Who Let the Tomatoes Out of Their Cages?

When Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival takes command of Westside Provision District on Sunday, July 19, “JCT” in JCT. Kitchen & Bar could become an acronym for “Just Consume Tomatoes.” Dozens of Atlanta chefs and mixologists woo guests with an arsenal of tomato-ey bites and shooters while live bands jam. Restaurateur Ford Fry oversees the seventh annual fundraiser for Georgia Organics and The Giving Kitchen. Squeeze out juicy details on our blog and pluck tickets from the vine here. 

Explore the South by Fork and Glass at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival May 29 - June 1

Fill your tank with Southern foods, libations, fine dining and learning opportunities without loading up the gas card. More than 100 award-winning chefs as well as sommeliers and beverage innovators are carting their skills to Midtown where the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival takes the streets from Thursday, May 29 through Sunday, June 1. Shaun Doty, chef/owner of Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy, pairs bird and brew in his Bantam & Beer cooking demo and joins Orpheus Brewing for a fast-casual Connoisseur’s Breakfast. Gunshow’s Kevin Gillespie leads Hillbilly Cuisine, and Orpheus Brewery’s Jason Pellet joins in the Southern craft brewers class. Ford Fry and his team of Adam Evans (The Optimist), E.J. Hodgkinson (JCT. Kitchen & Bar), Andrew Isabella (No. 246) and Joe Schafer (King + Duke) take on Empire Breakfasts. JCT. Kitchen & Bar is hosting an oyster roast/fish fry/Floribama-ish Pig Out Coastal-style dinner on May 29. On Friday, Gunshow’s Kevin Gillespie and Aria’s Gerry Klaskala contribute to the About South dinner at the Atlanta History Center. Visit the tasting tents and set off on culinary tasting “trails” through bourbon, craft beer (including Orpheus Brewery), Southern wines and food favorites (look for the Ray’s Restaurants tent where Mike Fuller will spoon up samples of Parmesan scallops with lobster risotto) provided by a line-up of 100 plus chefs. Between learning, tasting, dining and the connoisseur experience, there are so many ticket options from which to choose! Thankfully there’s a planning worksheet to organize your thoughts before you click here to buy tickets.

New South Family Supper Draws on Old and New South for Southern Foodways Alliance on April 6 at Summerland Farms

Pickled, distilled, fermented, preserved. Generations of Southerners leveraged these techniques to stockpile garden-fresh bounty for off-season eating. “New South” chefs and artisans respect the past while forging ahead into a deliciously diverse and inclusive future for Southern cuisine. Ford Fry and Kevin Gillespie epitomize this resurgence. The renowned chefs are two of the more than 35 chefs, artisans, mixologists and brewers flocking -- from all over the South -- to Summerland Farm to participate in the New South Family Supper: Preserving the Future of Southern Food on Sunday, April 6. Proceeds benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi. 

Tickets are $250 per person and include the full experience: food, beverage, programming and round-trip luxury coach transportation from Star Provisions in Atlanta to Summerland Farm near Cartersville. Hop on the bus at 3:30 p.m. and ride out for 4:30 p.m. cocktails and appetizers followed by an early supper. Buses roll south to Star Provisions at 7:30 p.m. 

If you can’t farm out, you can still enjoy Ford Fry’s style in town at JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246, The Optimist, King + Duke and St. Cecilia. Gunshow, in Glenwood Park, is the place to go for Kevin Gillespie’s local and worldly wows.

Team Hidi Says It's Never Too Late to Give

Chef Ryan Hidinger brought more to the Atlanta restaurant and hospitality world than just fantastic food. On Sunday, January 26 his life and legacy will be celebrated at the Team Hidi benefit for The Giving Kitchen at the King Plow Arts Center. The event, which features participants like JCT. Kitchen & Bar, King + Duke and Article 14, benefits Atlanta restaurant workers who are experiencing unforeseen hardships. Tickets are already sold out, but you can still make a difference by donating to The Giving Kitchen.  

"Leaf" it to Atlanta Mixologists to Create Colorful Autumnal Cocktails

Atlanta mixologists harvest colorful concoctions for diners to indulge in this season. "Leaf" it to the best to combine fall flavors for a spectacular cocktail combination for locals and not to enjoy. 

A sampling of libations that restaurants are adding to menus is as followed: 

No need to wish for warm weather because Ray's Restaurants puts a seasonal spin on a tropical favorite. Ray's Fall Mai Tai incorporates Ray's spiced rum, apricot-infused brandy, triple sec, house-made pumpkin spice orgeat syrup and cranberry juice for holiday happiness. Available at Ray's on the River, Ray's on the Creek and Ray's in the City.  

King + Duke keeps it to the classics with its Sherry Cobbler.

South City Kitchen Midtown and South City Kitchen Vinings find inspiration in apple country for their Moonlit Orchard, cobbling together bourbon and apple pie moonshine with local apple cider, a splash of apple bitters and a smoked apple slice.

No. 246 conquers all with a Fall of Rome and Useless Precaution.

Pumpkin lovers, enjoy the fall favorite long after Halloween is gone. Old Vinings Inn captures the Pumpkin Harvest, smooth and sweet with Crop Harvest Pumpkin vodka, Irishman cream, vanilla vodka, a little half-and-half and a smidge of nutmeg.

At Seven Lamps, fly the Crimson Eagle, a blend of Eagle Rare bourbon and fig-infused red wine honey. Other newbies include My Sunup Girl and Shelter from the Storm with a cast of High West double rye, Gran Lusso vermouth, nocino and apple bitters.

The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill fires up Buckhead in the cool of the night. No pain, just Fireball Cinnamon whisky, grapefruit juice and soda.

Over at Ormsby's on Atlanta's westside, the Heavenly Manhattan takes off with Angel's Envy, broVo Amaro No. 1 and Antica Formula sweet vermouth. 

At JCT. Kitchen & Bar, sip The Alpine, Mother Vine or The Boulevard, made with George Dickel Barrel Select whisky and Campari.

Bacon lovers, you won't be disappointed. The Tipsy Pig unites three of The Mill Kitchen & Bar's favorite "Bs" in life -bourbon, brown sugar and bacon. Not to divulge too much, but local Georgia Riverview Farms bacon does hold its own in this Manhattan-style cocktail topped with a house-candied cumin bacon and cherry garnish.

Ecco pulls off The Red Wedding, in which Olivares Dulce Monastrell marries house-made sweet vermouth under the tutelage of Fidencio Mezcal Clasico. How romantic. 

No need to be shy. A cure for being one, Wallflower from The Optimist speaks up with Le Reviseur Cognac VS, Nux Walnut liqueur and Fleur Elderflower liqueur. The Mutiny sails smoothly with beer shrub, George Dickel Barrel Select and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur.

At Milton's Cuisine & Cocktails, bar manager Ali Davis blends a sweet Fall Bourbon Apple featuring Ridgemont Reserve bourbon and amaretto.

Local Restaurants Invite You to "Beer" Present for Atlanta Beer Week

Calling all brew lovers! Atlanta restaurants are toasting to limited-edition craft drafts, beer events, dinners and parties during the annual Atlanta Beer Week flowing through Saturday, October 26. Whether you live in Midtown, Virginia-Highland or another city patch, plenty of Atlanta's favorite joints want you to "beer" with them for the week's events. 

Red Hare Brewing Company hops on the four-course menu at Ford Fry's JCT. Kitchen & Bar on Wednesday, October 23 at 5:30 p.m. Reserve your seat at the table of pairings of buttermilk-marinated fennel and crunchy bread with Long Day Lager; Gangway-battered haddock paired with Gangway IPA; hickory-grilled lamb belly and spicy roasted roots with Watership Brown Ale; and apple tart with malted vanilla ice cream, pumpkin butter and granola paired with Forbidden Fruit. Only $60 per person. For reservations, call 404-355-2252.

Virginia-Highland celebrates at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar with a Fall Harvest Celebration on Thursday, October 24 from 5:30-11 p.m. Sailing to Denver will entertain the ears while à la carte food and Brewery Ommegang beer pairings entertain the palate. Also on the menu are limited-edition beer samplings like Scythe & Sickle, the extremely rare “Game of Thrones” Take the Black Stout and chef Andrew Smith's brew of choice, the the Hennepin. 

Pizza pies pair with a different brew for each night of the week at Hearth Pizza Tavern in Sandy Springs. Ommegang Seduction will be available all week. Other featured picks are New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale on Tuesday, October 22; Mother Earth Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter on Wednesday, October 23; SweetWater Crank Tank on Thursday, October 24; and Terrapin Monk’s Revenge Belgian IPA on Friday, October 25.

No. 246 heats up Decatur on Wednesday, October 23, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Enjoy some Ping-Pong action and hop to the bar for Red Hare specials. One night not enough to drink your favorites? Red Hare appears on the menu at The Optimist in West Midtown to round up the week, including a special IPA "Hoptimist" cask and live music on the patio, on Saturday, October 26. 

Field of Greens Festival Features 30 Top Atlanta & Athens' Farm to Table Restaurants

Come early and stay all day for a chance to support local sustainable food production. Friends will be green with envy when you experience the 8th Annual Field of Greens Festival at Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm on Sunday, October 6. The feast fest includes 30 of Atlanta and Athens’ best farm to table restaurants including Bantam + Biddy, King + Duke, JCT. Kitchen and Bar, Seven Lamps and Chicken and the Egg. Gather to greet the farmers and chefs at "Meals from the Market" and don't forget to taste the delicious recipes made with seasonal vegetables they sell. The tasting is from noon until 2:30 p.m., or until the food runs out. Other attractions include a vendor market, interactive kids' village, local music, a pig roast and craft demonstrations. The festival is from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door.

JCT. Kitchen & Bar Brings Farm, Field, Sea Fare and Wine to the Table September 23

    
Start your work week off with celebration just because you can. Farm, field, sea fare and wine are in the works at JCT. Kitchen & Bar on Monday, September 23 at 6 p.m. Who doesn't love delectable eats paired with divine drinks? Chef E. J. Hodgkinson reigns all these good Southern things into an extravaganza of five courses paired with wines from Germany, France and Oregon. Need we say more? The menu features olive oil-poached tomatoes, Bavarian sweet corn, shaved celery, radish and Chioggia beets served with 2003 Schloss Schӧnborn Pfaffenberg Riesling Kabinett, Rheingau; poached royal red shrimp paired with 2012 Rousseau Frères Touraine Noble Joué Rose, Loire Valley; grilled mackerel with compressed watermelon, Castelvetrano olives, arugula purée and sweet lemon wine accompanied by NV Ulysse Collin Champagne; squab with charred okra, chanterelles, brown butter, apple cider emulsion, squab and foie gras sausage and grit tuile paired with 2010 Aberrant Cellars Confero Pinot Noir; and an end note of preserved summer berries, lavender semifreddo and ginger snaps paired with Pitaud Pineau des Charentes. How many days until Monday? Menu and wines are subject to change. $95 per person, including tax and gratuity. Communal table has room for 24 guests; reserve your seat by calling 404-355-2252. 

Ford Fry Nominated for GRACE Restaurateur of the Year Award After Dishing Out Several ATL Successes

 

Love this award acronym and the chef who’s up for it. Ford Fry is a finalist for the Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) award for Restaurateur of the Year. It is no surprise to see Fry nominated by his industry peers for this seventh annual award recognizing leaders who have made outstanding contributions to Georgia’s restaurant industry. Boy, has he! With restaurants JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246, The Optimist and King + Duke under his toque, not to mention food and fun-loving community contributions such as summer’s annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival and People’s Food Truck in his pantry, it’s apparent Fry is a key ingredient in Atlanta’s diverse restaurant scene. GRACE winners will be announced November 10 at the GRACE Awards Gala to be held at The Foundry at Puritan Mill. The theme of this year's event will be a farm-to-table look and feel. Aside from a cocktail reception, three-course dinner featuring delights from the finalists, there will also be live music to entertain the night away. Grab your favorite people and join in a festive night honoring Georgia's most brilliant minds in the food industry. Visit the Georgia Restaurant Association website for more information and to make your reservation. 

MLA Out and About at 2013 Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival

MLA's Tuan Huynh gets ready to crown the winners!

In the middle of one of the rainiest summers we've ever seen, the clouds parted and the sun beamed bright for the July 21 Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival at JCT. Kitchen & Bar. We had a blast basking in the sun and tasting delicious tomato dishes and cocktails while grooving to the tunes of The Spazmatics and Five Bone Rack. Luckily, our camera didn't get splashed by the action in the dunk tank, so we have plenty of pics to prove how great the day was. Check out our Facebook photos for a taste of #AKTF2013!

Price of tickets for Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival increase on Monday, July 1

Cocktail cravers, food lovers and fun chasers, beware! The Westside of Atlanta will be under a delectable attack on July 21 from 1-5 p.m. The fifth annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, held at JCT. Kitchen & Bar, features prominent chefs, mixologists and farmers who are uniting in a culinary front to create fresh, innovative dishes. Right now, tickets can be purchased online for $55. But hurry, because after Monday, July 1 tickets increase to $70. To make things juicier, this day of live music and tomato-inspired dishes will benefit Georgia Organics. So foodies: wake up, smell the tomatoes and get tickets while they last!

People's Food Truck Revs Up to Hit Streets Following April 27 Launch Party

     

Have you heard who's driving into the A? People's Food Truck is arriving this weekend and is ATL's new "feel good food" truck. This truck runs on compassion for saving and building lives and desires to help a community develop itself through sustainability and stability. People's, the mobile arm of non-profit City of Refuge (COR), will teach skills, provide jobs for and help feed people. People's rolls out, COR community staffing will sell items from a menu created by Ford Fry (JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246,The Optimist and Oyster Bar at The Optimist), and every meal purchased will help feed those in need. Saturday's launch celebration begins with COR's "Refuge Run 5K" in the morning and shifts gears to the People's Food Truck party at City of Refuge from 5-7 p.m. that evening. Grammy award-winner Micah Massey provides musical entertainment. To attend the free event, RSVP to tony@cityofrefugeatl.org with your name and number of guests. People's, start your engine and let the "feel good food" roll. 

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da. Eats & Beats Covers the Beatles, Fab Food, Drinks and Chef Bands on April 22

  

Baby, you can drive my car to the fabulous Buckhead Theatre for Eats & Beats, an unforgettable evening of unlimited food, open bars, Beatles covers by Yacht Rock Revue, chef bands and a silent auction crammed with exotic goodies. Mark the date -- Monday, April 22 from 6:30-9 p.m. Be there at the start for the chef band openers, including one led by Ford Fry! JCT Kitchen & Bar, No. 246 and Chicken and the Egg are among the host of premiere restaurants serving up specialties that night. Open bars slake sing-a-long thirst with mixed drinks, wine and craft beers. Don't miss this benefit for Children of Conservation and The Giving Kitchen. Purchase tickets online. General admission ($70) includes it all; VIP ($150) adds 6 p.m. entry and private access to VIP suites with exclusive entertainment, wine tastings, premium bar, additional restaurants with food and wine pairings and a private balcony stage view. 

Too Sweet To Miss: Taria Camerino “Sweet Genius” Viewing Party at JCT. Kitchen & Bar on January 3

 

When it comes to “sweet geniuses” around town, Taria Camerino is one of our favorites! This Thursday, January 3 at 9 p.m., head to the upstairs bar at JCT. Kitchen & Bar (or stay if you’re already there) to watch Taria on Food Network “Sweet Genius” during a special viewing party! Camerino is the pastry program creative director for JCT. Kitchen & Bar, The Optimist and No. 246 and she’s also the one responsible for those amazing European pastry windows at No. 246. She will surely be whipping up some episode-inspired bites to nibble during the party for the episode that airs at 10 p.m. Even better, JCT. beverage manager, Eduardo Guzman, will be doing the same with cocktails. What a sweet event!

Speaking Easily About Winter Cocktails at Atlanta Restaurants

Cocktails at No. 246

Ice has its place in the winter, preferably sparkling in a glass ready to host a mixologist’s potion at one of Atlanta’s warm and amiable restaurants. While we won’t divulge recipes, we will share some of the ingredients and tip you toward places to find the alluring elixirs.

At Fifth Group Restaurants, mixologists generate cocktails with vision. Picture where you’ll be as you sip The Shores of Paris made with Breckenridge Vodka, Lillet Rouge and Combier and Kümmel liqueurs; Fireside with smoky hints of Fidencio Mezcal Joven, The Irishman Irish Whiskey, Flor de Cana 7-year Rum, Grand Marnier and bitters; Brickwalker with baked apple and black walnut bitters muddled with Dolin Rouge Vermouth dressed with Bulleit Rye, a sugar cube and a brandied cherry; and the forceful Renegade of Redemption Rye, Cynar, amaretto and bitters.

For a cocktail as lovely to look at as to imbibe, try the elegant Haute Holiday at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Each champagne flute bubbles with Mionetto Prosecco, St. Germain and Quady Elysium. Spice girls and guys may crave the Merry Mint Spice where Gentleman Jack, Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur, POM juice, simple syrup and fresh mint leaves meet over ice in a bucket glass.

Atlanta’s Westside is home to JCT. Kitchen & Bar where guests are going gaga over winter mixers such as the Poinsettia with poached cranberries, Ruby Liqueur and prosecco; Stocking Full of Coal with Gosling’s Black Rum, Nux Alpina Walnut Liqueur, Black Strap Molasses and Smuttynose Porter; Figgy Pudding rich with brown sugar syrup, aromatic bitters and fig-infused Jim Beam; Reindeer Games  playfully blending Averell Damson Gin, Knickerbocker Gin, Leopold’s Cranberry Liqueur, lemon and cranberry bitters; Feliz Navidad’s heady blend of Lunazul-infused cinnamon, Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur, chocolate and orange; a Little Rummer Boy that snares vanilla-infused 10 Cane Rum, falernum, Tuaca Liqueur, lemon juice and Whiskey Barrel Bitters; a heartwarming Mistle Toddy mug of spiced Redemption Rye, Cherry Heering, honey and chai tea; and Mull it Over served hot, cold, sparkling or still with mulled wine, wassail and spiced cider.

This winter, The Optimist promises smooth sailing with a cocktail glass or mug for every taste. Coconut eggnog twists a tropical classic of eggs, cream, Brinley Gold Shipwreck Spiced Rum, coconut milk and nutmeg while Shandy Claus wraps a woodsy blend of Tanqueray, Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps, IPA, lemon, sugar and grapefruit bitters. Cold noses will thaw over Mexican hot chocolate spiked with Hangar One Chipotle Vodka, Kahlua, cinnamon and sea salt or a hot buttered rum with The Kraken Black Spiced Rum, cinnamon-clove butter and brown sugar. Ticklers include Christmas on Cape Cod, which tops citrus vodka and cranberry juice with a prosecco floater and spice-poached New England cranberries or the Sparkle Motion of cava, true-pomegranate grenadine and pomegranate seeds.

Come in from the cold to cheery No. 246 in downtown Decatur where gem-hewed glasses include Pimm’s Cup, Red Ryder, Poinsettia, Royal Tannenbaum and a fragrant spiked cider with a cinnamon bark swizzle stick.

Ten nostalgically named winter signature cocktails top the cocktail menu at The Pinewood in Decatur. Roots Radicals mixes Bulleit Bourbon, Angostura Bitters, sugar beet, Maraschino and lime; El Wormhole shakes up Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy, Fidencio Mezcal, amaretto, caramelized apple gastrique and bitters; Golden Fiddle strums Bacardi Solera, Cardamaro, Georgia sweet potato, white balsamic, house ginger soda and Grains of Paradise spice. More options include Day that I Die with Riverboat Rye, buckwheat honey and Georgia pecan tincture; the PWTR Draft Old Fashioned of small batch bourbon, bitters and oleo saccharum; PWTR Draft Sazerac with rye, bitters, gomme syrup and absinthe rinse; Pinewood Porch Punch of spiced tea-infused vodka, fresh citrus, orange flower water, bitters and sugar or a star-struck list including B. Bardot, Violet Beauregarde and Jackie O. 

Roots Radicals at The Pinewood