What's New on Pinterest: Chocolate Cravings

Chocolate Souffle Cake from Alon's Bakery and Market

Milk, dark, dark with bacon, straight up cocoa in a cup - how do you trick out your chocolate? Tough question with those bags of mini chocolate bars peering from Halloween supply shelves. If you're going door-to-door with little "gobble-ins," claim their choco-haul as a chaperone's fee then peruse our Pinterest board for more crave-worthy options.

Appetizing Aperture: Aqua blue's Birthday Entree

 

 

You say it's your birthday? Aqua blue says come on over and pick out a complimentary entrée to celebrate your special day. Don't forget your ID in all of the excitement! 

Woodfire Grill Dinner Highlights Five Craft Beers from Stone Brewing Company on October 23 and Rhone Valley Wines on October 25

  
Versatile beer can hop right in there as the beverage of choice to go with fall's heartier fare. Such is the case as Woodfire Grill Chef de Cuisine E.J. Hodgkinson plans his four-course menu to complement five Stone Brewing Company craft beers at the restaurant's Tuesday, October 23 beer dinner. The evening begins with a 6:30 p.m. reception followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Paired California brews include:  Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (California-style IPA with a Belgian influence); Stone Ruination IPA (big, bold, bitter character on a refreshing malt base); Stone Smoked Porter (dark, smooth and complex with rich chocolate and coffee flavors, balanced by a subtle smokiness); Stone Imperial Russian Stout (intensely aromatic with notes of anise, black currants and coffee) and Stone 16th Anniversary IPA (a double IPA with rich toasted malt character punctuated by hints of spicy rye and subtle lemon). $80 per person, not including tax or gratuity. Limited seating means reservations required. 

Prefer wine over beer? A leisurely 8-wine tasting shifts the focus to Rhone Valley red wines on Thursday, October 25. Sommelier Cate Hatch pours through 8 red wines from Gigondas, Croze Hermitage, Hermitage, Chatenunuf du Pape, St. Joseph and Cote Rotie. Geographically, the wines range from Grenache in the south to Syrah in the north with stops at more rich vineyards in between. $15 per person. Reservations required; wine tasting offered 6-9 p.m. in the dining room. Call 404-347-9055 to reserve your spot for the dinners.

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

 

Steak Shapiro tweets (@AtlantaEatsCBS) food and restaurant action, promos and food facts, and he has quite a few celebrity foodie/chef followers. One tweet to note: starting October 20, AtlantaEats hits CBS and Peachtree TV as a 30-minute food, entertainment and social media show.

14th Annual Marlow's Tavern Golf Classic Tees Off for Special Olympics on October 24

 

Since its start in 1999, the Marlow's Tavern Golf Classic has raised more than $323,000 for Special Olympics Georgia and has enabled its share of good excuses to hit the greens on a weekday for a good cause. 

This year's Classic tees off at the Country Club of Roswell and wraps up with an after party, awards dinner and silent auction at Aqua blue. For more information, contact Susan Skolnick at 770-414-9390 x111 or Susan.Skolnick@specialolympicsga.org. More on Facebook. 

Chef Ford Fry Hosts Lunch Break for Kids Fundraiser on October 18 for Childhood Nutrition Education

Chef Ford Fry is a firm believer that brain food begins with power-packed lunches. He's joining 75 chefs nationwide, the makers of Hidden Valley Original Ranch and the American Culinary Federation's Chef & Child Foundation in a national,weeklong effort to raise money for nutrition-based education materials for kids and families. Last year's Lunch Break for Kids effort was so successful, it's back for seconds. 

On Thursday, October 18 from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., dine in or grab lunch to go at JCT. Kitchen & Bar, and your lunch money will help generate nutrition education resources for schools and community centers. The goal is to encourage families to eat healthier, include more vegetables on their menus and build healthy family ties over the table. More national event information and recipes are online. Tweet with your mouth full at #LunchBreakForKids.

Watershed Brunch Keeps Neighborhood Safe

Shout out to Watershed for hosting a fundraiser this Saturday, Oct. 20 to support their neighbors via the Collier Hills Security Program. There's a rumor going around that Melissa will buy you a mimosa if you are there when she is (11:30) - just go say hi to her! Brunch is served from 11:30 am - 3 p.m. and 15% of all sales will fund safety patrols for the in-town neighborhood. We suggest the sausage gravy and biscuit, farm eggs, crabby shrimp burger or coconut pancakes. See you there!

Forget BYOB, Make Your Own Wine at Fleming's This Friday

For those of you who enjoy a good glass of wine and have always wanted to create your own, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is inviting you to play "Winemaker for a Night" on Friday, October 19. This interactive event co-hosted by Napa Valley's award-winning Raymond Vineyards celebrates the centuries-old art of wine blending with premium varietals from Raymond Vineyards in Rutherford, Napa Valley. Guests will receive wine blending tips from Fleming's Director of Wine Maeve Pesquera and enjoy generous selections from Fleming's Small Plates and Bar la Carte menus. There will be wine blending activities and hands-on instructions for guests, so no special wine knowledge is necessary. The evening includes a rare tasting of barrel samples of three single varietals by Raymond Vineyards: Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, California Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 and Napa Valley Merlot 2011. $65 per guest (excluding tax and gratuity). Call Fleming's at 770-698-8112 to make reservations.

'Tis the Season for Fall Cocktails & Promotions at The Pinewood

Autumn Rivulets (Left) & Padre Thyme (Right)

New fall promotions and a signature cocktail menu at The Pinewood in Decatur are full on must-see, must do. First the promos: half-price wine on Sundays; Laundry Night Monday specials of $5 NOLA cocktails (Sazerac and Hurricane) and a NOLA trio of gumbo, red beans and rice and jambalaya for $8; Tuesday deals BOGO on all entrées; Wednesdays slash whiskey cocktails to half price; and Thursdays cap weeknights with BOGO on all small plates. 

 

Honor Fridays, Saturdays and any night with one of the nine autumnal cocktails ($7.50-$11) or one of the 15-strong roster of $7.50 classics. Newbies include Autumn Rivulets featuring Redston Hopped honey wine, Rothman & Winter orchard pear, Yellow Chartreuse and basil granita. Remember Ichabod's headless horseman? The pumpkin joins Bacardi Solera Rum in The Pinewood's Brom Bones Fizz. Oooh. Scary good. For a full list, check out the cocktail menu online.

Fall for New Autumn Menus and Cocktails Plus More in this Week's Dish

Get your fall food fix at Atlanta-area restaurants serving up seasonal favorites, or be your own wine-making connoisseur for a night! Check out all that is happening around town and more in this week's Dish.

Recipe Contest at Ray's Lets You Be the Judge

Did you use Google the last time you wanted a new dish for your home menu plans? Not so at Ray’s Restaurants. Executive chefs and sous chefs from all three restaurants – Ray’s on the River, Ray’s in the City and Ray’s at Killer Creek – started developing dishes in September to spiff up the menu at Ray’s at Killer Creek. Guests have been trying the new dishes and providing honest feedback. Now, each restaurant’s top appetizer, entrée and side item will be offered at Ray’s at Killer Creek for additional guest testing on Sunday, Monday and Friday of each week through November. Competing chefs include Executive Chef Ugo Okpareke and Sous Chefs Phillip Sullivan and Keith Tomasko from Ray’s in the City, Executive Chef Josh Warner and Sous Chefs Brian Goddard and Adam Mohl from Ray’s on the River and Executive Chef Tracey Bloom from Ray’s at Killer Creek.  On Friday, November 30, the winning chefs and dishes will be announced at a grand reopening party at Ray’s at Killer Creek. There’s more than a menu on the line here as the winning chef will receive a weeklong vacation for two, and chefs placing second and third will receive monetary prizes. 

No. 246 Crafts Autumnal Cocktails, Toasts, Pastas and Plates

Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee

Fall’s abundance is spread thick as leaves across the menu at No. 246 in Decatur. Look for toasts accompanied by house ricotta and arugula almond pesto or pork rillette, beet pickled farm eggs, whole grain mustard and local parsley. Harvest-fresh starters feature a salad of Mercier Orchard apples, radicchio, arugula, candied pears, cheddar and balsamic and a roasted local African squash soup with dried local apples. Meat and cheese plates are both local and global. Comforting full and appetizer-portion pastas include agnolotti with roasted pumpkin, mascarpone, brown butter and sage; Maine lobster and local spinach join tortellini; and chestnut tagliatelle comes with braised duck legs, red wine agro dolce and roasted chestnuts. Outdoorsy plates feature trout with local braised greens and toasted farro; chicken with roasted Brussels sprouts, local apples and sherry bacon agro dolce; and flatiron Wagyu steak with roasted local autumn root vegetables. Fall-ish beers range from draft Uinta Pumpkin Ale and Terrapin Easy Rider to bottled 21^st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA and Crown Valley Old School Pilsner ($5-$6). Tip a crafty cocktail such as Bewitched mixing pumpkin beer, house-made vanilla vodka, Strega, maple syrup and Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters or the Pimm’s Cup for Fall swirling Pimm’s No. 1, lemon juice, Cynar, house-made limoncello, Georgia apples and cinnamon ($8-$12).