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Join us as we Chow Down on Chicken during National Chicken Month, a.k.a. September. Bird’s the word and the main ingredient in barbecue chicken kebabs, smoked paprika and oregano spatchcock chicken, pecan fried chicken tenders and sticky sesame chicken. The versatile yard strutter does a stellar job palling around with veggies in one-pan skinny Tex Mex chicken and zucchini, chicken avocado lime soup, chicken caprese salad, Chinese chicken salad and more. Flock here for recipes quick or slow, from wing to whole bird.

Appetizing Aperture

Spoon into a generous bowl of shrimp and grits at 5Church Atlanta, a dinner dish that’s a little bit Southern comfort food and a little bit of a coastal vacation. Roasted shrimp float on a sea of stone-ground grits along with pork belly and rich tomato gravy ($25).

Dine on Season’s Best at Seed Kitchen & Bar Weekly Chef’s Harvest Menu -- Inspired by Drift’s Popular Chef’s Catch Menu

East Cobb’s acclaimed Seed Kitchen & Bar has launched a Chef’s Harvest menu to share the abundance of farm-fresh seasonal produce coming to market this time of year. Chef/owner Doug Turbush drives the specially curated three-course dinner menus, new each week, pushing culinary boundaries with innovative, flavor-packed dishes. Guests choose from two small plates, two entrées and two dessert options from the Chef’s Harvest menu, offered Monday through Thursday from 3-10 p.m. Examples of menu items include appetizers such as white gazpacho or crispy flatbread, entrées like cornmeal-crusted catfish or mole-braised pork cheeks, and sweet finishes such as tres leches cake or lemon cake. $35 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Add wine pairings for an additional $15 per person. The menu changes each week and is announced on the restaurant’s Facebook page and via email every Sunday. Oh, and there’s another catalyst for the Chef’s Harvest menu -- the highly successful and weekly changing Chef’s Catch $35 prix fixe menu at sister restaurant Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar. The best of land and sea is all yours.

Picture What’s New at Aria – Now on Instagram

Garnering looks is nothing new to Aria. Ever since Aria opened in 2000, Atlantans, visitors and award-givers have noticed the Buckhead gem’s chic ambiance, impeccable service, the absolutely fabulous menu created by chef/owner Gerry Klaskala and pastry chef Kathryn King, and general manager and wine director Andres Loaiza’s well-curated wine cellar. Aria continues to out-best itself -- undergoing an interior décor facelift in 2016, changing to the easy-to-use Reserve reservation system this summer and jumping onto Instagram. See how much fun they’re having posting Instagram pics, especially Loaiza, who’s always eager to snap a shot of a primo wine or special 3L Chateau Peyrassol Rosé 2016 opening. And then there’s Klaskala, in Tomato King regalia, vying for Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival votes. A picture-perfect moment if ever there was one.

Explore Roswell over a Guys Weekend Out

Guys, for the record, you don’t have to head for the hinterlands for a guys weekend getaway involving water, whetting your whistle and choice cuts -- both meaty and musical. Simply cross the Chattahoochee and Explore Roswell. SUP or kayak down the Chattahoochee (rental at Shoot the Hooch or purchase at Go With The Flow), chow down on a meat and bourbon lunch at award-winning GC Bar-BQ (the Canton Street shop’s signature brisket over mac ‘n’ cheese is amazing) and pick out that turntable you’ve always wanted or just browse the bins for some new hard rock at Mojo Vinyl Records. Then, belly up to the bar for a pint at Mac McGee’s Irish Pub and catch an Atlanta United match on the many screens. Start a “bromance” over a weekend in Historic Roswell.

The Federal Locks into Atlanta Magazine “Best New Restaurant” List

Atlanta magazine’s 2017 list of “Best New Restaurants” is out, and The Federal lands smack dab in the center of the short list. Midtown’s European brasserie offers a respite from the concrete and chrome corporate jungle to a place where antique mirrors and tufted leather banquettes encourage lingering and savoring the morning-to-night menu and hand-cut steaks cooked in cast iron. Chef/owners Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere are longtime friends and collaborators who both hail from Stillwater, Oklahoma. Pork schnitzel, pounded thin and fried, is joined by marinated onions, peanuts and Italian parsley and is a “must-order” at this “all-around excellent expression of a bistro in a part of town that needs it.”

Atlanta Restaurants Labor with Love to Fuel Your Labor Day Weekend Fun

Officially, Labor Day pays tribute to the workers who have added to the well-being of our country. Unofficially, it marks the last holiday weekend of the summer vacation season. Whether you’re pausing to relax, pursuing activities going on around town or heading to/fro that last getaway, count on Atlanta restaurants to stay busy in the kitchen (so you won’t have to). Thanks, restaurant and hospitality workers, we appreciate you!
 5Church Atlanta, at the corner of Peachtree and 14^th streets, will be open as usual over Labor Day weekend and on the Monday holiday. Enjoy dinner, weekday lunch, Saturday and Sunday brunch and “Rush Hour Remedy” specials (Monday-Thursday, 4:30-6:30 p.m.) inside the art-filled dining rooms or out on the rooftop patio overlooking Peachtree Street. 5Church is an ideal spot to connect over appetizers and drinks, desserts or a late night bite before or after taking in concerts or theatrical performances at the Woodruff Arts Center and other Midtown theaters.

Say “Salud!” to three-day weekends and spend Sunday afternoon, Sept. 3 doing nothing more strenuous than raising a glass of rosé or plowing through paella during a special 4-11 p.m. holiday weekend edition of Basque in the Sun at Gypsy Kitchen in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Wine away the hours with friends sharing select bottles of wine at half price or rounds of rosé priced at $6 a glass. Paella on the patio is a must! Click your heels (or castanets) to the music of a live flamenco guitarist playing from 4:30-7:30 p.m. followed by a DJ spinning until way past dark. No cover charge. Gypsy Kitchen will be closed on Monday, Sept. 4 to give staff a rest.

Fans of football and fried chicken rejoice! The Mercedes-Benz Stadium will see both this weekend as Kevin Gillespie’s Gamechanger fires up the grill while the competition heats up between The University of Alabama and Florida State University during the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game on Saturday, September 2 at 8 p.m. On Labor Day, Georgia Tech fans can cheer on the Yellow Jackets and grab a bite at Gamechanger before and after kickoff at 8 p.m. Located on the 200 concourse western end zone, Gamechanger offers drool-worthy elevated stadium food like the craveable Closed-on-Sunday Chicken Sandwich and the Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder French Dip.

Both HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern locations -- near Piedmont Park in Midtown and at Town Brookhaven -- will be open on Monday, Sept. 4 serving brunch from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. followed by regular dinner service at 5 p.m. Big Peach Sizzler runners, loosen your laces for a post-run celebration brunch at HOBNOB in Town Brookhaven.

If all the good eats at Atlanta restaurants start weighing you down this Labor Day weekend, put on your dancing shoes and head to Johnny’s Hideaway for a dance floor workout. Since there’s no laboring on Monday, Johnny’s is staying open late on Sunday, Sept. 3 with live music starting at 8:30 p.m. along with DJ Spin and food and drink specials.

Dive into Ray’s Restaurants for a two-course 1.25-pound lobster dinner at a special Labor Day Monday price of $24.95 (versus $29.95) that includes a choice of field green or Caesar salad and a choice of side (Yukon Gold whipped potatoes or chef’s vegetable du jour). Excludes beverages, tax and gratuity. Catch the deal from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sept. 4 at Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River and Ray’s at Killer Creek. Restaurant radar alert: Ray’s in the City is a super convenient sustenance stop for Dragon Con-ers and those going to the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff games at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

College kickoff weekend hunkers down in smoked meat, cold libations and air-conditioned glory at Smokebelly BBQ from Friday, Sept. 1 through Monday, Sept. 4. Come for live music Friday night from 8:30-11:30 p.m. and take in better-than-sideline views for games all day Saturday plus the FSU vs. ‘Bama game at 8 p.m. Enjoy drink specials like $5 Tito’s cocktails, $3 drafts and $10 pitchers of Bud Light all weekend. Sunday’s “Boozy Brunch” from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. pours on a bloody mary bar, bottomless mimosas and live music. And because football works up an appetite, the Smokebelly team works on through Labor Day, opening Monday at 11 a.m. to provide your daily dose of ‘cue!

Wine and dine at Storico Fresco Alimentari this weekend! Whether it's for lunch, dinner or retail items for your trip to the lake or pool, swing by Storico and let them do the labor for you. Don’t forget that every Monday night is 1/2 off bottles of wine during dinner. That means September 4 too!

Battered Up! Doors Fly Open at Chef Marc Taft’s FEED Fried Chicken + Such at The Battery Atlanta Aug. 30

Atlanta Braves fans, slide into your new home plate -- FEED Fried Chicken + Such -- opening Wednesday, Aug. 30 at The Battery Atlanta. Fast and casual FEED is the newest dining destination from Marc Taft, the chef and restaurateur behind Marietta’s Chicken and the Egg and Avalon’s Brine Seafood Shack. Taft’s signature fried chicken starts with antibiotic- and hormone-free Springer Mountain Farms chicken before frying its way into appeasing options such as the family filling Bucket o’ Chicken (four each of breasts, wings, thighs and drumsticks), the grab-and-go Picnic Fried Chicken (three pieces served cold with two sides and a biscuit) and the Nashville Hot Sandwich (a spicy fried boneless breast, shredded lettuce, house pickles and Alabama white sauce on a buttered brioche bun), all available in heat levels ranging from the tame Southern Fried through Nashville-Ish Hot to the fiery Cluck’N Inferno. Southern sides rep Taft’s Alabama-born heritage and his grandma’s cast-iron skillet: all-day braised greens, Southern-style green beans, black-eyed peas, biscuits, house-made potato salad and Taft’s signature mac and cheese. A “For the Peeps” menu (crafted for kids 10 and under) features a pint-sized plate of fried chicken, chicken fingers, grilled cheese on Texas toast or mac and cheese and comes with fries, a simple salad or yogurt and a beverage. Grownups can take advantage of The Battery Atlanta’s convenient open-container policy to enjoy an adult beverage on the fly, and everyone’s good with the handcrafted milkshakes and soft-serve ice cream made with Atlanta’s own High Road Ice Cream. FEED and be fulfilled from 11 a.m. daily until 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Atkins Park Va-Hi Dishes Half-Priced Wings during Falcons Preseason Games Plus BGE and Drink Specials at Porch Party Aug 30

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland brings on the wings, half-priced at that, during Atlanta Falcons preseason games. Watch the hot competition between the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 26 and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 31 while munching those addicting Big Green Egg-smoked wings with spicy BBQ sauce or Atkins Park confit wings that are slow-fried in duck fat and tossed in sweet chili-garlic sauce or Atkins Park wing sauce (regularly $11). Both team up with veggies and buttermilk ranch or blue cheese dressing. Kickoff time is 7 p.m. A Summer Porch Party takes playtime outside on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Jump the midweek hump for Sierra Nevada beer features and Big Green Egg dinner specials joined by live music from Reverend Hylton with special guest Jenna Mobley at 8 p.m.

Taste and See -- Tyler See is Ormsby’s New Executive Chef

Tyler See is already at home at Ormsby’s and not solely due to his being an Atlanta native. See knows the Westside neighborhood tavern and its customers well, having served as sous chef before moving into Ormsby’s executive chef spot last month. His greatest culinary tip: simple, high-quality ingredients and uncomplicated recipes speak for themselves (perhaps that’s why he enjoys tending his veggie garden, foraging mushrooms, and camping and fishing). He sees staff training as key, especially identifying gifts and directing staff to make the most of their talents. Prior to embracing Ormsby’s, the Le Cordon Bleu-Atlanta graduate honed skills as sous chef at Bartaco, as BLT Steak’s event chef at W Atlanta-Downtown and while transforming Cosmo LavaLounge into Foxtrot Liquor Bar. Whether you’re an Ormsby’s regular or newcomer, stop by and find out what See’s up to in the kitchen. We guarantee it will go with that cold craft beer or handcrafted cocktail!

Southern Proper Hospitality Has Seat at the Table on Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies for 2017

Southern Proper Hospitality is first in the rankings for Georgia Food & Beverage industry leaders on the 2017 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The Atlanta-based company experienced a three-year growth rate of 735.42 percent with $43.1 million in revenues this past year. Overall, Southern Proper Hospitality sits in the 615^th spot for all industries combined. The entrepreneurial organization values innovation, creativity and attention to detail throughout its family of restaurants, which includes The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, Smokebelly BBQ, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar, Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Beni’s Cubano, and the friendly eatery that started it all, Tin Lizzy’s Cantina. Southern Proper Hospitality has helped shape the cultural fabric of Atlanta, providing “short term escapes” through distinct experiences that appeal to a diner’s sense of adventure while delivering a high-energy atmosphere, hospitality and exceptional, high-quality food.

According to Inc. magazine president and editor-in-chief Eric Schurenberg, achieving a spot on the Inc. 5000 list places Southern Proper Hospitality in an elite group that, over the years, has included Microsoft, Timberland, Vizio, Intuit, Chobani, Oracle and Zappos.com. These fast-growing private firms create companies, value and jobs. The accomplishments of Inc. 5000 honorees will be celebrated at the 36^th Annual Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala, Oct. 10-12, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, California.