Gunshow’s Ward and Gillespie, Umi’s Fuyuhiko and Lisa Ito Wine and Dine Guests at Out of the Kitchen Atlanta for CURE Childhood Cancer Nov. 16

Holiday meal prepping, baking, gift making, entertaining …face it, the holidays can be kitchen intensive. Step out before prepping for a fine dining experience -- the inaugural Out of the Kitchen Atlanta gourmet dining event presented by The St. Regis Atlanta. Sixteen of Atlanta’s top chefs -- including chefs Kevin Gillespie and Joey Ward of Gunshow and chefs Fuyuhiko and Lisa Ito of Umi -- will create a three-course menu tableside followed by a dessert extravaganza on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. Spirits will soar, boosted by flowing wine and “Atlanta Eats” host Steak Shapiro. Come casually chic (hold off on the holiday sweaters and formal wear) for a memorable evening benefitting CURE Childhood Cancer. Buy tickets and purchase sponsorships online, $400-$10,000.

Star Grazing

Celebrities keep Umi on their Atlanta restaurant radar. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer and a guest were spotted dining at the Buckhead jewel on Oct. 18, enjoying Miyabi Omakase and Itami. Good call, Michelle. Miyabi Omakase gives diners a full scope of Umi delicacies, coursing through the chef selection with premium soup, starter, sashimi plate, a hot dish, assorted nigiri and dessert.

Umi Executive Chef Fuyuhiko Ito Shows Off Knife Skills during Culinary Week at The Art Institute of Atlanta Aug. 23

Culinary students at The Art Institute of Atlanta will witness cutting-edge finesse when Fuyuhiko Ito, executive chef of Umi in Buckhead, leads a knife skills demonstration on Wednesday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. Ito unpacks his blades as part of The Art Institute of Atlanta’s Culinary Week sessions showcasing industry chefs and providing an extra learning opportunity for students. The un-ticketed event, scheduled for room 100 at the Sandy Springs campus, is open to the public with limited seating available. For more information, contact Carole Carr at cccarr@edmc.edu. 

Star Grazing

Umi continues to draw locals and celebrities alike. Recent sightings include SPANX founder Sara Blakely (whose shapewear empire is conveniently headquartered across Peachtree), “Ironman” Robert Downey, Jr. and Jaleel White, best known for his role as Steve Urkel in the ‘90s sitcom “Family Matters.” Described as a “very nice guy,” White dined on Ito-kase along with a few of the restaurant’s more exotic items -- monkfish liver and sea urchin.

The Stars Keep Shining at Atlanta Restaurants

Georgia’s booming film industry draws numerous celebrities to Atlanta so you never know who you might bump into at your favorite restaurant. Recent sightings include Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans, at Umi in Buckhead. Both are in town filming the latest “Avengers” movie and enjoyed chef Fuyuhiko Ito’s spicy tuna box, steak, otoro tartare and more. Uma Thurman also dined on Umi’s modern Japanese cuisine while in Atlanta ordering avocado salad, crispy rice and an assortment of sashimi. Repeat visitors, Johansson and Thurman have both been spotted at Umi on previous visits to the ATL. Across Peachtree Street, American Cut hosted an Atlanta Falcons team dinner on June 9 that included Matt Ryan and his wife, Levine Toilolo, D.J. Tialavea, Ricardo Allen, Ben Garland, Andre Roberts, De’Vondre Campbell along with general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn. Former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen and actor Sebastian Stan, in Atlanta filming “Avengers: Infinity War,” were recently spotted at Johnny’s Hideaway

Chef Dinner at Umi Raises $24,000 for Charity on May 1

A sold-out, all-star chef dinner hosted by food writer Kate Parham Kordsmeier and photographer Heidi Geldhauser, held May 1 at Umi, raised nearly $24,000 for charity. The inaugural event for the Emily Cameron Art Scholarship, honoring the late photographer Emily Cameron, gave $10,000 to Atlanta-based painter Natalie Escobar. Kordsmeier and Geldhauser, along with Cameron’s parents, established the scholarship to change the life of a service-industry worker pursuing a career in the arts. The remaining $14,000 in proceeds was donated to The Giving Kitchen to go toward crisis grants for members of Atlanta’s restaurant community facing unanticipated hardship. Some of Atlanta’s most-celebrated chefs, including Fuyuhiko and Lisa Ito of Umi, Gerry Klaskala of Aria and Joey Ward of Gunshow, united to prepare the multi-course meal at Umi. To toast the occasion, Gunshow’s Mercedes O’Brien mixed a signature cocktail named “The Emily,” featuring bourbon, SHISO liqueur, honey, lemon, seltzer and strawberry absinthe ice pearls.

Warm Weather Quick Picks at Atlanta Eateries

Good riddance outerwear, hello tank tops and Top-Siders. Atlanta restaurants hear your roar, and they’re ready with tall cocktails and summery fare. Here’s a punch list of some newbies:
  Article 14 in Midtown has an invigorating melon cooler featuring Double Cross vodka, watermelon, lime and a red pepper flake ($12).
  The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill offers beach-house seafood favorites such as lobster egg rolls with mango sweet chili sauce; a house-made, quarter-pound crab and shrimp burger; Coca-Cola BBQ grilled salmon topped with house-made barbecue sauce; and a Buffalo fried shrimp po’boy ($9.95-$20.95).
  FLIP burger boutique adds a shrimp po-boyger, a fried shrimp patty served with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickleback slaw and spicy rémoulade ($12.50). (Not available at Poncey-Highlands.)
  Marlow’s Tavern boasts a tasty trifecta -- a warm Brie fondue starter consisting of melting Brie, Swiss, mascarpone, Chardonnay and buttery ciabatta ($8) and a grilled turkey burger featuring Golden Legacy Farms turkey ($9.50) or crisp red snapper with udon noodles, Thai basil and miso soy broth ($17.50) as entrées.
  Ray’s Restaurants (Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River and Ray’s at Killer Creek) are places to lunch on lobster, as in the luscious lobster cobb salad or the lobster roll featuring Maine lobster salad ($19 each).
  SkyLounge atop the Glenn Hotel serves an intoxicating duo of a skyline view and their basil lemon margarita made with tequila, agave syrup, fresh basil leaves, lemon and salt ($8).
Umi in Buckhead adds another reason to claim status as Atlanta’s best sushi restaurant with madai carpaccio -- Japanese red snapper carpaccio, sea salt, lemon, olive oil and yuzu kosho ($15).

Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry Fills Tanks at Georgia Aquarium May 7

The Georgia Aquarium aquatic tanks are full, and the fish are well fed. The issue is filling the tummy tanks of hungry children across the U.S. with nourishing food -- the ultimate goal of Share Our Strength’s Atlanta Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry on Thursday, May 7. While guests in the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom are there to help raise funds for this mission, they’ll be able to sample their fill of signature dishes and drinks prepared by 50 of Atlanta’s top chefs and mixologists including those from Aria, Marlow’s Tavern, Ray’s Restaurants, Seed Kitchen & Bar, Stem Wine Bar and Umi, and they’ll enjoy more than a splash of fine wines from around the world. Great “see” life as well: looking at life through the ballroom’s huge water window, absorbing live music vibes, and auction bidding on wines, world-class trips, dining and culinary experiences and other luxury items. Event honorary chair is Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent. Buy tickets online: VIP is $350, for 6-10 p.m. admission; General is $250 person, for 7-10 p.m. admission. Attendees must be 21 years or older.

See Stars Shining at Atlanta Restaurants

 

Movies are moving into Atlanta in a big way. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, 158 feature films and television productions shot scenes in Georgia during 2014. With big box office draws such as “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2,” “Insurgent” and “The Good Lie” filming here, .Mic declares Atlanta the next movie-making hotspot. Our take: a) you’re not imagining you just saw Jennifer Lawrence; b) spare yourself the plane ticket and party with Oscar here.

Not only are Hollywood jetsetters landing in Atlanta, they’re taxiing off the runway and into Umi -- or Umiwood as some now refer to the restaurant -- where modern Japanese cuisine costars with understated elegance. Celebrities Jennifer Lawrence, Usher, Kate Winslet and Jim Carey are hungry for chef Fuyuhiko Ito’s specialties such as aburi (slightly cooked sushi-grade fish), toban yaki (prepared on a ceramic toban grill) or omakase (chef’s selection of dishes). When in Atlanta, actress Jennifer Lawrence frequents Umi for her usual dirty martini, edamame, avocado salad, spicy tuna crispy rice and black cod misoyaki. “The Hunger Games” director Francis Lawrence and actors Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth have dined there. Elton John and husband David Furnish fill up on chef Ito’s fare when they’re on Peachtree. Umi is tight with Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and Atlanta Braves player Freddie Freeman has slid in for a plate or two. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and his wife Sarah are Umi regulars. Other well-known Umi diners include Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant and actors Theo James, Zac Efron and Robert De Niro. Some dress up, some come casual. The important thing to know is every guest dines well and receives VIP treatment at Umi, making it a beloved choice for repeat performances. For reservations, call 404-841-0040 or click here.

The Red Carpet Oscar Party at 10th & Piedmont rivals attending the actual 87th Oscar Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, February 22. For one thing, when the Midtown restaurant’s festivities begin at 7 p.m., guests are free to socialize and enjoy bottomless glasses of bubbly for $15. They’re not confined to theater seats for hours on end, smiles glued on their faces. Here, when stargazing partygoers glitz and glam up, they might win cash or prizes in the “best-dressed” contest (as versus critical reviews). Party viewers benefit from commentary by host Angelica D’ Paige, plus televised emcee remarks and entertainment, beginning with the red carpet arrivals and continuing through the closing credits. In Hollywood, the Academy votes. In Midtown, everyone votes! Download the Oscar ballot and choose your winners before you go. Reserve a table by calling 404-602-5510.