American Cut Makes the Cut for Celeb Dining

Recently seen sporting the dining scene: Atlanta Hawks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer and family dining at American Cut on the night of NBA finals. The classy, contemporary steakhouse in the Shops Buckhead Atlanta and second home of many athletes also played host to WWE star/actor John Cena. These gents know where to go for the most succulent cuts in town.

Chef Kevin Gillespie’s Red Beard Restaurants and Meriwether Companies Form RedWether Collaborative to Help Chefs Get Started in the Biz

Talent and exciting food culture spread across the U.S. The challenge is helping new chefs reach diners so more folks can enjoy the experience. Enter RedWether Collaborative, a partnership between chef Kevin Gillespie’s Red Beard Restaurants and innovative hospitality developers Meriwether Companies that takes the food hall trend to a new level by encouraging chefs to try a new concept or open their first restaurant. In a nutshell, “I have been wanting to help chefs try a new concept or open their first restaurant, and I finally have the right partner to do this,” says Gillespie. “As a restaurateur, I think mostly about food and service. Meriwether thinks about the setting and the overall experiences. Together, we envision a curated, micro-restaurant environment where aspiring entrepreneurs get to take the next step toward their dreams with RedWether as a support structure behind them. It’s a unique hybrid of restaurant and incubator.” Noting that our nation’s progressive food culture extends beyond major cities, RedWether Collaborative is choosing Nashville and Kansas City for initial ventures. The company’s first location is slated to open in Kansas City in mid-2018 with Nashville’s Germantown Union mixed-use development next on the horizon. RedWether will control service and bars inside each space, giving chef tenants the ability to focus on their food without other restaurant and bar burdens. Red Beard Restaurants is the parent company that oversees Atlanta chef, restaurateur, speaker and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie’s food and beverage ventures, including his restaurants Gunshow and Revival, all of his merchandise and Red Beard Special Events, which operates Communion Cantina, his BBQ pop up Terminus City and Gamechanger, opening in August 2017 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Meriwether Companies is a multi-disciplined, experiential real estate development and investment firm focused on designing distinctive and interesting hospitality and residential projects located in resort communities and select urban settings.

The Devil’s in the Details at Taco Mac Sandy Springs Devils Backbone Beer Dinner June 27

What state forest is also a beer? Virginia’s Devil’s Backbone. Taco Mac Sandy Springs is hosting a Devils Backbone Brewery Beer Dinner at the Georgia Chapter Room, 5600 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, on Tuesday, June 27 from 6-9 p.m. The five-course dinner is paired with five beers from beer-of-the-month partner Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Striped Bass pale ale welcomes guests. Course pairings proceed through cocoa-braised beer taco with Black lager; poached pear and blue cheese salad with candied pecans served with Pear lager; beer-braised bratwurst-stuffed calzone with Vienna lager; duck confit over gnocchi served with 16-point IPA; and concluding with coffee flan and Morning Bear Coffee imperial stout for dessert. Buy tickets on Xorbia, $50 per person (plus service fee).

Hot Off the Press -- Taste of Atlanta Tickets Now Available with Early Bird Discounts and Extras

Good things come to those who commit and purchase Taste of Atlanta tickets right away on the food festival website. The first 200 fans to purchase tickets to the city’s premier bites and bevs fest can score Saturday or Sunday general admission tickets for just a sweet $16 (plus fees) - the lowest price the tickets will be this year. The first 100 Grand Tasting Experience tickets sold for Saturday or Sunday can be locked in for just $116 per pair (or $58 each), while the first 50 tickets to the Friday night Kick-Off Party are just $65 each. To sweeten the deal, the first 300 Grand Tasting Experience ticket buyers will secure their highly coveted Taste of Atlanta gift bag before the festival begins simply by purchasing early. More and more food fans flock to the city’s premier bites and bevs fest each year, and tickets fly faster than flapjacks off a hot griddle. Block the weekend of October 20-22 and experience the gastronomic extravaganza of more than 200 nibbles, sips and samples from trendsetting chefs and enduring favorites, chef demonstrations, interactive panel conversations, music and extra helpings of foodie fun. In The Grand Tasting Experience, a ticket upgrade allowing access to exclusive tastes and libations, sells out every year – incentive to buy early. Keep your finger on the festival’s palate-pleasing pulse by visiting TasteOfAtlanta.com, subscribing to the Bite of News newsletter and following Taste of Atlanta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

A.C., ice cream and even that frosty artisanal beer pale in comparison to dear old (or young) Dad, the ultimate king of cool. Cool Dads Rock will recognize dads making an impact in different industries and communities at the third annual Cool Dads Rock Awards Gala & Fundraiser on Sunday, June 25 at the Georgia State University Ballroom. Chef and restaurateur Shaun Doty (The Federal, Bantam + Biddy and Chick-A-Biddy) is one of this year’s honorees. The pre-ball VIP Award Gathering is by invitation only. Cool Dads Rock invites you to join them for the big night that follows, packed with a silent auction, dining, awards and a ball with live entertainment by Quinn and Jukebox. Buy tickets for this black-tie event individually ($78) or purchase a table ($500).

The (Heritage Breed) Pig’s Out of the Bag at Cochon555 Atlanta June 25

Catch the tail end of Cochon555 Atlanta? No way. We’re in for the entire nose-to-tail competition at this epic heritage breed pig party! Part of the 2017 Cochon555 Culinary Tour, this oinker on Sunday, June 25 boasts five chefs, five winemakers, five heritage breeds and a hefty amount of food and beverages from 4-7:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead. Couchon555 is dedicated to supporting family farmers and educating chefs and diners about the importance of Old World livestock. Look for chef and owner Doug Turbush of Seed Kitchen & Bar who will be participating in the Tartare Bar at the Atlanta event, which includes 1,500 pounds of heritage pig, chef-crafted tastings, a “Somm Smackdown,” 40-plus types of boutique wines, craft cocktails and artisanal brews. Start salivating by peeking at the Atlanta “Eat & Drink” lineup. Buy all-inclusive tickets online (service fee applies); 5 p.m. general admission entry, $125 per person; 4 p.m. VIP early admission with exclusive sommelier and cocktail competition tastings, $200 per person. Squealing because you can’t attend? You can still make a donation to the Piggy Bank charity.

Scooping the 11th Annual Slow Food Ice Cream Social at Peachtree Road Farmers Market June 24

Slow Food Atlanta’s annual Ice Cream Social churns out Buckhead’s smoothest route to a brain freeze on Saturday, June 24 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at The Cathedral of St. Philip. Lick summer heat tasting ice creams and sorbets by top local chefs -- including those from 5Church Atlanta in Midtown and American Cut in Buckhead -- and ambitious amateurs then vote for your favorites. We suggest shopping the market in the morning then, when the melty-midday time arrives, pull out spoon and ticket for an ice cream pick-me-up. Tickets are $15 per adult and $5 for children in advance and include an all-access pass to each and every flavor. Sells out, so scoop up tickets here.

5Church Atlanta Hosts First Anniversary Party with Prix Fixe Menu, Music, Champagne Toast June 22

Fun to be one! Join the 5Church Atlanta crew in celebrating year number one on Thursday, June 22. Guests can enjoy a special four-course prix fixe menu with complimentary beer, wine and cocktails as dinner, served 5-10 p.m., opens the evening. Priced at $75 per person, the menu highlights the signature style and modern edge of new executive chef Scotley Innis. An abbreviated à la carte menu also will be available. The Nice Guys DJs turn out the tunes beginning at 8 p.m. Expect entertainment surprises as the evening moves toward a Champagne toast at 10 p.m. and late night festivities. To make reservations, call (404) 400-3669 or visit the restaurant online. Owner Ayman Kamel and his team give a shout out to the Midtown community for extending such a warm welcome and giving enthusiastic support during the restaurant’s first year at Colony Square.

LOL with Ashley Hesseltine and Others at The Blind Pig Comedy Sessions June 21

Laugh your way over hump day at a special Wednesday night edition of The Blind Pig Comedy Sessions on June 21. Ashley Hesseltine from Bros Being Basic makes a triumphant return to Atlanta to headline, supported by special guests Paul Ollinger, Jen O'Neill Smith, Kareem Plug Chapman and Greg Liptak in the newbie spot. Per the usual, the show will be terribly hosted by Neal Reddy. If you want the laughs, buy the $12 per person tickets online in advance because shows sell out at this intimate spot and we’d hate to see you cry over missing the laughs and libations. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and show starts at 8:30 p.m.

Big Green Egg Chow, Drinks, Live Music Rock Atkins Park Va-Hi Porch Party June 21

Live the Southern summer porch life, socializing, sipping cold cocktails and brews, and eating with your fingers. Toe-tapping to live music stirs breezes, and tantalizing aromas waft over from the Big Green Egg where dinner specials are grilling their way to your plate. In Virginia-Highland, the Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar Summer Kickoff Porch Party on Wednesday, June 21 promises all of these delights plus cocktails from Cutwater and ice-cold Sierra Nevada brews. Party officially starts at 8 p.m., but no one says you have to wait ‘til 8 to park it on the porch.

Sit Back and Unwind at Ormsby’s “Summer Summer Summertime” Dinner on Summer Solstice, June 21

Ease into soul of the solstice -- reminiscing with friends and soaking in the love and happiness of summertime -- at Ormsby’s dinner inspired by this hip-hop ode to summer by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. Local, seasonal ingredients from some of the best farmers and cheesemakers in the Southeast all play a part in the four-course blind tasting paired with four craft cocktails on Wednesday, June 21. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. dinner are $40 per person and may be purchased in advance both over the phone and in person at the restaurant. Online tickets are not available for this event. Those with go-to Ormsby’s menu favorites, rest assured the regular menu also will be available that night.

Roll Over, Rover, and Smell the ‘Cue! Smokebelly BBQ Welcomes Pups to the Patio

Have you seen those “wag more, bark less” bumper stickers? Smokebelly BBQ sets tails to wagging more by offering a dog-friendly patio for guests who love their four-legged Bud as much as they love cold suds and hot ‘cue. Imagine how loved those pooches will feel when owners walk or drive them to Smokebelly BBQ in Buckhead. Supersized umbrellas over tables and plush “grass” carpet keep toes and paws cool, preventing hot dog syndrome. Whether you share a bite or two of Smokebelly’s succulent smoked meats and fixins with your pup, well, that’s up to you. Either way, he’ll still love you.