Appetizing Aperture: @DiscoverAtlanta’s 100 Signature Dishes

Happy 100 Years of Hospitality, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau! The organization marked this landmark occasion by building a list of the city's top Atlanta-only signature dishes. The "100 Signature Dishes" list includes hits from lots of our favorite dining spots – we had a hard time picking just one dish to picture here! Now we’re hungry for fried avocado taquito at Alma Cocina, Aria's butter-braised lobster, fried goat cheese with honey and black pepper at Ecco, spaghetti with tomatoes, basil and veal meatballs at La Tavola Trattoria, infamous fish tacos at Marlow's Tavern, fried chicken taco at The Original El Taco, buttermilk fried chicken and fried green tomatoes at South City Kitchen - Midtown, and glazed pork belly with local apples and turnips at Woodfire Grill. Eenie, meenie, and many mo', this week we're picturing....

South meets Southwest in the fried chicken taco at The Original El Taco. The cantina's consistently top-selling taco throws Mexico City grilled corn in chili-lime mayo and crumbled Mexican cheese into the mix and wraps it all up in a warm flour tortilla. 

See how many of these amazing dishes you can fit into your culinary rotation this year – sounds like the right kind of resolution to us!

It’s Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep of the Week @danapops

This week, be sure to follow our Tweep of the Week Dana Hazels Seith - @danapops! Dana covers it all - culture, food and drink, travel, life in general. As a mom-to-be myself, I really relate and learn from her revelations as they pop up on her blog!

Sample Tweet: The Pop Five—danapop. An interview with @margaretcho,@FiatUSA takes on Motherhood, and 2013’s word top my list.http://bit.ly/WxiIdh  

MLA Pins Trends

  

Pigs ears are so 2012!! Don't you know it's the porker's tail that will be showing up on menus this year? We are tracking these hot topics to keep you in the know. Stay abreast of the situation by following our 2013 Food & Drink Trends pins and don't make a foodie faux pas for dinner.  

 

New Promotions at Gilbert's for Every Night of the Week

Executive Chef Brett Ring has developed a feast of new Mediterranean-oriented dishes for the menu at Gilbert's Café & Bar in Midtown, but the good news doesn’t end there. Each night, the Communitas Hospitality restaurant is featuring a different special for patrons to enjoy. On Mondays, 12 wine selections have half-off bottle status with any food purchase. Tuesday is “Industry” night, which brings out complimentary pizza and 20 percent off the bill for industry members from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Unleash your inner star with karaoke on Wednesdays from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. From 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. on Thursdays, guests receive half glasses of three featured wines along with a full glass of their favorite wine and a personal cheese platter - all for $19. Come in Saturday between 11 a.m.-4 p.m. or Sunday between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to enjoy an $11.95 all-you-can-eat or cooked-to-order brunch featuring hearty dishes such as blackened chicken omelet, gyro burrito, pancakes, country steak with gravy and French toast, all while sipping $4 mimosas and Bloody Marys. Stick around and cap off your weekend with Sunday karaoke from 6:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

Round Up Your Team for Atkins Park Tavern's Thursday Night Trivia

Looking for something to do on Thursday nights? Gather your friends and head to Atkins Park Tavern-Smyrna for great food, awesome drinks and trivia! All the random facts that you have spent countless time learning can finally be put to use in helping you earn weekly prizes through Outspoken Entertainment's Thursday Trivia nights. The fun lasts from 8-10 p.m. and categories include history, science, sports, literature, movies, music, geography and  politics. Hope to see you there!

Atlanta Restaurateurs and Culinary Experts to Host Roundup For Ryan

Roundup for Ryan is an example of  Southern hospitality at its best! Culinary experts and owners of some of Atlanta's best restaurants are coming together to host this event to raise money for Ryan Hidinger who has just been diagnosed with stage 4 gallbladder cancer. 

Prior to receiving his diagnosis, Ryan and his wife, Jen, were on their way to accomplishing their dream of opening up Staplehouse restaurant. Costly medical bills have forced them to postpone this aspiration, but they're not giving up. You can get Ryan and Jen's full story by going to their website.

The fundraiser will be held on January 27 and will feature Atlanta's own Yacht Rock Revue. Over 30 Atlanta-area restaurants will be participating in the event including No. 246 and The Optimist. The event is already sold out but you can still help Ryan and Jen by donating at teamhidi.org. Go team Hidi!

Philly Rolls, Tuesday ‘Tinis, and Thursday ‘Ritas: A Winning Combo at Hearth Pizza Tavern

After an amazing win for the Falcons Sunday, pizza and beer (two game day essentials) are on everyone’s mind. Hearth Pizza Tavern is certainly serving up scrumptious wood-fired, oven-baked pizzas, and dishing out additional lip-smacking delights. Those beloved Philly rolls are back on the Hearth Specials menu for $7. Picture center-cut sirloin steak, fontina and cheddar, caramelized onions and shiitake mushrooms hand-rolled into a light, flaky spring roll and joined by smoky, homemade ketchup, pepperoncini and pickles.

Even beer lovers can’t resist the cocktails at Hearth Pizza Tavern. Tuesday and Thursday night’s "Five for $5" martinis and margaritas prove fancy flavors and frugality can play on the same team. Tuesday nights, Absolut is the first ingredient in all five featured martinis:  Down and Dirty with its olive-y bite; Red Dragon doused with raspberry liqueur and cranberry juice; Sweet Cinnamon bearing Absolut Vanilla and RumChata; Just Peachy with its Peachtree schnapps; and Pucker Up, a kissable shake up adding fresh lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup to Absolut Citron. Thursday 'ritas spin out tequila treats such as the SuperFruit blend of VeeV Acai Spirits, Tequila Blanco, fresh lime and agave; Grapevine twists tequila with triple sec, sour mix and grape juice; St. Rita canonizes Tequila Blanco with St. Germain and fresh lime; fresh lime and agave nectar sweeten TanteoJalapeño Tequila in the Spicy Jalapeño; and Tropical Fruit adds a dose of Cointreau, fresh lime and cranberry juices plus agave nectar to Tanteo Tropical Tequila. I sure hope these pass for fruit salad in a glass!

Dine Your Way Through Atlanta's "100 Signature Dishes" and More in This Week's Dish

The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau celebrates 100 years of hospitality, sharing 100 signature must-eat dishes in the ATL while Hearth Pizza Tavern and Gilbert's Cafe & Bar roll out some sweet new specials. There's plenty to eat up in this week's Dish! 

Seven Lamps Punch Packs Fundraising Wallop for Local Charities on Monday Nights

Cheers to charities on Monday nights at Seven Lamps as Beverage Manager Arianne Fielder teams up with bar slinger Tom McGuire of Prohibition to create a batch of punch to benefit local charities. Proceeds of each cup of punch sold will go toward the week's highlighted charity. On January 21, proceeds will benefit Boys & Girls Club; January 28 benefits Susan G. Komen; February 4 profits go towards Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta; and February 11 to Great Pyrenees Rescue of Atlanta. Save the dates and drink up for a cause!