese pork sausage with red chilies and oregano; noisette pork sausage with hazelnuts and red wine; and mushroom, rabbit and pork sausage with shiitake and porcini mushrooms. Condiments include grainy and Dijon mustards, caramelized onions, cilantro and spring onion chermoula, house-made hot sauce, salted cabbage salad, warm potato salad with tarragon vinegar and lentil salad with dates and spring onions. Tickets cost $25 per person (plus tax and gratuity) and may be purchased online.

Ecco: 40 7th Street, NE; 404-347-9555.

Pumped for the Patio Party

This time of year, it’s hard to pry myself from all the glorious patios with our perfect (well, pollen excluded) spring weather.  Celebrate your love of fine patio partying at Aqua blue on April 30!  Open the season with patio drink and dining deals and live music from the American Flyers, whose 7–10 p.m. concert simply can’t be contained indoors. 

From 4 p.m. until close, $5 buys a glass of wine or patio-perfect drinks such as Aqua blue Icy Hard Tea, Mojotini, Beam Rye-Ade and Avion Summer.  Imported beer runs $3.  Patio fresh air works up appetites that are easily appeased by the regular menu or the special $10 buffet featuring jumbo lump crab cake sliders, Maker’s Mark-glazed barbecue ribs, wild shrimp and scallop lime ceviche and slathered corn on the cob.   Hello spring evenings on Aqua blue’s gorgeous blue and white dressed patio!