Bulla Gastrobar gives lip service to Valentine’s week through its better-than-a-box-of-chocolates Chocolate-Covered Cherry martini. Kiss up to Bulla mixologist Joel Mesa’s martini cuddling the same decadent chocolate sauce Bulla serves with its churros along with cherry bitters, triple sec, Emilio Lustau Pedro Ximenez San Emilio sherry and Russian Standard vodka. Embrace this sweetie Feb. 12-18. Good to know if you’re coming to Bulla for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, #Galentine’s Day on Feb. 13 or any other day during the sweetest week of the year.
Slurps up! Shout out to 5Church Atlanta and chef Kevin Gillespie's Terminus City BBQ for winning big at Orpheus Brewing's Souper Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 3! 5Church executive chef Scotley Innis' smoked tomato basil with white cheddar garlic croutons took home People's Choice: Best Vegetarian and Critic's Choice: Best Creamy, while Terminus City's Brunswick Stew warmed hearts to win People's Choice: Best Chunky. Proceeds from the event were donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Ivan Goatia of Himitsu, the “reservation-only” Japanese cocktail lounge in the heart of Buckhead, swirls two island cultures near to his heart into a cocktail, and not just any cocktail -- Michi No Daichi (Unknown Earth). The skilled mixologist is flexing his wrists and forearms to stir things up at Highball, which will spill across the High Museum of Artlobby from 6:30-10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10. Goatia’s Puerto Rican heritage and a passion for the Japanese culture steering the artistry and precision behind Himitsu’s bar program influence the East-meets-West flavor profile of his Frida Kahlo tequila-infused nectar. Sixteen of Atlanta’s top mixologists and more than 500 cocktail connoisseurs will swizzle and sip at Highball, the High Museum’s second mixology competition benefitting the museum. To dabble in drinks and to try Goatia’s stunner, buy a ticket to Highball online for $125 per person.
To caffeinate or not to caffeinate? Perks Coffee, located at 3000 Windy Hill Road near I-75 and The Battery Atlanta, energizes your workday either way with coffees, teas, breakfast and lunch specials plus free Wi-Fi to boot. And, with Perks’ new loyalty program, earn a star for every dollar or more purchase. Redeem 10 stars for a free coffee or espresso item. Stop in for a powerful breakfast for the low price of $3.99, including a bagel with cream cheese, an oatmeal or a turkey sausage and egg white muffin plus a regular coffee. Lunch combos launch fruitful afternoons made possible by a choice of Boar’s Head ham or turkey sandwich or a vegan wrap, chips and drink for only $6.99. Face it, working from home, all alone, can get lonely, and there are all of those “honey-do” list distractions. Perk up, plug in and log on to efficiently work your way down the list or crank out that proposal. Open weekdays 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fat Tuesday is so big, Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland couldn’t squeeze the party into a few evening hours of revelry…so they’re filling the whole day with Mardi Gras glory. One dollar king cake slices lead the daylong procession of food and drink specials on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Lucky customers finding a tiny baby in their king cake slice will receive a $20 Atkins Park gift card. Eat, drink and be merry on Tuesday -- and bring your Valentine with you since Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday coincide the next day.
Grow skills while your garden’s hibernating for winter. Gardeners and those itching to know more about organics, farming and food can plow down I-20 to Augusta over the weekend of Feb. 16-17 for this year’s Georgia Organics Conference. Be inspired and invigorated by farmers, educators, advocates, exhibitors and Augustans as they share techniques, heartwarming tales of kids adoring broccoli and ways to make clean food more accessible. The Farmers Feast, featuring keynote speaker chef Steven Satterfield, caps the weekend of farm tours, field trips, workshops and educational sessions -- including a full day of culinary training led by members of Les Dames d’Escoffier. Satterfield, executive chef/co-owner of Miller Union and author of “Roots to Leaf: A Southern Chef Cooks Through the Seasons,” will share his own journey of discovering links between eating seasonally, protecting our health and safeguarding our natural environment.
Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar, East Cobb’s premier destination for approachable, chef-driven seafood, has tied the knot with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watchprogram to become Georgia’s first official Seafood Watch Restaurant Partner. Although Drift owner Doug Turbush and executive chef Tom Hill already strive to source from high-quality purveyors and avoid serving overfished species, this pledge formalizes a commitment to serving only seafood rated a “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” and to educating customers, suppliers and employees about sustainability issues. Turbush and Hill have undergone a thorough vetting of seafood species and sources through a globally respected organization and reworked menu items so guests can be confident that any choice they make on the menu supports the health of our oceans now and for future generations. The Drift crew encourages guests to use the Seafood Watch app to help them make better decisions when purchasing or ordering seafood. Currently, more than 1,000 businesses at 150,000 locations worldwide count on Seafood Watch science when making informed purchasing decisions. Read more about Drift’s sustainable efforts in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Drift and Seafood Watch -- both are keepers.
The IRONing Man Competition rivals the Olympics for sports viewing this month. The fifth-annual fundraiser for Camp Kudzu involves male volunteers who press on through the day, offering to iron clothing and table linens from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, to provide scholarships for Georgia’s Type 1 diabetic children to attend overnight or day camp. There’s no charge for ironing your items; however, donations are encouraged and gratefully accepted for getting the wrinkles out of your life. While it’s full steam ahead for this year’s competition at 1010 Midtown Condominiums, 60 11th St. Residences and Windsor Midtown, Camp Kudzu supporters also can help out by dining at The Federal on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10. For $80 per person (excludes tax, tip, alcohol), guests can enjoy a special four-course IRONing Man menu featuring an amuse of Swedish gravlax and black bread; soup du jour or salad vinaigrette; entrée choice of eight-ounce Iowa premium filet with mustard greens and foie gras sauce or cedar-planked salmon with violet mustard, garlic, bacon, scallion and soft polenta; and a dessert choice of sticky toffee pudding or Key lime tart with coconut espuma (coconut foam). The Federal will donate 10 percent of IRONing Man menu proceeds to Camp Kudzu. Look sharp, eat well and send kids to Camp Kudzu at this pressing engagement.
Atlanta restaurants spread the love like Nutella on bread during Valentine’s week. Memorable menus, spectacular specials and just the right amorous ambience set the stage for romance. Give that near-and-dear someone a ring (a.k.a. phone call) and make a date. Remember seats usually disappear quickly, so make reservations today. Prices listed do not include tax and gratuity.
Valentine's Week Specials
5Church Atlanta serves a $65 three-course prix fixe menu Feb. 14-16 with wine pairings for $25 per person. A Valentine’s Day cocktail is offered all three days. Entrées include pork osso buco and crab-stuffed lobster. A limited dinner menu also is available on Feb. 14; full à la carte dinner menu offered Feb. 15-16.
Share the love with the whole family at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland on Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 4-7 p.m. with a free Valentine’s cookie decorating event. From Feb. 14-17, enjoy a Valentines-themed three-course menu including a starter of seared scallops ($12); lobster tail and filet mignon ($28) or herb-crusted halibut ($26); and a choice of raspberry crème brûlée or hot chocolate lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream ($6).
Over Feb. 12-18, Bulla Gastrobar is featuring a special cocktail, the Chocolate-Covered Cherry. This twist on the classic chocolate martini is made with Emilio Lustau Pedro Ximenez San Emilio sherry and features the same chocolate sauce used on Bulla’s delicious churros. Bulla declares Feb. 13 “Galentine’s Day,” gifting groups of four to five women with a complimentary order of churros.
Food 101 in Sandy Springs duos a three-course “his and hers” menu and a limited regular menu Feb. 14-17. There’s smoked beef carpaccio or grilled jumbo asparagus (both $9); an entrée of seared duck breast with sweet potato gratin, pearl onions and thin beans ($28) or sea bass with cauliflower purée, petite Caesar salad and San Marzano tomato-lobster broth ($38). Dessert brings bourbon bread pudding or marinated strawberries with blood orange and rosemary sabayon ($9).
Dessert lovers, stop by the Upper Westside, Buckhead or Sandy Springs locations of Henri’s Bakery & Café to pick up sweet treats like festive cakes, cupcakes, petit fours and cookies to wow your “Honey.”
Ray's on the River, Ray's at Killer Creek and Ray's in the Cityare featuring a pair of four-course, prix fixe menus, each with a different assortment of starters, salads and entrées, for $85 and $105. These special menus are available from Feb. 10 through Feb. 17, along with each restaurant’s regular à la carte dinner menu. On Feb. 14, only the prix fixe menus are available.
Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante features Valentines-themed offerings in its specialty grocery store for the entire week. Purchase heart-shaped pasta with Storico’s classic ricotta filling for $14/lb.; short rib-filled pasta for $16/lb.; and lobster-filled pasta with Prosecco-infused dough for $18/lb.
Valentine's Day Dining
American Cut presents two different prix fixe menus. For $78 per person, choose among a 10-ounce filet mignon, seared scallops and Springer Mountain chicken. For $95 per person, choose between a wet-aged, 24-ounce chateaubriand, a dry-aged, 40-ounce tomahawk chop or a 28-day wet-aged 40-oz. porterhouse. Both menus include a salad, appetizer anddessert. Toast with a $100 bottle of Perrier-Jouët brut or a $120 bottle of Perrier-Jouët Blason rosé. Be sure to stop by The Cut Bar or visit The Regent Cocktail Club on the rooftop for a $7 “Valentini” of Ketel One Citroen, cranberry juice and lime.
Whisk that special someone away to the beautiful dining room at Aria where chef Gerry Klaskala offers a four-course prix fixe menu for $95 per person. Drinks, tax and gratuity are not included. Reserve a table here.
Gunshow, Kevin Gillespie’s Glenwood Park hotspot where chefs rotate the evening’s selections from table to table, is open from 6-9:30 p.m. Expect a romantically inspired dish or two.
Experience a one-of-a-kind five-course Gypsy Valentine’s Day menu at Gypsy Kitchen courtesy of chef Gary Finzer. Entrée options include za’atar-spiced scallops, veal osso buco, eight-ounce grilled strip steak and vegetable paella “fried rice.” Add a half Maine lobster roasted in lobster butter for an additional $20. Cost is $75 per person.
Both locations of HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern set forth a special featuring airline chicken with chocolate mole sauce over red rice for $17.95. At Brookhaven, James Patrick Morgan plays live music starting at 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy an elegant three-course prix fixe menu at the equally elegant Livingston Restaurant + Bar in the Georgian Terrace hotel. The menu offers a selection of starters like crab and corn bisque; entrées such as cheese zucchini fritters and seared duck breast; and desserts like Nutella & Oreo Mississippi mud pie. Price is $65 per person and includes a glass of Champagne.
Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails offers a three-course prix fixe menu for $65 per person with entrée options including lobster roe butter-basted wagyu sirloin and pecan-crusted grouper. For dessert, choose from raspberry pink velvet cake, black cherry chocolate cheesecake or vanilla rose panna cotta.
Revival’s chef de cuisine Nicole Edwards plans a lovely prix fixe menu, including cast-iron cornpone with buttermilk slaw, seared scallops, braised Riverview Farms pork belly and sweet potato ravioli. The cost is $50 per person and includes Champagne upon arrival.
Seed Kitchen & Bar and Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar in Marietta are both offering $75 prix fixe menus; wine pairings are available for an additional $25. Neither restaurant will offer à la carte menus on Feb. 14.
Sexual Chocolate is on tap at Taco Mac, which is bringing in kegs of the cocoa-infused imperial stout from Foothills Brewery just for Valentine’s Day. Fall in love with its chocolate aroma, espresso notes, blackstrap molasses, dark sweet toffee and dark fruit. Available at all Taco Mac locations except Philips Arena, Virginia-Highland, Douglasville and Stockbridge.
In Buckhead, bring your catch to The Big Ketch for a $55 per person ($60 with Champagne toast) prix fixe menu. Dine on sesame seared tuna, lobster risotto, pancetta-wrapped grouper and more.
The Federal welcomes Valentine’s Day diners with its regular menu inspired by French cuisine and the traditional American steakhouse, among other influences.
The Southern Gentleman is serving an à la carte menu presenting shucked oysters, seafood gumbo and more. Entrée choices include vegetable spaghetti ($28), lavender-brined half chicken ($28), a 10-ounce center-cut pork chop ($34), and for couples, a two-pound crispy whole redfish ($44) or a 22-ounce rib-eye ($54).
Bring a homemade or purchased Valentine’s Day card to any Willy’s Mexicana Grill location on Feb. 14 and receive a BOGO coupon valid Feb. 15-28. Love that Willy’s!
Taco Mac
kids meals are changing lives for the better. For the past 20 years,
the Georgia outlets of the Southeast’s go-to sports bar and restaurant
have been donating 50 cents from each kids meal to help send children to Camp Twin Lakes. The camp is renowned for providing life-changing experiences for children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other challenges. Special facilities, medical staff and
nutritional needs add up, yet 72 percent of Camp Twin Lakes campers
attend camp at no cost to their families, thanks to donations from
individuals and businesses like Taco Mac. Supportive parents and their kids
meal-loving children helped Taco Mac raise $65,000 in 2017, enough to
send 137 children to camp. “Serving high-quality, great-tasting food and
beverages that satisfy our guests is incredibly important to us, as is
being able to give back to the community,” says Taco Mac CEO Greg
Lippert. “I can’t tell you how exciting it is to be able to deliver on
our customer experience goals and send 137 children to this
transformative camp. These children might not otherwise be able to have a
camp experience.” Happy campers, all.
We confess. We have love-food issues. We’re in good company -- @eatersanonymous
deals with the same adoration for foods on both ends of the healthy to
dangerously delicious, say, turkey lettuce wraps to pizza fries. “Hot as
Hell” ice cream falls somewhere in the spectrum, to which we say, “Hell
yeah!”
The Barrel Bar at Food 101 American Kitchen & Bar
rolls out some pretty lucrative drink deals for those looking for a
place to unwind in Sandy Springs. Sundays, cap the weekend and look
ahead to the week sipping featured wines at half the price, by the glass
or bottle. Monday through Friday, select cocktails priced at $5 each
from 4-6 p.m. make
for a couple of very happy hours. The Barrel Bar also offers a tempting
selection of spirits from American Spirit Whiskey including Fiddler
Bourbon, White Whiskey (unaged) featured in the Southern Mule, Resurgens
Rye and Armour & Oak apple brandy sourced from Georgia apples. Of
course, guests are welcome to stay on for appetizers or dinner any night
of the week.
