ATL Mixologist Movers and Shakers Vie for ACVB Centennial Cocktail Contest - The Votes Are Up to You

There's no better time than summer for sipping a cocktail on the patio of your favorite Atlanta restaurant. But which mixed drink outshines the rest? You be the judge! Whether your favorite is tequila, vodka or whiskey, ATL-inspired cocktails are taking over the city as mixologists strive to win your vote and have their drink crowned as Atlanta’s “Centennial Cocktail”. We've got a list of must-try cocktails, including some of our favorites like Ecco's Destination South and Ray's in the City's newest concoction, the Atlantamaker. Don’t forget to give your winner the recognition it deserves!

Rise and Shine for Easter Brunch, Lunch, Dinner and More

 

Easter springs up early this year on Sunday, March 31. We have a sunny list of Easter feasts for you to choose from. Hop down our list to find the golden egg that's right for you and be sure to make your reservation soon. We wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Roswell residents have plenty to eat this Easter. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Aqua blue is serving up everyone's favorites for brunch, including a carving station with roasted strip loin and bone-in ham, entrée station, shrimp cocktails, salad, assorted sushi, smoked salmon, breakfast and omelet station and desserts. Bottomless bloody marys and mimosas are available for $15 for any thirsty guests. Adults eat for $29.95, children 4-12 for $9.95 and children under 4 eat free. Reservations: 770-643-8886

The cluck at Bantam + Biddy in Ansley Mall is about an Easter Sunday feast featuring corned Brasstown ham and gravy, stewed organic black-eyed peas, braised collard greens, Anson Mills grits and sweet potato pie for $20. Bottomless bloody marys and mimosas are poured until 4 p.m. for $10. Regular and special menus are available from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; brunch is available until 3 p.m.

Marietta's Chicken and the Egg is providing brunch all day long this Easter Sunday. From 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., the restaurant is offering their regular brunch menu with starters such as crawfish and artichoke bake and pimento cheese. Diners with a sweet tooth can choose bananas Foster French toast or a strawberry waffle. Egg lovers can pick from items like eggs Benedict, "green eggs and ham" or pork belly hash. Reservations: 678-388-8813.

A not-your-mother's Mediterranean-style Easter Sunday brunch is in the plans at Ecco in Midtown from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Choose from a variety of meat and cheese options, one for $4.75, three for $14 or five for $22. Taste-and-share items for the table range from chocolate strudel to mixed olives, and crab fritters with a poached egg and pickled peppers ($4-$13). Appetizers of mixed lettuces, radishes, almonds and tarragon-mustard vinaigrette ($9), grilled red romaine, smoked char, poached eggs and romesco ($14) and potato, leek and chervil soup with poached Georgia shrimp ($9) supplement the wood-fired pizzas, pastas and main dishes, including the San Marzano tomatoes, house-made mozzarella and basil pizza ($13), lasagna with mushroom ragu, béchamel and arugula ($18) and the butcher steak with polenta, asparagus and salsa rosso ($20). Reservations: 404-347-9555.

Sandy Springs dwellers can hop on over to Hearth Pizza Tavern for an Easter meal. Opening at 4 p.m. on Easter day, the restaurant is offering plenty of holiday specials. For more information, call 404-252-5378.

For Passover, Lure Executive Chef David Bradley is making gefilte fish using fresh pollack and Georgia rainbow trout. Enjoy this special dish at the Midtown seafood sensation through April 2. 

Across the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, The Mill Kitchen & Bar invites guests to enjoy an Easter Sunday brunch menu in a farmhouse-style setting. Reservations: 770-817-9345. 

Family-friendly Easter brunching and lunching is in store for Decatur residents at No. 246. Chow on a chicken Parm sandwich, wood-baked ziti and meatballs, mushroom pizza and much more. Children's Easter egg hunts roll out at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. with "waves" for toddlers and adult-free children at each hunt. Lucky locators will win prizes such as a free kids' spaghetti and meatballs plate and more. Reservations: 678-399-8246.

At Olmsted in Midtown, the regular brunch menu and special holiday ham or prime rib entrées will please the Easter Sunday crowd. Starters include lobster bisque, fresh-baked biscuits or the breakfast meat sampler. Mains include a wild mushroom omelette with aged Gruyère, tarragon and fingerling potato hash; brioche French toast with seasonal fruit compote and vanilla bean cream; and eggs Olmsted with poached eggs, toasted English muffin, shaved house-cured Canadian bacon and citrus scallion hollandaise. Wee ones can munch on buttermilk pancakes with a choice of maple, blueberry or banana walnut syrup. Brunch will be served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: 404-443-8431.

After all of the egg hunting and hopping around, grown ups can rabbit trail over to RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown for Sunday night Flying Fish Lounge specials. From 8 p.m. on, choose from more than 35 sushi, appetizer and tapas selections ($2.25-$7.25), plus a wide variety of beer, wine and signature cocktails ($3-$7). Popular Flying Fish Lounge dishes will be served until 11 p.m., and a variety of discounted creative cocktails will be served until midnight.

Bring on the buffet! This Easter, Ray's on the River in Sandy Springs is offering their award-winning Easter buffet from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday, March 31. Guests can enjoy assorted breads, a salad bar, omelette station during brunch hours, Virginia ham, prime rib, homemade desserts and plenty more. The buffet is $39.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids ages 5-10. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations: 770-955-1187. In Alpharetta, Ray's on the Creek is serving a buffet from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and the regular menu will be available from 5-9 p.m. Adults can dine for $29.95 and kids ages 5-10 can dine for $14.95. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations: 770-649-0064.

Sunday brunch is always important at South City Kitchen in Midtown and Vinings, and the longtime favorite is serving a three-course prix fixe Easter brunch menu from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For $32 for adults and $16 for children under 12 (plus tax and gratuity), guests can choose from appetizer options such as house-made pecan granola, fried green tomatoes or a strawberry salad; entrées including buttermilk fried chicken, crab cake hash, BBQ pork Benedict and farmstead vegetables; and dessert of peach cobbler, chocolate velvet Elvis cake or orange buttermilk chess pie. Reservations: 404-873-7358 for the Midtown location; 770-435-0700 for the Vinings location.

Atlanta Magazine Stirs Up March Madness with Final Fork Voting

    

Before basketball brackets start making their way around the office, cast your vote for your favorite Atlanta restaurant in Atlanta magazine's Final Fork competition. The tournament started with 64 of Atlanta's top restaurants divided into four categories - "Gastropubs and Bars," "High Rollers," "Global Eats" and "Southern, Dressed Up or Down Home." Help your picks advance by voting for Round 2 contenders by 11 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. Our personal picks to go all the way include JCT. Kitchen & Bar, The Optimist and South City Kitchen.
Final round of voting concludes at 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. To vote, sign up to be an Atlanta magazine Insider. Each week you vote, you'll be entered to win one of four $100 gift certificates to the Final Fork restaurant of your choice. One grand-prize winner will score a Big Green Egg smoker and a bottle of Richland Rum.

Appetizing Aperture: @DiscoverAtlanta’s 100 Signature Dishes

Happy 100 Years of Hospitality, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau! The organization marked this landmark occasion by building a list of the city's top Atlanta-only signature dishes. The "100 Signature Dishes" list includes hits from lots of our favorite dining spots – we had a hard time picking just one dish to picture here! Now we’re hungry for fried avocado taquito at Alma Cocina, Aria's butter-braised lobster, fried goat cheese with honey and black pepper at Ecco, spaghetti with tomatoes, basil and veal meatballs at La Tavola Trattoria, infamous fish tacos at Marlow's Tavern, fried chicken taco at The Original El Taco, buttermilk fried chicken and fried green tomatoes at South City Kitchen - Midtown, and glazed pork belly with local apples and turnips at Woodfire Grill. Eenie, meenie, and many mo', this week we're picturing....

South meets Southwest in the fried chicken taco at The Original El Taco. The cantina's consistently top-selling taco throws Mexico City grilled corn in chili-lime mayo and crumbled Mexican cheese into the mix and wraps it all up in a warm flour tortilla. 

See how many of these amazing dishes you can fit into your culinary rotation this year – sounds like the right kind of resolution to us!

Updated: Gobble Up All that Atlanta is Offering this Thanksgiving

Retailers are busily jingling bells and making malls merry for December's holiday rush. Atlanta chefs know that Thanksgiving comes first, stuffed with long-standing menu traditions and future traditions in the making to be gratefully shared with friends and family. Stop rushing. Live in the moment and savor Thanksgiving at these Atlanta gathering spots, or retreat after a Black Friday shopping spree. Of course, you might want to make reservations first.

Thankful for their communities, Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland and Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna are both planning Thanksgiving Day meals to pass that feeling of contentment on to their guests. Starting at 5 p.m. on November 22, the Virginia-Highland location offers meals at $22 for adults, $15 for young adults and $10 for children 10 and under (tax and gratuity not included). The restaurant offers a choice of entrée between Big Green Egg smoked turkey breast or braised pork shoulder with sides of green bean casserole, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cranberry Gran Marnier compote and sweet potato biscuits. Dessert includes pumpkin cheesecake or southern pecan pie. The Smyrna location serves the Thanksgiving feast at 4 p.m. and is feeding adults for $20, $15 for youth and $8 for children 10 and under (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are recommended for both locations. Call Atkins Park in Virginia Highland at 404-876-7249 and Atkins Park in Smyrna at 770-435-1887. 

Atlantans who want to host Thanksgiving dinner at their home without the hassle of cooking it all can place orders with Buckhead Barbecue Co.  Offering  selections for any size party, the restaurant is cooking  classic, take-home  entrees such as hickory honey and cracked pepper smoked turkey, apple-brandy and brown sugar smoked ham and all-natural, Black Angus brisket.  Sides feed between 12 to 15 people and include squash casserole, cornbread dressing, sweet potato soufflé and macaroni and cheese. Pies and cobblers finish the holiday meal, like the Buckhead cobbler (peach, apple, blueberry, blackberry and chocolate) or a traditional pumpkin pie, also all feeding 12-15 people. Buckhead Barbecue Co. is currently taking orders for the holiday meal until 12 p.m. on Tuesday, November 20. Customers can stop in or call 404-792-9388 to place orders. 

Chicken and the Egg is spreading the Thanksgiving spirit this holiday by serving up a traditional Southern meal. From 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., the Marietta restaurant is offering a menu for guests to choose an entrée, three sides and a dessert. Choices of entrée include either roasted turkey with cornbread dressing or glazed ham. A few side items being offered are mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and green bean casserole. For dessert, choices are pecan pie, pumpkin pie or apple cobbler. Included with the meal are rolls with butter, cranberry relish, soft drinks, iced tea or coffee. The meal is $24.99 for adults, $11.99 for children 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and under (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are recommended; call 678-388-8813.

Ormsby’s, located in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, is celebrating turkey day early on Wednesday, November 21 until 3 a.m. Guests seeking relief from the day after Thanksgiving shopping craze can take advantage of special deals offered at the restaurant on Black Friday. Ormsby’s is located at 1170 Howell Mill Road. For more information, guests can call 404-968-2033 or visit www.ormsbysatlanta.com.  

On the busiest shopping day of the year, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant is giving weary deal hunters a reason to take a break and relax. Escape the hustle and bustle of the crowds for some “RA Retail Therapy,” and enjoy all day happy hour at RA on Friday, November 23. Celebrate Black Friday at RA by ordering from more than 35 sushi, appetizer, and tapas selections, plus a wide variety of beer, wine and signature cocktails ranging from $2 to $7. Popular dishes include Tootsy Maki, Viva Las Vegas Roll, “RA”ckin’ Shrimp, Spicy Sesame Chicken Wings and creative cocktails such as the Saketini, Red Lotus or Shiso Naughty. RA Sushi’s food specials are typically available from 3 to 7 p.m., but on November 23, food specials will be extended from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with drink specials available all day. Stop in to RA Sushi for some Retail Therapy at 1080 Peachtree St., Suite 8. For more information, call 404-267-0114 or visit www.RAsushi.com.

Southern hospitality by the plateful is yours as you focus on friends and family on Thanksgiving Day at South City Kitchen Midtown and South City Kitchen Vinings. Each person at your table can build their own three-course meal by selecting an appetizer, entrée and dessert from a feast-worthy menu. Dine from 12-8 p.m. at the Midtown location and from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Vinings location. Cost is $42 for adults and $21 for children 12 and under (tax and gratuity not included). Start with choices such as fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and sweet red pepper coulis or house-made pimento cheese with toasted corn crackers, butter pickles and celery hearts. Main courses include roasted turkey breast with giblet gravy, cornbread dressing, collard greens, whipped potatoes and orange cranberry sauce or buttermilk fried chicken, garlic sautéed collards, smashed bliss potatoes and honey-thyme jus. Save room for desserts such as caramel pumpkin cheese tart and Southern chocolate pecan pie. Reservations are recommended at both locations. Call South City Kitchen Midtown at 404-873-7358 and South City Kitchen Vinings at 770-435-0700.

If you want to celebrate turkey day in the comfort of your own home without the fuss of cooking, Ray’s at Killer Creek is taking Thanksgiving feast to-go orders through Friday, November 18th. The fare includes a boneless roasted turkey breast, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, vegetables, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and pumpkin and apple pies. The price is $125 and serves four to six people. What are you waiting for? Place your order by calling 770-649-0064.

Appetizing Aperture - Celebrate National Chicken Month at South City Kitchen

Photo by Lisa Hymel

What's it like to celebrate National Chicken Month in the state that produces the most chickens in the U.S.? It's super barbequed, zinging with wickedly hot wings and glowing with golden juicy-crunchy goodness, as evidenced by our finger-lickin' photo of the Southern-fried chicken served at South City Kitchen Midtown andSouth City Kitchen Vinings. 

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.

Why Choose When You Can Have it All At The AF&WF

When it comes to dining options, Atlanta residents and visitors are in a delicious predicament.  Living in a city with so many first-rate restaurants, one can hardly keep up with sampling them all. This weekend’s Atlanta Food & Wine Festival allows you to have your cake and eat it too. Many of Atlanta’s best restaurants including Alma Cocina, Aqua blue, Aria, Chicken and the Egg, JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246, South City Kitchen Midtown, South City Kitchen Vinings and Woodfire Grill will be flooding the Midtown street scene. Although your senses will be inundated with luscious smells and mouthwatering tastes, be sure to keep your eyes open for tastings from American Spirit Whiskey and Vidalia Onions. The festival also gives guests a chance to stay on top of food news with a tasting preview of Shaun Doty’s Bantam & Biddy - opening late summer in Ansley Mall. Saturday night’s Whiskey @ Whiskey Park whiskey tasting is one of the numerous niche events to consider. At 7:30 p.m., Chef Shean Suter of Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown, along with other chefs and mixologists, will add whiskey’s lively touch to their recipes and cocktails. Tickets are $75 and cover cocktails and small bites. To get  the most out this experience, be sure to use the AF&WF planning tools to organize your strategy for getting there, eats, education and entertainment. The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival benefits the Atlanta History Center, James Beard Foundation, Les Dames d’Escoffier, Oxford American and Wholesome Wave of Georgia.

Plan Your Easter Feaster with Some of Atlanta's Hottest Restaurants

Peeps, chocolate eggs and jelly beans are a great start to Easter morning, but that sugar crash can lead to midday meltdowns. To really celebrate the day, fill tummies with yummies at some of the egg-straordinary Easter brunch and dinner options around Atlanta. The Dish basket was full of ideas last week - click here to take another look. South City Kitchen - Vinings and South City Kitchen -Midtown have finalized the three-course prix fixe menu to be offered at both locations from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Easter Sunday. See the complete big-as-the-South menu on Facebook -- a beauty for only $29 per adult and $14.50 for kids under 12 (plus tax and gratuity). South City Kitchen - Midtown reservations:  404-873-7358 or OpenTable; South City Kitchen - Vinings reservations:770-435-0700 or OpenTable. Marlow's Tavern in Duluth, Kennesaw, Midtown, East Cobb, Northlake and Vinings will be serving Easter brunch as well. Hours and specials vary by location. For more information, visit www.marlowstavern.com. 

Crustacean Nation -- Prep For National Crabmeat Day With Cookbook Featuring South City Kitchen Chef Chip Ulbrich's Recipes

Surimi (or imitation crab) is absent from the ingredient list from all of South City Kitchen Executive Chef Chip Ulbrich's crab-centric recipes. The award-winning chef uses fresh lump crabmeat in his recipes for crab and shrimp ceviche with watermelon relish, South City Kitchen crab hash, crab cakes and she-crab soup. You'll find all of these recipes alongside Ulbrich's anecdotes in Judy Colbert's book "Chesapeake Bay Crabs." With National Crabmeat Day skedaddling in today, this book and Ulbrich's recipes will cause more swooning than Jack Sparrow. Go ahead and get crabby with Ulbrich's recipe for crab and shrimp ceviche with watermelon relish:

Relish: 

4 cups seedless watermelon, finely diced

½ cup red onion, finely diced

1 cup red bell pepper, finely diced

l jalapeño or poblano chile (depending on your spice level), finely diced

2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled and grated

2 limes, juiced and zested

¼ cup champagne vinegar

¼ cup garlic, chopped

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

¼ cup honey

salt & pepper to taste

2 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1 lb. lump crabmeat, picked clean

Relish: Mix all relish ingredients and allow to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Shrimp: To blanch shrimp, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season with a healthy dose of salt. The water should taste like seawater. Add shrimp and cook for no more than 10 seconds. Remove shrimp and shock in ice water to cool rapidly; shrimp should still be a little raw on the inside. Once cool, drain well.

Assemble:  Toss shrimp, crab and relish in a bowl and allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes. Serve with fresh watermelon and lime wedges.

I Can't Wait To Be A Father Just To Have A Day!

Who wants to button that top collar, let alone knot up a tie on June's hot days? Better to treat dad to a memorable meal that brings the family together, gives him an opportunity to chef or surprises with top-grade grill fixings. Now that's how you tie one on Dad for Father's Day!

Dad can sink his teeth into the three-course Father's Day brunch menu offered at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar on June 19 from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. The special menu is priced at $32.95 for adults (plus tax and gratuity) and a children's menu will also be available. Dads who mark the day at Fleming's will receive a $25 gift card! Reservations are strongly recommended. (4501 Olde Perimeter Way in Perimeter Place Village; 770-698-8112)

La Tavola Trattoria is celebrating Father's Day with an à la carte brunch menu filled with classic Italian offerings from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The regular dinner menu will be served from 5 - 10 p.m. Call 404-873-5430 for reservations. (992 Virginia Avenue, NE)

Patriarchs of the grill will drool over steaks and grilling go-withs from New York Butcher Shoppe. Grill Master packages gather meats, sides -- and even woodchips and lump hardwood charcoal for an extra few bucks. The Americana packs up four burgers, hot dogs or NYBS bratwursts, buns and a choice of two sides for $19.99. BBQ-ers pine for the Pork Butt package that includes an eight-pound bone-in pork butt, one John Henry Rub and BBQ sauce of your choice ($29.99) or the Beef Brisket package with NYBS house brisket seasoning and BBQ sauce of your choice ($44.99). NYBS stocks family sides, wines and desserts to complete the feast. (Three locations in Alpharetta, Buckhead and Dunwoody.)

Ray's Restaurants invites you to take Dad to the river, creek or city for fabulous Father's Day brunch buffets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ray's on the River is offering a Father's Day brunch buffet priced at $34.95 for adults and $17.95 for children ages 5 to 10. (6700 Powers Ferry Road; 770-955-1187) The Ray's at Killer Creek brunch buffet is priced at $29.95 for adults and $14.95 for children ages 5 to 10. (1700 Mansell Road, Alpharetta; 770-649-0064) And downtown, Ray's in the City is offering a brunch buffet priced at $29.95 for adults and $14.95 for children ages 5 to 10. (240 Peachtree Street, NW; 404-524-9224)

Both locations of South City Kitchen are celebrating Father's Day with a brunch menu full of Southern favorites. South City Kitchen Midtown is offering an à la carte brunch menu from 1 - 3 p.m., and South City Kitchen Vinings is offering a three-course prix-fixe brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. priced at $21 for adults and $10.50 for children under the age of 12 (plus tax and gratuity). In addition, South City Kitchen Vinings has a great gift for fathers and husbands: a grilling class on Saturday, June 25 at 11 a.m. with Chef de Cuisine Blake Wagner. Dads will learn how to master the grill with step-by-step, hands-on instructions. Attendees also will enjoy lunch and beer pairings throughout the lesson. Seats are limited, and tickets are available online for $45 plus service fee. (South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700. South City Kitchen Midtown: 1144 Crescent Avenue; 404-873-7358.)

Dad's dream of becoming a chef can come true, even if for just one day, at Spice Market. Book a customizable "chef for a day" excursion for $150 plus an additional $48/person for dinner with a four-person maximum (excluding tax and gratuity). He'll spend five hours working different kitchen stations before preparing dinner for family or friends. Price includes a five-course meal paired with wine. Advance notice of 72 hours is required; not valid with other discounts, promotions or specials. (In the W Atlanta-Midtown, 188 14th Street, NE; 404-724-2550)

Get down to the grass roots of Father's Day by supplying Dad with grass-fed beef and other sustainably raised meats from White Oak Pastures. You can even buy jars of beef jerky and meat at the online store! Over 220 Publix stores now sell White Oak Pastures beef as do all metro-Atlanta Whole Foods Markets.

For dads who enjoy showing off their culinary skills in their own kitchens, the Atlanta Cooks at Home cookbook makes a perfect Father's Day gift. Top Atlanta chefs share their recipes and menus for home entertaining for every occasion. From Micah Willix's rack of lamb to Gerry Klaskala's lobster minestrone, dad will enjoy this cookbook from cover to cover for years to come. Atlanta Cooks at Home is available for purchase online for $34.95.

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, You Had Me At Food

The upcoming Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is so heady and rich in flavor that we can hardly condense its essence to a simple paragraph or two. Offering close to 200 ways to "sip, savor and enjoy the South," the May 19-22 festival overflows with learning experiences, tasting tents, street carts and a connoisseur lounge. Events and themes are divided into three categories: Old Traditions, New Traditions and Imports & Inspirations. Lest we become the proverbial kids in a candy shop, we are honing in on a dozen chefs, restaurants and food experts in particular. We're focusing forks on Owner/Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, South City Kitchen Executive Chef Chip Ulbrich, Ecco Executive Chef Micah Willix, Fifth Group Restaurants Co-Founder Steve Simon, White Oak Pastures President Will Harris, JCT. Kitchen & Bar Owner/Executive Chef Ford Fry, Chef Nathan Lippy and his event at the W Atlanta-Midtown, Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream & Desserts, Executive Chef Tracey Bloom of Ray's at Killer Creek, Executive Chef and Partner Drew Belline of No. 246 in Decatur, Spice Route Supper Club's Chef and Creator Asha Gomez, and Owner/Executive Chef Gerry Klaskala of Aria. Download the program schedule for complete event details. Tickets, ranging in price from $50 to $2500 per person, are available for purchase online.

Don't Miss "The Ultimate Collection" at the High Museum Wine Auction This Week

This year's High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is dubbed "The Ultimate Collection," and after 19 years of successful wine auctions, you know you can't go wrong with this event. We can certainly promise tremendous food, art, wine and auction opportunities. Restaurants participating in this year's four-day fete (March 23 - 26) include Aria, La Tavola Trattoria, Pacci Ristorante, South City Kitchen Midtown and Vinings , Spice Market, Aqua blue and Woodfire Grill. La Tavola Executive Chef Craig Richards will feature Cass Winery and Row Eleven with a prix fixe menu as the Virginia-Highland trattoria takes part in Wednesday night's Toast the Tastemakers Dine Around Dinner; call 404-873-5430 for reservations. For the entire schedule, visit "The Ultimate" website.

Who needs New Orleans?

There's no need to hop a plane and fight the crowds to eat great New Orleans food this Mardi Gras season. Just head over to South City Kitchen Midtown and Vinings this week. Through March 8 both locations feature "A Taste of New Orleans" - a three-course, prix fixe dinner menu at $32 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). There's pan-roasted BBQ shrimp, oysters a la Drago, alligator and andouille sausage gumbo, chopped romaine salad, crab and crawfish ravigote or chicken liver and bacon beignets for starters. Entrée choices include cornmeal fried catfish, pan-seared chicken Rochambeau with country ham, pan-seared gulf fish with crawfish étouffée or veal grillades and grits. For dessert choose between cherry-cheese clafouti or chocolate voodoo drunken zombie cake. You can order a la carte from this menu too. Or, if you'd rather, the regular menu is also available.

Enjoy New Orleans without leaving Atlanta!

Our Top 11 in 2011

Image from writeclickscrapbook

Yes, it felt like an entire year went by here in Atlanta as we were all stuck in our homes (thanks, Mother Nature), but luckily it was just a drop in the bucket of time in 2011!  

We still have a whole year ahead to enjoy tons of amazing culinary adventures.   In this week’s Dish newsletter, we revealed our list of “Top 11 in 2011” – the top 11 things we here at MLA are most excited for this year! 

It’s going to be an amazing year and we’ll be sure to be here to share the latest culinary events and news as it unfolds.  Without further ado, we present our Top 11 in 2011 list!

1.  Ford Fry, owner and executive chef of JCT. Kitchen & Bar, and Drew Belline, formerly chef de cuisine at Floataway Café, are partnering to open a new Italian-inspired restaurant in Decatur this spring.  Look for more news as the late March/early April "open" sign appears!  The new restaurant will be located at 129 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue in the old Eurasia Bistro.
    
2.  In the works, Woodfire Grill Partner and Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie's new BBQ restaurant: Terminus City.  All we can say is "smokin'!"
    
3. RA Sushi has new dishes and cocktails on its menu for 2011.  New friends join your favorites in the dinner, sushi, bar food and cocktail categories!  To name a few, there are Otoko salad, lobster with garlic sugar snap peas, "RA" tapas, shishito peppers, sweet mochi trio dessert and four new sushi rolls, including a vegetable tempura and tropical roll.  Fresh fruit, exotic liqueurs and premium spirits go into the nine new cocktails ($8-$9), and there are more wine selections and sake flights.  Expanded menus bring more appetizers, tapas, sushi and maki to happy hour, Monday through Saturday from 3 - 7 p.m., and to Sunday's restaurant industry night at Flying Fish Lounge from 8 p.m. until midnight.
    
4.  White Oak Pastures now sells jerky so you can take the grass-fed beef raised in Bluffton, Ga. with you anywhere!  Cost is $15 a jar (1/2 a pound) in the White Oak Pastures' online store.
    
5. The 34th Annual Vidalia Onion Festival makes for a sweet weekend April 30 - May 1 in Vidalia, Georgia. The world-famous onions are joined by Kellie Pickler in concert, an air show and so much more.
    
6. JCT. Kitchen & Bar's Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival is going down in Atlanta's Westside on July 17.  Host and JCT. Owner/Executive Chef Ford Fry promises there's a happy ending for guests, participants and beneficiary Georgia Organics.
    
7. The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival fills Atlanta with more than 200 food-related activities over the dates of May 19 - 22.
    
8. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar will open its newly remodeled patio this spring -- just in time for people watching from behind those big sunglasses.
    
9. Pinkberry is coming to Buckhead and Midtown!  We can verify some sweet and tart gossip among Buckhead and Midtown fro-yo devotees:  yes, the purveyor of all-natural frozen yogurt is coming to your area this year so prepare to let the good times swirl.
    
10. Jeffrey Gardner, South City Kitchen Midtown sous chef will be on Food Network's competition show "Chopped."  You'll be able to watch him in action when the episode airs at 10 p.m. on February 8.  Better yet, join the viewing party at The Original El Taco from 9 - 11 p.m. and watch the culinary battle on the restaurant's five flat screen televisions.

11. Pacci Ristorante renews its vow for fun and romance with its second "Queen of Hearts" social.  Last year's cocktail party was such a Valentine's week hit that Pacci is planning another big night of food, drinks, games and prizes this February.  We can't commit to a date just yet, but Dish readers will be the first to know!