Appetizing Aperture

Love me tender? We sure do. Ormsby’s braised short rib pot roast is the meat dreams are made of, cradled on a pillow of Idaho mash (all the better to soak up the red wine demi-glace) befriended by baby carrots and cipollini onions ($17).

Who Do You Love? The Communitas Loyalty Club Woos 10th & Piedmont, HOBNOB and G’s Midtown Guests

Love you more, and it’s not even Valentine’s Day yet.Communitas Hospitality Group is introducing the Communitas Loyalty Club (CLC) as a way of saying, “Thank you for your support” to friends who frequent their Midtown restaurants --10th & Piedmont, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern and G’s Midtown. To join, pick up a card at any of the three eateries, register it here and start earning points toward house cash with no limits or expiration dates. Gotta love it!

Espresso Bars Featuring Batdorf & Bronson Caffeinate Bantam + Biddy Lenox and Crescent Avenue

Wake up, Atlanta, to some steaming hot scoop that’s sure to start coffee fiends frothing at the mouth: Bantam + Biddy Crescent Avenue and Lenox Square locations boast espresso bars featuring Batdorf & Bronson coffee. The dark side, a.k.a. Batdorf & Bronson smooth roasted, can be good. Really good. Crescent Avenue Espresso Bar opens at 6:30 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends; Lenox Square Espresso Bar opens daily at 8 a.m. 

Gunshow “Hired Guns” Takes Aim at the 2016 Calendar, Tags Bryan Voltaggio for January 31 and February 1

Offset winter chills with some of the hottest seats in town, those for the first “Hired Guns” dinner in the 2016 series at Gunshow, Kevin Gillespie’s Glenwood Park restaurant. Acclaimed guest chef Bryan Voltaggio flies south from Washington, D.C. to take on the season-opener role on Sunday, January 31 and Monday, February 1.  Voltaggio’s family of restaurants, which includes VOLT, Lunchbox, Family Meal, RANGE and AGGIO, spreads his passion for local ingredients and hospitality across the Mid-Atlantic region from D.C. and Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland to Ashburn and Richmond, Virginia. Tickets, $95 per person (plus drinks, tax and gratuity), are available via Xorbia beginning December 31. Space is limited for these intimate dinners, and seats are sure to go quickly, so make reservations ASAP. For those who want to attend all six dinners in the series,season tickets are available for $75 per person per dinner through December 31 and for $85 per person per dinner starting January 1, 2016. New in 2016, Gunshow will open its doors for these exclusive dinners on Sunday and Monday, nights the restaurant is usually closed, and tickets will be sold and mailed prior to each dinner.

Stay tuned in to Gunshow’s Facebook page for future additions to the “Hired Guns” lineup, including James Beard award nominee and executive chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi on March 13-14; Brian Baxter of HUSK in Nashville, Tennessee on May 22-23; Kenny Gilbert of Gilbert's Underground Kitchen in Fernandina Beach, Florida over the dates of June 12-13; Vivian Howard of Chef & The Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina in October; and one more surprise chef to be announced.

Shop Italian -- Bellina Alimentari’s New Online Mercato di Bellina is Open

One doesn’t have to be in Rome to shop like the Romans or Tuscans or Americans hankering for the best Italian ingredients. Mercato di Bellina, the online market for Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market, is now open for internet shopping. Browse through a tempting array of gift sets, vinegars and olive oils, pastas and sauces, seasonings, sweets, savories and even recipes and cooking tips. Colossal help when searching for ingredients or gifts for friends who also have an endless appetite and appreciation for authentic Italian foods. Allow those friends to shop for themselves by purchasing a “Dine-in & Shop-in” gift card or Mercato Di Bellina gift certificate online.

Good Eats Pave the Way into 2016 -- Across Atlanta and the Southeast

2015 is (almost) in the rearview mirror, and 2016 spreads out before us, crisscrossing Atlanta and the Southeast to welcome newcomers and share good news from favorite friends. Peer into our crystal Champagne flutes for the latest info on these new arrivals. 

Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar opens February 2016 at The Avenue East Cobb in Marietta. Chef/restaurateur Doug Turbush of Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar in Marietta envisions a lively atmosphere, casual and welcoming, where groups can gather around the raw bar over big platters of oysters or settle in for a bounteous showcase of expertly prepared fresh Atlantic and Gulf Coast seafood. 

A spring 2016 opening for 5Church Atlanta connects the dots between three Southern culinary queens -- Charlotte, the restaurant’s hometown; Charleston, home to the second location in the family tree; and Atlanta, where a third 5Church will put down roots at Colony Square. Restaurateurs Patrick Whalen, Ayman Kamel, Alejandro Torio and Jamie Lynch credit the name to their original restaurant’s address at the corner of 5th and Church in Uptown Charlotte. Atlantans can anticipate casual-yet-refined lunch, dinner and weekend brunch experiences touting 5Church favorites from executive chef Lynch such as the “60 second” NY strip steak and 5Church lamb burger with red onion marmalade and Gorgonzola fondue. A 200-bottle wine list, specialty cocktails and craft beers complement the menu. A good neighbor from the get-go, the Midtown restaurant will feature new, locally sourced dishes original to the Atlanta restaurant as well as artwork created by local artists. Follow 5Church on Facebook.

The Katharine Brasserie & Bar opens this winter on the ground floor of the renovated R.J. Reynolds building at 4th and Main in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Executive chef Ed Witt, previously of The Partisan in Washington, D.C., forecasts a traditional brasserie menu combining French techniques and classic Southern cooking with modern polish and seasonal ingredients. Namesake Katharine Smith Reynolds would be proud, and Winston-Salem residents as well as guests at The Kimpton Cardinal Hotel will be delighted, whether sitting down to breakfast, lunch or dinner or to a selection from the bar’s extensive wine list and menu of craft beers and creative cocktails. Follow The Katharine on Facebook and Instagram.

Exciting Downtown Restaurant Opens Just in Time for New Year’s Eve: Celebrate at JP Atlanta

JP Atlanta, John C. Portman, Jr.‘s luxury dining experience, will open for dinner on Dec. 31, making this one of the hottest spots in the city to ring in the new year. The stunning new restaurant is located in the 230 Peachtree building in Downtown, just minutes away from the Peach Drop and the Chick-Fil-A bowl game. Celebrate 2016 with a $65 prix-fixe three-course meal prepared by culinary award-winning executive chef Julio Delgado and end the night with a glass of sparkling wine and a delectable dessert from talented pastry chef Megan Brent (tax and gratuity not included). Think butternut squash soup with cinnamon caraway marshmallow, slow-braised lamb with lemon-ricotta cavatelli and a triple chocolate mousse with praline crunch. Take a peek ahead of what’s going on in the kitchen by following executive chef Julio Delgado on Twitter and pastry chef Megan Brent on Instagram. Read more about Portman’s legacy on our blog. Reservations are required in the dining room from 6 - 10:30 p.m. and can be made by calling 404.523.7600 or via OpenTable. Night owls can stay late and grab a signature cocktail in the lounge. Valet is available.

Get Ready for a Sweet ’16 with The Dish

Ho, ho, ho into the new year we go! Candlelight and silent night segue into sweet ’16 this weekend. Those still wondering while wandering around about ways to ring in the new year can launch over to our blog for a swinging list of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day dining options, from elegant to easy-at-home takeaway. Hosting or toasting? Bedazzle guests with bubbly Champagne cocktails. Find recipes on our Pinterest board (more below).

What’s New on Pinterest

Santa can eat Oreos anywhere. What’s going on his cookie plate at your house? Shout out for glee because we’ve posted some of Santa’s Favorite Snacks. Your house stop goes down in history with mini Santa hat cheesecakes topped with strawberry caps, melting snowman sugar cookies, Santa legs “oops” cupcakes, cute hot chocolate cookie cups, Nutter Butter Santa cookies and gifts in a jar he can take home to Mrs. Claus. Notice, no crudité. Unless you’re treating the reindeer. 

#Foodgram

Live boldly. Drink globally. Legendary blends and single-origin coffees from Batdorf & Bronson Coffee perk up many a day -- and they can be found here in Atlanta at Bantam + Biddy Crescent and Lenox. Easy to remember: be hip and sip B&B at B+B.