Appetizing Aperture

Last call to jump into Bayou ‘n Bourbon at your neighborhood Marlow’s Tavern. After Monday, March 28, it’s “see you later alligator” as the annual NOLA and Cajun celebration slips back down to Louisiana until 2017. Collect your krewe and dig into Marlow’s Lump Crab Dip, a Bayou ‘n Bourbon favorite combining Creole-spiced lump crab meat, andouille sausage, spicy mustard, Asiago, Parmesan crust and a toasty French baguette ($9.50).

Pig Out on Porcine Proficiency at White Oak Pastures’ Own Pastured Pork Workshop April 23

Rather than hog the information trough, White Oak Pastures is reaching out with a workshop to encourage farmers and farmer wannabes to consider adding pastured pigs to their mix. Participants in the Pastured Pork Workshop on Saturday, April 23 will bring home the bacon, so to speak, rich with newly acquired knowledge about hog housing and fencing, feeds, herd health and maintenance, selection, breeding, farm/abattoir transportation and marketing of those mighty fine swine. After all, a healthy hog is a happy hog! The 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. agenda includes a tour of the Bluffton, Georgia farm, lunch in the Pavilion and the in-depth workshop. Class is limited to 20 participants. $60 per person includes farm tour, lunch and workshop, and attendees will see Iberian hogs imported from Spain. Register today through the White Oak Pastures online store (designate “pick up” during check out to avoid shipping charges) or call 229-641-2081. Looks like it’s going to be ‪#hogheaven.

Gunshow Loads Bell’s Brewery in First Slot of Shotgun Beer Dinner Series April 17

A beer dinner two days after “Tax Day” shows thoughtful planning by chef Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow. The nationally acclaimed Glenwood Park restaurant loads its popular Shotgun Beer Dinner series into 2016 mode, leading off with Bell’s Brewery on Sunday, April 17. The evening promises to be anything but taxing as guests savor pairings of five Bell’s beers and five courses created by Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward and his team. As is the restaurant’s signature custom, dishes are presented to dining room guests on rolling carts and trays. The brewery will pour five different beers to match throughout the dinner. Founders of the Kalamazoo, Michigan, brewery believe the health of our natural environment heavily influences the craft quality of beer. Bell’s remains steadfast in reducing the brewery’s environmental impact for a true farm-to-glass experience. Tickets are $125 per person (excluding gratuity); buy online through Xorbia. Seating will be at communal tables and is limited to 60 guests. Mark the calendar for three remaining Shotgun Beer Dinners: Allagash Brewing Company on July 17, Oskar Blues Brewery on August 14 and Dogfish Head Brewery on November 13.

Surrender to “A Crush on Wine” at Aqua blue Dine Around Dinner in Conjunction with High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction March 30

If you have “A Crush on Wine,” you’ll fall head over heels for the “Dine Around Dinner” Aqua blue is hosting as part of the High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction – now in its 24th year – going on March 30-April 2. Aqua blue chefs Kien Sam and John Metz are creating an exquisite prix fixe menu that will be paired with fine wines from Cass Winery for this wow-worthy VIP dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30. The Roswell restaurant’s attentive staff will be joined by Cass Winery owners Ted and Lisa Plemons pouring their Rhone-inspired varietals from the central coast of California. This special evening is priced at $150 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 770-643-8886. A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit the High Museum of Art.

The Hunt is Over --- Fill Your Basket with These Eggs-traordinary Options for Easter Sunday, March 27

Perhaps you’ve been so wrapped up in March Madness hoopla that finalizing Easter dining plans has hopped right by you. Aah, but basketball brackets take a break over Easter Sunday, March 27. Time out. Bounce over to our Atlanta Dish blog to find out who’s dishing out the best brunches and dinners around Atlanta and all the info needed to nail down those dining reservations. If toasting the Easter Bunny on a sunny patio is more your style, you’ll find some good eggs on our blog as well. Better get crackin’!

No Question, Smokebelly BBQ Team Trivia Nights are the Answer to What’s Up on Wednesdays

Teams in the know can vie for first-, second- and third-place prizes of $30, $20 or $10 house cash during Wednesday Team Trivia Nights at Smokebelly BBQ in Buckhead. The proud-to-be-puzzled will find happiness absorbing facts, pondering select ice cold $3 drafts (all day every day) and feeding brains and brawn Smokebelly’s smoked meats and barbecue, wings, sandwiches and salads. Eighteen televisions and a big screen should do the trick for sports fans intent on following courtside action and tracking stats. Contest begins at 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday night.

Join Wholesome Wave Georgia for an Evening with Nora Pouillon -- Chef, Author and Owner of First Certified Organic Restaurant in U.S. -- March 23

Austrian chef Nora Pouillon turned on the grow light for the organic food movement when her own Restaurant Nora became the first certified organic restaurant in the U.S. Certification requires that at least 95 percent of all ingredients come from certified organic farmers, growers, and suppliers. The Washington, D.C., restaurant’s certification in April 1999 catalyzed the USDA to further develop organic certification standards and guidelines used for restaurants. Pouillon continued down the organic path to become a founding member and current advisory board member of Wholesome Wave nationally. On Wednesday, March 23, join Wholesome Wave Georgia in celebrating Pouillon’s contributions, her memoir "My Organic Life: How a Pioneering Chef Helped Shape the Way We Eat Today" and "Cooking with Nora" cookbook. Naturally, there will be organic bites for noshing, and SweetWater Brewing Company will provide beverages. The party starts at 6 p.m. at Atlanta’s EcoManor. Buy tickets online for an Evening with Nora Pouillon, $30 individual/$50 couple (plus small service fee). Ticket sales directly benefit Wholesome Wave Georgia and its mission to strengthen local food communities by empowering networks of farmers to facilitate access to and awareness of healthy food choices and to bring these healthy, locally grown foods home to all Georgians.

Cast Votes for Johnny’s Hideaway Owner Chris Dauria in Best Self Atlanta Magazine’s “Over 40 & Fabulous!” Contest

Has all of that dancing at Johnny’s Hideaway kept owner Chris Dauria fit and fabulous over the years? Apparently so! Best Self Atlanta magazine has tapped the Buckhead nightspot’s Dauria as a candidate in this spring’s “Over 40 & Fabulous!” contest. Voting opened on March 15 and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 31. Swing your vote his way by gyrating over to Best Self’s Facebook page and clicking on the “Over 40 & Fabulous! 2016” tab or cast an email vote in submitting Dauria’s name to bestselfcontest@gmail.com. Voting is permitted once every 24 hours. The 10 nominees with the most votes will be featured in the magazine’s June issue and will receive prize packages valued at $500. Overall winner scores the magazine cover shot and wins a $1,000 Best Self prize package. Good luck, Chris. You have our vote! 

What’s New on Pinterest

Bag the baguette and spread some Banh Mi, Please throughout the day. The addicting Vietnamese staple chameleons in vegetarian and Crock-Pot bowls, burgers, sliders, pizza, street tacos, breakfast sandwiches, bulgogi and other can’t-get-enough mouthfuls like cheesy shrimp and grits banh mi in a waffle cone (two scoops, please). For diehards, we include recipes for homemade banh mi-building condiments, and beginners can latch onto a few banh mi basics.

#Foodgram

Fit Men Cook has it all -- food, fitness, faith…and Texas. Built in the kitchen, sculpted in the gym, photographed and uploaded onto Instagram to lend assurance that yes, #FitMen and #FitWomen can assemble or cook protein and veggie-packed meals in a flash. Learn some Spanish or dash to Kevin’s YouTube links while you’re at it.

Appetizing Aperture

Hit me with your best shot, or three “Sweet Shots,” when enjoying life at a Tin Lizzy’s Cantina location. The trio straddles the spirited dreamland between shooter and dessert: Mint Kiss embracing Rumple Minze and Baileys Irish Cream ($5); Drunken Pretzel blending Pinnacle Whipped vodka and hazelnut liqueur beneath a salt rim ($4); and Cinnamon Toast Crunch mingling Fireball Cinnamon whiskey and RumChata ($5).

Propel Marlow’s Grilled Chicken Panini and Umi’s Tuna with Crispy Rice into the Winner's Circle of Atlanta Eats’ March Madness Bracket, Elite Eats 2016

Vote the Grilled Chicken Panini at Marlow’s Tavern and the tuna with crispy rice at Umi into the winner’s circle ofAtlanta Eats’ March Madness Bracket, Elite Eats 2016. Both have been selected as two of the 64 most mouthwatering dishes covered by Atlanta Eats. Marlow’s Tavern will vie for the top spot against other dishes in the Slam Dunk Sandwiches division, and Umi will fish for first in the Globe Trotters division. Paralleling basketball bracketing, division champs progress to the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight and the Final Four until one dish claims the “Chompion” title. Voting begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 21, and the first round closes at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22. Cast your votes and follow the competition dates at atlantaeats.com/elite-eats.