Mom’s the Word at Atlanta Restaurants on Mother’s Day May 10

She’s your biggest fan. She cheers, she chauffeurs, she chefs. She chooses what she feels is best for you. Now you can choose some of Atlanta’s best brunch and dinner spots to honor her on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10.
  
Stroll Piedmont Park’s paths and gardens then sit down for Sunday brunch at G’s Midtown or 10th & Piedmont from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The two Midtown eateries serve both hot and cold brunch specialties such as challah bread French toast and chilled house-smoked salmon. Brunch is $34.95 per person. Reservations: 404-602-5510.  

A big heart deserves a big feast, and Aqua blue in Roswell comes through with $15 bottomless mimosas and a brunch buffet from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tempt taste buds with eggs Benedict, blackened fish with lobster sauce, dessert favorites like a chocolate fountain and loads more. $34.95 for adults and $9.95 for children ages 4 to 12. Children under 4 eat free. Rather do dinner? Aqua blue will serve its à la carte menu from 5-9 p.m. Reservations: 770-643-8886.
  
A tad north of Atlanta in historic Crabapple, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails executive chef Derek Dollar presents prix fixe Mother’s Day brunch and dinner menus. Brunch is $32 for adults; $16 for children 12 and under. Featured selections include French toast with fresh berries and smoked bacon or sausage, prosciutto eggs Benedict and blackened salmon. If afternoon activities knock brunch out of the ballpark, reserve a table for dinner -- $38 for adults, $19 for children -- and enjoy shrimp and grits, Southern fried chicken breast or an eight-ounce New York strip. The regular kids menu also will be available. Reservations: 770-817-0161 or OpenTable.

Ray’s on the River in Sandy Springs is offering its award-winning buffet from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. with brunch, lunch or dinner options as the day progresses. $42.95 for adults; $21.95 for children ages 5 to 10. For preferred seating, call 770-955-1187. In Alpharetta, Ray’s at Killer Creek is serving a buffet from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. $34.95 for adults; $17.95 for children ages 5 to 10. For preferred seating, call 770-649-0064. A downtown outing must-do is Ray’s in the City where a Mother’s Day buffet pleases all from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ($34.95 adults; $17.95 children ages 5 to 10), and the regular à la carte menu service kicks in from 5- 9 p.m. For preferred seating, call 404-524-9224.

Mom is special every day. Mother’s Day or any day, these Atlanta-area brunch spots are her cup of tea. 


Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland serves classics like deviled eggs and more stylish options such as chorizo and egg tacos.


It’s mom’s lucky day! Aria, usually closed on Sunday evenings, will be open and serving dinner beginning at 5 p.m. Sophisticated Aria pampers like no other. Make reservations online.


All four Bantam + Biddy locations (Ansley, Crescent, Lenox Square, Avalon) are offering their regular brunch menus, loaded with mom’s favorites (and she might share her chicken and waffles if you’re sweet).

Brunch and dinner are in the cards at The Southern Gentleman, open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Mother’s Day. The day begins with morning and midday fare such as fried soft-shell crab Benedict, a traditional Monte Cristo, Gulf red snapper and cornmeal and ricotta pancakes served 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Dinner selections are available 4 – 7 p.m., including carbonara pasta, duck and dumplings, roasted Carolina mountain trout, pepper-crusted New York strip, and buttermilk-poached Grassroots Farm chicken breast. Shrimp and grits plus starters of jumbo lump crab risotto with country ham, salt and sugar cured green tomatoes and warmed Gulf oysters grace both à la carte menus. Make reservations online.

All moms visiting any Willy's Mexicana Grill location on May 9 or May 10 will receive a coupon for $5 off any order of $15 or more for their next visit.

Welcome weekend leisure time by taking mom to Atlantic Station for Chick-a-Biddy’s brunch of signature chicken and waffles with traditional flavors or twists like red velvet.


In Midtown, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern serves breakfast pizza, healthy frittatas and fresh farmer's omelets to power up her day.

Marlow’s Tavern is the perfect neighborhood spot for classic American brunch fare with an upscale twist. Find a Marlow’slocation near and dear to Mom’s heart.

Cap Graduation with a Party at FLIP burger boutique and Save 10%

If there’s a Class of 2015 soon-to-be-graduate in the house, it’s a given the week of pomp, circumstance and parties is rounding the corner at a fast clip. Graduate with honors in party hosting by honoring the cap and gown-er at FLIP burger boutique. FLIP’s menu rates a high G.P.A. (Graduate Palate Accolades) with burgers such as the classic beef stack, chorizo-spiced pork, lamb, turkey, fried chicken, blackened shrimp, the Vedge and Fauxlafel or a slider sampler trio. Starters, salads, sides, innovative milkshakes and drinks score high marks with all ages. Contact Stephanie Shaw and ask for the graduation discount of 10 percent off the tab for graduation parties held at a FLIP burger boutique -- inside or out on the patio. Fine print: excludes taxes, not to be combined with any other offers; no cash value, one coupon per table; offer expires Labor Day 2015.

New Menu at Milton’s Grows from Fall Planning for Milton’s Acre Spring Harvest

Chef lingo of “seasonal” and “local” bear a whole new dimension when the executive chef and resident grower collaborate in planning garden plantings. Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple is such a place, where executive chef Derek Dollar and Peter Kohm, resident grower for the right-out-back Milton’s Acre, work together with menu and guest pleasure in mind. That’s seed-to-fork dining right down to the roots. Dollar’s new spring menu testifies to garden goodness with dishes such as garden herb flatbread with goat cheese-pesto spread and heirloom tomatoes ($10); baby red romaine salad with celery, carrot curls, toasted sunflower seeds, shaved Parmesan, caper blossoms and lemon-basil vinaigrette ($8); chef’s vegetable plate of garden vegetables and almond quinoa, grilled asparagus, garlic wax beans, pickled beets, summer squash casserole and sunflower pesto ($21); honey-glazed bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with aged white cheddar rice grits, yellow wax beans, cracked mustard-country ham demi and black truffle butter ($28); and crispy striped bass with summer squash casserole, arugula and crispy red onion salad, sunflower romesco and arugula oil ($30). More dishes incorporating Milton’s Acre herbs and gems include shrimp and country ham ceviche ($10), deviled farm eggs ($8) and mussels and Sapelo Island clams ($14). Back in November when we were giving thanks for our Thanksgiving Day feasts, Dollar and Kohm were poring over a pile of 40 seed and plant catalogs, evaluating customer favorites, garden successes and other factors while determining this spring’s planting scheme. For their foresight and our backdoor-close, farm-fresh feast, we truly give thanks. Make reservations online or call 770-817-0161.

Fine Banh Mi -- Tin Drum Saigon Summer Vietnamese Specials Coast in May 4

Think tropical jungle appetites. Think hot, humid summer in the South. Tin Drum Asiacafé is on to something with its Saigon Summer menu specials -- pork banh mi and nom nom pork bowl – both featuring sweet and smoky pork loin. These two limited-time offerings beat a path from the tropics into Tin Drum locations on Monday, May 4. The nom nom pork bowl heaps a union of sweet-smoky pork loin, chili vinaigrette rice noodle, pickled daikon and carrot on a bed of fresh kale, mint and basil then tops all with roasted peanut, fresh jalapeño and cilantro ($8.50). Pork banh mi wraps the pork loin, pickled daikon and carrot, red pepper aioli and cucumber in grilled Asian roti and finishes the whole deal with tangy cilantro ($4.75). On Fresh Fridays, buy a nom nom pork bowl and fountain drink for $7, all day, every Friday. And, what’s fine by us? Adding pork banh mi to any regular-priced entrée for $3 any day, all day.  

Joey Ward of Gunshow Targets Chef Demo at Peachtree Road Farmers Market May 2

Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward mans the 10 a.m. cooking demo at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on Saturday, May 2. This talented chef views cooking as a form of art inspired and elevated by locally sourced ingredients and framed by his treasured relationships with local farmers. Hate to nag, but remember to bring your own shopping bag to hold all of those fabulously fresh purchases so they’ll make it home unscathed and ready to go into some chef demo recipes from the market website. Market hours are 8:30 a.m.-noon, rain or shine. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Lee.

Taste of East Cobb - Top Restaurants and Entertainment for the Whole Family May 2

Marlow’s Tavern, Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar are three restaurants offering samples at the Taste of East Cobb going on Saturday, May 2 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. in The Fountains of Olde Towne at 736 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta. Tastes from East Cobb’s best restaurants take top billing, backed by live music and entertainment; a Kid’s Zone with inflatables, sand and spin art and face painting; a raffle and silent auction and a hotly contested “Best Taste of East Cobb” competition. Free admission; taste tickets cost $1 each, and offerings are priced from one to five tickets. Buy taste tickets at the event, or to save some bucks, buy tickets online and pick them up at the event pre-sale booth.  

May Day Blooms at White Oak Pastures with Seed Workshop, Farm Tour, Dinner + Live Music May 2

For those of you yearning for a veggie garden this summer,White Oak Pastures Seed Starting Workshop sows a fast start to success on Saturday, May 2. Learn tricks of the trade for greenhouse and outdoor gardening and how to optimize conditions to render vigorous transplants and contend with harsh weather. A 10 a.m. farm tour and noon lunch in the Pavilion inspire your inner farmer and verify the full-on flavor of farm-fresh produce. Come dressed to impress the soil and seeds because you’ll get up close and personal with dirt at the 1-4:30 p.m. workshop. (Good excuse to throw some cute gloves in your cart the next time you’re at a big box store or garden center.) $60 per person, includes lunch in the Pavilion. Limited to 15 participants. Reservations required; reserve online or by calling 229-641-2081. Don’t uproot yourself, stay on for a special May Day dinner at the only farm in the United States that pasture raises and hand butchers 10 red meat and poultry species as well as produces pastured eggs and certified organic vegetables.

Also on Saturday, May 2, celebrate May Day White Oak Pastures style down on the farm in Bluffton, Georgia. From 3-4 p.m., meet and greet the farm crew and your fellow May Day merrymakers, eat appetizers and enjoy drinks in the Pavilion. Embark on a two-part farm tour from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Return to the Pavilion to appease farm-fed cravings with a four-course garden- and pasture-to-plate dinner featuring White Oak Pastures raised meats and seasonal vegetables, a cash bar and live music from 6:30-9:30 p.m. No maypole, but feel free to improvise a May Day dance if you’re so inclined. Tour, dinner and music, $75 per person; dinner and music only, $65 per person; tour only, $20 per person. Make reservations online or by calling 229-641-2081.

Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy Guests Dabble in the Kentucky Derby May 2

Do you Derby? Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy are galloping through some Kentucky Derby fun this week. Until the Saturday, May 2 “Run for the Roses,” receive a ballot for the legendary Churchill Downs race with your entrée purchase at any Bantam + Biddy location or Chick-a-Biddy in Atlantic Station. No wagering, just select the horse you think will win. If your pick is the first to cross the finish line, you’ll receive a $50 gift card to the respective restaurant. Those in the winner’s circle will be notified the week of May 3. Race ballots are available at all Bantam + Biddy locations (Ansley Mall, Crescent Avenue, Lenox Square and Avalon) and at Chick-a-Biddy in Atlantic Station. One entry per person with entrée purchase.

Atlanta Restaurants Chip in with Cinco de Mayo Festivities May 5

Striking on a Tuesday this year, Cinco de Mayo (May 5) could fly under the celebratory radar as a rip, twist and pop holiday (rip open the bag o’ chips, twist open the salsa jar, pop the top on a cerveza). Our amigos at these restaurants envision a “hola!” lot more!

Atkin’s Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland pours on holiday spirit. Chef Andrew Smith throws a Tequila and Tacos fiesta of special dishes and specialty drink pairings. On the menu, pozole rojo chile braised pork and hominy stew ($6) and Single Estate Tequila Ocho Plata margarita ($8); shrimp tostadas ($11) and AP Tequila Mockingbird ($8); chiles rellenos ($12) with Single Estate Tequila Ocho Reposado Paloma ($10); and beef short rib tacos ($14) with Single Estate Tequila Ocho Anejo served neat ($12). After tequila drinks and spices, spoon into a cool and crispy fried ice cream with Tanteo cocoa ($6). Reservations: 404-876-7249.

All Ray’s Restaurants are ladling up bowls of Ray’s Rio Bravo’s classic chili con queso with chips for $4.95. Cold beer and margaritas on the rocks temper the fire.

Embrace the aura of fresh limes, tequila and salt infusing all nine Tin Lizzy’s Cantina locations as the FlexMex cantinas post mucho margarita and beer specials throughout Cinco de Mayo week as well as menus touting more than 25 soft tacos, quesadillas and specialty skillets. From Tuesday, April 28 through Tuesday, May 5, absorb specials such as the 12-ounce Cincorita margarita featuring el Jimador tequila ($6), $3 Grand Marnier floaters and $7 Herradura tequila shots. Corona Light and Pacifico top off at $4.25 for 16-ounce drafts and $7 for 24-ounce drafts. Tin Lizzy’s is collecting monetary donations for Bert’s Big Adventure throughout the week, and on May 5, Tin Lizzy’s will donate $1 to Bert’s Big Adventure for every 24-ounce “Bert’s Big Cincorita” sold ($11). Founded by Q100 “The Bert Show” host Bert Weiss, the non-profit organization provides all-expense-paid trips to Walt Disney World for children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families. Photo credit: Jeremy Adamo. 

Basque in the Glow of Complimentary Hors d’oeuvre During Gypsy Kitchen Spice Hour

Be a gypsy in your own town. Caravan to Gypsy Kitchen for Spice Hour at the bar and on the patio, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays from 5-7 p.m. Clink glasses and say, “salud!” while relishing complimentary passed hors d’oeuvre reflecting Spanish culinary traditions from Andalusia to Basque, Galicia and Catalonia. Shiny new patio furniture and the Buckhead Atlanta scene show up nicely in impromptu selfie pics. Parking is a pleasure because Gypsy Kitchen guests receive two free hours of parking in the Buckhead Atlanta parking deck -- ask for a voucher at the host stand. Photo credit: Andrew Thomas Lee.

Double up on Reward Points at Ray’s

Ray’s Restaurants is doubling up on reward card points for Dining Club members who dine at Ray’s in the City or Ray’s at Killer Creek restaurants during weekends. Every Saturday and Sunday, Ray’s will dole out two loyalty card points for every dollar spent at these two locations. Convene at Ray’s in the City for drinks, dinner or dessert when enjoying downtown events and attractions, celebrating a special occasion or looking for a place to listen to live music on Saturday evenings. Casual with a natural coastal feel and woodsy view, Ray’s at Killer Creek is Alpharetta’s go-to for Saturday and Sunday night drinks and dinner, Sunday brunch and or a stopover either side of showtime at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. Purchase a Ray’s Dining Club reward card for $10 at any Ray’s Restaurant or online and start racking up points. Reward card points translate to Ray’s dollars, birthday bonuses, VIP event invitations, special promotional offers and more.

The Southern Gentleman Lassos High West Distillery Whiskey Tasting April 29

Troy Karnes of High West Distillery shares his passion for fine whiskey and the Great American West with guests at The Southern Gentleman on Wednesday, April 29 from 5-7:30 p.m. Come for a night of fine whiskey and vodka tasting -- by flight or specialty cocktail -- and complimentary tastes created by the restaurant’s culinary team. Sip a Scarlet Bell featuring High West Vodka 7000’; The Fairchild with High West Vodka 7000’ Peach, gin, black pepper and Cocchi Americano; Grit & Grace, a mix of High West Double Rye, mint, apricot and lemon; or East of Hudson with High West American Prairie, Carpano Punt e Mes, bitters and smoked cherry (9-$10). Purists, focus on whiskey flights, $12-$22, including High West's Son of Bourye, American Prairie, Double Rye, Campfire and the extremely limited-release Midwinter Night's Dram. Information: 404-939-9845.

22nd Annual Dining Out for Life for Open Hand Resolves What’s for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner April 29

Even for those of you in the proverbial clean plate club, a quarter of your breakfast, lunch and/or dinner goes to help others at Dining Out for Life restaurants on Wednesday, April 29. Aria, Article 14, Bantam + Biddy, Chick-a-Biddy, 10th & Piedmont, G’s Midtown, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern and Willy’s Mexicana Grill locations in Buckhead, Midtown and Perimeter are a few of the popular destinations joining in Open Hand’s biggest fundraiser of the year. These restaurants and others will donate 25 percent of each tab to Open Hand, which now serves upwards of 5,500 nutritious meals each day and is the largest producer and distributor of home-delivered meals in the United States. Open Hand meals sustain those hindered by chronic, critical or terminal illnesses and disabilities as well as homebound seniors. Can we count you in? Superb! Go ahead and make reservations online before seats are filled.  

What’s New on Pinterest

National Picnic Day bursts forth from its basket on Thursday, April 23. Pack a Picnic lunch or supper this week or pin ideas for the patio dining and outdoor concert season. Spring artichoke salad, Vietnamese summer roll salad, chopped salad in a cup, veggie bars, walking tacos and desserts in jars are positively portable. Adults gravitate to caprese or eggplant, prosciutto and pesto pressed sandwiches and vodka lemonade “Capri Suns” sippers. Throw in some winning game ideas while you’re at it. 

#Foodgram

Mom said never run with scissors, but she never mentioned abstaining from running with tweezers. Let your fingers trek across the keyboard to food stylist and travel addict Tami Hardeman’s runwithtweezers Instagram page and extricate some exquisite food frames.