Appetizing Aperture: Dulce de Leche French Toast at Lure

Weekends in Midtown just got even tastier now that Lure is serving brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Chef David Bradley's delicious creations will help shake those weekend sleepies off, including the Hangtown fry, Carolina gold rice porridge with buttered shrimp and grilled pork belly, dulce de leche French toast (pictured), lobster Benedict, French horn mushrooms a la plancha (soft polenta) plus the Riverview Farms burger, the fried oyster slider trio and a fried North Carolina catfish biscuit. Toast to the weekend with prosecco or share a punch bowl with friends!

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

 

We know everyone loves a good laugh, and what’s better than hilarious bloopers and blunders… on cakes? Jen Yates (@CakeWrecks) finds them so hilarious that she dedicated a blog to "Cake Wrecks - when professional cakes go horribly wrong." From misspellings to cake decorating gone awry, Jen Yates has found some of the greatest bakery disasters. As a home baker, it's kind of comforting to see that everyone makes mistakes, and they're just as delicious anyway.

Sample Tweet: Is this way off, or just another potty-training cake? YOU DECIDE. http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2013/1/17/ooooohso-close.html ... pic.twitter.com/Efe5YCX5

Find Super Specials For The Super Bowl At Atlanta Restaurants

The Falcons ran a super season. Now the pressure’s off, and Atlantans can kick back and watch those other two teams duke it out and take in the illustrious commercials on Sunday, February 3. Atlanta restaurants are right there with 50-yard-line views and menus packing winning fare to eat in their bowl or yours!

Shareable meals and a plethora of beverage choices headline at 10th & Piedmont in Midtown. Fans glued to the numerous screens in the bar or the dining room big screen projector can chomp into queso fondido ($7) and blackened fish tacos ($9), along with $3 Miller Light Drafts. 404-602-5510.

Atlanta’s oldest, continuously licensed tavern, Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar, has been scoring with fans longer than the Super Bowl itself. Let these pros tackle your Super Bowl Sunday party platters: 50 Big Green Egg smoked wings with spicy BBQ sauce or 50 Atkins Park confit wings with either sweet-chili garlic sauce or Atkins Park wing sauce and veggies, blue cheese and buttermilk ranch ($40); 20 grass-fed beef cheeseburger sliders ($40); 20 Big Green Egg smoked pork sliders with tomato BBQ sauce ($40); and a nacho platter with tortilla chips, black beans, jalapeños, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa and queso ($35). Virginia Highland info: 404-876-7249. Smyrna info: 770-435-1887.  

Futbol is really American Football on Super Bowl Sunday at one of Buckhead’s most well-known viewing spots, Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant. Numerous screens will be tuned in to the game, and guests will relish the wide selection of draught beers and hearty Irish pub fare. 404-841-0066.

A few downs away in Virginia Highland, The Original El Taco adds heat to the action with a variety of Mexican dishes sporting Tex-Mex flair. Dig into game-day classics like guacamole and queso dip and hydrate with cocktails such as margaritas, sangria and mojitos. Score a win on the prize wheel loaded with valuable prizes. 404-873-4656.

Gridiron grill enthusiasts can strengthen their core menu with red oak burger grilling planks from Fire & Flavor. The 100 percent natural wood planks used in this traditional Native American cooking method transform an ordinary burger into the MVP of game-day snacks. Get on board -- at retailers in 50 states and Canada or order online. 1-866-728-8332.

Hotter than a locker room sauna, the 600-degree hearth ovens at Hearth Pizza Tavern in Sandy Springs will turn out themed pizzas honoring the teams in the championship game on Super Bowl Sunday. Touchdown, to-go plan. 404-252-5378.

Half-priced wings on Super Bowl Sunday flag HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern as an ideal Midtown spot to pull up a chair and cheer. Alcoholic milkshakes are colder and more substantial than a Gatorade cooler bath. 404-968-2288.

Fans on both sides can come together at the long granite bar and central communal table at Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub. Melting rivalries is the mutual approval of the award-winning Kaleidoscope burger, steak frites, Springer Mountain chicken wings, locally grown food and a few brews from a great selection of beer. 404-474-9600.

Classic American tavern fare at locations in neighborhoods all over town makes Marlow’s Tavern a winning game-day-viewing pick. The firecracker shrimp with cracklin’ spicy sauce will hit you like a linebacker on third down; the grilled turkey meatloaf and hot and sweet wings are equally powerful.

Turn your home into a sports pub with Ormsby’s game-day fare to go, such as Guinness-braised bratwurst, hand-dipped corn dogs, hot boiled peanuts and Guinness-dipped pretzels with stout mustard. Sounds like a good call. 404-968-2033.

“Tuna-in” and roll with to-go sushi platters from RA Sushi Bar Restaurant. The lineup includes salmon, yellowtail, tuna and shrimp nigiri as well as a wide range of sushi rolls and a fan-favorite vegetarian platter. Customized platters are available; all platters come with wasabi, soy sauce, ginger and chopsticks. 404-267-0114.

Having folks over? Uncle Julio’s Fine Mexican Food has your back with their to-go Party Packs serving 3-20 people. Fajitas, enchiladas or tacos are available in chicken, beef or combinations packs. Appetizer Party Pack brings opposing teams together with chips, salsa, chile con queso and guacamole. 404-350-6767.

Bring two sustainable traditions together on February 3: White Oak Pastures grass-fed, hormone-free ground beef for your grill and those big, beefy Super Bowl football players. Okay, so maybe White Oak Pastures is kinder and gentler. Buy at Publix, Whole Foods Market and other local markets or online. 

Eat Great Late at Gilbert's and 10th & Piedmont

Photo by Tim Hobby

No need to settle for fast food or those convenience store nibbles when you're hungry after 11 pm. Gilbert's Café & Bar and 10^th & Piedmont in Midtown both offer some great eats at easy-to-sleep-on prices. As with the restaurants' regular menus, there's a Mediterranean bent. Pita pizzas ($6.95) come topped with chicken and caramelized onions, pepperoni with marinara or Margherita style. Artisan Pita Delights ($7.95), served with fries or grilled veggie couscous, include lemon garlic chicken pita pockets, TMB panini (tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto and roasted pepper) or gyro. The BYO burger (build your own, $8) and Gilbert's famous lamb burger ($12.95) are hearty options. Share or go solo on the hummus or baba ghanouj ($6-$7) served with artisan pita bread. You can enjoy this menu until  2 a.m. Monday through Saturday nights. 

Bantam + Biddy Hatches New Weekend Blue Plate Specials

Photo By Angie Mosier

You've worked hard this week, and now it's time to reward yourself. Instead of blowing your paycheck on a flashy meal with less-than-satisfying portions, check out Bantam + Biddy's new weekend blue plate specials. Chefs Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere are known for their high-quality, pastured poultry, Niman Ranch pork and grass-fed beef and draw upon local, seasonal produce for sides at the Ansley Mall eatery. On Friday, Bantam + Biddy is serving up Mississippi catfish with tartar sauce and fennel slaw ($12), while Saturday's blue plate features a bistro steak with frites (fries) and salad ($15). Where's the chicken you ask? Bantam + Biddy would never leave you feeling peckish - the restaurant offers a fried chicken plate with your choice of two sides ($14) on Sunday. Blue plate specials are available from 11:30 a.m. to close. And don't forget to use that money you saved to order a beer, wine or cocktail. It is the weekend after all. 

Vote for the ATL in Southern Living's Tastiest Town Contest

It’s that time of the year again, and it’s time to vote in Southern Living magazine’s annual The South's Tastiest Town contest. The South is full of tasty eats, but we don’t think anyone does it better than Atlanta! You can cover the culinary world from locally grown to global tables. And the best part? You don’t have to look far to go from farm fresh to down home cooking.

Atlanta is up against some pretty tasty competition, and we can't sit by passively waiting for our soup to come in. Pin the voting link to your start-up page and vote through midnight, February 28. One entry email address per day. 

Daily Temptations for Your Taste Buds with Marlow's Tavern Lunch Specials

The new weekday lunch temptations at Marlow’s Tavern pose two strategies to consider. Make your favorite dish your new weekly ritual, or spice up your lunch by trying all five of these reasonably priced specials. A blackened tilapia wrap kicks off the week on Mondays by folding a toasted flour tortilla around grilled tilapia, fresh spinach, red onion, tomato and ranch dressing with fresh fruit on the side ($11). Tuesdays, choose simple and seasoned or grilled chicken on marbled rye for your Marlow’s Melt that comes dressed with caramelized onions and provolone plus hand-cut Tavern fries ($9.50). Wednesday’s hot “open faced” turkey sandwich will get you through hump day with thinly sliced roast turkey topped with warm white cheddar sauce and roma tomato on toasted focaccia with a side of hand-cut Tavern fries ($11). Your brain will thank you for the omega-3 boost when you order Thursday’s grilled salmon and baby spinach salad, dotted with oven-dried tomato, red onion and warm bacon vinaigrette ($14). End your week on a high note with Friday’s grilled chicken penne, with grilled chicken breast based with basil pesto, fresh spinach and oven-dried tomato sauce ($12). Not too heavy, not too light, daily fresh variety - lunching at Marlow’s Tavern, just right.

Tempt Your Taste Buds with New Marlow's Tavern Weekday Lunch Specials Plus More in this Week's Dish

Mardi Gras is right around the corner and Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna is celebrating with an oyster fest. Steak more your thing? Join Fleming's for a three-course prime rib dinner for just $29.95. There's a ton of delicious things happening in ATL and more in this week's Dish. 

Atkins Park Tavern Smyrna Celebrates Five Days of Mardi Gras Oyster Festing

 

Atkins Park Tavern Smyrna celebrates Mardi Gras and seafood with their 2^nd Annual Oyster/Mardi Gras Fest, Friday, February 8 through Tuesday, February 12. The Dixie Duncan band hits the stage at 11 p.m. Friday night. Guests can purchase tickets online for Saturday and Sunday events, $5 in advance and $10 day of at the door. On Saturday, doors open at 11 a.m. with music on the outdoor stage (inside a heated tent) beginning at 1 p.m. The last band for the day, takes to the indoor stage at 10:30 p.m. 

On Sunday, boogie in for day-long live music and a "cure-all" New Orleans-style hangover brunch. Monday Lundi Gras provides family-friendly entertainment for all ages with the band GrassRoots at 5:30 p.m., plus face painting, mask decorating and a menu of NOLA favorites. Cover up for Tuesday's Mardi Gras mask party featuring the band Andrew Black & Friends at 9:30 p.m. Bring your own mask, but don't fret if you don't have one! Buy one at the door for $5. Proceeds go to Mustard Seed Communities. See you there!