News flash! The James Beard Foundation (JBF) has announced the 2017 semifinalists for its prestigious Restaurant and Chef Awards. Yes, we have to brag on several from our own town:
Best New Restaurant -- The FederalOutstanding Service -- AriaBest Chef: Southeast -- Kevin Gillespie, Gunshow
What’s next? JBF will announce the final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees on Wednesday, Mar. 15 and post the names in real time on Facebook Live and Twitter. The 2017 James Beard Awards Gala will take place at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 1.
Daily food and drink deals for adults and kiddos are on the “Rize” at Rize Artisan Pizza + Salads in Poncey-Highland. Sangria Sunday keeps $5 sangria and $25 carafes of sangria coming your way all day along with $5 small plates and flatbreads from the chef-driven menu from 12-4 p.m. Asian BBQ chicken, Hilo, Peppadew and sausage and all the rest of those irresistible handmade pizzas are two-for-one on BOGO Pizza Monday (second pizza must be of equal or lesser value). On Kids Eat Free Tuesday, youngsters ages 10 and under eat free with the purchase of one adult entrée (one pizza, full salad or pasta “entrée” scores one free kid’s meal). Brainstorming Thursday night options? Wild Heaven Thursday Trivia answers the call with $4 Wild Heaven beer and trivia from 8-10 p.m. Visit Rize Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Complimentary self-parking (up to two hours with validation) is offered in the parking deck behind the property, and valet is available Friday and Saturday nights from 5-11 p.m.
Kevin Gillespie and fellow “Top Chef” season six alum Jen Carroll are reuniting, joining Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward and crew for a one night Hired Guns dinner on Mar. 12 to showcase Carroll’s signature flavors. Even though the event is sold out, a set of four tickets is up for grabs in a special charity auction. Bid on a chance to win this table for four at the 8:30 p.m. seating, a $400 value (drinks and gratuity not included). March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and all proceeds from the winning bid benefit the American Brain Foundation, an organization close to Carroll’s heart. Bravo “Top Chef” finalist and fan-favorite Carroll is executive chef and partner at Requin, a seafood-focused French Mediterranean restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia, with location number two set to open in Washington, D.C. She also has appeared on “Top Chef: All-Stars,” “Top Chef Duels,” “Life After Top Chef” and multiple other cooking shows. Learn more about the American Brain Foundation and its work to fund research for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, autism, epilepsy and other brain diseases.
Not four. Not five. Six divine courses paired with six extraordinary wines from California’s Orin Swift Cellars await guests at Ray’s at Killer Creek at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 10. Executive chef Mike Fuller presents riches of land and sea: char-grilled Murder Point oysters paired with Mannequin; warm, Coca-Cola and anise pickled Brunswick shrimp with Thai basil-plum cocktail sauce paired with Abstract; Magret duck “Ham & Eggs” with homemade duck prosciutto, deviled duck egg and maple-red eye gravy paired with Machete; Certified A-5 Kobe, BMI 12, Ribeye “The Best of the Best Japanese Beef” seared on sizzling salt brick with yakitori mushrooms and sticky rice paired with Papillon; charcoal-grilled Colorado lamb filet mignon served with brown sugar whipped sweet potato, spiced pecan and micro asparagus, paired with Mercury Head; and a final course of Mexican chocolate tiramisu paired with Palermo. $105 per person (excludes tax and gratuity). Reservations required; call 770-649-0064.
Love those Elvis dance moves? Sublime Doughnuts’ favorite is the twist, and they’re featuring a fun “twist” on the classic Elvis sandwich with a yeast doughnut filled with peanut butter and topped with caramelized bananas and candied bacon. This limited-time item is available Mar. 2-9 in honor of ELVIS LIVES “The Ultimate Tribute Artist Event” returning to the Fox Theatre on Mar. 9. Want to win two tickets to the show? Stop by the Sublime Doughnuts Georgia Tech location and enter for a chance to win. Sublime will randomly select a winner at the end of the day on Mar. 5. Viva Las Vegas, we’ll see you in the ATL soon! Have a hunka, hunka burning love to buy more tickets? Use this link or visit the Fox Theatre website.
Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar, East Cobb’s premier destination for chef-driven seafood, is hosting a weeklong Oysterfest first birthday bash March 1-7. Chef/owner Doug Turbush plans a week of daily specials, chef demos and two pairing dinners making the most of the magnificent mollusk -- both to celebrate and to show some guest appreciation. Slide in for oyster happy hour from 5-7 p.m. weekdays (March 1-3 and 6-7) and from 3-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (March 4-5) and enjoy half-priced, half-shell oysters, “buck-a-shuck” oyster of the day and $5 house punch. Additionally, “buck-a-shuck” oysters and $5 Terrapin Hi-5 IPA will be offered all day, every day during Oysterfest. Those wanting to go whole hog oyster will find their pearl lies with the $35 Oysterfest prix fixe menu offered each day, featuring an appetizer choice of cold smoked oysters, beef carpaccio and fried oysters or wood-oven oysters Rockefeller; entrée selection of Jonah crab roll on a toasted H&F bun, wild-caught shrimp over saffron bomba rice or wood-grilled Bay of Fundy salmon; and a dessert choice of Key lime pie, caramel apple bread pudding or chocolate chess pie. Store up pearls of wisdom by attending “Oyster 101” chef demos from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5 when Turbush and sous chef William Puryear open up the world of oysters, oyster farming, oyster etiquette and how to pair oysters with wine and beer. Guests also will enjoy a selection of raw oysters, oyster hors d’oeuvre and sparkling wine. $25 per person (plus service fee); buy tickets online.
When Mardi Gras’ excess and fast times roll out, Lenten simplicity and fasting wash in. Atlanta restaurants have their ways with seafood and vegetarian dishes to help Lenten diners stay dedicated all the way to Easter dinner (but that’s another story).
In Town5Church Atlanta pleases with Midtown lunch and dinner options such as appetizers of ahi tuna poke, charred octopus or butternut squash agnolotti. Lenten lunchers can bite into a crispy beet burger while the dinner crowd can savor a hearth-roasted whole fish. For dessert, save room for the Triple Scoop. Those forgoing meat for Lent can indulge on an elegant dinner of butter-braised lobster with truffle potatoes and broccoli mousseline presented with impeccable service at Aria in Buckhead. At Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland, catch cornbread-crusted Georgia trout, mashed potatoes, green beans and bourbon brown butter apples on the lunch and dinner menus. Weekend brunch throws in fried green tomato Benedict and a vegetarian skillet. Bank on The Federal in Midtown for a satiating lunch or dinner appetizer of chopped chicken liver, toast and cornichons. Midday, make the main thing a veggie grilled sandwich. Come dinnertime, latch onto whole loup de mer with chickpea pancake, fennel, olives, saffron yogurt and bee pollen. Mom would be proud of the HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern Super Food Plate, assembling a very veggie family of Mother Nature salad, fried green tomatoes and sautéed seasonal vegetables for a Midtown dinner. Jefe’s Tacos & Tequila heats up lots of Lenten “Ole!” in Brookhaven with seafood tacos filled with crispy calamari or “Baja fish” with slaw, pico de gallo, guac and serrano tartar sauce; Margarita shrimp tacos with green chili grits, cotija and picante and more. Order a couple of the same or go crazy and order a basket of several varieties.
On Atlanta’s Westside, harvest a veggie bowl at Ormsby's for the garden goodness of butternut squash risotto, asparagus, roasted red peppers and beurre blanc. Lenten diners can stay the course at Revival in Decatur where they’ll find dinner dishes such as local kale salad with apples, charred onion, artisan cheese and boiled dressing and savory Sunday brunch specialties such as cornmeal fried catfish served with smoked cheddar grits, milk gravy and hot sauce or a French-style omelette with soft herb cheese and roasted mushroom jus. OTPIn East Cobb, a stop at Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar at the Avenue East Cobb nets oysters from North American waters and at the Raw Bar, wood-roasted octopus as a starter and those luscious lobster rolls. Stop in for lunch or dinner or a relaxing Sunday brunch. At Seed Kitchen & Bar, white corn grit fritters with jalapeño pepper jelly and Thomasville tome spice up Lenten lunches and dinners. Bay of Fundy salmon with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, melted leeks and truffle vinaigrette fills the bill come dinnertime. At neighboring Stem Wine Bar, choose non-meat small plates like Gulf shrimp al ajillo with garlic, chili, parsley, lemon and extra virgin olive oil and Spanish octopus braised in red wine with fava beans, Fresno chili and spring onion vinaigrette. Multiple LocationsMarlow’s Tavern offers seafood selections to please any appetite including “AB Style” Firecracker Shrimp with Tempura Fried Shrimp, Red Bell Peppers, Pepperoncini, Sweet Chili and Cracklin’ Spicy Sauce and Crispy Pan Roasted Rainbow Trout, with Sauteed Farro, Tiny Green Beans, Parsnip, Buerre Blanc and Apple Shallot Gastrique. Items available at all locations.
Willy’s Mexicana Grill wraps up burritos to please, and tofu steps in perfectly when meat is off your list for Lent. Or, ask for Willy’s salad topped with black beans, pico de gallo, black olives, cucumbers, roasted red peppers and jack cheese. All locations. While fish fries are popular on Fridays during Lent, Taco Mac locations turn out beer-battered fish tacos daily that are plump with SweetWater 420 beer-battered North Atlantic cod, ancho chili aioli, house-made slaw and mango pico de gallo. Is that much fun allowed in a meal?
Without question, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern hosts Midtown’s smartest Tuesday nights. Longtime trivia fiends and newbies can join in the enlightenment when HOBNOB’s new trivia season begins Feb. 28. Outspoken Entertainment runs the Q&A showdown every Tuesday night starting at 8 p.m. Start off with a correct answer in your think tank by following HOBNOB on Facebook and looking for the “free” answer they’ll share every Tuesday.
Today’s the day, Fat Tuesday is here! Pile on the po’boys, jambalaya, king cake, hurricanes and NOLA brews. We unmask Mardi Gras specials at Jefe’s Tacos & Tequila, Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar and more on our blog.
Let the Good Times Roll! First, mix a Jazzy Sazerac, the official cocktail of NOLA, to set the Mardi Gras theme while looking through 32 New Orleans classics for Mardi gras (muffulettas and beyond), netting a drunk shrimp recipe, and learning how to flip crawfish into crawfish dip and crawfish étouffée. We share the list of best New Orleans po’boy joints, a traditional king cake recipe, gumbos, pralines and fun stuff like Mardi Gras snack mix and cookies. Hurricanes? Beignets? You betcha.
Covert operations by brewers? Beer nerds (and we say that with affection) will hop at this opp to try rare beers from the secret collections of 24 breweries united at one event – the “Secret Stash Bash” at Taco Mac’s Prado location on Saturday, March 11. These are those elusive beers you hear of, but think, “Surely, they’ll be hard to find.” So true, yet Taco Mac has done it, finding those beers -- cellared, barrel-aged, blended, Brett, wild and all those in between -- along with brewery brethren for some stout talking. Buy tickets via Xorbia: $40 each for general admission session 1 (1-3:30 p.m.) or general admission session 2 (4:30-7 p.m.).
Bead up and hold on to your king cake and hurricanes. Fat Tuesday is here, tossing restraint to the wind like Mardi Gras trinkets from a Carnival parade krewe float. Speaking of krewes, pull one together, think office buds or friends looking for an excuse to get together, and roll into Atlanta restaurants celebrating with all the bold flavors, bright colors and livin’ out loud libations of the season.
Say “Hola!” to NOLA in Brookhaven thanks to Fat Tuesday revelry at Jefe’s Tacos & Tequila. “Krewes” in for colorful beads, thick gumbo, a bar awash with powerful hurricanes and more Mardi Gras-themed food and drink specials.
Party your face off (or Mardi Gras mask in this case) all day long at Party your face off (or Mardi Gras mask in this case) all day long at Party your face off (or Mardi Gras mask in this case) all day long at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland. Fat Tuesday’s menu rowdies up jambalaya, gumbo and shrimp and oyster po’boys. The bar krewe is eager to pull Abita Purple Haze drafts and swirl up hurricanes all night. Indulge in a slice of king cake; the guest holding the baby in his or her slice has an opportunity to win a $20 Atkins Park gift card.
Those letting the good times roll them southward to NOLA for Mardi Gras should first roll the culinary cursor over to @eater_nola to see what’s tops on the New Orleans food scene. This Eater site shares diner-snapped pics as well as Eater NOLA’s own. Just as Bourbon Street’s an eye-opener, this album’s an eye-opener to the wide variety of Cajun and global foods available for the eatin’ in the Crescent City.
Who’s the keeper of the secret cake recipe in your household? Carrot cake has graced the menu at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails for 10 years, and it’s gluten free. Becoming nostalgic about carrot cake sends executive chef Derek Dollar back in time to reminiscing Sundays spent baking with his mother. Dollar’s interpretation swaps chickpea and rice flours for wheat flour and adds pineapple for luscious flavor and moistness. Share the recipe? Not happening. Cheer up, carrot cake crowd. There’s plenty to go around at Milton’s and the cake’s always a hit at Milton’s private events such as weddings, showers and birthday parties.
