Lick $2 Savings on Sweet Charlie’s Ice Cream during Holiday Happy Hours Going on through Dec. 15

Come to Sweet Charlie’s during Holiday Happy Hours and watch $2 melt off the price of your made-to-order, hand-rolled ice cream. Eat up this scrumptious deal Monday through Friday from 12-5 p.m. through Dec. 15. Of course, any time spent eating Sweet Charlie’s custom-made frozen confections can be counted as happy minutes and hours. What’s your favorite holiday combination among the seemingly unlimited number of combinations and toppings? We’ll have “S’more, Please.”

Atkins Park Santa Ride through Intown Neighborhoods Spins Holiday Fun Dec. 6

The ho-ho-holidays are coming ‘round fast like wheels on a BeltLine-bound bicycle. Clock some miles while shifting gears into holly jolly mode by saddling up the bike and joining in the 12^th annual Santa Ride in honor of Warren Bruno, hosted by Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Throw on your jingle and gather in the restaurant’s parking lot at 5 p.m., ready to roll out at 6 p.m. for the leisurely 10-mile ride, jingling all the way. Deck your all with holiday attire for the costume contest -- think Santa, elves, reindeer, holiday lights -- put your own spin on the theme and decorate your bike as well. All Santa Ride participants can vote for the best costume, and the winner rides herd on the coveted WB Holiday Bike, a smooth in-town cruiser, until next year’s Santa Ride. No fee to participate means more green in your pocket to contribute to the cause, preferably a minimum $25 donation for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. One hundred percent of proceeds are channeled toward on-going efforts to fight and cure cancer. We ride in honor of Warren Bruno who packed more cheer into his person than all the rest of us combined.

Restaurant Gift Card Deals Make Holiday Gifting a Snap

Easiest way to slice “Bah, humbug!” from your holiday shopping vocabulary? Buy restaurant gift cards! Atlanta’s best restaurants are cutting generous deals that are kind to gift-givers’ wallets while putting a sparkle in the eyes of those who receive. Perfectly acceptable to put some gift cards in your own stocking for a relaxing post-holiday meal.
5Church Atlanta, Midtown’s hotspot for first-class modern American cuisine, adds a 20 percent bonus for every $50 gift card purchased Nov. 24-Dec. 30.
  Gift that someone special with a reason to try Bulla Gastrobar, Midtown’s hottest new spot for contemporary Spanish fare. For every purchase of a $100 gift card between now and Dec. 31, receive an additional gift card for $20. The $20 gift card must be redeemed by Mar. 31, 2018. 
The Federal unwraps the gift of free brunch. For every $200 gift card purchased, the Midtown bistro will throw in a $20 gift card for use at a weekend brunch. Bonus gift card expires in 12 months.
Give the gift of gusto! this holiday season. Guests who purchase a gusto! T-shirt for $20 walk away with a $20 gusto! gift card to enjoy the restaurant’s menu of grilled chicken, portabella or shrimp served with other flavorful ingredients on mixed greens, brown rice or flatbread wraps.
Place a $50 gift card to HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern under the tree and receive a free gift card worth $10. Purchase a $100 gift card and get a $20 gift card free. Offer good at both the Midtown and Brookhaven locations.
Upscale steakhouse American Cut and rooftop lounge The Regent Cocktail Club are throwing in a $20 promotional gift card with every $100 gift card purchase. Available online using promo code LDVGIFT and in these LDV Atlanta establishments in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta through Dec. 31; promotional cards valid Jan. 2-March 31, 2018.

Here’s an offer worth popping open the Champagne to celebrate. Purchase a $50 gift card at any Marlow’s Tavern location and receive a complimentary bottle of Michelle Brut. Purchase a $100 gift card and receive the complimentary bottle plus a bonus $20 gift card. With taverns throughout metro Atlanta, Marlow’s is the perfect gift for every local on the list.

Through January 31, 2018, all three Ray’s Restaurants -- Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River and Ray’s at Killer Creek -- are doling out a 20 percent bonus on all gift card purchases of $50-$950 and a 25 percent bonus on gift card purchases of $1,000 or more. Use the cards at any Ray’s location (cannot be applied toward private or semi-private events). Bonus cards valid Feb. 1-Sept. 30, 2018. Read more details and purchase cards here or at any Ray’s location.
Gift cards taste sweeter at Seed Kitchen & Bar, Stem Wine Bar and Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar in East Cobb. Purchase a $100 gift card at any of Doug Turbush’s exemplary restaurants through Dec. 30 and receive an additional $20. Use cards at any of the three restaurants; gift cards do not expire.

Southern Fried Hospitality is offering a $20 bonus gift card for every $100 gift card purchase at Chicken and the Egg, Brine Seafood Shack and FEED Fried Chicken and Such. Gift cards are redeemable at all three restaurants.

Instead of adding a bonus amount, these Southern Proper Hospitality Group restaurants are giving a 20 percent discount off gift card purchases of $100 or more: Beni’s Cubano, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar, Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails and Smokebelly BBQ.

For a creamy and delicious holiday treat, roll into Sweet Charlie’s in Buckhead. Guests who purchase a $25 gift card will be rewarded with a free hand-rolled ice cream. Sweet!

Wing it this holiday season by giving friends, associates and fellow sports fans Taco Mac gift cards. Through Dec. 31, Taco Mac tosses you a $10 bonus card with every $50 gift card purchase. Gift cards may not be used to purchase additional gift cards. Additionally, guests buying $1000 or more in gift cards also will receive a 10 percent bulk purchase discount on top of the $10 per $50 bonus.
  Tin Lizzy’s Cantina helps share the love for its FlexMex gourmet soft tacos, skillets and quesadillas with 20 percent off the purchase of $100 or more in Tin Lizzy’s gift cards. Gift cards cannot be used same day of purchase to receive the discount.

#Foodgram: Chitra Agrawal's Vibrant India

Chitra Agrawal, owner of Brooklyn Delhi condiments, curries favor with Indian food fans @ChitraAgrawal. Her 2017 cookbook “Vibrant India” educates readers on Indian cooking and spices up any holiday gift list.

Chef Kevin Gillespie’s Beardsmas Holiday Gift-Giving Extravaganza is Underway

Atlanta’s red-bearded celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie and his spritely elves are busy cooking up a fresh batch of chef-inspired gift experiences so you won’t have to box up another shirt/tie/scarf. Well, maybe throw in an apron. Shop redbeardmerch.com, a stress-reducing, one-stop online store for all of these creative gifts, cookbooks and more merry merchandise.

New for Beardsmas 2017: 

• Buford Highway dine-around with Kevin Gillespie and Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward playing tour guides ($199)
• Whole Hog BBQ lesson with Terminus City BBQ has the recipient pulling an all-nighter with executive chef Andreas Müller while learning the smoky magic behind Terminus City’s whole hog chopped barbecue. Next day, invite 10 friends to join in sampling the results ($5,000).
• Gunshow field trip led by Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward. Meet local producers while visiting Ward’s favorite farms, breweries, distilleries and coffee roasters ($150).

 

Returning Favorites:

• In-home dinner by chef Gillespie (starts at $15,000)
• 2018 Hired Guns season tickets ($1,200, includes two tickets to each of six guest chef dinners)
• Gunshow mixology classes ($65 per class or $240 for a season pass to all four classes)
• Shop the Peachtree Road Farmers Market field trip with Gillespie, limited to 15 attendees, includes autographed “Fire in My Belly” cookbook ($99)

 

Wrap-able Beardsmas Gift Packs:

• Chef starter kit of high-end, quality kitchen tools curated by chefs Gillespie and Ward
• Red Beard Essential Seasonings Set including Gillespie’s brand-new Good Ass Ham Sugar – a sugar and spice mix for perfectly glazed ham
• Pack of three Gunshow enamel lapel pins
• Gillespie’s coffee and cocoa sets
• Defend Southern Food Purpose shirt and lapel pin set (each purchase includes a donation to Atlanta Community Food Bank)

Score UGA-GT Football Action -- Pre, During and Post-- at Marlow’s Tavern Midtown Game Day Block Party Nov. 25

This Saturday, Dawgs and Yellow Jackets will swarm to Bobby Dodd Stadium to bark and buzz over a cherished “clean old-fashioned hate” gridiron tradition. Tailgating for the Thanksgiving weekend showdown kicks off at 11 a.m. at nearby Marlow’s Tavern in Midtown where chews, brews and giveaways are the game plan at a block party complete with food specials and beer tents from SweetWater Brewing Company and Terrapin Beer Co. Who knows if the Nov. 25 game will go into overtime, but it’s a sure bet this party will -- Marlow’s is open until midnight! Free covered parking is available for Marlow’s guests in the adjacent deck.

Flying Away to Thanksgiving Day? Carve Time for HBF Eateries at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

If your turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie are preceded or followed by a trip through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, plan on landing at a Hojeij Branded Foods (HBF) restaurant to grab a bite to eat or toast making it to the right concourse on time. Look for HBF fast-casual eateries, chef-driven restaurants offering top-notch cuisine, wine, beer and cocktails, and sports bars where fans on the fly can catch those Thanksgiving weekend games. On Concourse A, find Boar’s Head, Piece of Cake, LowCountry New Southern Cuisine, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Great Wraps, P.F. Chang’s, Chick-fi-A, TAP, Atlanta Hawks Bar & Grill, Cat Cora’s Kitchen, Gordon Biersch, Varasano’s Pizzeria and Goldberg’s Deli. Arby’s, The Bar, Freshen’s Yogurt, Nathan’s, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Villa Pizza provide quick sustenance on Concourse E. Honing in on a couple of full-service options, Cat Cora’s Kitchen is open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, and focuses on using fresh and organic ingredients for its innovative tapas and intriguing cocktails. Varasano’s Pizzeria makes and flash-bakes brick oven-style pizzas to order from 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. and tames nerves with craft cocktails, beer or wine (more details here). Board the plane, buckle in and rest up during your flight with a satisfying HBF meal and drink under your belt.

Royal Sips Grace Holiday Season -- Louis XIII Special at Ray’s on the River

Cognac connoisseurs, adorn the holidays with regal sips at Ray’s on the River -- the LOUIS XIII Cognac perfect pour. For more than a century, LOUIS XIII has been synonymous with refinement and French taste and sophistication, captivating Europe’s royal courts and becoming a fixture at prestigious hotels. Treat yourself and that special someone to the luxury of sipping a world-renowned legacy, available in 0.5 ounce ($90), 1 ounce ($180) and 1.5 ounce ($270) pours. Don’t put off what you can sip today; this special is available all day, every day -- but only through the holiday season.

What’s New on Pinterest

Okay, put down the spoon. We know you’ve been dipping into the peanut butter (a.k.a. PB) jar but save some of the smooth and crunchy spread for Peanutty Perfection recipes during National Peanut Butter Lovers Month. Add PB cheesecake cookie bars, Nutter Butter PB cake, secretly skinny PB biscotti and white chocolate PB fudge to the Thanksgiving dessert sideboard. The kids will love PB puppy truffles, and Fido will go bonkers over PB and pumpkin balls. Rise and shine to PB&J French toast sticks, PB waffles with PB syrup and PB&J doughnuts. Plant peanuts in every meal and prepare a big bowl of raw super sprouts pad thai with spicy peanut sauce for lunch or dinner.

#Foodgram

What’s for brunch in London? A culinary gallery of hearty British and enticing global delights at IG Brunch Club. Pull up the screen, pour some tea (or a mimosa) and let the brunching begin.

Appetizing Aperture

Bold, fresh and ready in a flash, the tzatziki lemon artichoke bowl at gusto! brightens any day with vibrant colors and flavors. Price runs from $8.95-$10.95 (depending on chicken, portobella or shrimp topper) for the wealth of jasmine brown rice, grilled portobella mushrooms, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, baby kale and Israeli cous cous tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and topped with homemade tzatziki with fresh dill and za’atar spices and sweet pickled onion garnish. Dig in! FYI, the gusto! Ponce location rewards flannel shirt wearers with a BOGO special on Fridays!