Appetizing Aperture: Could we pull-eeze have a decent tomato?

We long for Killer Tomato season to attack. We'll be ready with napkins in hands to catch every juicy drip. Ford Fry is on it, strategizing for this July's Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival.

 

Tickets go on sale April 1, so be sure to purchase yours stat! Heirlooms, Romas, Better Boys...with so much at stake, you'd best follow The Dish for vine-breaking news.

Check out Pinterest for our Top Final Four Finger Foods

Pinterest: March Madness is about more than fancy footwork. Let the players take care of that. With our brackets set, we're concentrating on Final Four Finger Foods for our Pinterest board. Some dunks, some fowls, some for all four corners of your snack table. Bring on overtime!

Eat it and Tweep: Tweet to End Child Hunger

Elizabeth Baker (@NoKidHungrySE) has her priorities, and a big one is getting the word out about the Southeast regional culinary events going on to help Share Our Strength end child hunger. Follow her and find out how you can help. 

Sample Tweet: Missed the Baking Contest for @nokidhungrysegment on @cbsatl? No problem, we have it here for your viewing! http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8508723 ...

Party with 790 The Zone at STATS this weekend

 

Your man cave may be great, but nothing beats STATS for watching a game. Starting tonight and going through Saturday (March 28-30) 790 The Zone will host prize-packed viewing parties where fans can register to win a Big Green Egg, Braves opening day tickets and Final Four Championship tickets. Yes, Final Four Championship tickets. With 70 high definition TVs strategically angled inside STATS, every view is a slam dunk. Modern American fare and signature beer tap tables keep winners (and losers) happy. As does a chance to win those Final Four tickets. Pretty sure you don't have that back at the cave!

Last Weekend for $25 Prime Rib Dinner at Ray's Restaurants

Only one weekend left to take advantage of the $25 prime rib dinner deal at all three Ray's Restaurants. Paired with mashed potatoes and au jus, the slow-roasted prime rib dinner is available Friday through Sunday, March 29-31, from 4 p.m. until close (subject to availability; first come, first served). Tax and gratuity not included in special price. Click here to reserve a table at Ray's on the Creek, Ray's in the City or Ray's on the River. Can't get enough? Go for the prime rib hat trick and stop at a different Ray's each night.

New Monday Night Bites at Bantam + Biddy: $3 Sliders Starting April 1

  

As someone who is a fan of the $3 sliders at The Shed at Glenwood, I was a little bummed to hear that the restaurant was saying farewell to the special soon. Turns out my sadness was supremely short-lived since Bantam + Biddy is offering $3 sliders on Monday nights from 5-9 p.m. starting Monday, April 1. This makes me happy for several reasons. Not only can I still get my slider fix, I'll be doing it a lot more regularly since Bantam + Biddy is so close to me in Ansley Mall. Also, Bantam + Biddy Co-owner Lance Gummere was behind the original slider night at The Shed, so I have no doubt these sliders will be delicious! Each week will feature a new chef's selection of sliders. The line-up for this Monday includes:

• chicken fried steak with country gravy
• fried green tomato and goat cheese
• fried Mississippi catfish with lemon aioli
• pork Schnitzel with pear compote 
• house smoked pork shoulder with cabbage

And if those weren't good enough reasons to join me on Monday night, I'm betting the seven-ounce Miller High Life bottles for $1 and beer punches for $3 will win you over. 

Get the How-To from Woodfire Grill Executive Chef Tyler Williams at Piedmont Park Green Market

 

Learn how to cook something new this Saturday, March 30 at 11 a.m. with Woodfire Grill Executive Chef Tyler Williams. He is teaching the Green Market in Piedmont Park shoppers how to prepare lamb kheema, feuilles de brick, house-made yogurt and fava bean agrodolce salad. Stick around and shop for fresh produce, sauces and baked goods from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the 12th Street entrance gate.

Bhojanic Opens Sister Location in Buckhead

Atlantans searching for traditional, home-style Indian fare blended with cosmopolitan ambiance have turned to Bhojanic in Decatur for the past 20 years. Buckhead, your turn is here. Located next to Crate & Barrel in the Shops Around Lenox, the second Bhojanic location brings all the thalis, curries, street food, chapati and cocktails guests devour at the Decatur restaurant to the Buckhead area. Owner and Chef Archna Becker grew up in an Indian kitchen, learning the ways of Indian cooking from an expert - her grandmother - before setting off to travel the world and settle in Atlanta with her own family and open a restaurant. Start out with a specialty drink, martini, beer, wine or chai and open the menu, which is slightly smaller than India in scope. No worries, you're in good hands. The staff steers novices through it comfortably and into naan nirvana. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Book a table online and try out the new location.

New Aqua blue Menu Signals Springtime

 

Whether you're a landlubber or a seasoned adventurer of the high seas, the versatile new spring menu at Aqua blue in Roswell will satisfy all your cravings. Go by land and order braised lamb shank, steamed dumplings, BBQ St. Louis-style ribs, stuffed pork chop and other turf toppers. Take a trip to the shore without ever leaving your table with lemon sole, grilled shrimp ravioli, lobster sushi roll or tempura lobster tail and shrimp. Can't decide? Straddle the deck and dock and share shrimp and veggie spring rolls or sautéed Little Neck clams and add tomato mozzarella salad or black & blue steak salad. You see, this place has a way of keeping everyone happy and well fed in the dining room, on the patio or at the bar.

Rise and Shine for Easter Brunch, Lunch, Dinner and More

 

Easter springs up early this year on Sunday, March 31. We have a sunny list of Easter feasts for you to choose from. Hop down our list to find the golden egg that's right for you and be sure to make your reservation soon. We wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Roswell residents have plenty to eat this Easter. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Aqua blue is serving up everyone's favorites for brunch, including a carving station with roasted strip loin and bone-in ham, entrée station, shrimp cocktails, salad, assorted sushi, smoked salmon, breakfast and omelet station and desserts. Bottomless bloody marys and mimosas are available for $15 for any thirsty guests. Adults eat for $29.95, children 4-12 for $9.95 and children under 4 eat free. Reservations: 770-643-8886

The cluck at Bantam + Biddy in Ansley Mall is about an Easter Sunday feast featuring corned Brasstown ham and gravy, stewed organic black-eyed peas, braised collard greens, Anson Mills grits and sweet potato pie for $20. Bottomless bloody marys and mimosas are poured until 4 p.m. for $10. Regular and special menus are available from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; brunch is available until 3 p.m.

Marietta's Chicken and the Egg is providing brunch all day long this Easter Sunday. From 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., the restaurant is offering their regular brunch menu with starters such as crawfish and artichoke bake and pimento cheese. Diners with a sweet tooth can choose bananas Foster French toast or a strawberry waffle. Egg lovers can pick from items like eggs Benedict, "green eggs and ham" or pork belly hash. Reservations: 678-388-8813.

A not-your-mother's Mediterranean-style Easter Sunday brunch is in the plans at Ecco in Midtown from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Choose from a variety of meat and cheese options, one for $4.75, three for $14 or five for $22. Taste-and-share items for the table range from chocolate strudel to mixed olives, and crab fritters with a poached egg and pickled peppers ($4-$13). Appetizers of mixed lettuces, radishes, almonds and tarragon-mustard vinaigrette ($9), grilled red romaine, smoked char, poached eggs and romesco ($14) and potato, leek and chervil soup with poached Georgia shrimp ($9) supplement the wood-fired pizzas, pastas and main dishes, including the San Marzano tomatoes, house-made mozzarella and basil pizza ($13), lasagna with mushroom ragu, béchamel and arugula ($18) and the butcher steak with polenta, asparagus and salsa rosso ($20). Reservations: 404-347-9555.

Sandy Springs dwellers can hop on over to Hearth Pizza Tavern for an Easter meal. Opening at 4 p.m. on Easter day, the restaurant is offering plenty of holiday specials. For more information, call 404-252-5378.

For Passover, Lure Executive Chef David Bradley is making gefilte fish using fresh pollack and Georgia rainbow trout. Enjoy this special dish at the Midtown seafood sensation through April 2. 

Across the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, The Mill Kitchen & Bar invites guests to enjoy an Easter Sunday brunch menu in a farmhouse-style setting. Reservations: 770-817-9345. 

Family-friendly Easter brunching and lunching is in store for Decatur residents at No. 246. Chow on a chicken Parm sandwich, wood-baked ziti and meatballs, mushroom pizza and much more. Children's Easter egg hunts roll out at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. with "waves" for toddlers and adult-free children at each hunt. Lucky locators will win prizes such as a free kids' spaghetti and meatballs plate and more. Reservations: 678-399-8246.

At Olmsted in Midtown, the regular brunch menu and special holiday ham or prime rib entrées will please the Easter Sunday crowd. Starters include lobster bisque, fresh-baked biscuits or the breakfast meat sampler. Mains include a wild mushroom omelette with aged Gruyère, tarragon and fingerling potato hash; brioche French toast with seasonal fruit compote and vanilla bean cream; and eggs Olmsted with poached eggs, toasted English muffin, shaved house-cured Canadian bacon and citrus scallion hollandaise. Wee ones can munch on buttermilk pancakes with a choice of maple, blueberry or banana walnut syrup. Brunch will be served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: 404-443-8431.

After all of the egg hunting and hopping around, grown ups can rabbit trail over to RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown for Sunday night Flying Fish Lounge specials. From 8 p.m. on, choose from more than 35 sushi, appetizer and tapas selections ($2.25-$7.25), plus a wide variety of beer, wine and signature cocktails ($3-$7). Popular Flying Fish Lounge dishes will be served until 11 p.m., and a variety of discounted creative cocktails will be served until midnight.

Bring on the buffet! This Easter, Ray's on the River in Sandy Springs is offering their award-winning Easter buffet from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday, March 31. Guests can enjoy assorted breads, a salad bar, omelette station during brunch hours, Virginia ham, prime rib, homemade desserts and plenty more. The buffet is $39.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids ages 5-10. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations: 770-955-1187. In Alpharetta, Ray's on the Creek is serving a buffet from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and the regular menu will be available from 5-9 p.m. Adults can dine for $29.95 and kids ages 5-10 can dine for $14.95. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations: 770-649-0064.

Sunday brunch is always important at South City Kitchen in Midtown and Vinings, and the longtime favorite is serving a three-course prix fixe Easter brunch menu from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For $32 for adults and $16 for children under 12 (plus tax and gratuity), guests can choose from appetizer options such as house-made pecan granola, fried green tomatoes or a strawberry salad; entrées including buttermilk fried chicken, crab cake hash, BBQ pork Benedict and farmstead vegetables; and dessert of peach cobbler, chocolate velvet Elvis cake or orange buttermilk chess pie. Reservations: 404-873-7358 for the Midtown location; 770-435-0700 for the Vinings location.

Get Cracking on Reservations for Egg-ceptional Easter Feasts Plus More in this Week's Dish

This week, head up to Roswell to nosh on new spring menu items at Aqua blue and then hit up Buckhead to experience the new location of Bhojanic. Also, don't forget to make your Easter brunch reservation - yes, it's almost Easter! There are plenty of places to celebrate the holiday, plus much more in this week's Dish!

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar Celebrates 10 Years and Braves Baseball

Can you believe Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Smyrna is already a decade old? Share in the celebration of the big "one-zero" on Wednesday, March 27 beginning at 6 p.m. Attendees receive a complimentary limited-edition anniversary t-shirt and have access to the limited open bar, tasting station and live music from Michelle Enix. This is a party you won't want to miss out on!

If for some reason you can't make the 10th anniversary party, or if you just cant get enough of Atkins Park - do not fret! Both Atkins Park locations in Virginia-Highland and Smyrna are taking you out to the ball game for the Atlanta Braves home opener. Take the field trip on Monday, April 1 for $50 per person. Atkins Park covers all the bases of pre-game hot dogs, ice cold Jägermeister and beer, bus transportation to and from Turner Field and a ticket to the game. Busses leave each restaurant at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to call your preferred Atkins Park location to reserve your spot!

What's New on Pinterest: Picnic Perfection

Picnic Perfection is as close as our Pinterest board, which happens to be as crammed full as a picnic basket with finger-licking recipes. Potent potables. Check. Packable finger foods and fork fillers. Check. Cute and useful tchotchkes such as ant-imated napkins. Oh yes.