Der Biergarten CHOA Toy Drive Twist -- Give a Toy, Get a Pretzel Through December 19

Skip fancy paper and bow tying, simply bring a new, unopened, unwrapped toy to Der Biergarten through Saturday, December 19 and receive a free pretzel for your good works. The authentic German restaurant’s giant, warm Riesenbretzels deliver the carbs a body craves this time of year. That said, selecting and giving a toy to delight a child stuck in the hospital over the holidays -- even cheery Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta -- carries a greater feel-good factor. If your body thirsts for more holiday spirits, a lager, marzen, dunkelweiss or glüwein amid Der Biergarten’s fa-la-la-la-lovely decked halls will do the trick. 

Der Biergarten Nikolaustag Outshines Griswolds with Decorations, Drafts and Toy Drive for CHOA December 6. Stein Clubbers Take Half Off Tabs

Bedecked with 9,984 ornaments, 72 nutcrackers, 48 stockings and 26 Christmas trees, the sixth-annual Nikolaustag Holiday Celebration at Der Biergarten jingle jangles a fast track to festive spirits on Sunday, December 6 from 5-9 p.m. Cheer flows through $8 liters of draft Spaten Marzen and König Dunkelweiss, and $5 mugs of warm glühwein set faces aglow. Stein Club members shave 50 percent off individual tabs. With music, entertainment, games, giveaways and a Santa sighting, Der Biergarten rocks like St. Nick shimmying down the chimney. What to bring: yourself, friends and an unwrapped toy donation for the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta toy drive (see toy guidelines here.)

FLIP burger and Atkins Park Reign at A Taste of the Highlands May 16

A Taste of the Highlands will be one mammoth, mouthwatering walk in the park; that’s John Howell Park in Virginia-Highland, on Saturday, May 16 from 2-5 p.m. FLIP burger boutique and Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar are two of more than 30 restaurants claiming spaces and doling out tastes of popular dishes at the 13th annual food fest. Music to munch by comes courtesy of Sweet Auburn Swing Band and Jambodia. All proceeds go to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The nonprofit hospital system marks 100 years of aiding children in 2015. General admission tickets are $50 each and include entry and your fill of food and drinks.

Law Firm Takes Over Ink & Elm to Host A Little Help for Our Friends Charity Event on October 9

We get by with A Little Help for Our Friends. The night of Thursday, October 9, Ink & Elm will be closed to the public for dinner while executive chef Stephen Sharp will be catering to a full house. The law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, L.L.P. is taking over from 6-9 p.m. for a charity fundraising event. Proceeds of this pig roast and Southern artisanal bourbon tasting will benefit Health Law Partnership (HeLP), a trio composed of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia State University College of Law that is coming together to improve the health of low-income children and their families. 

Head to the Chattahoochee Nature Center on January 25 for Ice Fest and Help Out Children's Charities and CHOA

Have you ever seen those ice sculptures and wondered how in the world did someone make that?! Well then, head to Ice Fest 2014 at the Chattahoochee Nature Center at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 25 to see it for yourself! Whole Foods Market, an event sponsor, and Milton's Cuisine & Cocktails are pleased to participate in this Children's Charities event benefitting the Early Autism Detection Unit for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). Milton's chef Derek Dollar is preparing food for the day's festivities, and an ice sculptor will carve a block of ice into Milton's logo. For tickets, you can purchase them online or call 877-725-8849

Aqua blue and Marlow's Tavern Dish It Out for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at 10th Annual Taste of Dunwoody

Taste of Dunwoody sells out each year, which is no surprise considering guests can sample specialties from more than 25 of the area's top restaurants such as Marlow's Tavern and Aqua blue. The event, which benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, celebrates its 10^th anniversary on February 15 at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North in the Concourse complex on the Perimeter's top end. Guests will dance off their noshing to music by Yacht Rock Revue and bid on silent auction deals.
 

Get a Taste of the Highlands This Saturday!

Photo via Taste of the Highlands on Facebook 

As someone who's lived in the Virginia-Highlands for four years, I have to say it's my favorite part of town. One of the things I love most is that there are so many great restaurants in the area. If you haven't had a chance to try as many as you'd like, you should definitely make your way to the 10th Annual Taste of the Highlands this Saturday, May 19 from 2 - 5 p.m. in John Howell Park. You'll get to sample some of the best menu items from more than 30 restaurants including Fifth Group Restaurants Alma Cocina, Ecco, La Tavola Trattoria, The Original El Taco and South City Kitchen as well as neighborhood favorites Alon's Bakery and Market and Atkins Park Tavern, while listening to live music from bands Sailing to Denver and DejaBlue Grass Band. Proceeds from the event benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, so if anyone tries to judge you for going back for seconds and thirds, you can tell them it's for the kids. The weather forecast is calling for sunny skies for this outdoor event, so go ahead and buy your tickets today before they sell out. You can purchase tickets online before Friday at noon and pick them up at the gate the day of the event. Advance tickets prices are $40 per adult, $25 for students with ID and free for children under 5 years. Tickets will be $50 per adult the day of the event.

Top Chef Talent Unites at Ray's at Killer Creek on March 27

Want to get a taste of what you watched on season seven of Bravo's "Top Chef" television series? Now is your chance! On March 27, Ray's at Killer Creek is bringing in four of Executive Chef Tracey Bloom's fellow chef-testants - Arnold Myint, Tiffany Derry, Kenny Gilbert and Andrea Curto-Randazzo - to cook up a meal together for guests. The six-course meal paired with wines begins at 6 p.m. and costs $150 per person (including tax and gratuity). A portion of the proceeds benefits AFLAC Cancer Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. There is a limited amount of seats available for this special dinner, so interested guests are encouraged to reserve their spot today online or by calling 770-649-0064.

Ray's at Killer Creek: 1700 Mansell Road, Alpharetta; 770-649-0064.