All bottled up after a long workweek? Pop the cork on half-priced bottles of wine all summer long at Table 1280 in the Woodruff Arts Center. For lunch, dinner or before an Atlanta Symphony performance or Alliance Theatre production, slip into Table 1280 for “Wine Down Fridays” and a menu brimming with local, farm-to-fork fare. Open Fridays from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Make reservations online or call 404-897-1280.
Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie has promoted a key employee at his acclaimed Glenwood Park restaurant, Gunshow. A member of the Gunshow family since opening day, former beverage and front of house manager Geoff Morrill will now serve as the restaurant’s general manager. In his new role, Morrill will continue to coordinate the service staff, oversee the books, handle ordering and create fluid, food-friendly wine and beer lists to match the ever-changing dinner menu. His goal each night is to marry the fine dining precision of the kitchen with the restaurant’s casual atmosphere. “His ability to juggle so many responsibilities while keeping the restaurant running smoothly each night is indispensable,” says Gillespie. Congratulations, Geoff!
Will Harris knows that what goes into the soil matters. At a farmer meeting in 1946, Will Bell Harris was introduced to and fell in love with chemical nitrogen fertilizer, which was used at White Oak Pastures for the next 50 years. Will Harris shifted gears to take a more holistic approach to managing the 150-year-old family farm, and for the last 15 years, natural practices including composting, cover crops and multi-species rotational grazing have taken over resulting in a 10-fold increase in organic matter in the soil. Dig in on Saturday, August 1 at White Oak Pastures’ Soil Health Workshop and learn more about White Oak Pastures’ natural management process. The day begins with a tour at 10 a.m. followed by lunch in the Pavilion at noon. From 1-3 p.m., Will Harris shares his family’s full-circle journey from local, humane and sustainable food production to centralized, commoditized and industrialized production and back again. Cost is $80 per person; make reservations online. Class size limited to 25.
If concerts at Chastain Park Amphitheatre leave you wanting more, bee-bop over to nearby Johnny’s Hideaway for dining, drinks and dancing into the wee hours. Atlanta’s best DJs spin tunes from the 1950s ‘til now, and an always lively crowd promises no shortage of dance partners or people-watching. Stop in after Hall and Oates on July 10, Rob Thomas on July 21 or Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on July 29. Full concert schedule is available online.
Pasture-raised birds exhibit a not-so-paltry list of virtues spanning human and flock health, environmental sustainability and flavor. During Pastured Poultry Week, July 13-20, restaurants in Georgia, South Carolina and New York will offer dishes featuring pastured poultry to raise awareness and afford guests opportunities to taste the merits of these birds over factory-farmed chicken. Whether you’re already a pastured poultry devotee or if someone’s henpecking you to try it, note that these Atlanta restaurants will each feature a special dish during Pastured Poultry Week: Aria, Article 14, Bantam + Biddy, Chick-a-Biddy,Glenn’s Kitchen, Gunshow, Seed Kitchen & Bar, Stem Wine Bar and The Southern Gentleman. Check out our blog for more details.
Tomatoes take over Atlanta’s Westside on Sunday, July 19 for the 7th annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival. Flee to Westside Provisions District from 1-5 p.m. as restaurateur Ford Fry brings together dozens of chefs and mixologists – including Aria’s Gerry Klaskala, Gunshow’s Mercedes O'Brien, Derek Dollar from Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, Tom Gray from Moxie Kitchen & Cocktails in Jacksonville and Scotley Innis from Ormsby’s -- to concoct tomato-based food and drinks all for two worthy causes. Last year’s event squeezed out $120,000 for beneficiaries The Giving Kitchen and Georgia Organics, and this year’s festival looks to squeeze even more. In addition to tomato-ey concoctions, guests also will rock to live music from Ill Communication and Fry’s all-chef band Five Bone Rack. Purchase tickets online before they sell out.
Willy’s Mexicana Grill founder and CEO Willy Bitter is throwing a 20th anniversary party and you’re invited. On Monday, July 13 at the very first Willy’s located at 4377 Roswell Road, stop in for $5 burritos all day, a spin of the prize wheel (11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.) for a chance to win Willy’s swag and to enter to win a $50 Willy’s gift card. At 11:30 a.m., Bitter will present a $20,145 check to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta resulting from Willy’s $20K or 20 Days fundraising event, which took place at all Atlanta-area and Athens locations in June. Willy’s will continue to thank guests at all locations throughout the #SummerOfWillys celebration with a new limited-time-only habanero peach salsa beginning July 13 and a special anniversary collectors' cup ($2.95 to purchase; $1 refills with entrée purchase through October 31). Guests who purchase an anniversary cup now through August 31 will receive a Zoo Atlanta coupon for $5 off a ticket or $10 off a zoo membership while supplies last.
MAX’s Wine Dive puts a new spin on the usually pretentious chef’s table with its laid-back “Sunday Supper at the Chef’s Table.” On Sundays beginning July 12, four guests will be privy to a four-course dinner with wine pairings prepared by executive chef Patric Bell-Good. The inaugural supper menu boasting classic summer ingredients features chilled butterbean soup with corn relish; heirloom tomato and peach salad with mint; grilled flank steak with watermelon salsa and grilled corn with basil pesto; and buttermilk panna cotta with cantaloupe consommé for dessert. “Sunday Supper” runs 7-9 p.m. with a new menu each week. Cost is $55 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 404-249-0445.
Ease into the weekend with Bantam + Biddy’s Acoustic Cocktails on Crescent. On Fridays from 6-9 p.m., release workweek stress with live music and cocktail specials. Guest bartender Derrick Norris shakes up cocktails from Independent Distilling Co. including $4 Biddy Marys, mimosas and Jameson shots and pours $2 draft beers. Weekend, here we come!
Independence Day reminds us to appreciate our
many freedoms, including the freedom to seek out and pin red, white and blue
ways to celebrate the 4th of July. Tote a strawberry, blueberry and
feta salad to the potluck. Amaze your friends by slicing into a vanilla layer
cake and unfurling a flag fashioned by its layers. Hand out popsicles stacking
stripes of raspberry red, vanilla Greek yogurt and blueberry. Display Old Glory
-- carved into a watermelon or as flag bandanas tied into bunting. Paint stars
on your grass for a dazzling lawn. Fire rocket cocktails, pop rock shots,
spiked buzzed cherry bombs and cotton candy that glows add oomph to any
pyrotechnic display.
Those who belong to the Atlanta Food
Bloggers’ Society eat their words daily and expose readers to a
smorgasbord of articles and appetite-provoking photos -- like lining up a
powerful flight of Daily Greens juice instead of the expected wine pours.
Gotcha! Just their way of connecting the dots between the Atlanta food
community and bloggers to promote good taste. After sampling the Instagram
album, sink your teeth into the all-you-can-eat version on their website.
