Appetizing Aperture

One can never go overboard on chocolate, especially during Valentine’s week. Nor can one single out the most seductive ingredient in Cherry Coke Seduction ($8) at Saltwood Charcuterie & Bar in Midtown. Chocolate brownie, drunken cherries, chocolate mousse, seasonal berries, chocolate drizzle...did we mention chocolate?

Dance to Cold Draft Beer and Other Bands Sunday Nights at Johnny's Hideaway

On Valentine’s Day night, February 14, hearts beat and feet follow when Band X pulls dance floor darlings and swinging solos out on the dance floor at Johnny’s Hideaway in Buckhead. Cold Draft Beer -- the band, not the beverage -- fills the stage and the dance floor on Sunday, February 21. The Stephen Lee Band closes out the month with rock and pop on February 28. Live music begins at 8:30 p.m. Sundays, and cover is only $5. Additionally, Sunday nights are “Hospitality Nights,” so those in the industry enjoy food and drink specials. Reservations accepted until 8:30 p.m.; call 404-233-8026.

Tin Lizzy's Surrounds National Margarita Day with Week of Super-Sized Drink Deals February 18-25

Total immersion. That’s how Tin Lizzy’s Cantina is celebrating National Margarita Day (Monday, February 22). All Tin Lizzy’s locations are immersing the “hola” day amid a whole week of super-sized specialty sippers well worth their salt and lime. From Thursday, February 18 through Thursday, February 25, the cantinas will offer commemorative 22-ounce cups filled with Big House margaritas (1800 tequila, Agavero and sour mix) for $10 each and Grandma’s House margaritas (1800 tequila, Agavero, sour mix and a hefty floater of Grand Marnier) for $12 each. Keep the cup to remember the occasion. Available at all 10 Georgia locations and at the newest restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina, while commemorative cup supplies last. While making Tin Lizzy’s your margarita headquarters, be sure to check out their fun, mouthwatering FlexMex cuisine including more than 25 types of soft tacos, quesadillas and specialty skillets. 

Doug Turbush Assembles Top-Shelf Team for Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar

When stocking soon-to-open Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar with talent, chef/restaurateur Doug Turbush had only to look around the family tree. Longtime team members Brendan Keenan, Jason Raymond and Jose Pereiro all previously contributed to the success of Turbush’s other Marietta restaurants, Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar. Keenan has served as chef de cuisine, Raymond as general manager and sommelier and Pereiro as mixologist at the popular East Cobb restaurants. Although the three gents bring different hospitality backgrounds to the table, all three share Turbush’s passion for providing impeccable service and extending exciting new culinary experiences to guests. As executive chef, Keenan carries a well-honed knack for creating seasonal and spirited seafood dishes to the helm of Drift. A Culinary Institute of America - New York graduate, Keenan garnered years of experience out West in top kitchens of San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Crested Butte, Colorado before heading east to Atlanta’s The Sound Table, Woodfire Grill and Bluepointe -- where he met Turbush. Raymond, raised in a restaurant family and holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in hotel management, will pour his years of dining, wine and beverage management experience into his role as director of operations and sommelier. Complementing Raymond’s passion for wine is beverage manager Jose Pereiro’s fervor for the art of mixology. This cocktail-crafting whiz and 2012, 2014 and 2015 winner of major cocktail competitions will shake up the East Cobb cocktail scene from behind the Drift bar. You won’t have to wait long to enjoy fresh, sustainable seafood at lively and casual Drift. The restaurant will open later this month in The Avenue East Cobb. Follow along on Facebook and Twitter for updates.s.

Find Heart-y Valentine's Day Eats and Sweets on The Dish Blog

Go ahead and whisper sweet nothings, but nothing says “you fill me up” like lavishing loved ones with a delectable Valentine’s meal at one of Atlanta’s beloved restaurants. When the conversation hearts turn to where to dine, follow Cupid’s lead and zing the heartstrings over to our blog for suggestions on where to dote on your darling as well as where to go if you’re solo and loving it.

Williams-Sonoma and Bellina Alimentari Pair Up for Valentine’s Dinner Demo February 9

She’s your little butternut. He’s the apple of your eye. Meet at the new Ponce City Market Williams-Sonoma store where Bellina Alimentari executive chef David Berry will show you how to whip up an amorous Valentine’s dinner for two that honors these admirable attributes. At this special pre-Valentine’s Day demo on Tuesday, February 9 from 6 to 8 p.m., Berry will prepare ravioli di zucca (butternut squash ravioli) and tortino di mele (apple tart with mascarpone and saba). Come learn and leave ready to fix it all from scratch -- pasta dough, butternut squash with ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ravioli filling, a walnut and sage sauce, shortbread tart crust and filling. Could be part one of a two-part romantic Valentine’s date or an inroad to impressing your Valentine over a dinner personally cheffed by the award-winning...YOU.

Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Workshop at Bellina Alimentari February 9

Honestly, there’s a time and place to impulsively eat supermarket checkout line chocolate, but not this week. Instead, look for a deeper relationship with chocolate, appreciating each lovely characteristic. Your matchmakers and counselors? The Cacao Atlanta chocolate crafters will lead chocolate lovers through a guided tasting during a Chocolate Workshop at Bellina Alimentari on Tuesday, February 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. Sniffing, tasting and reflecting on each nuance...the engagement process is similar to that of a wine tasting but without the spit buckets. While you’re licking your fingers, Cacao Atlanta chocolatiers will share a little bit about ethical sourcing and the processes that go into creating their artisanal chocolates. After class, receive 10 percent off purchases in The Market at Bellina Alimentari -- and the market is chock full of chocolates. Valentine's gift hint here. Added bonus: Flashy supermarket displays will be less distracting because you’ve unwrapped the real thing. That’s love. Sign up online at Mercato di Bellina or call 404-330-9933.

Get Your Gumbo On for Mardi Gras Menus and Fat Tuesday Specials February 9

Carnival season is well underway in New Orleans where our Southern sister city parades and parties hard from January through Fat Tuesday on February 9. No wallflowers we. Atlanta eateries are living out loud and reveling in Mardi Gras weekend specials and Fat Tuesday merriment.

Beads, beers, gumbo, king cake, po’boys and jambalaya.Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland pours everything into one big Fat Tuesday celebration on February 9. NOLA’s own Abita Restoration pale ale is the righteous ale du jour. 10th & Piedmont is always primed to “laissez les bons temps rouler.” Mardi Gras favorites get rowdy on the dinner menu, including delicious gumbo -- which revelers can order by the cup or bowl ($5/$7). 10^th & Piedmont’s mixologists can give those Bourbon Street bartenders a run for their money! 

Ever wonder why purple, green and yellow rule the Mardi Gras color spectrum? Tradition has it that purple is for justice, green for faith, and yellow represents power.Sublime Doughnuts splashes all three bold hues over the vanilla icing on their justly, faithfully and powerfully delectable Mardi Gras king cake doughnuts available only on February 9. Plain beignets pale in comparison to these cinnamon-spiced yeast-raised sweeties. Pick up a box, and you’ll be an instant hit with the home or office krewe. 

What’s New on Pinterest

Touching down on the subject of game table strategies,Game Day Goodness goes out to all the DIY-ers out there. Score big with game day-inspired dishes like beer-candied bacon, game-day pep-corn, football pizza pockets, macho nachos and crescent jalapeño poppers. Dip into hot Buffalo chicken dip, creamy gluten-free baked double-cheese and onion dip and of course, the ultimate guac-salsa-queso football field surrounded by adoring tortilla chip fans. Game on!