ACC, SEC, TGC. Some rivalries extend beyond stadium walls – such as how to score the most points in the pregame tailgate conference. Call on coach Dish to pass along winning strategies through the Tailgating Tips + Tricks Pinterest game plan. Study up on essentials and hacks to remember, games to play and cornhole boards to build. Next down, small bites and big batch drinks: bacon brown sugar smokies, loaded Tater Tots skewers, slices of Buffalo chicken crescent ring, sliders, outlaw lemonade, pumpkin-cider beertails and frozen bourbon and Coke. Tackle football cake pops, football-shaped foods and hit on some healthy and tempting game-day snacks. Start here and you’re tailgate bowl-game bound!
Why commit to only land or only sea when you can have both for a very appetizing price thanks to the special Surf & Turf dinner special at Ray’s Restaurants? Available at all three Ray’s locations – Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River and Ray’s at Killer Creek -- the prix fixe menu pulls together the best of land and sea and tosses in a salad and side for $34.95 per person. Choose a leafy green starter of either artisan field greens with mixed local baby lettuce, candied pecans, dried cranberries, Statesboro blue cheese and roasted onion balsamic dressing or a Caesar salad tossing baby gem lettuce with shaved pecorino cheese, herb croutons and Caesar dressing. The entrée features Surf & Turf title cuts, a six-ounce filet mignon and four-ounce lobster tail sided by Yukon gold whipped potatoes. Room for dessert? For $5, add New York cheesecake with caramel drizzle or chocolate raspberry mousse with raspberry coulis. Price excludes beverage, tax and gratuity; prix fixe menu may not be split. Ruminate too long and you’ll miss this succulent, limited-time offering.
Atlanta chefs are potluck pros. When top toques are in charge, all you have to do is show up…and show up hungry. Chef-driven dishes, spirited drinks, forks, spoons and plates are all provided at the Wholesome Wave Georgia Southern Chefs Potluck, spreading out over the grounds of the Inn at Serenbe from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, September 11. Andreas Müller of Revival as well as Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere of Bantam + Biddy are among the area’s top chefs preparing mouthwatering side dishes. White Oak Pastures’ own Jenni Harris will be on hand, along with Jim ‘N Nicks Bar-B-Q, to provide a mighty amount of meat and main dishes for the family style meal. Mercedes O’Brien of Gunshow and other Atlanta mixologists will shake, stir and pour libations to go with a broad range of wines and craft beers. Feed on theseticket options: $150 for individuals, $300 VIP individual, $600 VIP ticket package or $1500 VIP overnight package (additional small service fee for all online purchases). Work off the meal by raising your paddle at a spirited live auction. The annual Southern Chefs Potluck, now in its seventh year, is the largest fundraiser of the year for Wholesome Wave Georgia. We ladle out more info on the Atlanta Dish blog.
Every day, we thank our star-studded doughnuts we’re lucky enough to eat and drink for a living and share our passion with all of you out there in Noshland. Imagine our delight when we caught wind that this Friday, September 9, is “I LOVE Food Day” – a holiday of epic-urean proportion for foodies like us. And so we give thanks, recounting recently devoured yum-yums like squid ink tagliatelle showing off calamari, crab, Fresno chilies and chives. We completely caved to OMG Hot Pockets, plumped with smoked pulled pork, mac and cheese and honey sauce. Jalapeño corn brûlée with pancetta peppered our taste buds in a sensational spicy-sweet-salty way. Thai herbs imbued heady mystique to caramelized Brussels sprouts and cauliflower while seared Kobe beef nigiri wowed our yin-yang yearnings served with ponzu, green onion, garlic chips and yuzu kosho. We licked our fingers to catch the last drops of tomato fresco, garlic, olive oil and sea salt on Spanish-style toast. And somehow we find ourselves circling back around to star-studded doughnuts, specifically a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup doughnut. For all of us at Melissa Libby & Associates, “I LOVE Food Day” speaks of love at first bite.
5Church is opening its rooftop patio in a grand way this weekend and complimentary valet parking will help guests rise to the top even faster. On Friday, September 9 at 5 p.m., the Midtown restaurant at the corner of Peachtree and 14th streets throws wide the doors upstairs above its main dining room to reveal a spacious rooftop perch well poised for viewing Peachtree Street. Celebrate being a “higher up” by ordering refreshing cocktail, beer or wine selections from the restaurant’s full beverage menu. The special “Lite Bites” patio menu from chef/partner Jamie Lynch and executive chef RJ Cooper stars shareables and solos such as red pea hummus with naan and zaatar ($5); olives from the oven with orange, caraway and herbs de Provence ($4); Georgia heirloom tomatoes, compressed watermelon, Goat Lady goat cheese and Banyuls vinegar ($9); jumbo lump crab, seaweed salad, tomato, chives and soy-ginger vinaigrette ($15); and the signature 5Church lamb burger served on a house-made bun with red onion marmalade, Gorgonzola fondue and arugula plus a side of hand-cut fries ($15). Rooftop patio seating will be available nightly on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 5 p.m. Hosting that group gathering, business function or birthday party on the 5Church rooftop patio will make it the high point of the day; contact Miranda Miranda at Sales@5ChurchAtlanta.com to make it happen.
When was the last time you feasted with a fireman, munched out with the mayor or played lawn games with law enforcers? Reality check, it can happen this week at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails Patriot Day Chowdown. Friends, families, grandparents and grandbabies, come salute America along with the city of Milton’s firefighters, police and mayor Joe Lockwood at this month’s chowdown and tribute to first responders, 4-8 p.m. on Sunday, September 11. Kids can hop on a fire truck or jump for joy in the bounce house, and everyone will have fun playing lawn games and swaying to the live music beat. Executive chef Derek Dollar and his kitchen team are fixing crowd-pleasing favorites: low country boil, lobster, crab legs, pickle-fried chicken, pulled pork, pastrami-rubbed ribs, chicken fingers, french fries, cotton candy and so much more. Buy tickets online: $40 per adult, $20 per child. Ticket price includes all of the above (alcoholic beverages, tax, small online service fee not included.) Read more on our blog. Hurry over to historic Crabapple for this star-spangled afternoon and evening. Watch the speedometer though. Hate to get a driving award on the way to or fro.
Midtown Restaurant Week (MRW) serves a week of prix fixe dining deals beginning Saturday, September 10, through Sunday, September 18. 5Church, which opened this summer at the corner of 14th and Peachtree streets, jumps right into the Midtown neighborhood’s delicious week – and they’re taking reservations now. Executive chef RJ Cooper presents a $35 dinner menu well-endowed with appetizer, entrée and dessert choices as well as a special three-course wine pairing priced at $18. Among first-course options are charred romaine, avocado, Cotija cheese and roasted lime-jalapeño dressing; warm burrata, heirloom tomatoes, pickled watermelon rind and Georgia olive oil; Carolina shrimp ceviche with pan de anis; Point Judith calamari with chorizo, Sea Isle red peas, garlic and migas; and sweet corn soup, hot and cold foie gras and corn nuts. For an additional $8, choose the hearth-roasted octopus with red pea hummus, lemon and pea vines. Making choices only becomes more difficult: hearth-braised chicken thighs with prunes and Vidalia onion bread pudding; goose egg pappardelle with duck confit and black truffle butter; wasabi-crusted salmon roulade with seaweed salad; hearth-roasted whole fish with broccoli rabe and fingerling potatoes; Filipino adobo beef bavette; squid ink tagliatelle with calamari, crab, chilies and tomatoes; or hearth-roasted farm vegetables with farro verde and arugula pesto. Steak lovers, for an additional $15, choose the 5Church signature “60 second” NY strip steak or C.A.B. filet mignon. Save room for dessert and cheese choices – the amazing PBJ peanut butter mousse; frozen pineapple parfait with coconut cake, lime-jalapeno sorbet and macadamia nuts; twisted s’more ATL!; ice cream sandwich tasting; or three ripened cheeses. Shareable sides may be ordered à la carte for an additional charge. Tax and gratuity not included.
Say GRACE and pass the guac. Willy’s Mexicana Grill founder and CEO Willy Bitter is a finalist for the 2016 Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Award. Willy and Willy’s were nominated by peers for the Distinguished Service Award, one of the eight award categories designated by the Georgia Restaurant Association(GRA). Providing leadership, demonstrated community service, charitable involvement and/or service to the restaurant industry are among the criteria considered for the honor. Willy’s rolls the burrito-loving arms of its 28 Georgia locations around all of these acts of kindness. One example is Willy’s commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta through fundraising as well as involvement in the organization’s “Positive Sprouts” initiative to establish healthy eating habits and nutritional awareness. The GRA will announce this year’s winners at the 10th Annual GRACE Awards Gala taking place on November 13 at the Delta Flight Museum. A portion of Gala proceeds will benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Find ticket and sponsorship information here.
Call your best spud-dy buddy and get together to mash, smash and load Perfect Potatoes during September, National Potato Month. Eye ways to press the ever-versatile root into service as waffle-iron hash brown sandwiches, french fry-crusted pizza or amazingly spiraled kabobs. Taters go savory wrapped in foil with garlic, Parmesan and broccoli or spicy when roasted with veggies and mixed in a Southwestern salad. Humble, yes, but nutrient-rich super spuds save many a meal.
The Southern Gentleman opens football season with a new Football Bourbon Club on Sunday and Monday nights. The gastropub in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta will offer three specialty burgers: one traditional burger and two burgers inspired by the teams on the field that evening. On the roster are options like the Johnny roast pork burger (Philadelphia Eagles), Italian hot beef burger (Chicago Bears), muffuletta burger (New Orleans Saints) or the Nashville hot chicken burger (Tennessee Titans). Field a burger and a flight of bourbon for $15 – and that goes for fans of football viewing and people watching. Come back on Wine & Whiskey Wednesdays, beginning September 14, and enjoy a midweek pick-me-up of bourbon specials and $5 rotating wines.
