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.

Appetizing Aperture: Graduation Celebrations At Spice Market

Graduation celebrations are a class act at Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown. The details for Spice Market's private dining celebrations for six guests or more are on Facebook, providing parental food for thought and fuel food for graduates before entering "the real world."

Chef Bands Take the Stage for Charity at Eats & Beats on May 7

Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar and Joey Riley of Kaleidoscope Bistro and Pub have something in common that you might not expect. We all know they're skilled chefs, but did you know that they're talented musicians as well? Fry's band is called Five Bone Rack and Riley is one third of The Right Way Trio. On Monday, May 7, they'll take the stage and perform with two other chef bands at the Buckhead Theatre for Eats & Beats. Along with great music, you can also expect plenty of tasty treats to go along with those tunes. Sample dishes from top-notch restaurants including Chicken and the Egg, JCT. Kitchen & Bar, Kaleidoscope, No. 246 and Spice Market. Tickets to the 7 - 9:30 p.m. event are $60 for general admission and $125 for VIP (early entry at 6 p.m. and access to private premium bar, wine tastings and additional restaurants). Not only will this be the most fun you've had on a Monday night, you'll also be doing your good deed for the day. The event benefits children of sanctuary workers and Children of Conservation, an organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of endangered species in third world countries through education, habitat preservation and wildlife sanctuary support. 

And the Golden Onion Goes To...

A dozen Georgia chefs will compete in the inaugural Golden Onion professional cooking competition preceding the 35th Annual Vidalia Onion Festival April 26-29 in Vidalia, Ga. Our personal favorites in the April 22 recipe creation competition are Marc Taft, owner and executive chef of Chicken and the Egg in Marietta, and Chef Richard Wiggins, executive chef at Spice Market in the W Atlanta - Midtown. All eyes and cleavers will be on the star of the cutting board - the Vidalia onion, the prominent ingredient in every recipe. Chefs Taft and Wiggins both sing praises about Georgia's mild and gentle state vegetable. Taft appreciates that their "flavor profile makes them easy to blend into dishes because they complement other ingredients so well; they're also fantastic alone." Wiggins enjoys "the sweetness and ability to manipulate the flavor" of Vidalia onions. First-place winner takes home the Golden Onion trophy for one year plus $500. Second-place winner receives $250, and third place receives $100. Competition takes place in the Vidalia Community Center and opens to the public at 12:30 p.m. Purchase $5 tickets in advance at the Vidalia Onion Museum; $10 at the door. 

Here's An Easily Agreed Upon Pre-Nup: Host Those Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties At Spice Market

It’s that time of year again; when wedding bells are ringing, the perfect dress is waiting to be found, and brides-to-be are running around turning their dream wedding into a reality.

Let Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown take some stress off your hands with their packages for one-stop bachelor/bachelorette party planning! The packages include two different menu options with portions large enough for the whole table to share (to accommodate six or more guests). For $25 per person, guests will receive two appetizers, two entrées and an assortment of house-made cookies for dessert. For $35 per person, guests will receive a glass of champagne, plus their choice of three appetizers, three entrées and two desserts. Each guest receives complimentary valet for the first three hours as well.

The fun doesn’t have to stop here, however. Keep the party going with celebrity-style access to Whiskey Park, a glamorous bar and lounge located on the third floor of the W Atlanta-Midtown. Guests will be seated at a VIP table and receive a complimentary bottle of champagne for every bottle of liquor purchased (two bottle minimum for VIP table). Non-table options are negotiable. Party reservations must be made at least 48 hours in advance and each group must specifically request the bachelor/bachelorette party package. Guests also may book a room at the W Atlanta-Midtown and stay the night.  Contact Damien Whitman at damien.whitman@whotels.com or John Pak at john.pak@whotels.com to get your party started!

Spice Up Your Life and Check Out Hotel Restaurant Week

Hotel restaurants can fly under the radar when hometown honeys eat out. Hotel Restaurant Week sets out to change all that by spotlighting great restaurants in Atlanta hotels, including Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown. From March 31 through April 7, participating restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe menus for $30 per person (not including tax or gratuity). The special menu at Spice Market starts with two spice chicken samosas with cilantro yogurt, features an entrée of Thai basil cod with Malaysian chili sauce, and ends with coconut cake with guava ice cream in salted caramel sauce. Don't sleep on it; make reservations online now.

High Museum Hosts 20th Annual Vintners’ Reception And Live Auction on Saturday, March 31

Lucky are those High Museum of Art supporters holding tickets to the sold-out 20^th Annual Vintners’ Reception and Live Auction on Saturday, March 31. They’ll be able to dabble in a delicious palette of dishes prepared by chefs from Atlanta’s best restaurants while tasting wines from scores of top wineries. Then the bidding begins on everything from rare and collectible wine, dreamy trips, fine art and other one-of-a-kind finds. Marietta’s Chicken and the Egg, Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown, Double Zero Napoletana in Sandy Springs and Aqua blue in Roswell will all be there. If you’re going, be sure to stop by their tables!

Party with the "Best of Atlanta" and Help Camp Twin Lakes

It's almost time for Atlanta Magazine's 25th Annual "Best of Atlanta" bash, spotlighting restaurants and food trucks featured in the magazine's Cheap Eats, BBQ, Best New Restaraunts and December Best of Atlanta issues. This year's event will be on Monday, March 12 at the Cobb Galleria Centre from 7-10 p.m., with a VIP Preview Party from 6-7 p.m. Guests can sample signature dishes from restaurants like Spice Market in Midtown and enjoy sips from breweries, wineries and distilleries across Georgia. The "Best of Atlanta" party benefits Camp Twin Lakes, a not-for-profit organization that provides year-round camp programs for children facing serious illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges. Tickets are all inclusive and can be purchased online. General admission is $65 per person and VIP are $125.

BYOB To "Open That Bottle Night" This Saturday At Double Zero Napoletana And Spice Market

No need to wait for a birthday or anniversary... There's no time like the present to savor that bottle of wine you've been saving for some special occasion! Carpe diem and bring your wine to Double Zero Napoletana and Spice Market for "Open That Bottle Night" on Saturday, February 25! 


On that night, there's no corkage fee to pop open your bottle. Who can operate those flimsy corkscrew bottle openers anyway?  Let the pros tackle it while you tackle the menu. Those leaning toward Italian small plates and Neapolitan pizza will find Double Zero Napoletana in Sandy Springs has plenty to love. Worldly spices and complex Southeastern Asian flavors tie in nicely with your wine at Spice Market located in the W Atlanta-Midtown. Cheers!

Stand Up and Holler - Spice Market Has Sips for a Dollar!

Honestly, it's a challenge to even buy a twist-top water or soft drink from a vending machine for that price, let alone try wines from glass bottles. The popular Sip and Save series returns to Spice Market, located inside the W Atlanta-Midtown, for a second dollar-savvy evening from 6 - 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. Head to the restaurant's lounge area for complimentary light appetizers and exclusive wine tastings (sample three to four wines for just $1) poured by Quality Wine Distributors. A representative can answer any questions about the different wines being sampled. Spend a little more, save a lot more -- attendees will receive 50 percent off the wines tasted that night when dining at Spice Market. Spice Market's globally inspired menu has lots of options to complement your favorite wine of the night. 

Rotten Egg or Eggs-Traordinary? You Be the Judge at This Year’s Featherfest!

Twenty-thousand poultry fans are alighting in Atlanta January 22 - 27. No need to be chicken or take cover. They're migrating through the Georgia World Congress Center for the annual International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo. Featherfest will draw them out for nourishment on egg-ceptional appetizers and entrées that include poultry meat at more than 50 Atlanta restaurants including Alma Cocina, La Tavola Trattoria,The Original El Taco, Ray's in the City, South City Kitchen - Midtown andSpice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown. Gather a gaggle of roost mates (flighty friends, too) and flock along to dine then rate the dishes from one "rotten egg" to "eggs-traordinary" at Atlanta.net through January 26. Who knows, you might win an iPod nano for your eggs-cellent opinions.

Our Appetizing Aperture of the Week: Spice Market's Fortune Cookies

A fortune cookie is always a sweet ending to a meal. We love unraveling the words of sage advice and wisdom. At Spice Market, these fortune cookies will be an even sweeter treat from January 21 through February 29. Open one during Chinese New Year to reveal a special surprise from the restaurant!

Spice Market Welcomes the Year of the Dragon in Grand Fashion

People who are born in dragon years are passionate in all they do and carry out things in grand fashion. Like them, Spice Market also possesses the same qualities and will be hosting a Chinese New Year Celebration to commemorate the year of the dragon with symbolic dishes and drinks. The grand celebration takes place from January 22 to January 23.

Spice Market will be decorated in the spirit of Chinese New Year and all tables will feature Chinese zodiac placements. The Midtown restaurant will offer complimentary nibbles in the bar area; a four-course tasting menu for $28 and drink specials including $3 Tsing Tao beer as well as specialty cocktails for $5 to $7.

The Chinese New Year tasting menu includes the following symbolic dishes:

• Fragrant mushroom egg rolls to symbolizes wealth
• Chili-garlic egg noodles representing long life come with seared shrimp and star anise
• The wish of abundance comes with a fish dish of wok-fried grouper with napa cabbage, water chestnuts and cucumber
• A sweet, rich life should be yours after eating Ovaltine kulfi made with caramelized banana and spiced milk chocolate sauce

The year of the dragon is also marked by excitement and good luck. Spice Market will ensure guests have an exciting evening and will offer all attendees fortune cookies containing discounts for future visits in the spirit of good luck.

Spice Market: In the W Atlanta-Midtown, 188 14^th Street, NE; 404-724-2550.

It’s National Soup Month – Start Slurping!

The MLA team just finished a two-day juice detox and after 48 hours of drinking nothing but cold, tart fruit juice, all I am craving is a hot bowl of soup. Luckily, it happens to be National Soup Month AND, despite the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having, the weather reports for the rest of this week finally point to colder temperatures. I can’t think of a better time to sample our city’s selection of body-warming bowls of goodness. Check out a list of our favorites around town in the latest edition of The Dish. My must-haves are Aria’s creamless celery root and black truffle soup (you will not believe this soup doesn’t have cream in it!) and Spice Market’s spicy chicken and coconut soup (pictured above). Both of these feel totally luxurious and are super satisfying on a cold day.

All Aboard the Health Train: 2012 Healthy Eating Roundup Makes Keeping Resolutions Easy

"Diet" can be a heavy word, and no one wants to hear such a downer in a city with so many fabulous eateries. Healthy eating is more about considering the effects of what you're ingesting -- how your lunch will benefit your body and all of its systems -- including those all-important taste buds. Really, if it's not tasty, why bother anyway?

Guilt-free "Skinnier Cocktails" at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar weigh in at 99 calories per glass and $9.95 each.  They're always on the bar menu to give you more options than diet sodas for a sassy but not sissy low-cal drink. Fresh fruits and juices knock sugary mixers out of the glass. Tickled Pink mixes Belvedere Vodka, Mionetto Prosecco, orange juice and raspberry. Bikinitini is a Florida beach trip in a glass with Grey Goose L'Orange Vodka, lemon juice, orange juice, Monin sugar-free syrup and soda water. The Stoli Bombshell fruits up Stoli Vanil Vodka with fresh raspberries, raspberry preserves and freshly squeezed lime juice. The Russian Prom Queen mixes fresh lime juice, cucumbers and blueberries with Stoli Blueberi Vodka. The Farmer's Daughter starts with Ketel One Vodka and adds strawberries, fresh basil leaves, lemon juice and cranberry juice. And finally, the Stiletto spikes fresh blackberries, lime and ginger with Hendrick's Gin.

Atlanta Smashburger locations dispel the myth that fast-casual dining paves a highway to the hips. Atlantans so love their veggie burgers that black bean veggie burger sales at area Smashburger restaurants nearly double the national Smashburger average!  Smashburger salads fill you up with fresh, crisp greens and toppings, and grilled chicken can be added to up the protein ante. The harvest salad features balsamic tomatoes, raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and blue cheese topped with balsamic vinaigrette. Create your own healthy grilled chicken sandwich by selecting a multigrain bun and choosing free toppings such as lettuce, tomato, red onion, kosher pickles and jalapeños along with a variety of sauces and mustards. Sweet potato smashfries and veggie frites add even more veggies to your plate.

Executive Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten fills bento boxes with vegetarian selections for Monday night diners at Spice Market, located inside the W Atlanta-Midtown. Even carnivores will find the multi-layered boxes plenty to please at $24 per person. See the vibrant veggie bento box on our blogarchive.

Book a vegetarian-focused table at Woodfire Grill, and the chefs will prepare a five-course chef's tasting vegetarian menu that the entire table will relish. The vegetarian dinner costs $70 per person, and everyone at the table must participate. A tasting included a first course of cucumber and cantaloupe noodles with grapefruit and mint emulsion; a second course of roasted hen of the woods and morel mushrooms, baby radish and turnips with brown butter, lemon zest and herbs; a third tasting course of chilled new potato and wild garlic leek soup; a fourth course of roasted local root vegetables, smoked squash puree and pickled cabbage salad; a main course of creamed escarole and rutabaga, spicy smoked apples, asparagus and Anson Mills farro; and dessert of strawberry shortcake with sour cream pound cake, rhubarb jam and strawberry whip.

Say "hola" to heart-healthy menu items at Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food. Three scrumptious selections have been certified as heart healthy by Medical City Heart. A generous Ensalada Especial heaps plates with mixed field greens, grape tomatoes, jicama, cucumbers, red onions and red cabbage and is served with citrus vinaigrette dressing. Go heartier by adding portobello mushroom or salmon. Increasing your intake of salmon for those healthy omega-3 fatty acids is easy when ordering flavorful mesquite-grilled salmon filet served with sautéed vegetables and fresh pineapple pico de gallo. Vegetable purists will find the grilled vegetable platter fills their wish dish with mesquite-grilled zucchini, yellow squash, portobello mushroom, red potatoes, and red and yellow onions served with roasted red and poblano peppers and a side of fresh pineapple pico de gallo.

At RA Sushi in Midtown, cradle a Skinny Cocktail in your hands and roll each potent sip across your tongue with pleasure. There are only 200 calories in a Lychee-teenie, Skinny Ninja or Thin Ginger ($8 each). 

Goodbye Christmas Elves, Hello Baby New Year

Partiers, if you want to whoop it up with live entertainment, champagne toasts and kisses at midnight, we have options. Those of you who envision a peaceful fine dining experience, Atlanta restaurants can fulfill your wish. And, if you are working New Year's Eve or want to celebrate after you do that resolution run or polar bear jump, you, too, are covered. Happy New Year!

After achieving Elvis' "Blue Christmas" music overload, it's time to move on to a totally different tune in Aqua blue's Blue Year's Eve. The Roswell restaurant is planning a prix-fixe, three-course menu plus an à la carte menu available at three seatings -- 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $49 per person; $69 with chef's wine pairing. Stay on for the DJ and party favors, and raise a champagne toast at midnight. For reservations, call 770-643-8886.

The tables are set for an elegant four-course dinner at Aria, one of Buckhead's finest restaurants. Executive Chef/Owner Gerry Klaskala has a first course in mind then lets you choose from several options for the remaining courses. At $85 per person, tax and gratuity not included, seats will go quickly. Reservations are strongly suggested; call 404-233-7673.

Holiday merry making continues on New Year's Eve at Atkins Park - Smyrna with a champagne toast at midnight and music from The Good People. Starting at 5 p.m., guests can sit down to a chef-prepared, four-course meal for $48.50 per person, tax and gratuity not included. Reservations: 770-435-1887.

Across town at Atkins Park - Virginia Highland, guests can sip Absolut Vodka drink specials while listening to music from Rare Form DJs. Complimentary champagne toast at midnight. Special menus will be available at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve and at 11 a.m. on New Year's Day. Reservations: 404-876-7249.

No need to break any New Year's diet resolutions when guests indulge in the rich pre-resolution menu Briza is offering on New Year's Eve. On the last night of 2011, pamper your palate with dishes such as vanilla butter-poached lobster and Kurobuta pork belly "carbonara" and leave no morsel behind! $75 per person. Reservations: 678-412-2402.

Marietta favorite, Chicken and the Egg, is celebrating New Year's Eve with a three-course menu. After a lagniappe of Georgia shrimp and grit cake, choose tempting items like crispy pork belly, lobster and praline bread pudding to complete your meal. The cost is $35 per person, and sparkling wine will be available to purchase by the glass or bottle. For reservations, call 678-388-8813.

Usher in 2012 with three courses of southern Italian dishes on the prix-fixe menu at Double Zero Napoletana in Sandy Springs. Dinner will be served from 5 - 8 p.m. and costs $55 per person. Each guest receives a gift bag containing a split of Prosecco, champagne flutes and a special gift from the Castellucci Hospitality Group. Reservations: 404-991-3666.

Talk about being pumped up for 2012! Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Dunwoody is giving guests three opportunities to celebrate New Year's Nights at Fleming's: Thursday, December 29 from 5 - 10 p.m., Friday, December 30 from 5 - 11 p.m. and Saturday, December 31 from 4 - 11 p.m. Moët and Chandon Impérial champagne will be served from magnum bottles all night, each night. A special New Year's celebration menu with three exceptional steak and seafood entrées, each priced at $69.95, will be available in addition to the regular menu. Reservations: 770-698-8112.

For an early taste of 2012, enjoy a "taste" and three courses of Chef Ford Fry's Southern favorites at JCT. Kitchen & Bar. The $65 four-course menu includes samples of hickory-roasted Berkshire pork tenderloin and "chicken stand" fried Georgia quail. Dinner will be served from 5 - 11 p.m. Reservations: 404-355-2252.

In Decatur, the New Year's Eve menu at No. 246 offers a great example of how to step out beyond the expected in 2012. Try something unexpected such as squid ink spaghetti with Dungeness crab and braised Brasstown beef cheeks -- two of the items on their special $55 per person New Year's Eve menu. Dinner is from 5 - 11 p.m. Reservations: 678-399-8246.

Rockin' RA Sushi looks out for those who work on New Year's Eve by throwing a New Year's Eve Remix party -- on New Year's Day! From 8 p.m. to close on Sunday, January 1, guests at the Midtown restaurant and bar can nosh on Sunday Night's Flying Fish Lounge specials with select sushi, appetizers and tapas priced from $2-$7 and drink specials starting at $3. For more information or to RSVP, visit Facebook.

Pick your party at Ray's Restaurants. Ray's at Killer Creek in Alpharetta is offering a special appetizer menu and three different prix-fixe menus from 5 - 8 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Reservations: 770-649-0064. Downtown, city dwellers can head to Ray's in the City's to celebrate over one of three prix-fixe menus. Reservations: call 404-524-9224. Ray's on the River is hosting a classic night of dinner and dancing at the restaurant's riverside pavilion. Ring in the new year enjoying the special menu, five-piece band, champagne toast, party favors and a balloon drop. Festivities start at 8 p.m. with dinner service at 8:45 p.m. Tickets are $95 per person, or purchase a table for 10 guests for $850. Tax and gratuity are not included in pricing. More information and reservations: 770-955-1187.

Toast first! At Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown, the bar and lounge bubbles with specials on champagne from 4 - 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve. The restaurant itself will serve a New Year's Eve five-course menu for $68 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations: 404-724-2550.

Everyone knows that the pre-party is just as important as the main event on New Year's Eve. That's why Truffles Grill in Buckhead is getting the night off to a tasty start from 6 - 9 p.m. with complimentary heavy hors d'oeuvres. Need a drink to practice your midnight toast? Try one of the restaurant's $5 Absolut specialty martinis. Reservations: 404-364-9050.

Carnivores, vegetarians and pescatarians will all find dinners to please among Woodfire Grill's three special five-course menus on New Year's Eve. The regular and pescatarian menus are priced at $115 per person, and the vegetarian menu is priced at $105. Wine pairings also are available for $6 per course for a half glass or $12 for a full glass. Reservations are required: 404-347-9055.

Of course, we didn't forget about Christmas. Read here for all the fun festivities going on this weekend!

Celebrate the Holidays with Your Favorite Atlanta Restaurants

In case you haven't been keeping track, there are only 10 short days left to wrap up all your holiday shopping and plans. We know you have enough on your plate without having to worry about whipping up a feast for the masses. Consider this list of restaurants serving Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners and hosting festive events an early Christmas miracle.

On Christmas Eve, Aqua blue is offering a $25 three-course dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitors to the Roswell restaurant will choose between kosher salt and oregano cursted slow roast prime rib and Atlantic salmon Oscar for their entree, while having the full a la carte menu to peruse as well. For reservations, call 770-643-8886.

Be loud, be proud, be tacky. Haul out your holiday sweater for Atkins Park - Smyrna's "Tacky Sweater Party" on Friday, December 16 from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. As Stefon from SNL would say, this fun event will have it all: drink specials, an appearance from Santa, DJ Bigg H spinning holiday favorites and house cash prizes for the top three tackiest guests in attendance. The Smyrna tavern plans a big party on Christmas Eve, showing the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" all night and offering a limited Chinese menu as well as all of your tavern favorites. Atkins Park will be open until 10 p.m.

Sister tavern Atkins Park - Virginia Highland will be open Christmas Day beginning at 6 p.m. to offer a special dinner priced at $20 for adults, $15 for young adults and $8 for children under 10 years old. For reservations, call 404-876-7249.

Briza’s Feast of Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve is sure to delight all the seafood lovers out there. This traditional Italian dinner is offered from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and is $55 per person, alcohol not included. On Christmas Day, a three choice, three-course menu will have holiday classics such as figgy pudding, egg nog panna cotta and “fruit cake” to choose from for dessert. The cost is $55 per person and is available from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For reservations, call 678-412-2400.

RA Sushi is treating everyone to an early Christmas gift with their new happy hour menu on Christmas Eve. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than 35 sushi, appetizer, and tapas seclections, plus a wide variety of beer, wine and signature cocktails ranging from $2 to $7 will be offered.

On Sunday, December 18, Ray's at Killer Creek in Alpharetta is forecasting a Santa sighting during Sunday Supper. Santa is expecting your little ones to visit while the family's there for Southern favorites such as buttermilk fried chicken with cornbread and biscuits for $16 per person from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. It's the perfect place for families to gather for Sunday Supper and a Santa sighting. For reservations, call 770-649-0064.

No need for Chinese takeout this year. Treat yourself to exotic Asian-inspired dishes instead of your usual order of General Tso's. Dine on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day at Spice Market, located inside the W Atlanta-Midtown. This top dining destination will serve dinner from 5 - 9 p.m. on both days. For reservations, call 404-724-2550.

Book Your Favorite Rockin' Room For A Private Party

It happens every year. The grateful calm of Thanksgiving gives way to Black Friday retail frenzy. Then low and behold, the holiday party and gifting season is here. Whether or not you are an advance planner, Atlanta restaurants are ready to help out with warm and friendly seasonal settings, large and small spreads, private dining options and generous gift card promotions.

In Virginia Highland, lively Atkins Park Tavern has historical charm -- and a room upstairs ready to host 30 guests for a sit-down dinner or 50 guests for cocktails. To reserve, call 404-876-7249.

Fabulous global cuisine, personalized menus and lots of space are yours in Roswell at Aqua blue. A semi-private back room accommodates 60 guests, and up to 200 guests can party in the main bar. Available for bookings seven days a week for lunch and dinner; call 770-643-8886.

Marietta’s Chicken and the Egg serves up modern farmstead fare and can throw a Southern dinner party with ease. Host an intimate chef’s table for up to 28 guests in a separate corner of the restaurant -- guests will love the chef’s table menu of Chicken and the Egg specialties. Contact Elizabeth Taft at 678-388-8813.

Across Midtown and into Vinings, Fifth Group Restaurants gives a wide variety of options for private and group dining. At 7th and Cypress streets in the heart of Midtown, Ecco offers seasonal, European-inspired dining seven nights a week. For an evening of contemporary Southern fare, book South City Kitchen Vinings. More Fifth Group possibilities include South City Kitchen Midtown, La Tavola Trattoria and The Original El Taco. Bold American and Studio 887 offer off- and on-premise upscale catering for other event options. For group party planning assistance, call 678-302-3264. For more information, visit the company’s private dining page.

In Dunwoody, special occasions call for Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Book your party by Thursday, December 1 and receive a $50 gift card for every $500 you spend. Thrifty gifters, receive a $20 bonus card for every $100 gift card purchased from now until December 31 (bonus card valid on food and beverage only, January 1 through February 10). Call 770-698-8112.

The Westside party “junction” is JCT. Kitchen & Bar at Howell Mill and Huff roads in Atlanta’s Westside Urban Market. Up to 200 guests can celebrate on its 2,000-square-foot skyline terrace that looks out over the historic neighborhood; up to 165 people can dine downstairs in the main dining room. Discuss private event options with Valerie Mosley, 678-536-6506.

Don’t overlook your lunch spot when looking for a dinner party venue. Market Street Café in Buckhead can seat up to 125 people for dinner inside and 75 guests on the patio. Need more? Rent the whole place after 4 p.m. weekdays and anytime on weekends. For private event information, contact Sabrina Rosenberg or Lauren Hradek at 770-643-5990.

Reindeer games in West Midtown’s White Provision complex? Not quite, but Ormsby’s lounge space with its comfy couches, cocktail tables and game room access is ideal for up to 40 grownups. Better snatch it up by calling Leslie Battle at 404-968-2033.

Wildly fun RA Sushi in Midtown can seat up to 10 guests in its semi-private dining space and host up to 100 guests in its upstairs area. Call 404-267-0114.

From downtown to the Chattahoochee to Alpharetta, Ray’s Restaurants provides three unique party settings and a variety of menu options. Ray’s on the River (770-955-1187) can accommodate parties of up to 200 guests. Ray’s at Killer Creek in Alpharetta (770-649-0064) has several different room options and accommodates parties of up to 300 people. For intimate gatherings in town, look into private and semi-private spaces for up to 45 people at Ray’s in the City (404-524-9224).

The Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel epitomizes Atlanta with its modern design and Southern hospitality. Host guest lists from 30 to 400 in the hotel’s three ballrooms. Up to 300 guests can sip cocktails and admire the skyline view at Rooftop 866, the chic rooftop bar adjacent to the hotel. Briza, the hotel’s signature restaurant, also can be reserved for private events seating up to 110 guests or 200 for cocktails and hors d’oeuvre. Call 678-412-2400.

Here’s a smashing gift idea! At Smashburger, receive $5 Smashbucks for every $25 gift card purchased through December 31. Smashbucks expire on January 31. There are three metro-Atlanta locations with a fourth opening in Kennesaw on November 30.

Go for a glamorous midday or evening event at the W Atlanta-Midtown Hotel’s Spice Market restaurant. Spice Market’s Pond Room, Trellis Room and main dining room are three options, and the entire restaurant space accommodates up to 200 for a seated dinner and 350 for cocktails and hors d’oeuvre. For private event information, contact Cristina Perry at 404-724-2550.

Atlanta’s trend-setting farm-to-table restaurant, Woodfire Grill, houses multiple private dining spaces from "The Mezzanine," seating 50 or divisible into three private rooms; “The Loft," a cozy upstairs hideaway for up to 16 people; and a covered patio where up to 75 guests can gather for cocktails or 30 can sit down for dinner. Call Rick Blumberg at 404-347-9055 for more information.

Get Wild at Zoo Atlanta's Jazzoo on October 15

Calling all party animals, Zoo Atlanta's fourth annual Jazzoo is on Saturday, October 15 from 6:30 - 11 p.m. Plan on bringing your beastly appetite because Spice Market, RA Sushi and Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food are among the 25 popular Atlanta restaurants that will be providing food for the event. Visit your favorite exhibits as you hit up the fully stocked bar or check out the four stages with entertainment provided by Eddie's Attic, Dr. Stech and Nervous Habit and Yacht Rock.

Leave the traditional coat and tails at home, "creative cocktail" attire is required at this party. Shorts, flip-flops, sequins, bow ties and animal prints will land you on the best dressed list. All-inclusive tickets are priced at $100 each (VIP tickets/$150 each); rain or shine, no refunds. Ages 21 and over only, and please have ID. SafeRide will provide "tips only" rides home within a 15-mile radius and $2 per mile beyond that. Proceeds support Zoo Atlanta programs and fund field trips for disadvantaged children and schools.

October Is The Month To Celebrate Books That Help You Cook

Devoured a good cookbook lately? October is National Cookbook Month, and we have a (recyclable) shopping bag full of tantalizing cookbooks to chew! Near and dear to our aprons is Atlanta Cooks at Home, which highlights Atlanta's prominent chefs and dangles personal interviews between their recipes including plans for easy and noteworthy entertaining. Virginia Willis' newly released cookbook, Basic to Brilliant, Y'all: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company, is destined to be a staple in any modern Southern kitchen. Open Spice Market's newest release, Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges, for global inspiration. The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices by Katie Luber and Sara Engram is another spicy hot read.

From the sweet-tea brined pork shoulder to making sausage, Libbie Summers shows how to honor every succulent porcine part in The Whole Hog Cookbook: Chops, Loin, Shoulder, Bacon, and All That Good Stuff. Quick-Fix Southern: Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less by Rebecca Lang appeals to mouths craving tastes of the South but stuck with hands short on time. When you've completed this year's reading, get pumped for the fall 2012 release of Kevin Gillespie's Fire in My Belly.