That Nutty Pinterest Board

From peanut butter and bacon cookies to Thai peanut pork noodles, our Pinterest board is nuts! Check it out if you have a nutty craving this weekend. Watch out for squirrels!

John Metz of Sterling Hospitality Receives 2013 IFMA Silver Plate Award

Pop the champagne and give a round of applause to Sterling Hospitality for receiving this year's International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) Silver Plate award. John Metz, CEO, executive chef and co-founder of Sterling Hospitality, has been recognized for excellence in the Independent Restaurants/Multi-Concept category. Metz, along with Silver Plate award honorees from seven other foodservice operations categories, is up for the coveted Gold Plate award. One of the eight will be awarded the foodservice world's Oscar at the 59^th Annual Gold & Silver Plate Celebration, May 20 in Chicago. Congratulations, John, and best wishes toward winning the gold to sit next to the silver!

Smile and Go Green, It's St. Patrick's Week in Atlanta

St. Patrick’s Day greens are sprouting up all over town this week, from cabbage and green beer to emerald fountains and outdoor shindigs. No wonder shades of green are topping the Pantone color chart this season. We are so ready for the wearin' of the green and the cheer that goes along with it.

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Smyrna is Dublin’ down for two days of St. Pat’s festivities with the Smyrna St. Patrick’s Day Festival at Market Square this Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17. Mayor Max Bacon will be dyeing the fountain green, which makes for a nice photo op to go with the lineup of live music, a redhead contest, games and rides for children and adults, beer pong, cornhole, a 65-foot inflatable obstacle course - plus magically delicious foods, Guinness, Harp and Irish Car Bomb drinks. Friendly toward Irish setters and other pups looking to get in on the festivities. Buy tickets online for $5 or pay $10 at the door. The traditional Irish classics are also conjured up across town in the dining room and bar at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia Highland, including Guinness and Magners to mark St. Pat’s Day.

Midtown restaurants 10th & Piedmont, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern and Gilbert's Cafe & Bar are all part of the Communitas Hospitality family, and on St. Patrick's Day, they are coming together to offer the same food and drink specials in addition to their regular menus. Green $3 Miller Light beer, $6 Lucky Leprechaun cocktails that leap to your lips with Midori, vodka, OJ and Sprite, and plates of rib-sticking corned beef brisket with mashed potatoes, braised cabbage and Pommery mustard ($13.95) will all put a little Irish spirit in your step. Visit one or all three for a rollicking good time.

In Buckhead, Fadó Irish Pub colors the whole week green with activities and food and drink specials each day, building up to the St. Practice Day celebration on Saturday, March 16. Of course, the biggest blowout comes on St. Patrick's Day itself with a party that starts inside Fadó in the morning and spills out into the street by afternoon. Bookmark our blog for more detailed information on this biggie so you won't miss a drop of the fun or the chance to win the trip to Dublin, Ireland.

Looking for a way to sweeten up your St. Pat’s weekend? The charming cupcakes at locally owned The Little Cake Bakery come richly endowed in top-shelf ingredients, and are sized right for grown-up leprechauns. Stop in the shop this Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16, to nab some slightly tipsy Baileys Irish Cream chocolate cupcakes and the regular menu’s Guinness cupcakes made with Guinness beer. The new spring menu is in play at the Buckhead bakery with different flavors each day. Stop in on Saturday for Guinness, s'mores, cookies and cream and strawberry varieties. At $2.50 each or 12 for $27.50, these little treasures won't eat much of your cash stash. Minis are $11/dozen. More prices on the website.

Atlanta Magazine Stirs Up March Madness with Final Fork Voting

    

Before basketball brackets start making their way around the office, cast your vote for your favorite Atlanta restaurant in Atlanta magazine's Final Fork competition. The tournament started with 64 of Atlanta's top restaurants divided into four categories - "Gastropubs and Bars," "High Rollers," "Global Eats" and "Southern, Dressed Up or Down Home." Help your picks advance by voting for Round 2 contenders by 11 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. Our personal picks to go all the way include JCT. Kitchen & Bar, The Optimist and South City Kitchen.
Final round of voting concludes at 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. To vote, sign up to be an Atlanta magazine Insider. Each week you vote, you'll be entered to win one of four $100 gift certificates to the Final Fork restaurant of your choice. One grand-prize winner will score a Big Green Egg smoker and a bottle of Richland Rum.

Go Green with Plenty of Rollicking St. Patrick's Week Fun Plus More in This Week's Dish!

This week, fill your belly with sweet treats from Little Cake Bakery. They offer different seasonal flavors each day of the week -- just in time for the spring! Also in time for the season, Ray's on the Creek in Alpharetta is celebrating it's grand re-opening. Don't miss out on all the fun around Atlanta this week, plus much more in this week's Dish!

Shaun Doty Leads Bantam + Biddy Favorites Cooking Class at The Cook's Warehouse in Ansley Mall on March 12

 

Instead of borrowing a cup of sugar from Ansley Mall neighbor Bantam + Biddy, The Cook's Warehouse is borrowing their chef, Shaun Doty. The cluckmeister is coming over to share "Favorites from Bantam + Biddy" on Tuesday, March 12 from 7-9 p.m. Doty will prepare and share some of the eatery's trademark chicken recipes including chopped liver on toasts, chicken schnitzel and market salad with pastured chicken jerky. Class size is limited; sign up online. $45 per person.

Melissa Libby & Associates is Searching for Summer 2013 Interns

Are you a student who is passionate about food/wine culture and public relations? Melissa Libby & Associates is currently seeking two interns for summer 2013. Interns who join the MLA team will work with and learn directly from all agency functions, including media communications, social media, special events and client services. Creativity, positive energy, strong work ethic and great writing skills are important traits for this internship. 

The ideal candidate will also receive school credit for his or her experience with MLA. Internships are 15-22 hours per week from May to August and interns will be paid a $500 stipend at the completion of the program. Schedules are fairly flexible, although Monday mornings are required. Local candidates only. To find out more about Melissa Libby & Associates, please visit our website and our Facebook page.  If you are interested, please send your resume and availability to InternshipMLA@gmail.com.