Matcha maker, matcha maker, make me a March matcha latte, please. Bantam + Biddy Crescent Avenue and Lenox Square locations are crafting matcha lattes this month to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Matcha, a powdered green tea that is shade grown, is a naturally sweet superfood rich in antioxidants. Its caffeine level parallels that of coffee but without the post-cup crash. Bantam + Biddy uses Rishi tea in its lattes, which can be enjoyed hot or iced with your choice of milk.
“Atlanta Eats,” the 30-minute TV show hosted by Steak Shapiro and Mara Davis, posts Instagram still shots@atlantaeatstv. While you’re clicking on pics and deciding your plate’s fate, download their Elite Eats brackets and follow along to see which Atlanta dishes rule in drool-worthiness.
For those who pine to tour White Oak Pastures, yet shy away from driving three hours to Bluffton, Georgia, this “wheel” good idea will definitely take root. Climb aboard the chartered bus. The White Oak Pastures Special departs from The Friends School in Decatur at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, pulling into White Oak Pastures right on time for a leg stretch and lunch at the Pavilion. After the meal, an in-depth tour leads guests through the red meat and poultry abattoirs, the farm and the organic vegetable garden. Return to the Pavilion for beer, wine, conversation and fine dining before reuniting with the comfy bus for the return trip. Recap the day. Post your cute farm photos. Snooze. You can, because you’re not driving. Decatur e.t.a., 9 p.m. $125 per person; limited to 55 participants. Reserve your seat online or by calling 229-641-2081.
What’s your song? The one that cheers as you sing along...even if the dude one car over is watching. You might hear it at the first Songs For Kids Foundation Food and Music Festival filling Monday Night Brewing on Sunday, March 29 from 1-5 p.m. Gobble up bites prepared by chef Shaun Doty of Bantam + Biddy, Joseph Ward of Gunshow, Chris Blobaum of Twin Smokers BBQ and other popular Atlanta restaurant chefs. Entertainment proves a medley encompassing a live auction and music by Yacht Rock Revue, Songs For Kids artists and the children involved in the program. Songs For Kids Foundation has been lifting kids’ spirits one note at a time ever since striking its first chord in 2007. The foundation interacts with kids in and out of hospitals and special needs camps through live interactive concerts, hospital bedside performances and the Songs For Kids performance and recording program. All funds raised go toward this 501(c)(3) organization’s mission of integrating musicians into the lives of kids facing illness and hardship. Buy tickets online: $75 for adults and $10 for youth 16 and under.
As spring flings itself upon Atlanta, arms and doors open wide in celebration. Over in Europe, folks are so enthusiastic to see spring’s arrival they’re ready to PARTY. Since Munich is home base for Frühlingsfest, the continent’s largest annual spring fest, Der Biergarten happily shoulders stateside duty and throws its first Frühlingsfest on Saturday, March 28. The authentic German beer garden in downtown’s Luckie Marietta District repeats the party every Saturday through April 25! Best out fest the rest by donning your favorite lederhosen (okay to improvise) and German outfits to mimic the Münchners while swinging to an oom-pah band, chomping on schnitzel of the month and imbibing in beers priced at $9 a liter. More Frühlingsfest specials await as you frolic at the fest all day and into the night.
Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta is excited to share the varietals of Frank Family Vineyards with metro Atlanta patrons at a wine dinner on Tuesday, March 24. Frank Family Vineyards, occupying three vineyards across Napa Valley, handcrafts small quantities of still and sparkling wines that are sold only at the winery and through a handful of retailers and restaurants. Ken Doyle, Frank Family Vineyard national sales manager, will join guests and impart insights into Frank Family wines and more at the 6:30 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. dinner. The five-course menu paired with specially selected Frank Family wines opens to reception sparkler Bellafina prosecco and flavorful Coca-Cola lamb ribs with ginger-anise, chargrilled oysters with chili-lime butter and crispy Brussels sprouts with smoked bacon skewers. Three savory courses follow in succulent succession. The first course plates cast-iron day boat scallops with Benton’s aged ham, arugula rice grits, heirloom carrots and watercress paired with 2013 Napa Valley chardonnay; a second course brings out Big Green Egg-smoked rabbit loin alongside Garret’s Ferry cheese, black currants, toasted almonds and barrel-aged gastrique paired with 2013 Carneros pinot noir; and the third course reveals riches of dry-aged prime, Georgia-grown strip loin with black garlic foie gras butter, crispy potato cake and creamed spinach complemented by 2011 Rutherford Reserve cabernet sauvignon. Chocolate-cherry-chili tart with pistachio praline and homemade marshmallow with sip mate 2012 Napa Valley zinfandel mark a thoughtful conclusion to an evening of fine food and wines. $80 per person (excludes tax and gratuity). Space is limited. Reservations: 770-649-0064.
All day, every day during March, two can share four items from the Sushi for 2 menu plus an order of edamame for $25 at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown. Pick four favorites from the list: Tootsy maki, Zonie roll, spicy tuna roll, seared tuna, pineapple cheese wontons, crispy calamari roll, calamari tempura, crunchy shrimp tempura roll, shrimp calamari tempura roll, pork gyoza, garlic ponzu yellowtail, chicken yakitori, Philadelphia roll and agedashi tofu. A bowl of steamed edamame comes along as yang to sushi’s yin. Yearnings for a potent punch are easily satisfied with one of RA Sushi’s specialty drinks such as Umami Punch, Dragon Bite, Ginger Blossom, Samurai Smash, Shiso Naughty martini, Emperor’s margarita or Moshi mojito. Sushi for 2 fine print: dine-in only, no substitutions, excludes tax and gratuity, and cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or discounted pricing including The Hook-Up Half Birthday certificate.
This week, Aria rounds the corner on 15 years as one of Atlanta’s top fine dining destinations–and recipient of the highest cumulative Zagat score in town. Experience the Buckhead restaurant’s impeccable service and owner and executive chef Gerry Klaskala’s classic yet leading edge creativity over dinner Monday through Saturday and at special dining events. One such opportunity is Aria’s six-course, seated Bouchard Père & Fils Wine Dinner with guest wine expert Luc Bouchard on Monday, March 23 at 7 p.m.Stemming from nine generations of the famed French Bouchard winemaking family, Luc Bouchard grew up in the vineyards of Burgundy, being baptized with the winery’s famous Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus wine, harvesting grapes and working in vineyards. Bouchard will talk wine as Klaskala prepares six courses to be paired with these Bouchard Père & Fils gems: Henriot Brut NV, Beaune du Chateau Blanc 2012, Puligny Montrachet 2012, Savigny les Beaune 2012, Volnay Caillerets 2012 and Beaune Greves L’Enfant Jesus 2010. $120 per person (includes tax and gratuity). Reserve a seat by calling 404-233-7673.
Think of Bantam + Biddy Lenox Square as your homestretch after a marathon day at the office, treading the keyboard or pounding the pavement. Fried, all-natural chicken tenders feed your “sole,” cheddar waffles are off the grid and the bar/watering station brims with quenchers for all ages. On Thursday, March 19, 10 percent of post-5 p.m. proceeds bolts over to Running MATES. “MATES” is fast talk for Making A Team Experience Successful. Running MATES, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, meets weekly to provide a positive sports team experience and a fitness outlet for children ages 5-12 who struggle with social interaction due to high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Through coaching and affirmation, these youngsters develop social skills and a sense of accomplishment that carry over into their daily routine. A look at the menu reveals pimento cheese with veggies and crackers, crispy chicken wings with sweet chili sauce and peanuts, meatloaf made with White Oak Pastures grass-fed beef, Southern Breakfast All Day and rotisserie chicken that comes with cornbread, sides and sauces as an incentive to cross the day’s finish line. Family friendly Bantam + Biddy also has a healthy Little Cluckers menu geared toward the appetites of the 10 and under set.
Oom pah pah! Food & Wine magazine names Der Biergarten one of “America’s Best Beer Gardens”! There’s lots to love at this “über-traditional” German-style beer garden: Oktoberfest, going all-out with Christmas decorations, keeping Germany’s refreshing Weihenstephaner wheat beer and Krombacher pilsner on draft, authentic German fare, multiple screens for “football” (soccer) viewing and the Luckie Marietta district restaurant’s spring-perfect indoor-outdoor beer garden.
