BOGO sandwiches at Smokebelly BBQ in Buckhead? Channel the impulse to order a sandwich for each hand (they’re that good). Focus on an even more delicious idea. Invite a friend to join you for a lunchtime sammie, compliments of Smokebelly. Buy one sandwich and get one sandwich free (of equal of lesser value) Monday through Thursday between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and only until Dec. 28. Every sandwich on the menu is BOGO: sliced smoked turkey; pulled pork; smokedhouse Cuban; pulled smoked chicken with avocado, tomatoes, arugula and barbeque ranch; Southern fried chicken (regular, Nashville hot or “damn hot”); the Smokebelly signature burger blending ground brisket and short rib topped with smoked Gouda, crispy bacon, tobacco fried onions and more; the Smokebelly Stack of smoked pork and lean sliced brisket; or the Angus beef brisket with pickles ($9.50-$12.50). Sure, there’s fine print, but nothing compared to the mighty fine and meaty bites of ‘cue and chicken that you and your BOGO sandwich buddies will inhale and extol. Dine in only. Maximum allowed is three per table. Not valid with any other offers or promotions.
American Cut Buckhead has enjoyed a highly successful first year in Atlanta, pleasing much-valued guests with top-flight service and serving the highest level of food through nurturing strong relationships with local food purveyors. The destination steakhouse in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta so appreciates the supportive community, the team is taking guest raves and requests to heart, putting an emphasis on favorite seasonal ingredients, wet-aged and USDA Prime steaks, a bold wine program and cocktail menu and all of the other elements that have turned visitors into loyal guests.
A new array of wet-aged meat selections, including a 40-ounce wet-aged porterhouse and a 14-ounce New York strip, join the dry-aged options. All meats are USDA Prime cuts and sourced from local partner Revere. Seafood lovers catch a rotating selection of four fish entrées, including Scottish salmon with sun-dried tomato Champagne cream and halibut en croute. Seasonal side favorites are back, like the restaurant’s signature Brussels sprouts, along with sweet potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and the steakhouse’s addictive Buffalo cauliflower -- a nutritious veggie with the zing of Buffalo chicken wings. Adding to the celebratory air, all food on the popular bar menu is now half-price Monday through Friday from 5-7 p.m., and the after-work crowd also can enjoy $1 oysters and a nightly drink special. Pastry chef Satoko Kakinohana is whisking up new, irresistible desserts including an “all-chocolate” crunchy hazelnut bar with Bailey’s ice cream and cappuccino foam; an apple pie cobbler with oatmeal crumble and buttermilk ice cream; a sweet potato cheesecake with malted milk ice cream; and an addicting sticky date cake with butterscotch and burnt orange ice cream. Top off dinner with a venture upstairs to the rooftop Regent Cocktail Club for an after-dinner libation of imaginative handcrafted cocktails, wine from the curated list and local microbrews. American Cut serves dinner nightly. For more information, call 770-415-9766.
Garnering looks is nothing new to Aria. Ever since Aria opened in 2000, Atlantans, visitors and award-givers have noticed the Buckhead gem’s chic ambiance, impeccable service, the absolutely fabulous menu created by chef/owner Gerry Klaskala and pastry chef Kathryn King, and general manager and wine director Andres Loaiza’s well-curated wine cellar. Aria continues to out-best itself -- undergoing an interior décor facelift in 2016, changing to the easy-to-use Reserve reservation system this summer and jumping onto Instagram. See how much fun they’re having posting Instagram pics, especially Loaiza, who’s always eager to snap a shot of a primo wine or special 3L Chateau Peyrassol Rosé 2016 opening. And then there’s Klaskala, in Tomato King regalia, vying for Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival votes. A picture-perfect moment if ever there was one.
The fresh, modern look, spacious seating and generous parking afforded by a new location are the icing on the éclair for longtime fans of Henri’s Bakery & Café, a Buckhead institution for nearly 50 years. Customers can expect the same high-quality deli fare, pastries, cakes, pies and sweets along with newly added Batdorf & Bronson signature Dancing Goats coffee. An expansive banquette with individual seating along the back wall ups the seating while an expanded deli section eases hunger pangs with the streamlined ordering of soups, salads and sandwiches. Coming soon: Henri’s popular house-made doughnuts and a place to munch them -- an outdoor covered patio and an inviting indoor courtyard. “Henri’s new look is that of a fresh, modern bakery, but still with that old-time feel,” says owner Anthony DiNardo. Henri’s Bakery is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 404-237-0202 or visit henrisbakery.com.
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.
Go sky high and party at The Regent Cocktail Club this Thursday, April 6 from 6-8 p.m. Take in the sunset from the roof-top cocktail lounge atop American Cut in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Look out over Peachtree Street while sipping Whispering Angel rosé specials and chillin’ to live music by Atlanta acoustic trio Lilac Wine. RSVP at Events@LDVAtlanta.com. Since opening in 2016, the three-level restaurant/lounge combo of American Cut and The Regent Cocktail Club has become the “go-to dining and drinking destination for ATL’s posh set…one seriously sexy spot” according to Modern Luxury/Jezebel magazine. The duo holds the #2 spot on the list of Atlanta’s “100 Hottest Restaurants” in their February 2017 issue.
Say, “Ciao!” and celebrate the end of the work day Italian-style at Dolce Italian Aperitivo Wednesdays. Enjoy this midweek slice of “la dolce vita” at the bar and on the terrace of the authentic Italian restaurant located on the second level of The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. From 5-7 p.m., socialize while sipping $10 Double Cross vodka cocktails and chowing on $7 pizzas. Live music continues until 7:30 p.m. Make this Italian post-work ritual your own midweek tradition.
“Bun’s” the word for Matthew Ridgway, executive chef at Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman restaurants in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. On Monday, Feb. 27, Ridgway takes a one-night hiatus from his sunny Spain and Southern kitchens to create a signature steamed bun for Westside restaurant-lounge Little Trouble’s weekly “Bunday.” Little Trouble happily provides the delicious steamed buns to cushion the guest chef’s creation. Ridgway’s stunning buns, along with drink specials, will be offered alongside the regular menu from 5 p.m. until “late.”
Sweet Charlie’s, the Philadelphia-based/Thai-inspired, rolled ice cream and yogurt phenomenon rolls its first-ever franchise location into Buckhead (3872 Roswell Road, next to Superica) this spring. The young brand features the hand-rolled, made-to-order dessert sensation Forbes recently dubbed “the cool new trend in Asian sweets.” Sweet Charlie’s is the brainchild of 19-year-old entrepreneur Kyle Billig, who learned about Thai-rolled ice while watching a video and teamed up with older brother Jacob to Americanize the treat. Order and watch American showmanship kick in to create a one-of-a-kind treat based on either premium ice cream, nonfat yogurt or the company’s Nada-Moo vegan option, served in a cup or one of Sweet Charlie’s signature oven-baked glazed donuts and capped with one of its signature flavors or toppings. Because the creation-making surface is below 20 degrees, there is no need to add stabilizers, emulsifiers and preservatives. According to CFO Steve Billig, “In Philadelphia, people stand in line in the freezing cold for our rolled ice cream.” Wow. Just imagine the thrill for Sunbelt ice s’creamers!
Brown bag or sunny Italy? Betting Italy wins on the office lunch poll. Order lunch to go at Storico Fresco Alimentari e Ristorante in Buckhead. Turn the conference table into a communal table and enjoy lunch together like one big family. Say “Viva Italia!” to antipasti like callipo tuna with cannellini beans, lemon olive oil, red onion and parsley ($13) or an assortment of arancini fried rice balls ($12). Pasta, all freshly made at Storico Fresco, satiates winter comfort food needs with specialties of tagliatelle alla Bolognese with classic beef, pork and veal ragu ($13) or pi fasaac with ricotta, spinach, Grana Padano filling and brown butter sage ($12). Pressing matters at hand? Pick up a panini like focaccia with mortadella, mozzarella di bufala and arugula ($10); ceci with chickpea puree, braised greens, red onion and mozzarella di bufala ($10); or the invernale with broccolini, winter squash, radicchio, red onion and Woodsman & Wife ricotta ($11). Storico Fresco has something for everyone, even ones who want to fly solo and enjoy a quiet Italian retreat lunching in their own office or cubicle.
Tip your hat to The Southern Gentleman for satisfying Sunday dining desires with the addition of brunch way before the dinner bell rings. Executive chef Matthew Ridgway plans the gastropub’s 11 a.m.-3 p.m. brunch to allow folks time to relax, enjoy their Sunday morning routines, meet for a leisurely meal and still have the afternoon free to putz around. Ridgway’s varied brunch menu acknowledges some guests are in morning mode while others have moved on toward noontime fare. Samples include smoked trout rillettes on griddled benne seed toast with crushed field pea hummus, mustard anglaise and smoked caviar ($10); crispy anadama toffee waffles with caramelized bananas ($13); pimento cheese-Dixie bacon omelets with home-fried potatoes ($15); a traditional triple-decker Monte Cristo sandwich with Southern ham, roasted turkey, Swiss cheese and bourbon barrel maple syrup ($16); Maryland deviled crab sandwich ($16) and dessert of caramelized banana and hazelnut bostock French toast ($8). The Southern Gentleman, in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, also serves lunch Monday through Saturday and dinner nightly. Make reservations online or by calling 404-939-9845. Valet parking is available.
If concerts at Chastain Park Amphitheatre leave you wanting more, bee-bop over to nearby Johnny’s Hideaway for dining, drinks and dancing into the wee hours. Atlanta’s best DJs spin tunes from the 1950s ‘til now, and an always lively crowd promises no shortage of dance partners or people-watching. Stop in after Hall and Oates on July 10, Rob Thomas on July 21 or Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on July 29. Full concert schedule is available online.
Lunch with Mark Twain. The Southern Gentleman is his usual Atlanta lunch spot -- his larger-than-life portrait watches over the lunch crowd at the gastropub on Buckhead Atlanta’s top floor. Bet he’s wishing he could jump out of the canvas for modern versions of Southern beloveds such as this Low Country shrimp boil with spiced andouille sausage, corn on the cob, sweet onions and fingerling potatoes ($16). He’s so jealous of y’all, sipping classic Southern cocktails by the seersucker-curtained windows and lunching there Monday through Sunday on pimento beer cheese and cracklings, field lettuces with crispy black-eyed peas and grilled peaches, lacquered Virginia duck breast or crispy fried shrimp and oysters on a baguette with house-made hot sauce. Fiction? No, siree. Delicious reality, every day.
A year has blown by faster than smoker clouds for Smokebelly BBQ, and the Buckhead barbecue joint is cueing up an anniversary party Saturday, May 30. They’re roasting a whole hog and divvying out portions for free from 3-4 p.m. (while grub lasts). Toss back drink specials such as $3 Curious Traveler Shandy and Angry Orchard drafts and $4 specialty cocktails throughout the afternoon and evening. Games, giveaways and live music continue the festivities until 12:30 a.m. On the patio, Anthony Crane strums out acoustic tunes from 5-7 p.m., and Bluegrass Flashmob Trio picks and grins from 7-9 p.m. Convoy takes the tunes inside for a full band stage experience from 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
In Spain, no one says, “Paddle faster, I hear flamenco guitar music.” The mesmerizing notes of the flamenco guitarist invite listeners to hang out and appreciate the moment and the music. To, as they say at Gypsy Kitchen, Basque in the Sun. Totally doable. Come “Basque in the Sun” every Sunday between 5-8 p.m. on Gypsy Kitchen’s new, open-air patio overlooking Buckhead Atlanta. Sip a few glasses of tinto de verano, the “red wine of summer” spritzer adored by locals in Spain’s Southern regions and along the Costa del Sol, only $4 each. Tip back heady, fruity sangria at $5 a glass. Select dishes are half off; go ahead and order several plates for the table to share -- it’s the Iberian way. And, there really is a flamenco guitarist strumming away in the background. Olé!
