Appetizing Aperture: Brine Seafood Shack's Portuguese Fish Stew

Brine Modern Seafood Shack’s Portuguese fish stew brims with a seaside soiree of fish, clams, mussels, Heywood’s chorizo, peppers, tomatoes and saffron ($21.95). Perfectly acceptable to slurp or sop up every drop at this casual eatery in the heart of Alpharetta’s Avalon development.

Star Grazing

Sweet Charlie’s is where they roll. We’re talking about Atlanta Falcons/Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank, Atlanta Hawks player Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Braves players Freddie Freeman, Dan Uggla, Ryan Howard and Nick Markakis and Georgia Tech head basketball coach Josh Pastner -- all of whom were spotted at Buckhead’s hottest ice cream shop. Perhaps they were fascinated by the wrist technique displayed by the Sweet Charlie’s crew expertly rolling made-to-order ice cream on an arctic-cold slab. Score!

Double Up on Garden and Fun Dining: Milton’s Farmyard Chowdown Sept. 17 and Garden Dinner Sept. 24

Have it all over back-to-back weekends -- from a lively Southern spread to a vine-and-dine garden dinner at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple. Executive chef Derek Dollar stocks a hefty spread of low country boil, oysters and gracious plenty fried chicken and sides for this month’s Farmyard Chowdown feast from 6-8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17. Live music and lawn games entertain the whole family, from wee ones to strong farmhands. Buy tickets online, $40 per person and $20 for kids 12 and under (plus small service fee; tax, alcohol not included).

Dig dining in the garden? So does Dollar, and he’s eyeing Milton’s Acre, the restaurant’s one-acre garden, for another harvest-to-plate Garden Dinner Series dining experience on Sunday, Sept. 24. Relishing the harvest begins upon arrival over hors d’oeuvre and libations at the 6 p.m. reception. Go ahead and tour the garden, drink in hand, before a memorable four-course meal of inspired comfort foods and wines served family style accompanied by ambient starry skies and the soothing sounds of a cellist. Menu items may include delicate squash blossoms stuffed with prosciutto and cream cheese or pimento cheese and crawfish; or roast duckling with fingerling sweet potatoes, oyster mushrooms, heirloom snap beans and candied pecan apple butter. Purchase tickets online, $125 per person, per dinner. Price includes wine, tax and gratuity.

For either dinner series, tickets cannot be refunded within 48 hours of the event. Tickets are not transferrable for other dates. Please call 770-817-0161 for more information. If this month’s calendar is full, look ahead. Milton’s hosts its last Farmyard Chowdown of the 2017 season on Oct. 8 and Garden Dinners on Oct. 1 and Oct. 15.

Southern Chefs Potluck for Wholesome Wave Georgia Spreads over Serenbe Sept. 17

Fill your plate where it’s great to be eight, and ate, at the eighth annual Southern Chefs Potluck fundraiser benefitting Wholesome Wave Georgia. More than 250 guests, chefs and bartenders from across Georgia will come together from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17 for family style dining, fun and fellowship in the open-air pavilion at the idyllic Inn at Serenbe. Mosey over here to buy tickets and see who’s potlucking like Gunshow’s cocktail director, Mercedes O’Brien. Choose individual for $175 or a VIP Chefs Table and Reception package for two for $600 (service fees extra). Wholesome Wave Georgia works to increase access to fresh, healthy, locally grown food for all Georgians through two core programs: Georgia Fresh For Less, which stretches SNAP/EBT dollars at farmers markets, and the Fruit & Vegetable Prescription Program, in which healthcare providers give families prescriptions to be filled and spent on fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.  

Photo Opp and Lunch with the FedExCup Trophy at Henri’s Bakery & Café Buckhead Sept. 16

There are cups and then there is the FedExCup -- The PGA TOUR Championship trophy, the very trophy that will go home with the winner of this year’s PGA TOUR's championship. See the FedExCup trophy at Henri’s Bakery & Café’s new Buckhead location (56 E. Andrews Drive NW) on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Photo bomb op! Golfers and non-golfers alike can take a selfie or group shot with the FedExCup trophy. The spill on why Henri’s has the privilege of hosting the FedExCup trophy for lunch? Henri’s is partnering with the TOUR Championship as a vendor to provide cookies and sandwiches at the Sept. 20-24 golf tournament at Atlanta’s historic East Lake Golf Club. If saying “Cheese!” for the camera leads to hankering for cheese in your lunchtime sandwich, Henri’s pleases with ham and cheese, salami and cheese, and pimento cheese sandwiches or add cheese to one of their delicious deli sandwiches. 

Sup on Savings -- Three-Course Dinners for $25-$35 during Cobb Restaurant Week Sept. 16-23

Ready. Set. Eat. Repeat. Don’t miss a chance to dine on good value prix fixe menus at Cobb County’s most popular restaurants during the ninth annual Cobb Restaurant Week, Sept. 16-23. Plan your strategy, including making reservations, starting with these top picks. Chicken and the Egg in Marietta plans a $25 dinner menu highlighting the restaurant’s sophisticated yet approachable American farmstead fare. Make reservations (closed on Mondays) through OpenTable. Hook a three-course dinner for $35 at Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar in The Avenue East Cobb and add wine pairings for an additional $15. Reserve a table to catch Cobb’s best seafood. Harvest a three-course dinner for $35 at Seed Kitchen & Bar and wine pairings for an additional $15; make reservations here. Date night? Next door neighbor Stem Wine Bar pours out a special three-course tasting menu for two priced at $25 per couple. 

Start Style South Saturday at The Southern Gentleman’s Welcome Brunch Celebration Sept. 16

Style South returns to The Shops Buckhead Atlanta for a day-into-night extravaganza of food, fashion and shopping on Saturday, Sept. 16. Dashing as always, The Southern Gentleman happily opens the swanky afternoon with The Southerner’s Brunch featuring extravagant brunch offerings inspired by Garden & Gun magazine’s New York Times best seller, “The Southerner’s Cookbook.” Each guest will take home a copy of the cookbook -- another reason to celebrate over a welcoming glass of prosecco and brunch cocktails. Tickets to the 12-2 p.m. brunch are $65 each (plus small service fee; includes tax and gratuity). After brunch, a Southern Shop Around treats shoppers to specials, entertainment and complimentary gifts while they take in the hottest trends at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta stores and businesses. Refuel during the 5-6 p.m. Restaurant Dine Around before glitz, glam and trends take to the runway for a 7 p.m. fashion show. Who said football rules every Southern Saturday?

Olé All Day and Into the Night Celebrating Jefe’s Birthday Numero Uno Sept. 15

First birthdays are a huge deal, especially when the birthday boy is Jefe’s Tacos & Tequila. Party on at Jefe’s Birthday Celebration from 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15 to 2 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. The Brookhaven cantina will be even livelier than usual with live music from Marshall Coats, Norman Frank (from the Ghost Dance) and DJ Foamshark, a special food and drink menu and a raffle yielding mucho prizes. El Jimador comes through with an ice luge you won’t want to miss. Invite your friends; the more the merrier! Saturday mornings are made for sleeping in, anyway.

Tin Lizzy’s Tips Throwback to $4 Margaritas Through Sept. 17​

Throwback week cuts the price of house margaritas to $4 each at all Tin Lizzy’s Cantina locations through Sunday, Sept. 17. Tweet it out, neat and sweet: $4 margaritas – through Sept. 17 – all Tin Lizzy’s Cantina locations – includes salt. What more can we say?

Top 5 Tips from Melissa Libby & Associates, Turning 25 on Sept. 22

Seemingly she blinked, and 2 1/2 decades sprinted by for Melissa Libby & Associates. Repping the Atlanta restaurant and hospitality scene for 25 years gives Melissa Libby a well-stocked lauder of stories to share. Pour a glass of celebratory bubbly and toast Melissa’s humor and chutzpah as she shares her five-point list of things she’s learned over 25 years in PR.

1. You be you (and you’ll be less cranky)
2. Always find the funny (because the teams who laugh together do the best work)
3. Don’t read postcards from hell (they’ll try to take you there)
4. PR is not brain surgery (use common sense and a one-sentence snow policy)
5. It’s all about the people, people (positive people are the best surround sound around)

What’s New on Pinterest: Dough-licious Recipes

Does anyone really outgrow Play-Doh? Nope. They just grow up to play with Dough-licious Recipes on Pinterest. Roll on over and make bunny-shaped rolls, sausage-stuffed piglet buns, dough-cars, sunbeam-themed solstice bread and breadstick snails (eat your heart out, escargot). Tailgaters, you “knead” braided bread baskets, pretzel bread bowls, stuffed baguettes, butter/bacon/cheese/garlic Italian crazy bread and the like on your game-day tables!

Atlanta Restaurants: Weather Status

Atlanta Restaurants: Weather Status

These Atlanta-area restaurants are currently planning to close this week due to the inclement weather that Irma brings. We'll keep updating this list as things change. #ATLclosed #HurricaneIrma #Irma #TropicalStormIrma

Closed:

• Willy's Mexicana Grill: Georgia State location closed all day on Tuesday. Perimeter, Midtown and Norcross tentatively closed on Tuesday.
• Marlow's Tavern: Northlake and Dunwoody locations are closed all day on Tuesday.

#Foodgram: SouthKitch

Someone’s in the kitchen with SouthKitch, posting recipes, stories, kitchenware and a kitchen-caboodle of community. Like it? Gotta have it? Shop SouthernKitchen.com. We’re smitten with the Texas-shaped waffle as we lift up those deep in the heart of Harvey-stricken Houston.