New Season, New Reason to Visit Ray’s

Spring is so close we can practically taste it! The chefs at Ray's Restaurants are giving us a chance to enjoy spring flavors with their new three-course menus, by pulling from this season’s freshest market offerings. Guests can choose one selection for each course; wine selections, tax and gratuity are not included in the menu prices. These prix fixe menus are available every day and vary by restaurant:

• At Ray's at Killer Creek, Executive Chef Tracey Bloom's $30 menu boasts entrée choices of roasted chicken breast with bacon risotto and porcini mushroom sauce, Atlantic salmon with herb butter sauce and hand-cut pasta with grilled shrimp and garlic butter.
• A few miles south on the Chattahoochee, Ray's on the River Executive Chef Josh Warner's menu includes entrée choices of goat cheese- and fennel-stuffed airline chicken breast with celery root purée and watercress salad or Moroccan spiced hangar steak joined by Lyonnaise potatoes and Vidalia spring onion. Cost is $39.99 per person.
• Downtown, Executive Chef Ugo Okpareke at Ray's in the City offers entrée choices of mango grilled salmon with a mango BBQ glaze, sesame sautéed spinach and crispy Asian noodles or flat iron steak with blue cheese whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus and wild mushroom demi glaze. Cost is $35 per person.

To round out your dining experience, sommeliers are ready to help you choose complementing wines, and each restaurant has appetizer and dessert selections that are guaranteed to be as delicious as the entrées. 

Ray's at Killer Creek is also offering new Sunday lunch options. Customers can embark on their lunch journey by indulging in a $5 Bloody Mary from Sunday's available-all-day Bloody Mary list. Menu offerings include: 

• Classic French onion soup, crab bisque or soup du jour ($5-$7)
• Meal-worthy salads such as tuna niçoise salad and Chinese chicken salad ($15-$17)
• A soup and salad combo ($12)
• Soy flounder sandwich with spicy Sriracha aioli ($13)
• Jumbo lump crab cake with roasted corn salsa, mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus ($17)
• Shrimp and grits prepared with bacon, mushrooms, red peppers and Gouda and Asiago cheeses ($15).

Guests who want to keep their lunch short and sweet can try Ray's $10 lunch menu. Selections include a cheddar burger, hickory burger, vegetarian pasta, chicken sandwich, Caesar salad with calamari or grilled chopped Black Angus beef steak. Iced tea, coffee or sodas are included in the set price.

It's Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep of the Week @SamiRivard

She's graduated from swing sets to the college set, although cereal is still her favorite after-dinner meal. Sami Rivard likes to play around in the kitchen, and she has some darn good, darn easy ideas for home and dorm diners. Feast on her tweets (@SamiRivard) or her blog, A Teenage Gourmet .  

Feel The Luck O’ The Irish at Atkins Park Tavern Smyrna

Are you feeling the luck of the Irish yet? If not, you better start picking some four-leaf clovers because St. Patrick’s Day is only a couple days away! For some traditional Irish festival fun, head on over to Atkins Park Tavern, host of the Smyrna St. Patrick's Day Fest! Get caught up with the March Madness tournaments while tossing back some ale, or bring the whole family out for some outdoor Irish festivities. Your little leprechauns will enjoy carnival-style rides, a Redhead Contest, Mayor Max Bacon’s annual green dyeing of the fountain and loads of delicious food from Atkins Park Tavern Smyrna, Zucca Pizza an the Village Café. Tons o’ live music will get you in the mood, starting with Homefront from 2-6 p.m., Andrew Black & Pine City from 6-10 p.m. and Elizabeth Reece from 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Four-legged friends are welcome, but ditch the strollers, backpacks and coolers, please! Tickets are only $15 at the door but you can save $5 by buying them online in advance. Come on out, and maybe you can find a pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow!

Fadó Irish Pub Has Your St. Patrick's Day Party Plans Covered With Paddython 2012

If you're a true St. Patrick's Day partier, you know the only way to say "top o' the morning" to this special day is to start out with a pint and an Irish Breakfast from Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant in Buckhead and stick around for the pub's huge festival. Doors open at 7 a.m. on March 17 so rugby fans can catch the final match of the RBS 6 Nations Rugby tournament, Ireland vs. England, live. There's a $10 cover charge starting at 8 a.m. for access to the special viewing area (no cover charge for the rest of Fadó until noon). When the noon hour arrives, the authentic Irish pub continues its tradition of hosting Atlanta's biggest St. Patrick's Day party as doors open out to the Fadó street festival with beer tents, bagpipers, Irish dancers and live music by Van Morrison cover band Astral Freaks, U2 cover band Desire, and Justin. A DJ will spin inside Fadó until the wee hours. We recommend purchasing pre-sale tickets for $10 online as they usually sell out fast. Tickets will be $15 at the door while they last.

And if you're looking for some pre-St. Pat's action on Friday, March 16, the Irish pub will be hosting its 11th annual St. Baldrick's Foundation charity event at 1 p.m. to raise funds for childhood cancer research. Before going under the blade, shavees seek donations from friends and family who can agree to sponsor their shave. Last year's event raised more than $102,000 for St. Baldrick's, and it's a great way to get geared up for St. Patrick's Day while contributing to a good cause.

Appetizing Aperture

"Pi" Day is limited to March 14, but every Wednesday is Pie Day at Alpine Bakery. Pi (p) is a key ingredient in mathematical formulas, but alas, lacking in flavor. Fresh baked pies -- apple, peach and blueberry crumb -- are the answer every Wednesday at Alpine Bakery & Trattoria in Alpharetta. Pie baking is not a formula but an art here, and the usual array includes rustic apple, delicious banana cream, rich peanut butter, creamy chocolate mousse, authentic Key lime, sweet coconut cream and more. When the problem calls for pie, Alpine Bakery is the answer, no matter how you slice it.    

Weather Oh So Fine Calls for Some Wine

Are you ready for spring? Alon's Bakery & Market, located in Dunwoody's Park Place, prepares you for the picnic and patio season with a sampling of warm weather wines and light fare on Thursday, March 15 from 7-8:30 p.m. Alon's is a staple for gourmet prepared foods, cheese, wines, artisan baked goods and European pastries, chocolates, coffees, gelato and much more. Become familiar with all that Alon's offers at the tasting and stash that info for easy entertaining and relaxing this spring and summer. $20 per person; purchase tickets online. Tucked away off Ashford Dunwoody Road, Alon's has an expansive covered patio of its own that's well situated for people watching over coffee and sweets, a sandwich or something more substantial.

Rock Your Shamrocks With This Week's Culinary Happenings in Atlanta Dish

The coffee is hot and the Dish is here! If you're not receiving the Dish every Tuesday morning in your inbox, you can sign up either here on our blog or on our Facebook page.

No Politics Needed to Cast Your Vote for Jezebel and About.com Polls

You have two more days to let Jezebel know which Atlanta restaurants deserve a "Best of" award. Nominations are due on Wednesday, March 14 and there are tons of categories for you to voice your choice. Some of our picks include Alma Cocina for Best New Restaurant, Ormsby's for Best Bar Games, and JCT. Kitchen & Bar's Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival for Best Annual Event and Best Festival. If you're just as handy in the kitchen as you are at ordering off the menu, check out the 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards for Best Cooking Equipment. Atlanta's very own culinary headquarters, The Cook's Warehouse, is in the running for Best Kitchenware Retailer.