Appetizing Aperture: Willy's Smoky Chipotle Pork

Willy’s Mexicana Grill ramps up the heat inside those custom-built burritos, bowls, tacos and quesadillas with its new recipe for smoky chipotle pork, slow-braised in savory tomato sauce with hints of garlic, onion and a more intense chipotle flavor than in the original recipe. Until recently, only customers at the Roswell Road Willy’s could chow down on this delectable pulled pork in a smoky chipotle sauce. Now the zippy new chipotle-spiced pork recipe has settled in at all locales…if one can use “settle in” and “chipotle spice” in the same sentence. Willy talks about this hot new offering here.

Buy a Cocktail at ATL Taco, Add a Taco for $1 — or Get a Free Taco on Tuesdays

When one hand holds a cocktail, the other needs to hold…a taco! Easy enough at ATL Taco in Lenox Square. Buy any taco for $1 with the purchase of a cocktail at ATL Taco Happy Hour, Monday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. On Tuesdays, bite into one complimentary taco with the purchase of any cocktail, all day long (one free taco per guest). ATL Taco, Lenox Square’s new taqueria from chefs/business partners Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere alongside managing partner Justin Studdard, serves traditional and non-traditional tacos, tequilas and fresh juices from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Sunday, and 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday. ATL Taco is located in the space previously occupied by Bantam + Biddy on the Mall Level near Neiman Marcus.

Raving about Ramen Mondays at 5Church Atlanta

Ramen heads, prepare to be bowled over -- in a comforting, soul-warming way -- by the new Ramen Monday menu at 5Church Atlanta in Midtown. Chef Scotley Innis builds three different noodle bowl combinations with fresh, bright veggies and meats, poultry or vegetarian-pleasing proteins like tofu every Monday, in addition to the regular menu. Chopstick, spoon and slurp through offerings such as braised oxtail with scallions, bean sprouts, kimchi, napa cabbage, portobello mushrooms, pickled scotch bonnet peppers, soft-boiled egg and cilantro ($16); seared duck with scallions, bok choy, soft-boiled egg, shiitake mushrooms and edamame ($19) or tofu with bok choy, edamame, shiitake mushrooms, nori, Fresno chili peppers and carrots ($14). All combos top an umami-rich ramen and broth base layer. Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Ichiban Light ($6 each) add to the authenticity of the meal. Romance the ramen at lunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. or dinner, beginning at 5 p.m. Walk-ins and reservations accepted. 

Do Lunch at Livingston in The Georgian Terrace Hotel

Tell the office lunch bunch they can have it all -- signature specialties, efficient service, reasonable pricing, close proximity and an elegant Midtown setting – at Livingston Restaurant + Bar in the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel. Neighbors, you, too. Classic and contemporary Southern cuisine options grace executive chef Mark Breault’s fine-tuned menu at the sleek restaurant, enabling guests to quickly zero in on selections like a daily chef’s soup ($7) drawing upon locally sourced ingredients or work veggies into their day through enticing Bites & Greens of burrata roasted peppers, taproot salad or succotash salad ($10-$14); add chicken, shrimp for steak for $5.

Sandwiches of smoked trout salad with brie on ciabatta, the eight-ounce Mims burger with blue goat cheese and red wine balsamic-braised onions; veggie on French bâtard; grilled, local Cajun andouille with remoulade and pepper relish; or grilled, blackened chicken and pimento cheese on a buttermilk biscuit all come with a choice of fries, house salad, house chips or soup ($10-$12). Fried chicken paillard, butternut squash agnolotti, risotto cake shrimp, house-smoked BBQ pork shoulder with grits and greens and a seasonal vegetable plate handle hearty appetites ($12-$16).

Peppermint brittle candy sundae with mint and chocolate chip gelato, Fuji apple praline pecan bar pie and Nutella and Oreo Mississippi mud pie sweeten the afternoon ($7). Livingston serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sit a spell or eat and run as your day demands. Reservations accepted on the website or call 866-845-7551 for more information; walk-ins welcome. Street, parking lot and valet parking are available.

Give, the Old-Fashioned Way, through American Cut and Seed Kitchen & Bar and Four Roses Bourbon Cocktail Promo

Help folks just by enjoying a cocktail or two. Through March 11, American Cut, The Cut Bar and Seed Kitchen & Bar are observing “Old-Fashioned Month.” For every Old-Fashioned cocktail sold, promotion sponsors Four Roses Distillery and National Distributing Company will donate $1 to The Giving Kitchen. American Cut's Plank-Smoked Old-Fashioned blends Four Roses bourbon, maple smoke, AC bitters and caster sugar. Seed's Old-Fashioned includes Four Roses Small Batch, Cherry Heering, orange-infused turbinado syrup and walnut bitters. Call us old-fashioned, but when comparing donation options of sipping a cocktail or pressing “send” for internet donating, cocktail fundraising sounds more appealing and personable. Hometown nonprofit The Giving Kitchen provides emergency assistance to restaurant workers financially and through a network of community resources. Stop by American Cut or Seed, order up and say “Cheers!” You really will be adding cheer to the day of a hardworking hospitality worker in need. 

Babalu Morphs National Margarita Day into Baba-rita™ Week through Feb. 25

National Margarita Day, a holiday well worth its salt, is much too tasty to relegate to the official one-day status of Feb. 22. Babalu Tapas & Tacos expands on tradition, offering its signature Baba-Rita™ to guests for $7 — throughout the entire week! Si, Baba-Rita™ lovers can enjoy this potent sipper for just $7, now through Sunday, Feb. 25. The Baba-Rita™ is so smooth and desirable, Babalu trademarks the name for its perfect-o blend of Patron Silver tequila, agave nectar, fresh-squeezed sour mix, POM and triple sec. Guess you’ll have to experience one (or two) up close and personally at Babalu, in Midtown

Lights, Camera, Action – Watch Aria on “Atlanta Eats” Feb. 24

From the heart of Buckhead to the local small screen, tune into Peachtree TV this Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 4 at 10:30 a.m. to see Aria on “Atlanta Eats.” Chef/owner Gerry Klaskala shows off his seasonal daily specialties to the Atlanta Eats crew, while pastry chef Kathryn King wows with dessert classics like lemon pound cake and assorted sorbets. Pop open a bottle of bubby after being inspired by general manager and head sommelier Andrés Loaiza and get ready to make your reservation to Aria soon.

“Huevos” Hello to Huevos Rancheros and More on Bulla Gastrobar’s New Brunch Menu starting Feb. 24

How do you keep that Valentine’s Day high? Take your sweet ones to Bulla Gastrobar for brunch and love life over the new brunch dishes. Tostada de aguacate (avocado toast) hits the comfort-food-and-good-for-you-too spot sporting avocado spread, heirloom tomato slices, grated smoky Idiazabal cheese and a drizzle of EVOO atop toasted multigrain bread ($8.50). Bocata de huevo (egg sandwich) cradles homemade sausage and eggs, tetilla cheese and tomato butter between slices of multigrain bread with a side of smoked paprika fries ($11). Lasso Bulla’s Spanish version of huevos rancheros made with two fried eggs, brava sauce, green and red peppers and served with a side of crispy bread ($12). Chorizo gravy spikes buttermilk-marinated, crisp-fried chicken breast in new chicken and waffles ($16). Share churro s’mores for dessert ($10). Churros, rolled in sugar and graham cracker crumbs, oust the crackers before the hot iron melds and melts the classic Hershey bar and marshmallow middle. Want a perfectly paired brunch experience? Order off their prix fixe menu ($27) and enjoy three courses of dishes that will make you say “boo-ya” to boring brunch. Bulla opens for brunch at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It’s a given that you’ll find bubbly mimosas and other glorious brunch bevies calling out from the beverage menu at this bright spot of sunny Spain in Midtown. 

Medal in Crawling with HOBNOB and More at Town Brookhaven Pub Crawl Feb. 24

2018 Olympic curling, twirling and hurling from ski jumps draws to a close this weekend. There’s still time, however, to excel in “crawling,” a lesser-known sport, at the Town Brookhaven Pub Crawl on Saturday, Feb. 24. Warm up with some pull-ups and lunges before claiming your passport at the tent in Town Brookhaven’s green space. Next, crawl around to HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern and other participating Town Brookhaven restaurants to have your passport stamped while partaking of drink specials, light bites and raffles from 4-8 p.m. HOBNOB’s event skillset brings forth warm pretzels with beer cheese dip and any SweetWater beer for $7.50. Buy tickets in advance for $15 per person on Eventbrite or pay $20 at the event. Main rules: have fun, make friends, try someplace new. No split-second timing, judging or windswept slopes involved. Proceeds benefit Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities (those feeling athletic can sign up for their upcoming 5K on Mar. 17).

Welcome the Year of the Dog Savoring Food 101 Chinese New Year Menu Feb. 21

It’s officially the Year of the Dog . . . which in no way infers it’s acceptable to “woof” down dinner in 2018. Au contraire. Our fortune cookie reveals a year of savoring new flavors and mindfully enjoying each bite -- starting at a Food 101 Chinese New Year celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Executive chef Ron Eyester plans a special á la carte menu of Chinese-inspired dishes, available one night only, to honor the year. Look forward to chopped liver egg roll with shredded carrot, apple, scallion and apricot duck sauce ($9.50); lobster scallion pancakes with pickled mushrooms and toasted sesame mayo ($12); smoked spareribs with ginger salad ($13); Chinatown mussels with shallot, lemongrass and rice wine-sambal butter ($13); shrimp toast with toasted sesame mayo and marinated bean sprouts ($13); Mongolian pork tenderloin with crispy Brussels sprouts, radish and cilantro ($26); and Chinese fried chicken with steamed rice and braised red cabbage ($23). The next Year of the Dog barks in 2030, a long wait to mark the date. Call friends and celebrate now, this week, at Food 101. Make reservations on OpenTable.

Appetizing Aperture: Atkins Park Herb-Roasted Chicken

Even though it’s winter, herb-roasted chicken ($13 lunch/$15 dinner) at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar satisfies and comforts like a tall glass of sweet tea on a Georgia summer day. Probably because the Joyce Farms airline chicken breasts are brined in sweet tea before roasting so they’re tender and moist for your fork. Fried okra and butternut squash gratin join the Southern foods family reunion on a plate.

#Foodgram

There’s a man wearing an apron and solving Kitchen Conundrums behind the kitchen doors at Martha Stewart Living. Thomas Joseph, director of food development, chefs those gorgeous dishes you want to steal and eat right off magazine and website pages and posts them at @tojo827. Sift through Joseph’s photos, recipes and short instructional shows then try your hand at no-knead artisanal bread with olives and Gruyere cheese, roasted cauliflower soup or fudgy vs. cakey brownies.

Winers: Your Sips at Marlow’s Tavern Send Tips to ACFB Hunger Walk Run through Feb. 25

Enjoy wine, so others can dine, by ordering wine by the glass or bottle at Marlow’s Tavern locations through Sunday, Feb. 25. Marlow’s Tavern is always on the lookout for ways to help out and make a difference in the community. This month, corks are popping to benefit the Feb. 18 Atlanta Community Food Bank  Hunger Walk Run at Georgia State Stadium. The neighborly taverns are partnering with Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Food Bank, donating $1 to the organization for each bottle of wine Marlow’s sales through Feb. 25. Michelle Brut, Columbia Valley, NV; Chateau Ste. Michelle sauvignon blanc, Columbia Valley, 2014; 14 Hands merlot, Washington State, 2013; and Intrinsic cabernet sauvignon, Columbia Valley, 2014 are the four spectacular wines driving donations. Marlow’s Tavern staffers are tying on sneakers to walk and run in this year’s event. Join them in the walk or donate to the cause here.