Squash Blossoms are blooming on the spring menu at Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante in Buckhead. Stuffed with a ricotta and mozzarella cheese mixture, dipped in a light batter and flash fried, the big golden blossoms are delicacies to behold ($9). Hurry, hurry! Quantities are limited.
Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails is beefing up its daily menu in prime fashion. Now guests dining at the charming restaurant in historic Crabapple can cut into fine, aged steaks from local Revere Meat Co. Executive chef Derek Dollar’s new Prime Cuts menu corrals exceptional prime cuts including six-ounce prime filet mignon, aged 35 days ($32); nine-ounce prime filet mignon, aged 35 days ($45); 14-ounce prime grass-fed Delmonico rib-eye, aged 35 days ($42); 16-ounce dry-aged bone-in NY strip, aged 60 days ($48); and Milton’s signature wagyu flank steak, aged 35 days ($28). Choose red wine veal jus, hollandaise or duxelles truffle butter to enhance each morsel. Add a jumbo lump crabcake Oscar to any steak for $14. Savory sides complement perfectly: jalapeño honey-glazed heirloom baby carrots; Loud Mouth Farm’s mushroom confit with truffle essence; smoked Gouda creamed spinach with crispy shallots, charred Brussels sprouts and apples with cracked mustard-sherry bacon vinaigrette; giant salt-roasted potato with cultured butter, house bacon, Tillamook cheddar, buttermilk crème fraîche and chives; smoky grilled asparagus with hollandaise and tomato brunoise; and roasted cauliflower with shaved Parmesan and white truffle oil. Tender Prime Cuts beef. Fresh ingredients, many coming from kitchen-close Milton’s Acre backyard garden. A heady “Grapes & Hops” wine list. Truly, Milton’s is heaven on earth.
Cross the street (okay, highway) and go outward bound for lunch -- outside the Perimeter. Sail into Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar at the Avenue East Cobb for seafood, sandwiches, salads, raw bar and more seven days a week. Monday through Saturday, sister restaurant Seed Kitchen & Bar in Marietta offers a “Daily Trio” featuring a sandwich, soup and salad for $12.95 along with specialty plates, sandwiches and salads topped with grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp. Lunching at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Canton Street, situated amid the quaint shops and galleries of Roswell, is like taking a midday beach town “vacay,” any day, for fresh fish and seaside favorites, po’boys and signature low-cal bowls. Multiple OTP (and several right inside I-285) locations practically guarantee there’s a friendly neighborhood Marlow’s Tavern on your way from point A to B (even if point B is in Florida). Slip away to Taco Mac for a quick sports viewing fix, wings, soups, salads, burgers, wraps, tacos -- you name it, backed by a hefty beer program and lots of libations. Turn a potentially snoozer of a cubicle lunch from siesta to fiesta by crossing the FlexMex border to Tin Lizzy’s Cantina. Can’t help but say “ole!” to tacos, skillets, quesadillas, salads and a mega selection of margaritas, “Thin Lizzies” cocktails and libations. When pursuing lunchtime happiness, OTP is “fare” game.
Ease into Easter Sunday sipping mimosas at brunch, mosey in midday or gather everyone together after a full day of Easter activities. From casual to elegant, Atlanta restaurants are rising, shining and ready to please with bodacious buffets, special menus and beloved favorites. Now hop to it and make reservations – you’ll find all the info you need on Atlanta Food News.
Taxing week? Sign off. Bottom line, it’s ATLiens brunch time. 5Church Atlanta hosts its second ATLiens brunch this Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Cecili & Mr. E. Worldwide return, performing their “soul-ectronic/multi-crunk/flyy-ness” spin on an Outkast “ATLiens” playlist. Power up with craft cocktails, mimosas and sangria by the glass or carafe or build-your-own bloody marys and navigate the well-curated brunch menu. Partial to morning fare? Steer toward Belgian waffles with sautéed apples, bourbon caramel sauce and whipped cream ($8); tender crabcakes and poached eggs with toasted bread, spinach and jalapeño beurre blanc ($14); or “Preacher’s Breakfast” of three eggs, stone-ground grits, bacon and braised greens ($12). Those fancying traditionally “p.m.” dishes will go for the oyster po’boy with smoked bacon aioli, pickled Fresno pepper, arugula and hand-cut fries ($14); the signature 5Church lamb burger ($14); and bistro steak “a la brasa” with two eggs any style, chimichurri and french fries ($23). Several omelets and sandwiches round out the menu. 5Church Atlanta’s interstellar ATLiens brunch is “chill-axing,” not taxing.
Ray’s Restaurants reveals why its guests are so happy. Hand-cut steaks and fresh seafood, yes, but also for high-quality bar bites at half price. At Ray’s on the River in Sandy Springs and Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta, relish $1 oysters on the half shell and half-price appetizers including seared ahi tuna tataki, crispy Point Judith calamari, Ray’s “New Orleans” barbecue shrimp, Ray’s brisket burger, goat cheese pimiento fritters and Ray’s blue cheese chips. Enjoy the specials in bar and lounge areas (and on the creek-side patio at Ray’s at Killer Creek). Hours are 3-6 p.m. (Ray’s on the River) and 3-7 p.m. (Ray’s at Killer Creek), 9 p.m. to close and Sundays from 5-9 p.m. The downtown Atlanta after-work crowd unwinds at Ray’s in the City to live music (Tuesday through Saturday) and a revamped menu of bar friendly bites including Ray’s gourmet sliders (served with Ray’s house-cut fries), crispy fried Gulf shrimp and grits and half-price items including Ray’s “New Orleans” barbecue shrimp, steamed mussels, crispy Point Judith calamari, Ray’s blue cheese chips and a half-dozen oysters on the half shell. These specials rule Monday through Friday, 3-6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close. In addition, all raw bar items are half price (excludes cold seafood tower) from 9 p.m. to close weekdays.
Varasano’s Pizzeria tames the rush, rush of getting to the world’s busiest airport and through security lines with the sensory rush of sitting down to a time-conscious, first-class meal just off the “main drag” of Concourse A traffic. Varasano’s makes and flash-bakes brick oven-style pizzas to order from 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Delicate, thin crusts avoid the “extra baggage” of heavy dough. The all-natural, crisp-crust pies wear just the right amount of sauce and fresh toppings to nourish both carnivores and vegetarians without weighing anyone down. Those keen on greens can happily munch away on one of several salad selections. Order your favorite craft cocktail, beer or a relaxing glass of wine and feel the stress meter drop while listening to a pianist play live music at the piano bar and watching flight comings and goings through the huge window wall. Or, choose a TV view for news or sports. Like the original Varasano’s Pizzeria in Buckhead, the airport location slices into a big share of pie pride accolades, being recognized in USA Today as one of the 2016 Best Restaurants in the 10 Busiest U.S. Airports (#1 in Atlanta) along with similar recognitions by Condé Nast Traveler, Fox News, Serious Eats and others. Varasano’s is one of the high-quality Hojeij Branded Foods airport eateries satisfying travelers in Atlanta and other major U.S. airports. Stop in at HBF eateries and pass on the peanuts and pretzels.
Ahoy, Avalon diners! Brine Seafood Shack, the latest from executive chef and restaurateur Marc Taft, opens Thursday, April 13. Drop in for succulent seafood and vacation vibe -- you’ll swear you’re in that perfectly relaxed seafood spot where Cape Cod meets Santa Monica Beach. The menu, created by Taft and Brine chef de cuisine David Connolly (previously of Two Urban Licks and Tap in Atlanta and Michelin-starred Spiaggia in Chicago), includes dishes such as tuna poke with avocado, yuzu, soy and taro; crabcake with remoulade; mini clam rolls on brioche with lemon-caper tartar; lobster rolls, fish stew, clam fritters, fresh oysters and fish tacos. Seafood menus follow Monterey Bay Seafood Watch sustainable practices, and much of the catch from New England, the West Coast and the Gulf will be geo-tagged right down to the captain’s name and boat location. This “shack” is like no other, boasting a rooftop bar featuring Tiki-style craft cocktails and a retractable roof; a raw bar and classic boat cocktails; and a New England-style walk-up window for takeout, soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes and even cocktails, wine and beer to quench thirsts while strolling Avalon’s boardwalk, err, sidewalks. Brine is the latest dining concept from Southern Fried Hospitality, which provides management and development for Taft’s Chicken and the Egg, FEED – Fried Chicken & Such (opening late spring at The Battery Atlanta adjacent to SunTrust Park) and CO-OP Community Table + Bar (opening April 2018 in Forsyth County’s HALCYON Development).
Spring Is Here, blooming brightly in gardens, kitchens and meals. Add citrus zing through lemon thyme chicken, ginger-tea lemonade, lemon cream Pavlova and blueberry Key lime cupcakes. Stock the beach-bound break cooler with coconut lavender lemonade and other springy cocktails, fresh veggie rolls with peanut sauce, jars of cold quinoa salad, refrigerator cucumber salad and “sex on the beach” frozen pops. Those tender spring veggies march into vegetable gnocchi and an easy ragout, spring pea tart, ramp pesto muffins, crostini and an admirable grilled goat cheese, asparagus and prosciutto sandwich well deserving of its stripes.
My Kitchen Chaos is heaven sent for uber-busy families trying to get dinner to the table fast on crazy and normal (slightly less crazy) days. Mommy blogger and author Adina Kalish reveals copycat restaurant recipes -- healthier version chicken soup and lettuce wraps -- and other quick picks like veggie fried rice, Matzah Palooza and weekend morning “Friends with Benedicts.” See video clips of her “Atlanta & Co.” cooking segments on her blog.
Technically, street and a sidewalk pave the way to The Big Ketch Canton Street in Roswell. It’s the frame of mind that counts, and this patio party fueled by cold brews and hot live music is all about welcoming the coastal season from 2-6 p.m. on Sunday, April 23. Crack open ice-cold canned beers for $3 each and tilt glasses of wine for $5 each. Feel those salty sea breezes already? When seaside hungries hit, plate up for a boatload of TBK-style low country boil. No cover or admission charge to attend; cash bar and boil.
