London-bound travelers and dreamers best visit Clerkenwell_Boy first. The food editor and contributor to Suitcase magazine and The Guardian’s Observer Food Monthly sleuths out London’s best eats, unusual food events and fresh markets. Did we mention he’s also a co-founder of @CookForSyria. Always stirring up something new, this Clerkenwell Boy.
Himitsu means “secret.” That said, the word’s out about the “by-reservation-only” Japanese craft cocktail lounge in the heart of Buckhead with its unique cocktail program. Ben Yabrow and his bar team execute precise mixtures such as the Pandan, a crystal clear blend of Pandan rum, scotch, pineapple, coconut, spice and clarified milk. Clearly, amazing.
Cheers to “Can do!” positivity and 20 years of raising funds for Camp Twin Lakes! Can Jam, Taco Mac’s annual monthlong fundraiser, gives guests opportunities to support a life-changing and encouraging cause and relish their new favorite canned craft beers. During April, Taco Mac is featuring 18 canned beers – classics, exclusive launches and new-to-market brews -- from premium brew sponsors Samuel Adams, Pabst Blue Ribbon, SweetWater Brewing Company and Creature Comforts along with other favorites like Monday Night Brewing and Orpheus Brewing. Brewniversity loyalty program members receive one credit for each Can Jam beer and also can earn varying credits for purchasing paper beer mugs to sign and display for $1, $5, $10 or $16 donations. After downing your brew, go ahead and crush your can as a symbol of how Camp Twin Lakes helps children crush some of the challenges of living with serious illnesses and disabilities.
“Brother, can you spare a rib?” may be query of the day for rib-wrangling, finger-licking guests at the Smoke & Glory Chef Thunderdome cook-off and craft brewery showcase at Steinbeck’s Ale House in Decatur on Sunday, April 2. An all-star lineup of chefs, including John Flagello from Seed Kitchen + Bar, slathers up for a real battle of the beasts cook-off where there’s only one rule: they have to smoke pork spare ribs. After that, anything goes. Block out 12-4 p.m. for a full afternoon piggybacking food samplings, unlimited beer tastings from local craft breweries and jamming to DJ Keiran Neely’s soul, funk and vintage hip-hop spins. Will your taste buds agree with the glory-winners chosen by judges Andy McDaniel of Slope’s BBQ and food writers Christiane Lauterbach and Bob Townsend – or will you have a (rib) bone to pick with their choices? Tickets cover all of the above: $65 adults; $25 ages 13-20; $10 ages 5-12 years; free for five and under. Proceeds benefit The Giving Kitchen and Camp Horizon.
Blast off to 5Church Atlanta for an out-of-this-world ATLiens brunch. The first ATLiens brunch launches April 1 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and the next one lands, same time, on April 15. Arrive ready to build your own bloody mary at the bloody mary bar or order other brunchy libations to sip while enjoying an Outkast playlist performed by the “soul-ectronic/multi-crunk/flyy-ness” sounds of of Cecili & Mr. E. Worldwide and choosing from 5Church specialties. Those glorious Belgian waffles decked out with sautéed apples, bourbon caramel sauce and whipped cream ($8). Tender crabcakes and poached eggs with toasted bread, spinach and jalapeño beurre blanc ($14). Who can decide? Reservations are strongly suggested; call 404-400-3669. Validated parking and valet available.
Take eating healthily seriously and shop local farmers markets, like the Piedmont Park Green Market. Free chef demos are an added bonus as Atlanta chefs happily dole out delicious, fresh ideas using the market’s seasonal offerings. See what chef Matthew Ridgway of Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman has in mind this Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m. in the Visitor Center. Shop the Green Market Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Coast into a quick spring seaside getaway. The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill on Canton Street in Roswell is hosting their only Oyster Flight Night of the spring beach season on Thursday, March 30 beginning at 7 p.m. Shell out a mere $35 per person for eight oysters (four varieties) and four (four-ounce) beer or wine pairings. Hushpuppies and boiled peanuts come on board as well. The night’s featured brews are a mere tide’s ride away, hailing form Roswell’s Gate City Brewing Company. Buy tickets online for $35 through March 30.
Open wide and say, “Yum!” to spring’s hefty helping of restaurant openings, both those new to the Atlanta area and additional locations of local favorites.
New on the Scene
- Brine Seafood Shack sails into Alpharetta’s Avalon retail complex this spring, ferrying boatloads of fine, fresh seafood. The newest venture from Marc Taft’s Southern Fried Hospitality heads seaward from the successful Chicken and the Egg in Marietta. Taft and Brine chef de cuisine David Connolly bridge Southern California beach vibe and Cape Cod classics on a menu brimming with lobster rolls, fish stew, clam fritters, tuna poke, fresh oysters and fish tacos. A rooftop Tiki bar with fans and fire pits draws guests upward. Ground level, a walk-up window will open for takeout as well as offer soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes, cocktails, beer and wine to enjoy while strolling Avalon.
- Dallas, Texas-based Cowboy Chicken gallops into the Atlanta area this summer, turning McDonough (South Point shopping center) and Duluth (Sugarloaf Centre) onto its wood-fire rotisserie chicken. The bold, simple and natural style of “just” chicken, chicken enchiladas and sandwiches, salads with rotisserie chicken and healthy “Wild West” sides center on the art of cooking over a real wood-burning fire. Lassoing a menu of picnic-perfect family packs to go and catering offerings, Cowboy Chicken opens in the nick of time for outdoor concert, pool and party season.
Favorites Add Locations
- HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern is opening a second location in Town Brookhaven this May when it moves into the former Smash Kitchen & Bar space. The tavern with Southern flair provides a friendly gathering spot for neighbors, shoppers, moviegoers and those just out for a stroll to sit a spell and enjoy tavern specialties, signature cocktails and bourbons from the extensive selection.
- Willy’s Mexicana Grill will roll -- like its fresh and fabulous burritos -- into Smyrna (2995 Atlanta Road, SE, Suite A-160) and the Northlake area (4076 Lavista Road, Tucker) this spring. Welcome timing for those hungering for Willy’s healthy burritos, tacos and bowls to eat in or carry out to the ballpark, swim meets, tennis matches, concerts or wherever summer’s extra daylight hours lead.
- Taco Mac wings its way into McDonough with an anticipated May opening near South Point shopping center. An Atlanta institution since 1979, Taco Mac is the place to find more than 100 beers on draft, the Southeast’s Original Buffalo wings and 50+ HD TVs for sports viewing.
Stadium Winners
- Gamechanger brings award-winning chef Kevin Gillespie’s fan-fare favorites to Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium (200 concourse western end zone), opening July 2017. Catch craveables and popular dishes such as Gunshow’s famous Joey’s West Coast burger, Revival’s Closed-on-Sunday chicken sandwich and Buffalo pork belly sliders, a hit with Falcons fans. Gillespie plans daily specials and a signature item for each stadium event, be it music or sport. Grab draft beer and sodas at the main station, craft beers at the two satellite beer bars or a citrusy cocktail at an “adult lemonade” stand.
- As a boy, Marc Taft loved watching Braves baseball and eating his grandma’s juicy fried chicken. Now grown, restaurateur Taft is living his dream, opening FEED – Fried Chicken & Such at The Battery Atlanta this spring. Those familiar with Taft’s Chicken and the Egg are already salivating over the made-from-scratch specialties, anticipating buckets of chicken, fried chicken tenders and Nashville hot chicken; Southern favorites of North Carolina catfish, Texas-style country fried steak, meatloaf, braised greens, macaroni and cheese, green beans and fried green tomatoes, as well as healthy options such as grilled chicken and salads. Soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes, pies and other fresh-baked treats satisfy that sweet tooth. FEED will offer fast counter service on game days and a relaxed, full-service dining area for lunch and dinner the rest of the year. Bar beverages can be taken outside restaurant walls to be enjoyed within The Battery complex.
- Sublime Doughnuts owner Kamal Grant is rolling his chef-crafted sweet treats, both round and shaped, into two outlets within Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Home team’s ahead? Celebrate with an A-Town cream. Opponents score? Guests can make their own touchdown at Sublime for one of the many creative doughnut flavors, fill a box to win points with new seat section friends or opt for Sublime soft-serve ice cream and doughnut sandwiches.
“Beauty and the Beast” sings and dances onto movie theater screens this week leading us to cheese-fully pun, “Brie Our Guest!” and wheel out the brie. The appetizer table staple, baked in a flaky crust or oozing out from under a hot topping, also melts beautifully into creamy soups with roasted mushrooms, red peppers, asparagus or cauliflower. Brie adds a French touch to main stays like four cheese buttery RITZ Crackers mac and cheese; steak sliders with caramelized onions and figs; and chicken stuffed with spinach and cranberries. Instead of wrapping your wheel, fill brie and bacon jam phyllo cups, stuff roasted garlic and brie pull-apart bread or roll out tender brie biscuits. Paired with fruit in blueberry, brie and lemon curd grilled cheese, apple brie salad, quick strawberry and brie bites, grilled brie-stuffed figs with honey and a classic strawberry balsamic baked brie, brie is the belle of the ball.
When your love language is cake, your Instagram love handle becomes “Let Me Eat Cake.” Saveur magazine elevates Los Angeles-based Nastassia Johnson and her photogenic sweet spot as one of their “12 Favorite Dessert and Pastry Instagrams.” No calories in looking!
Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails nests tender jumbo lump crabcakes atop Meyer lemon-goat cheese grits with grilled asparagus and cracked mustard butter sauce ($34). Crown this dish king of the crustacean kingdom -- and hand over some forks.
The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill kitchen krewe charts a course along the Louisiana coast, landing quite a haul of Cajun-inspired culinary adventures to enjoy come lunch or dinnertime. Sink your teeth into crawfish bites, flash-fried and served with low country aioli ($8.95), or gator bites, marinated, flash-fried and served with New Orleans barbecue sauce ($8.95). The fried crawfish po’boy with shredded lettuce, tomato and low country aioli ($14.95) and the gator tail po’boy swapping in remoulade and a drizzle of NOLA barbecue sauce ($13.95) are Cajun nirvana on rolls. Net New Orleans BBQ shrimp, blackened and served over smashed tomatoes with grilled green beans and Worcestershire-spiked Creole garlic butter sauce ($21.99). Jumbo gumbo cravings? TBK seafood gumbo satisfies, piling blackened shrimp and crawfish tails over a Creole seafood gumbo with seasoned rice and flash-fried okra ($22.95). Cajun good times roll through April 30. Hop on board.
