#Foodgram

Brittany Arnett, self-proclaimed “Toastess with the Mostest” drops pins around the world as she travels and eats her way around Australia, NYC and other locales for Toasted Table. Oh yes, and she’s the co-founder of Georgetown U’s Eating Society, dedicated to learning about different cultures through food.

What’s New on Pinterest

Peanut Butter Lovers know there are few things more comforting to a PB purist than having a jar of PB in one hand and a spoon in the other. If it happens to be a really big jar, spread the wealth around in these recipes. Easy PB protein bars require only four ingredients, and there are only three ingredients in flourless PB mug cake. Still some in the jar? Blend a PB espresso smoothie for an afternoon pick-me-up. Or, give everyone a spoon and their own chocolate PB pie jar. Lots more recipes, but we’ve scraped our jar clean.

What’s Your Beef? National Burger Day is Aug. 27

Humbly wrapped in paper or presented on china and white tablecloth, burgers are an American mainstay well worthy of a national day of honor. Use our restaurant roundup of the round patties to know where to go for the best in town on National Burger Day, Sunday, Aug. 27…otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a pickle deciding where to hoist a juicy one.

• At Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland, the Park Burger is “Always Available” with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and mayo. Swap out the certified Angus beef burger for a black bean veggie burger or grilled chicken breast and choose from a long list of add-on toppings for an additional $.50 to $1.
• Casual Brine Seafood Shack in Alpharetta’s Avalon tops a Georgia-grown, grass-fed beef burger with white cheddar, red onion, lettuce, Brine pickles and special sauce ($12.95).
• Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar at The Avenue East Cobb reels in its signature Drift Burger stacked with American cheese and pickled grilled onion ($14). Add fried oysters for a real pearl of a burger for an additional $7.
• The Federal’s namesake -- The Federal Burger ($15) -- sustains Midtowners with its half-pound grass-fed beef double stack covered with American cheese and sided by potato salad, napa slaw or fries at lunch or grilled garnish and fries at dinner.
• The 5Church lamb burger, a flavorful favorite at 5Church Atlanta in Midtown, slides between the buns with red onion marmalade, Gorgonzola fondue and arugula and is joined by hand-cut fries ($15).
• HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern in Midtown and Brookhaven devotes an entire portion of the menu to its burgers. Choose your fave for the patty -- 100 percent Angus choice beef, grass-fed beef, turkey, lamb, veggie, chicken or salmon -- then go with themes such as Steak House, Southerner, Morningside, The Champion, Triple B and other tempters ($12-$15).
• In Brookhaven, Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub grinds meat daily for its quarter-pound patties served in a single ($7) or double ($11) stack.
• Classic Tavern Burgers are a Marlow’s Tavern favorite, especially the Royale with Cheese, which stacks perfectly seared wagyu beef with American cheese and dill pickle on a buttery sesame brioche bun ($14).
• Ormsby’s brings on the Bruno Burger, a half-pound of grass-fed ground beef, blackened chicken breast or fresh ground turkey topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms and provolone on an egg bun ($11). Vegetarians, the black bean burger at this Westside eatery is for you, doused with guacamole, tortilla chips and cheddar on an egg bun ($10). Burgers come with a choice of sides.
• Ray’s Restaurants’ guests adore the hickory BBQ bacon burger with its aged cheddar, smoked bacon, bibb lettuce, vine-ripened tomato, crispy onions, dill pickle and BBQ sauce on a toasted brioche bun. Dig in downtown at Ray’s in the City ($16), Ray’s on the River in Sandy Springs ($15) and Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta ($15).
• At Seed Kitchen + Bar in East Cobb, Vermont white cheddar and merc sauce blanket caramelized onions and tomato on the half-pound Merchant Burger ($14.95), sided by salad, fries or a cup of soup at lunch and fries or salad at dinner.
• The Stem Burger at Stem Wine Bar features red wine-braised short rib, pork belly, Comte, tomato onion jam, thrice-cooked fries and aioli ($15). Complete the idyllic repast with a glass of red wine from the East Cobb wine bar’s tremendous selection. 
• Sublime Doughnuts goes rogue, opting for a scoop of strawberry rosé, white chocolate fudge or other flavors of Sublime’s homemade ice cream (in lieu of beef) on a Sublime doughnut with fresh toppings ($6). Available 24/7 at both the Midtown and Druid Hills locations.
• The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill Steak Burger Royale is a landlubber’s delight with a half-pound blend of rib-eye, tenderloin, New York strip steak and chuck joined by grilled onions, American cheese and pickles on a plain or whole wheat bun ($10.95 lunch, $11.95 dinner). Pile on bacon for $1 more at both the Buckhead and Canton Street locations.
• In Buckhead, Smokebelly BBQ’s Signature Burger builds upon the perfect mix of ground brisket and short rib, adding smoked Gouda, crispy bacon, fried onions, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles ($11.50).
• The Southern Gentleman, in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, makes its own signature steak blend for the mouthwatering TSG Burger before crowning it with Thomasville tome and red onion and fennel salad and serving with house-cut fries and a side of bacon jam ($13 lunch, $14 supper).

Now’s the Ripe Time for Milton’s Garden Dinner Aug. 27

Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails continues its Garden Dinner Series with an evening al fresco on Sunday, Aug. 27. Indulge in chef Derek Dollar’s curated menu of hors d'oeuvre and libations followed by a four-course seated dinner with wine pairings served family style within Milton’s Acre, the restaurant’s one-acre garden. Tickets for the 7-9 p.m. dinner are $125 per person including wine, tax and gratuity. Purchase here. Can’t make this one? Pick another Garden Dinner date: Sept. 24, Oct. 1 or Oct. 15.

Ham It Up with Allan Benton during Ray’s at Killer Creek Benton’s & Bourbon Dinner Aug. 25

Squeal in pre-pork glee and grunt in post-bourbon contentment about a memorable night of eating at Ray’s at Killer Creek and meeting Allan Benton, straight from his smokehouse in Madisonville, Tennessee. There’s a whole lot of umami to enjoy at the Friday, Aug. 25 dinner: the smoky-salty-brown sugariness of slow-cured Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams paired with the long, sweet finish of bourbon from Kentucky’s award-winning, 200+-year-old Buffalo Trace Distillery. Executive chef Mike Fuller’s five-course Benton Ham-inspired menu opens with Benton’s 31-month cured ham, house-made cheese coin and blackberry jam paired with Ray’s Barrel Select Buffalo Trace Kentucky Mule Slushy. Courses proceed through Pearson’s peach-glazed belly and fresh burrata with Eagle Rare bourbon; smoked ham and lobster taco with red bean paste, avocado, radish and pea sprouts served with Rockhill Farms bourbon; dry-aged rib-eye with summer corn, butterbean and ham hock pot liquor and cast-iron corn bread paired with Ray’s Barrel Select Blanton’s; and conclude with homemade sugar cookie sandwich with buttermilk-strawberry ice cream joined by Ray’s Barrel Select Buffalo Trace Old-Fashioned. $70 per person (excludes tax and gratuity). Reservations required for the 6:30 p.m. dinner; call 770-649-0064.

Impulse Buy Leads to Esquire Article Praising KUDU Grill

Award-winning writer Jason Tesauro witnessed chef Kevin Gillespie  slinging hash over KUDU Grill coals at the Charleston Wine + Food festival, and his mouth fell open in awe. Open fire. Three grill levels. Endless possibilities. Sold! Impulse buy? Would buyer’s remorse set in? Hardly. Once home, Tesauro lit up and he’s not looked back. Read his Esquire magazine feature and share his excitement. One can practically taste the cheeseburgers, pizzas, paellas and vegetables (not one sprout lost) and picture themselves hanging out by the KUDU on the patio or at a South African campsite, chilling, grilling and catching a short KUDU history lesson.

Atlanta Les Dames d’Escoffier Hosts Dinner Celebrating Summer and Giving to Raise Scholarship Funds Aug. 24

Chefs need greens. And not just for salads and sides. They need scholarship monies to cover the costs of culinary education and honing skills. Atlanta’s own chapter members of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) work tirelessly in and out of the kitchen planning culinary education events and unique fundraisers to assist student chefs in reaching their goals. On Thursday, Aug. 24, The Cook’s Warehouse, Wüsthof USA and the Atlanta Chapter of LDEI are hosting a grand opening VIP cooking demonstration and dinner party at the newest location of The Cook’s Warehouse in Chamblee’s Peachtree Station. Wüsthof USA executive chef Mike Garaghty and Dame Gloria Smiley lead the 6:30-9 p.m. fundraising event. All proceeds benefit the LDEI Culinary Futures Scholarship that goes out to one female high school senior pursuing a degree in culinary arts, hospitality or a related field. Alliyah White-Amos, the 2017 Culinary Futures Scholarship recipient, will be on hand and working with chef Garaghty to help prepare this amazing meal. The evening’s delicacies include hickory-smoked picanha crostini with chimichurri aioli; chilled avocado soup with seared ancho lobster and crema; grilled Georgia peach and burrata on local baby greens with balsamic; chef Gloria Smiley’s butternut squash ravioli; espresso-rubbed lamb chops with minted sour cherry glaze and sweet corn succotash; and a dessert of chocolate decadence with raspberry coulis. $119 per person; reserve your seat here.

Henri’s Bakery Pops Out of the Oven at New Home on East Andrews in Buckhead

The fresh, modern look, spacious seating and generous parking afforded by a new location are the icing on the éclair for longtime fans of Henri’s Bakery & Café, a Buckhead institution for nearly 50 years. Customers can expect the same high-quality deli fare, pastries, cakes, pies and sweets along with newly added Batdorf & Bronson signature Dancing Goats coffee. An expansive banquette with individual seating along the back wall ups the seating while an expanded deli section eases hunger pangs with the streamlined ordering of soups, salads and sandwiches. Coming soon: Henri’s popular house-made doughnuts and a place to munch them -- an outdoor covered patio and an inviting indoor courtyard. “Henri’s new look is that of a fresh, modern bakery, but still with that old-time feel,” says owner Anthony DiNardo. Henri’s Bakery is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 404-237-0202 or visit henrisbakery.com.

Appetizing Aperture

National Cuban Sandwich Day presses in on Wednesday, Aug. 23. Cruise to Beni’s Cubano in Marietta for a classic Cuban of roasted pork, ham and Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard and garlic aioli on pressed Cuban bread with a choice of one side and one sauce ($10). Beni’s presses and serves these sammies seven days a week. You’ll be back.

Umi Executive Chef Fuyuhiko Ito Shows Off Knife Skills during Culinary Week at The Art Institute of Atlanta Aug. 23

Culinary students at The Art Institute of Atlanta will witness cutting-edge finesse when Fuyuhiko Ito, executive chef of Umi in Buckhead, leads a knife skills demonstration on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. Ito unpacks his blades as part of The Art Institute of Atlanta’s Culinary Week sessions showcasing industry chefs and providing an extra learning opportunity for students. The un-ticketed event, scheduled for room 100 at the Sandy Springs campus, is open to the public with limited seating available. For more information, contact Carole Carr at cccarr@edmc.edu. 

What’s New on Pinterest: Crabby Cravings

Everybody has a crabby day now and then -- forgive them and let it go. On the other hand (or claw), Crabby Cravingsare forces to be reckoned with --- in the kitchen. Spicy crab sushi rolls, cilantro-lime crab salad in avocado halves, three-minute crab dip and super-easy crab puffs are a good start. Crab, cream and carb cravings call for creamy crab and shrimp enchiladas, creamy tomato and crab fettuccine, mac and cheese or baked hot crab dip. Crabby because carbs are out? Cold crab salad, ginger and scallion crab and low-carb crab cakes with roasted red pepper sauce are oh so in.

#Foodgram: Handle the Heat

At Handle the Heat, Tessa Arias melds the science of baking and lots of chocolate into sinfully delicious recipes. Eyeballing decadent lava brownies, cookie butter brownie ice cream sandwiches, peanut butter cheesecake-stuffed chocolate cupcakes and chocolate pudding pie has us frantically tapping her blog link to abscond with the recipes