10th & Piedmont Flexes its Mussels & Martinis Promotion July 9-22

10^th & Piedmont brings you their Mussels & Martinis promotion July 9-22. While mussel specialties vary in price, all martinis are $10 each. Not to worry if you don’t know what to try first, executive chef Javier Viera has suggested pairings that don’t disappoint. When the fried mussel poppers ($8) meet the basil lemon drop martini, the bright flavors and taste is irresistible. To complement the braised mussels with French bread ($12), order a Kai Lemongrass cosmo. Twirl a spoonful of angel hair pasta and mussels with garlic butter, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese ($16) and pair it with an Angels Envy Manhattan for divine harmony. To enjoy these and more mussel and martini pairings, head to 10^th & Piedmont before the promotion is over!

Hit the Red Carpet for 10th & Piedmont Oscar Party on March 2 and Mardi Gras Party on March 4

And the award for the best week of parties goes to... *drumroll* 10th & Piedmont! Two star-studded phenomena -- the Academy Awards and Mardi Gras occurring in the same week -- catapult the midtown hot spot into revelry mode and put two big bashes on the can't-miss calendar. Strike a pose at the Red Carpet Oscar Party on Sunday, March 2 from 7 p.m. until who knows when. Host Angelica D'Paige leads the evening where suspense unfolds on the jumbo screen and $15 bottomless Champagne enables congratulatory toasts and drowns disappointments. Bust out your black tie or favorite designer dress to compete in the best-dressed contest, then make your own award picks on your personal Oscar ballot. Winners in both contests take home cash and prizes (better, we think, than a dust-catching statue). Reservations and information: 404-602-5510.

On Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m., the red carpet comes up and Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold roll out for a Fat Tuesday Bash featuring all-you-can-eat low country boil and all-you-can-drink select premium beers. Local singer/songwriter James Patrick Morgan performs. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. Book a table for your krewe today and let the good times roll!

Margaritapalooza

 

The only thing I like better than a good margarita is a whole day devoted to drinking them! And amigos, that day is this Sunday! In the off chance that you need a suggestion for sipping, we've got you covered:

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland is offering a special Cinco de Mayo menu featuring four different entrées. Pozole rojo is a chile-braised pork and hominy stew garnished with cilantro, cabbage, radish and queso anejo. Chiles rellenos burst open with Oaxaca cheese, roasted tomato salsa, crema and refried black beans. Taquitos de pollo boast shredded chicken and are joined by jalapeño slaw, queso anejo, crema and salsa verde. Their own classic Huachinango a la Veracruzana, a.k.a. snapper Veracruz, tops pan-roasted snapper with tomatoes, olives, capers and jalapeños and comes with saffron rice.

Communitas Hospitality restaurants -- Gilbert's Cafe & Bar,Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern and 10th & Piedmont -- have all gone hook, line and cinco for fish tacos and are wrapping up tilapia, cilantro, red onion, lettuce and chipotle mayo for $3 each. Add a $5 margarita for that Baja feel.

Party in or out at The Original El Taco in Virginia-Highland. The cantina celebrates the "hola!" weekend long with $4 pineapple-infused tequila shots, $12 buckets of Dos Equis, $12 El Jimador margaritas and $7 Dos Equis lager drafts in 22-ounce souvenir cups. For margarita connoisseurs, El Taco mixes up Reales margaritas with Partida Blanco Tequila and O'rangville Grand Fine Orange Liqueur along with house-made sour, fresh lime juice and agave nectar. The La Rosalita starts with El Jimador Reposado and adds fresh grapefruit and lime juices plus sweet agave nectar. Pick up Cinco-To-Go packs for a fiesta at your casa. Each pack feeds eight to 10 hungry gringos, and you'll find mucho more info here.

Ban the basic margarita for the holiday and try out a novel rendition (see more on our Pinterest board). Cactus pear juice tempers the tequila in Bantam + Biddy's cactus pear margarita. For a cinco de-tini celebration, Ecco strains a potion of Herradura Blanco Tequila, lime juice and a squeeze of blood orange juice into a chilled martini glass. Hearth Pizza Tavernoffers two on-the-rocks versions: a spicy jalapeño margarita with Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila and the St. Rita, a nectar of St. Germain and Tequila Blanco. Say "Sensei Ole!" at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown to order their high-power Asian-Tex-Mex-fusion margarita featuring Don Julio 70^th Anniversary Tequila, Canton Ginger Liqueur and Cointreau. Margaritas are hot stuff at Seven Lamps where a sous vide margarita mellows a mix of Reposado Tequila, lime zest and juice, agave nectar and cayenne in a sous vide for 48 hours, and "Going Back to Cali" blends jalapeño-infused tequila, Shrub & Co. grapefruit shrub and SweetWater IPA in a sea salt-rimmed glass. Visit Uncle Julio's for the restaurant's signature drink, the Swirl, layering a chilling blend of frozen margarita with homemade frozen sangria.  

Salud!

Smile and Go Green, It's St. Patrick's Week in Atlanta

St. Patrick’s Day greens are sprouting up all over town this week, from cabbage and green beer to emerald fountains and outdoor shindigs. No wonder shades of green are topping the Pantone color chart this season. We are so ready for the wearin' of the green and the cheer that goes along with it.

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Smyrna is Dublin’ down for two days of St. Pat’s festivities with the Smyrna St. Patrick’s Day Festival at Market Square this Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17. Mayor Max Bacon will be dyeing the fountain green, which makes for a nice photo op to go with the lineup of live music, a redhead contest, games and rides for children and adults, beer pong, cornhole, a 65-foot inflatable obstacle course - plus magically delicious foods, Guinness, Harp and Irish Car Bomb drinks. Friendly toward Irish setters and other pups looking to get in on the festivities. Buy tickets online for $5 or pay $10 at the door. The traditional Irish classics are also conjured up across town in the dining room and bar at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia Highland, including Guinness and Magners to mark St. Pat’s Day.

Midtown restaurants 10th & Piedmont, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern and Gilbert's Cafe & Bar are all part of the Communitas Hospitality family, and on St. Patrick's Day, they are coming together to offer the same food and drink specials in addition to their regular menus. Green $3 Miller Light beer, $6 Lucky Leprechaun cocktails that leap to your lips with Midori, vodka, OJ and Sprite, and plates of rib-sticking corned beef brisket with mashed potatoes, braised cabbage and Pommery mustard ($13.95) will all put a little Irish spirit in your step. Visit one or all three for a rollicking good time.

In Buckhead, Fadó Irish Pub colors the whole week green with activities and food and drink specials each day, building up to the St. Practice Day celebration on Saturday, March 16. Of course, the biggest blowout comes on St. Patrick's Day itself with a party that starts inside Fadó in the morning and spills out into the street by afternoon. Bookmark our blog for more detailed information on this biggie so you won't miss a drop of the fun or the chance to win the trip to Dublin, Ireland.

Looking for a way to sweeten up your St. Pat’s weekend? The charming cupcakes at locally owned The Little Cake Bakery come richly endowed in top-shelf ingredients, and are sized right for grown-up leprechauns. Stop in the shop this Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16, to nab some slightly tipsy Baileys Irish Cream chocolate cupcakes and the regular menu’s Guinness cupcakes made with Guinness beer. The new spring menu is in play at the Buckhead bakery with different flavors each day. Stop in on Saturday for Guinness, s'mores, cookies and cream and strawberry varieties. At $2.50 each or 12 for $27.50, these little treasures won't eat much of your cash stash. Minis are $11/dozen. More prices on the website.

James Patrick Morgan Brings the Tunes to 10th & Piedmont Sunday Brunch

  

10th & Piedmont in Midtown hosts their Bellini brunch every Sunday and has added a new component to the mix. From 1-4 p.m. James Patrick Morgan plays live music to accompany your meal. Sample some of his tunes here. You have plenty of time to fulfill your Sunday morning to-do list before brunch beginning at 11 a.m. Start your meal with a 10P Bellini, mimosa or house-made Bloody Mary. Move on to the 10P chicken & waffles, blueberry pancakes with bacon, sorghum stone-ground grits with applewood bacon and sweet corn, So-Co cured salmon roulade or biscuits with vodka tomato gravy, bacon and eggs. Had a late night? Go for the "Hair of the Dog" plate of toasted Cuban bread, smoked tomatoes, Asiago cheese, poached eggs, applewood bacon and vodka tomato gravy or "The Champion," a hearty winner of eggs, link sausage and country ham captained by a big buttermilk biscuit with vodka tomato gravy, bacon and grilled tomato. Maybe those pre-brunch hours should involve a quick walk or run!

10th & Piedmont Pours Wines at Half Price on Mondays

Wine lovers unite at 10^th & Piedmont on Monday nights! As if there was any better way to start off the week, the Midtown restaurant is offering full bottles of their "by the glass" wines at half price. There is no need to settle for just a glass when you can get the bottle without breaking the bank. Drink up!

Get the Red Carpet Treatment at 10th and Piedmont This Sunday

 

If critics can be believed, there are some sure bets for this year's 85th Annual Academy Awards, like Daniel Day-Lewis nabbing the statuette for Best Actor for his incredible portrayal of our 16th president in Lincoln. (Side note: If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend - Day-Lewis really is incredible in it and Tommy Lee Jones provides some unexpected laughs while playing a cranky and outspoken politician.) Another sure bet for this Sunday is the food and drink specials you'll enjoy while watching the Oscars at 10th and Piedmont in Midtown. Starting at 6:30 p.m., the restaurant is offering special menu items for the occasion including "Les Misérables" French onion soup with house-made croutons and Swiss cheese ($6.50); golden fried chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes, fried corn and house-made pepper gravy ($12); champagne ($3) and red carpet punch ($7). And while this is an A-list party, no need to get all glammed up. Just come prepared to eat, drink and cheer on your favorites!

Eat Great Late at Gilbert's and 10th & Piedmont

Photo by Tim Hobby

No need to settle for fast food or those convenience store nibbles when you're hungry after 11 pm. Gilbert's Café & Bar and 10^th & Piedmont in Midtown both offer some great eats at easy-to-sleep-on prices. As with the restaurants' regular menus, there's a Mediterranean bent. Pita pizzas ($6.95) come topped with chicken and caramelized onions, pepperoni with marinara or Margherita style. Artisan Pita Delights ($7.95), served with fries or grilled veggie couscous, include lemon garlic chicken pita pockets, TMB panini (tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto and roasted pepper) or gyro. The BYO burger (build your own, $8) and Gilbert's famous lamb burger ($12.95) are hearty options. Share or go solo on the hummus or baba ghanouj ($6-$7) served with artisan pita bread. You can enjoy this menu until  2 a.m. Monday through Saturday nights.