Article 14 holds The Key to the Holidays, and it comes in a glass. The holiday-themed old fashioned jingles together Larceny bourbon, apple liqueur and rich “Holiday” syrup ($12). Come on over and don’t bother ringing the bell, the door to holiday merriment is already wide open.
During the next two hectic weeks, even elves need elves (or Jedi) to assist with the open-ended questions and those pesky details like what to feed family and friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We have the answers wise, yet time-strapped, men and women seek: a well-honed list of Atlanta restaurants with holiday menus and catering and takeaway ideas to light the way through Christmas on toward 2016. We suggest moving dining reservations to the top of your list and using the phone numbers listed. Find more catering and takeaway solutions on our blog.
Hams, pies and cakes from Revival sure come in handy when everyone’s eating at your place Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Hickory-smoked Heritage Farms Cheshire pork hams weigh in at around 10 pounds each and serve 20-25 people. Priced at $10 per pound, hams come sliced through to the bone for easy serving. Santa’s not the only one with a sweet tooth. Visions of Revival’s famous nine-inch lemon icebox pie ($45) and awesome chocolate cake ($55) will dance in Christmas memories (because there won’t be any leftovers). Order hams by December 20 for December 23 pickup. Desserts require 48-hour notice and may be picked up any time before December 23. Call 470-225-6770 to place orders, credit card required.
Christmas Eve
10th & Piedmont presents a special Christmas Eve menu from 5-10 p.m. including lobster bisque; cranberry and Camembert salad; an entrée of seared coffee-dusted duck breast with Chambord demi-glace or almond pesto-crusted Scottish salmon; and red velvet cake. $29.95 per person. Beverages, tax and gratuity not included; call 404-602-5510.
For a peaceful evening amid twinkling candlelight and crystal, reserve seats for a Christmas Eve dinner at Aria, Gerry Klaskala’s Buckhead destination for creative American cuisine. Dinner service begins at 5 p.m.; call 404-233-7673for reservations.
Open on Christmas Eve, Article 14 shines as the place to go for drinks or dinner before or after being dazzled by the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Garden Lights Holiday Nights, which also is open Christmas Eve. The Midtown restaurant pours festive Holiday Cheer cocktails including The Key to the Holidays old fashioned ($12; see Appetizing Aperture for details) and Portside at Six featuring Michter’s American whiskey, Carpano Antica Formula vermouth, Fonseca port, Bitter End Memphis BBQ bitters and Boker’s bitters ($12). Call 404-443-8432.
"Twelve Days of Biddy" ends on December 24 at Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy with $3 sliders available until closing (2 p.m. at Bantam + Biddy Crescent; 3 p.m. at Bantam + Biddy Ansley; or 6 p.m. at Chick-a-Biddy and Bantam + Biddy Avalon and Lenox Square).
Honor Santa’s trusty team by enjoying the December burger of the month at both Atlanta FLIP burger boutique locations, open until 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. “The Rudolph" is a deer burger (venison steak and game seasoning) with blackberry ketchup, baby kale, pickled grape tomatoes, red onion-juniper jam and tomme cheese snow. Comes with gingerbread-spiced potato twigs -- shoestring potatoes with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and clove. Chase it down with December’s featured shake, "Deer Tracks" -- chocolate ice cream, liquid nitrogen whoppers, salted caramel, balsamic reduction and vanilla whipped cream.
Kevin Gillespie’s Gunshow will be open and seating its last reservations for the evening at 8:30 p.m. Customary table-side rotation of chefs’ selections carries a holiday-themed menu with items such as roast beast, Peking duck and ham along with premium wines and cocktails to mark the occasion. Reservations: 404-380-1886.
Stop by Le Fat, Guy Wong's West Midtown Vietnamese brasserie, on Christmas Eve for the addictive garlic chili prawns or a bowl of comfort food like thit kho, brimming with caramelized pork belly, pickled mustard greens, braised egg and grilled scallions. Call 404-439-9850.
A nice adult beverage, like the Holiday Spice martini at Marlow’s Tavern, does wonders after a hectic day of last-minute shopping. The merry martini mixes vanilla vodka, rye whiskey, RumChata and St. Elizabeth allspice dram, served on the rocks or frozen, and is garnished with fresh grated nutmeg. Good tidings -- all Atlanta-area locations of Marlow's are open normal hours on Christmas Eve.
Saltwood Charcuterie & Bar unwraps a special Saltwood Christmas prix fixe menu for family style Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dining. View the complete menu here. Served from 5:30-10 p.m. $65 per person. Complimentary valet parking. Call 404-745-5745.
Christmas Day
Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland offers a classic Christmas dinner with a prix fixe menu featuring Big Green Egg-smoked turkey breast with caramelized apple and sage stuffing in a cider gravy; braised pork shoulder with roasted root vegetable in a bourbon glaze; green bean casserole with crispy onions and roasted mushrooms; roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sweet potato biscuits. Since Santa ate your cookies, you can enjoy Southern pecan pie or peppermint cheesecake for dessert. $28 for adults, $18 for young adults and $10 for children under 10. Doors open at 6 p.m. Highly recommend making reservations; call 404-876-7249.
HOBNOB
Neighborhood Tavern in Midtown will
be open for regular hours on Christmas Day offering up their unique selection
of cocktails, including the Knock Knock Who Is There: rye, balsamic, basil and
ginger ($10).
Dance for joy, it’s Christmas! Johnny’s Hideaway, the legendary Buckhead nightspot, opens at 7 p.m. on Christmas Day and is serving up its popular menu of appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, entrées and more.
Your guests will ooh and aah over Saltwood Charcuterie & Bar Yule logs -- the dessert, not the fire log. They’ll be even more delighted when you explain the divine “log” they’re forking into is helping For the Kid in All of Us. Ten percent of each $19 Yule log purchased goes to the non-profit organization that brightens the lives of Georgia’s children in need. Each log serves up to six people and comes in flavors such as chocolate salted caramel, cherry pistachio and red velvet cream cheese. Have another flavor or size in mind? Saltwood will craft one to your liking with 48-hour notice. Yule regret not serving or gifting one. Purchase in Market Eleven through December 31.
Holiday cookies and cocktails are a waistline’s nightmare before Christmas. Granted, a Santa belly looks cute when you’re St. Nick. On most of us, meh, not so much. Remedy? Get up and dance to live music Sunday nights starting at 8:30 p.m. at Johnny’s Hideaway in Buckhead. Band X takes the stage on December 20, and Legacy Music keeps the beat December 27. Food and drink specials; $5 cover charge. Dance now. A bevy of bowl game buffets await.
Fastest way to brew up a party? Invite friends and neighbors to meet at Three Taverns Craft Brewery on December 20 for Sunday Beer-B-Cue featuring Kevin Gillespie's Terminus City BBQ and live music from 5-8 p.m. Andreas Müller, executive chef of Revival and Terminus City's pitmaster, hand chops KG’s mouth-watering whole hog BBQ for sliders to chomp into while enjoying live music and complimentary Three Taverns handcrafted beer with a brewery tour. Tickets available online, $15 plus small service fee. A percentage of the proceeds go to nonprofit Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM).
Gather the kids and their wish lists and steer the sleigh to Ray’s Rio Bravo on Sunday, December 20. From 5-8 p.m., families are invited to visit with Santa, take photos and order from Ray’s vast menu of made-from-scratch Tex-Mex cuisine. Ray’s gift to you -- kids eat free.
Popcorn and soda a weak Jedi knight does make. How can The Force be with you when hunger pangs of the dark side strike during a key maneuver? Before zooming off to conquer galaxies far, far away, park the space racer at one of these Atlanta restaurants conveniently located near metro theaters when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opens Friday, December 18. Farm-fresh chicken and sides at Chick-a-Biddy in Atlantic Station will sustain Padawans of all ages (kids menu, too) before strapping into Regal Atlantic Station’s stadium seats for an IMAX 3D or big-screen showing. Bantam + Biddy in Lenox Square Mall is a short transport across Peachtree Road from Phipps Plaza AMC screens and an ideal place to alight for a pre-matinee breakfast or a meal on either side of an afternoon or evening showing. At Alpharetta’s Avalon, Bantam + Biddy and Marlow’s Tavern rule the galaxy offering hearty, not heavy fare, beer, wine and spirits, just steps away from Regal Avalon. Park once for dinner and the movie if the destination is Merchant’s Walk Stadium Cinemas in East Cobb -- Marlow’s Tavern and Seed Kitchen & Bar are both located in the same shopping center. For Mall of Georgia Star Wars fans, taco the force with FlexMex and margaritas at Tin Lizzy’s Cantina or with all-American favorites at Marlow’s Tavern. A good meal and a movie? A Jedi craves these things.
Are you a student who is passionate about food/wine culture and public relations? We want to meet you! Melissa Libby & Associates is currently seeking interns for the spring 2016 semester. 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, great writing skills and a strong work ethic are important traits for this internship.
Internships are 15-22 hours per week from January to May. Schedules are fairly flexible, although Monday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to noon are required. Local candidates only! The ideal candidate will also receive school credit for his or her experience with MLA. Interns will be paid a $500 stipend at the completion of the program. To find out more about Melissa Libby & Associates, please visit our website and our Facebook page. If you are interested, please send your resume, cover letter and availability to brandon@melissalibbypr.com. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
‘Tis the season to drop in and share holiday greetings, hugs and a cup or two of cheer with dear friends. When you’re Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland, Atlanta’s longest continuously operating tavern, you have many friends. The best way to show gratitude for each one is to do what comes naturally...throw a Holiday Customer Appreciation Party. Stop by for complimentary drinks and bites this Wednesday, December 16 from 6-7 p.m. Only a Grinch would skip out on this merry evening.
FLIP burger boutique makes it easy to give while you’re receiving on #FLIPGives Day, Wednesday, December 16. Swipe the phone screen over to flash #FLIPGives when ordering FLIP’s scrumptious milkshakes, burgers, sides, salads and other treats on #FLIPGives Day (or show a printout, FLIP’s social media or e-news mention such as The Dish on your phone) and a portion of your bill will flip over to For the Kid in All of Us, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Georgia kids reach their full potential. Since 2003, For the Kid in All of Us has distributed more than 41,500 toys and gift cards, 11,904 backpacks filled with school supplies and gift cards and raised more than $475,000 to donate to numerous agencies and organizations serving Georgia’s less fortunate. Hashtag yourself into the giving from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at FLIP burger boutique West Midtown and Buckhead locations. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The adage “good things come to those who wait” certainly pans out for shoppers buying Legacy Ventures restaurant gift cards in the mad-dash week-before-Christmas shopping crush. Friday, December 18 through Thursday, December 24, score a $100 gift card with every Legacy Ventures $100 gift card purchased at lvmgt.com. Limited to online purchases, the generous offer includes Legacy Ventures restaurants Der Biergarten, Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria, STATS and Twin Smokers BBQ. Let the other goodie gatherers clog mall parking lots. Savvy givers, steer your cyber sleighs to lvmgt.com for gift cards galore.
‘Tis the peppermint pleasin’ season! Candy canes twirl in “The Nutcracker Suite” ballet, hang from Christmas stockings, adorn gingerbread houses and swizzle holiday cheer. If you’re as hooked on peppermint as we are, our Peppermint Party board is “mint” for you. Peppermint cake rolls, scones, no-bake mocha bites, chocolate poke cake, chocolate chip mint Greek yogurt pops all earn their stripes. Slow cooker peppermint vanilla lattes warm carolers’ hearts, especially dolloped with peppermint whipped cream.
Wholesome Wave Georgia grows a giving spirit all year long by doubling food stamp values for EBT customers who shop at farmers markets. What a win-win situation: healthier meals for those in need and more reasons for local farmers to keep on rowing and hoeing. “Green” donations always welcome. Donate2Double here.
