Atlanta Restaurants are Where It’s at for St. Pat’s Specials On and Around March 17

St. Pat’s falls on a Saturday this year generating extra-spirited celebrations that will set eyes to smiling all over town on March 17. As luck o’ the Irish would have it, some restaurants are extending their St. Paddy’s promos over the week or weekend. Oh, t ’would be a shame to miss the specials in store across our fair city.
 
At Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland, partake in a full day of St. Pat’s shamrockin’ drink specials and an Irish chef’s menu sporting corned beef and cabbage glazed with stout mustard, new potatoes, roasted carrots and Irish soda bread; braised lamb shank with vegetables, mashed potatoes and brown gravy; bangers and mash featuring Guinness-braised sausage; and rich bread pudding with white and dark chocolate Baileys crème anglaise. Wash it all down with a special menu featuring Irish whiskey to keep the celebrations spirited. Celebrate at lunch and through dinner. Participating in The Kegs & Eggs pub crawl? Atkins Park is offering up Guinness-dipped pretzels for $3 a pop. Stay on and celebrate…they’re open until 3 o’clock in the morning!
 
Food 101 American Kitchen & Bar promises “A More Civilized St. Paddy’s Day,” setting forth a menu of specials ($9.50-$25) available March 15-17. A special themed menu features house-cured salmon and potato croquettes; “Reuben” eggrolls with house-made corned beef, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing or the 101 Reuben sandwich with same fillings plus aged Swiss; shepherd’s pie with braised lamb, sweet peas and grained mustard whipped potatoes; traditional fish and chips with fried caper tartar sauce; house-made corned beef brisket and cabbage with herb roasted potatoes; or corned beef hash with potatoes, shaved fennel, celery and over-easy eggs. Make reservations here.
 
Pull on your green jeans and emerald ear bobs and hop to HOBNOB Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar. HOBNOB - Midtownrocks a high volume St. Patrick’s Day party on March 17 featuring all-you-can-eat pizza, bottomless green beer, live music by the Garrett Collins Trio (9 p.m.-1 a.m.) and party favors. Buy tickets here, $29 per person. At HOBNOB – Town Brookhaven, bite into St. Pat’s Day braised corned beef with cabbage, roasted potatoes and whole grain mustard for $15.95. Green beer flows, $5 a glass. St. Pat’s special and regular menus are available all day. Book your Brookhaven table here.
 
Enjoy complimentary corned beef and cabbage from 6-7 p.m. on March 17 at Johnny’s Hideaway in Buckhead then Irish jig or dance away into the wee hours.
 
Leaping Leprechauns! Taco Mac, Innis & Gunn and Tullamore D.E.W. unite to produce a “D.E.W. and a Brew” promo featuring the “Perfect Pair,” Kindred Spirits Scottish stout aged in Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey barrels and a shot of Tullamore D.E.W. legendary Irish whiskey. The beer and a shot deal includes Innis & Gunn branded glassware and Tullamore D.E.W. shot glasses. Special begins March 12 and runs through March 18 (or until the stout supply dries up) at all Taco Mac locations.
 
Got your spot to watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Midtown? Make your way to 5Church Atlanta and fuel up before or after the festivities. Enjoy executive chef Scotley Innis’ signature brunch dishes like chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, wild mushroom omelet and more.  

Join Food 101 and Babalu at Atlanta Brunch Festival March 10

Waffling on what to do this weekend? Commit to brunching with the best of ‘em -- including Babalu Tapas & Tacos and Food 101 -- at the Atlanta Brunch Festival on Saturday, March 10. Tasting stations, cash bars and musical entertainment spread like butter on hot biscuits over the festival area from 12-4 p.m. Food 101 executive chef Ron Eyester and 101 Concepts are designing the VIP food experience, which includes 11 a.m. entry, unlimited drinks and an exclusive VIP food and drink tent. Buy tickets online: general admission tickets are $20 per person in advance/$25 festival day, include entry and entertainment; VIP tickets are $79 in advance (not available day of event). Those anticipating heavy thirst can opt for “Bottomless Drinks” tickets covering all drinks from noon-3:45 p.m. ($50 advance/$60 festival day). Fork over $3 per portion (payable to each vendor) and supplement with bloody marys, mimosas, beer and wine priced from $5-$8. Rain or shine event open to guests ages 21 years and up only; no babies, kids or pets.

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.

Drink Up for Less with Food 101 Barrel Bar Wine and Cocktail Specials

 

 

The Barrel Bar at Food 101 American Kitchen & Bar rolls out some pretty lucrative drink deals for those looking for a place to unwind in Sandy Springs. Sundays, cap the weekend and look ahead to the week sipping featured wines at half the price, by the glass or bottle. Monday through Friday, select cocktails priced at $5 each from 4-6 p.m. make for a couple of very happy hours. The Barrel Bar also offers a tempting selection of spirits from American Spirit Whiskey including Fiddler Bourbon, White Whiskey (unaged) featured in the Southern Mule, Resurgens Rye and Armour & Oak apple brandy sourced from Georgia apples. Of course, guests are welcome to stay on for appetizers or dinner any night of the week.

Appetizing Aperture: Food 101's 101 Breakfast Plate

Two eggs, home fries, smoked bacon and a hot biscuit. Start Saturday or Sunday with the 101 Breakfast Plate ($12) at Food 101 in Sandy Springs, and you’re ready to tackle the weekend chore list or set out on an adventure. Depending on your post-brunch plans, add eye-opening brunch cocktails like the 101 bloody mary, Cathead cocktail, “Wang, Tang Doodle” or “The Bold & The Beautiful” ($8-$11), brunch bubbles or go the more tame route toward javas, herbal teas and craft sodas.

Chef Ron Eyester Cracks Open Mother Shucker Oyster Roast at Food 101 Dec. 3

Fill your Sunday afternoon with unlimited oysters during Mother Shucker at Food 101 American Kitchen & Bar on Dec. 3. Chef Ron Eyester is clamoring to host a mess of oyster lovers from 3 p.m. on at Eyester’s first big event at the helm of the Sandy Springs landmark. Shell out a mere $25 per person (plus service fee) to buy tickets online and enjoy raw, roasted and stewed oysters. Cathead vodka cocktails and beer are optimum oyster chasers. And shucks, get into the holiday spirit and make a donation to VH1-Save the Music while you’re there.

Food 101 becomes Food 101 American Kitchen & Bar as Chef Ron Eyester Returns, Refines Focus and Menu

Food 101 is expanding its name to Food 101 American Kitchen & Bar to reflect an exciting emphasis on “renewed American” cuisine under the direction of Ron Eyester. Sous chef for 101 Concepts restaurant group at the original Food 101, Eyester comes full circle in a rich culinary career to take the restaurant’s menu back to its thoroughly American roots. Eyester enriches the Food 101 vision with his depth of experience in NYC and Charleston, South Carolina, owning and operating his own restaurants, helping colleagues plan and rebrand, and launching I Dig Food, an event and consulting brand in which he partners with other restaurateurs to curate food-inspired events. His Food 101 menu features lighter items in addition to comfort food faves such as 101 Meatloaf ($15) and buttermilk fried chicken ($15) and “low and slow” savories like braised lamb shank with butternut squash purée, slightly pickled mushrooms and natural jus ($28). Look for new lunch and dinner items such as honey and lemon glazed smoked chicken wings with fresh herbs and slightly pickled carrots ($10), “Green Goddess” glazed Brussels sprouts with scallions and toasted almonds ($9.50) and Red Hare root beer BBQ St. Louis-style ribs with chopped Southern slaw and house-made steak fries ($26). Weekend brunch woos sleepy heads with tempters of skillet pancake with sorghum-sea salt butter and Vermont maple syrup ($10); fried cheese grits with smoked pineapple aioli ($7) and “Skinny Brunch” with sliced organic tomatoes, grilled asparagus, leeks, fresh herbs and soft-poached eggs ($13).

The restaurant’s beverage program features a comprehensive selection of classic cocktails,wine and beer, and The Barrel Bar pours from an impressive list of small-batch bourbons and ryes as well as barrel-aged Manhattans and craft cocktails. Metropolitan atmosphere and urban polish contribute to a “New Age Diner” feel within both the dining room and The Barrel Bar. Established in 1999 and having marked its 18^th birthday on Nov. 16, the restaurant has become a perennial favorite and landmark, well anchored before Sandy Springs became a city in 2005. Reservations can be made online or by calling (404) 497-9700. Self-parking is available in the adjacent lot.

Cheers to $5 and $8 Drinks, $20 Bottles of Wine during Food 101 Weekday Happy Hour

Atlanta weekdays, 4-6 p.m. Say no more. Break from the brake lights and fill this time slot at the Food 101 happy hour, Monday-Friday afternoons. Commute from bar to table, enjoying wine selections priced at $5 a glass or $20 a bottle or sip any of the day’s rotating menu of $5 vodka drinks. Feeling playful? Mess around with $8 mix n’ match margaritas, choosing straight-up strawberry, blood orange, melon, blackberry, mango or kiwi flavors, mix flavors or ask for a jolt of Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur to kick up the spiciness. Shareable triple-grind beef sliders ($12), charcuterie butcher blocks and cheese boards ($15-$28) and heartier fare like the Red Dragon burger ($17), smoked pulled pork enchiladas ($19), Georgia peach and fennel halibut ($36) and blackberry balsamic short ribs ($32) look really tempting. Give in and stay on for dinner.

Go Roast or Go Raw at Food 101 Sunday Oyster Socials

Food 101 in Sandy Springs salutes oysters with Sunday Oyster Socials every Sunday from 4 p.m. to close. Enjoy three raw oysters on the half shell and choose a topping of hot sauce, horseradish, tomato and lime, salsa, citrus vinaigrette or herb and garlic sauce, all for $7.50. Coasting toward roasting? Three roast oysters are $8 and come topped with your choice of house garlic and herb butter; piccata with lemon caper butter; Crab Imperial of crab meat, lemon, scallion, aioli and breadcrumbs; and Rockefeller with spinach, ham, parmesan cheese, roasted garlic and breadcrumbs.

Grape News! Two Ways to Celebrate National Wine Day in Sandy Springs on May 25

Food 101 to Pour Wine Flights

This week, Food 101 will offer their Wine Down Wednesdays wine flight special on Wednesday – and Thursday. Think they’re flighty? Not at all! Thursday, May 25 is National Wine Day, one of our favorite varietals of foodie holidays. To mark the wine-some day, the Sandy Springs restaurant will pour May’s wine flight selections during Thursday night dinner service. Explore an Atalon from Napa Valley, a Kendall-Jackson from the Central Coast of California and a Carmel Road from Monterey, California. Flights are offered for $15, and glasses are available for $10. Free samples of several other wines will be available, and a wine distributor will be on hand that evening to answer wine questions. Complete the experience with selections from executive chef Ryan Smith’s delectable menu of Southern fare, garden delights, charcuterie and artisanal cheeses.

Wine, Brews and Moos Fuel Celebration at Taco Mac-The Prado

Wine. Check. Cheese. Check. Brews. Huh? Leave it to Taco Mac to spin National Wine Day toward a stout and hearty celebration dubbed “Wine, Brews, and Moos” at the restaurant’s Sandy Springs Prado location. From 6:30-9 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, relish all you care to eat and drink beer, wine and cheese. Brewniversity members earn three Brewniversity credits for participation. Buy tickets online, $30 each.

Food 101 Summer Concert Picnic Baskets are Music to Your Lips

We’re anticipating an exciting outdoor concert season, and convenient Food 101 picnic baskets assure concert fare won’t play second fiddle. The Sandy Springs restaurant packs picnic meals with 24-hour notice so concertgoers can swing by and grab their al fresco feast on the way to shows at Chastain Park Amphitheatre and Heritage Sandy Springs. Food 101 covers food, flatware and baskets for all concerts without “no tables, no outside coolers” designation. Executive chef Ryan Smith offers encore-worthy nibbles and mains such as pimento cheese, $8/cup and $15/pint; deviled eggs, $12/half dozen; smoked wings, $15 per dozen; mini biscuits and blueberry muffins, $8/four each (eight pieces total); smoked ham and pimento cheese or smoked salmon and cream cheese tea sandwiches, $5 per whole sandwich (cut in quarters); seasonal fruit, $5/cup and $9/pint; fried chicken with whipped potatoes, green beans, slaw and chicken gravy, $16 per person; grilled chicken salad, $14 per person; meatloaf with whipped potatoes, collard greens and red wine demi, $14/person; and desserts of chocolate cake for $7 per piece/$35 for whole cake and bourbon pecan pie for $6 per piece/$25 per pie. To place an order, call 404-497-9700.

New Faces, New Menu for Food 101 in Sandy Springs

Food 101, a Sandy Springs neighborhood staple and trailblazer in the metro area’s Southern restaurant scene, welcomes new senior operations director Jimmy Prince and executive chef Ryan Smith. Prince brings to the table 35 years of experience owning more than 20 restaurants and a passion for interacting with staff and diners as he focuses on revamping menus and making key hires to better serve the neighborhood gathering spot and bastion for comfort food. Executive chef Ryan Smith, formerly the chef de cuisine at 101 Steak, has developed his own culinary style over years at three different 101 Concepts restaurants (Food 101, Cibo e Beve and 101 Steak) as well as Watershed on Peachtree and Southbound in Chamblee. His penchant for clean-eating and Southern-inspired flavors freshens the menu in new dishes like pan-roasted Alaskan halibut with braised endive and ruby grapefruit ($36); grilled skirt steak with smashed potato, oyster mushroom and herb and garlic sauce ($28); smoked pulled pork enchilada ($19); sea scallop salad with avocado, grapefruit, sweet onion and citrus vinaigrette ($17); fried NC catfish and grits with green tomato chutney ($13); kale and mushroom farrotto with spring veggies, lemon and Parmigiano ($12); fried SMF chicken biscuit with garlic aioli and cheddar ($13); and house-cured and smoked salmon board served with bagel and traditional toppings ($14). Guests continue to enjoy the prominent bourbon program at the Barrel Bar, weekly Wine Down Wednesdays and weekday happy hour specials as well as counting on the restaurant’s private event capabilities. Food 101 serves lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner nightly and Sunday brunch.

Atlanta Restaurants Run for the Roses with Kentucky Derby Specials May 6

The Kentucky Derby gallops ‘round the bend this Saturday, and while we can’t all travel to Churchill Downs, we can throw on our big hats and jockey up to the bar for a mint julep and grand views right here at Atlanta restaurants.
 Food 101 in Sandy Springs saddles up spiffy specials for the three big Triple Crown races, centering on each race location. May 6, all eyes focus on Kentucky-themed cocktails: Bulleit bourbon mint juleps, The Oaks Lily, The Crown of Roses flush with Crown Royal and amaretto, and a strong Kentucky B&B teaming bourbon and Benedictine. Louisville-style eats include Benedictine tea sandwiches, bourbon-glazed hot sausage links, Kentucky burgoo, those famous Kentucky Hot Brown open-face turkey sandwiches with tomato, bacon and Mornay sauce and wedges of deep-dish Kentucky Derby chocolate pecan pie. Dress to impress! Remaining Triple Crown special events will be the Preakness (May 20) and Belmont Stakes (June 10). Watch all three races in Food 101’s Barrel Bar. Taco Mac tethers Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day into a two-day “Derby de Mayo” holiday featuring $4 select Mexican beers with new Brewniversity credits, a Herradura Barrel Select flight and traditional, black cherry, watermelon and strawberry margaritas. Catch a selfie in your best Derby and/or Cinco hat to enter in the “Derby de Mayo” hat social media contest. Winning photo scores a Taco Mac party for up to 20 people.  The Southern Gentleman doesn’t horse around when it comes to hosting a Derby Party. Wager in at $35 per person (plus tax) for the 3:30-7 p.m. party for two tickets for spirited drinks and a buffet spread including confit chicken Hot Brown, pickled shrimp toast, chicken salad slider, shrimp and grits, cheddar cheese pimento pork rinds and more. Excitement builds through multiple screen viewing, giveaways and the thoroughly delightful Derby Day hat contest with prizes. Add a little horseplay to the day by sampling the Elijah Craig Bourbon Smash snow cone. Get your genteel on with a mint julep, Brown Derby or bourbon punch. Purchase advance tickets here. Valet parking is available. Guests may redeem $5 off an Uber ride either to or from the event in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta by clicking this link.

Easter is April 16! Find All Your Easter Eats Eggs in One Basket – The Dish

Easter arrives later than usual this year, giving us “eggs-tra” time to make plans and rejoice that it will probably be warm enough to NOT wear a coat over those new springy duds. Hightail it to these Atlanta restaurants on April 16 for Easter dining, drinks and fun, inside and out.

Rabbit trail it to Midtown where 5Church Atlanta at 14^th and Peachtree plans Easter specials and bottomless mimosas to go along with à la carte menu offerings. Deciding whether to dine out after sunrise service, high noon or capping the day? Peruse the brunch menu, served from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and the dinner menu, available at 5 p.m. Celebratory cocktails and spirits play out all day.

Sail over to East Cobb for a Sunday brunch at Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar. Enjoy Easter specials in addition to the regular menu like Maine lobster omelette with chevre and smoked tomato butter; jumbo lump crab cake benedict with brown butter hollandaise, brioche and a poached egg; and seared scallops and maple-glazed pork belly with Vidalia onion soubise, asparagus, oyster mushrooms and a poached egg.

No need to rush the Easter fun. Sit down and stay a while for brunch and dinner at Food 101 from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Feast on regular brunch and dinner favorites like the fried chicken biscuit; crab cake BLT; scallop salad; and three meat meatloaf. Easter specials include smoked lamb carpaccio with spring peas, shallot mousse, cured yolk, arugula on a lemon crostini; hickory-smoked, sorghum-glazed ham with Gayla’s Grits, roasted carrots and leaks with ham jus; and pan-roasted halibut with English peas and asparagus, spring vegetable consommé and fresh herbs.

Hop into HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern in Midtown from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. for their beloved “Bubbly Brunch” with bottomless mimosas ($17) as well as brunch specialties “everybunny” loves and live music from 1-4 p.m. Consider the Wake and Bake pizza ($13), tiramisu French toast ($11), healthy Million Dollar Feeling plate ($13), The BASE salad ($11) or BYOB (Build Your Own Breakfast, $3.50-$12.50). The Hangover Helper ($13) cures whatever ails those who stayed up too late looking for the bunny, and a whole list of bloody marys, “mosas” and brunch cocktails are ready when you are. Fly back in for half-price wings from 4-11 p.m.

Ormsby’s shells out adult-style Easter egg fun! Each guest receives a plastic egg filled with either a piece of candy, a ticket for a free drink or some other prize. The Westside restaurant and pub is open from noon until midnight, and it’s menu specials are eggs-actly right for the day with additions of bourbon-glazed ham, smashed peas, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. Besides, thirsty bunnies need a good watering hole, and Ormsby’s spirit list is lush with craft beer, craft cocktails and wines.

Easter Sunday, tip your bonnet and a bourbon, brunch punch or seasonal mimosa while choosing selections from The Southern Gentleman’s à la carte brunch menu, offered from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Hold off on jelly beans and Peeps to save room for smoked trout rillettes ($9), ricotta and lemon pancakes ($12), pimento cheese and bacon or Hang Town Fry omelet ($15), a traditional Monte Cristo ($15), New Orleans shrimp and grits ($16) and other new South favorites. The Easter Bunny pops into The Shops Buckhead Atlanta gastropub for a special appearance -- and maybe to bunny hop to live music from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Three-hour free deck parking. Make reservations on OpenTable; call 404-939-9845 for information. 

Head home to Revival for a truly farm-fresh Southern Easter brunch or dinner at Kevin Gillespie’s Decatur cottage-turned-restaurant. Enjoy brunch from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. served from the regular à la carte menu. The dinner menu takes over from 5-9 p.m. Executive chef Andreas Müller plans to toss some Easter-themed specials into the basket along with the regular menu offerings.

For an enticing prix fixe Easter meal and a lovely garden setting, take the family to Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple. Enjoy an elegant $32 prix fixe menu alongside such brunch staples as Charleston crab bisque, blackened salmon, Southern-fried chicken breast and French toast.

Honor Easter over sumptuous Easter Sunday buffets at Ray’s Restaurants. Ray’s in the City spreads its Easter buffet from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; $39.95/adult, $19.95/ages 5-10. Feast on boneless leg of lamb and Virginia ham at the carving station; made-to-order omelets and waffles at the breakfast station; seafood gumbo, ham and eggs Benedict, prime rib, deep-fried Southern chicken tenders, roasted chicken with herbs, seafood alfredo pasta, salmon croquettes, beef Burgundy, broiled grouper medallions and sides galore. Fill in display and dessert options – from fruit, cheese, charcuterie, seafood and salads to coconut cake, eclairs, banana pudding and pecan pie. Those preferring to celebrate over dinner can order from the à la carte dinner menu from 5-8 p.m. that evening. Reservations: 404-524-9224. Ray’s on the River in Sandy Springs comes through with a beautiful riverside view for Easter pictures as well as a bountiful brunch buffet offered from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. for $45.95/adult, $22.95 ages 5-10. Buffet offerings include morning options through early afternoon then segue more toward afternoon and evening fare as the day progresses. All day, guests can enjoy seafood and salad bars, a build-your-own waffle station, an array of house-made desserts and a meaty carving station featuring herb-roasted prime rib, Virginia ham, salmon in puff pastry, Cheshire baby back ribs and sweet tea fried chicken. Reservations: 770-955-1187. In Alpharetta, Ray’s at Killer Creek is ready to please from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., offering a mouthwatering Easter Sunday buffet featuring traditional brunch favorites and sides, a made-to-order omelet station, build-your-own salad and pasta bars, house-smoked salmon, and specialties including rosemary roasted leg of lamb, BBQ smoked brisket, prime rib, lamb sliders with tzatziki, butterfly shrimp and stuffed flounder. A crepe station, cheese blintzes with berry compote, chocolate mousse, panna cotta cups, red velvet cake and other riches call out from the dessert bar. $39.95/adult, $19.95/ages 5-10. Reservations: 770-649-0064.

Keep checking our blog for more specials and festive menus from Atlanta’s best restaurants.