Reserve Seats? Neat! Southern Proper Hospitality Restaurants Join OpenTable

To quote the late Tom Petty, “The waiting is the hardest part.” So don’t. Now you can use OpenTable to reserve seats at your favorite Southern Proper Hospitality restaurants including The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Smokebelly BBQ, Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Beni’s Cubano, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails and Tin Lizzy’s Cantina. Guests can quickly and easily reserve a table online and avoid using precious time waiting for seats during peak business hours. Whether you’re looking ahead or time-strapped and checking last minute for seats, making online reservations eases any hesitations about heading out, wait-time unknown.  And, the process couldn’t be easier. Just visit the restaurant’s website and click on “reservations” to check your preferred date and time. The convenient, stress-free process is the most direct route to skipping the wait and sitting right down to dining and drinks at your favorite Southern Proper Hospitality restaurant. Yes, now time is on your side…but that’s another song for another day.

Mingle and Jingle with Santa at The Southern Gentleman Santa Brunch Dec. 10

The jolly gent from the North Pole heads south to visit his gracious friend, The Southern Gentleman for The Southern Gentlemen Santa Brunch on Dec. 10. The gastropub in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta pulls out all the stops for this festive Sunday outing going on from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dress snappy for sensational Santa pics captured by a professional photographer. Fill up on fa la la and the bounteous buffet spread pleasing big kids (guests over 10 years old) with omelet and carving stations, waffles, shrimp and grits, frittatas, eggs, bacon, sausage, salads, a meat and cheese board, and sweets and hot chocolate stations. Santa is making sure there’s a kids buffet with their favorites including mac ‘n cheese, breakfast corn dogs and chicken fingers. The $35 price for adults covers the buffet and one mimosa or spiked eggnog cocktail; kids ages 10 and under enjoy the kids’ buffet and beverages for $18. (Prices exclude tax and gratuity.) Buy tickets on Eventbrite. 

Run the Field to Football Nights at The Southern Gentleman

Fall in the South means football viewing, chewing and brewing. Catch the works at The Southern Gentleman Football Nights on Sunday and Monday evenings. During football games, order a silver bucket of Miller High Life beer for $18, enjoy Reformation IPA for $7 and explore a rotating Orpheus draft special. Game table fare touches down with shareables like fresh-cut TSG frites ($9), the TSG chip/TSG nachos/meat and potatoes combo of house-fried kettle-style potato chips, caramelized onions, seasoned lamb-beef-pork sausage and smoked Gouda queso ($9); warm beer cheese and pretzels ($8); and Vidalia onion seafood crab dip with crab, shrimp and kettle-fried chips ($9). The Southern Gentleman’s bacon Swiss burger satisfies linebacker appetites with its signature steak blend, Swiss cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, bibb lettuce and tomato on a toasted brioche bun ($15). Fifty-yard-line viewing, better than club level food, all on the top floor of The Shops Buckhead Atlanta.

Start Style South Saturday at The Southern Gentleman’s Welcome Brunch Celebration Sept. 16

Style South returns to The Shops Buckhead Atlanta for a day-into-night extravaganza of food, fashion and shopping on Saturday, Sept. 16. Dashing as always, The Southern Gentleman happily opens the swanky afternoon with The Southerner’s Brunch featuring extravagant brunch offerings inspired by Garden & Gun magazine’s New York Times best seller, “The Southerner’s Cookbook.” Each guest will take home a copy of the cookbook -- another reason to celebrate over a welcoming glass of prosecco and brunch cocktails. Tickets to the 12-2 p.m. brunch are $65 each (plus small service fee; includes tax and gratuity). After brunch, a Southern Shop Around treats shoppers to specials, entertainment and complimentary gifts while they take in the hottest trends at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta stores and businesses. Refuel during the 5-6 p.m. Restaurant Dine Around before glitz, glam and trends take to the runway for a 7 p.m. fashion show. Who said football rules every Southern Saturday?

Dine with Gratitude and Help The Giving Kitchen Aid Hospitality Workers in Need, Aug. 20-23

Dine out and show your support for The Giving Kitchen and the hospitality workers who provide the amazing meals, drinks and food services we enjoy in Atlanta. All you have to do is dine at participating restaurants over the Dining with Gratitude dates of Aug. 20-23. Each restaurant will donate 10 percent of sales to The Giving Kitchen to further the nonprofit’s ability to aid Atlanta-area restaurant and hospitality workers facing crisis situations. Can’t decide where to eat out? Fine options include Marlow’s Tavern locations in Vinings, Midtown, Emory, Northlake, Sandy Springs, Brookhaven and Dunwoody; The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill in Buckhead and on Canton Street; Gypsy Kitchen; Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails; Smokebelly BBQ; The Southern Gentleman and Tin Lizzy’s Cantina. Eat and give thanks for the hands that prepare, serve and clean up our abundance of ATL dining options.

Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival Blossoms with Chefs and Mixologists July 16

Better Boys and Early Girls, the ninth annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival is your kind of fruit fest, ripe with tomato-rich treats and concoctions created by dozens of Atlanta’s best chefs and mixologists and 50 local farmer friends. A few plum personalities to look for at the Georgia Organics benefit: 5Church Atlanta chef Scotley Innis; Aria owner/chef Gerry Klaskala and mixologist Stefano Gandossi; Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward and mixologist Mercedes O’Brien; Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails executive chef Derek Dollar; Ormsby’s chef Nick Anderson; The Southern Gentleman executive chef Matthew Ridgway; and chef Tomas Lee of Midtown Takorea & Ssam Bar. Ford Fry’s tribute to summer’s revered heirlooms plants itself at Park Tavern in Midtown this Sunday, July 16 from 1-5 p.m. Like killer tomatoes, this festival flourishes rain or shine. Buy tickets in advance: $45 general admission; $40 Georgia Organics members; $125 Lexus VIP (early access and VIP area exclusives); and $74.95 “Good Grit” package including six issues of “Good Grit” magazine. A limited number of $75 general admission tickets will be available at the door. Killer tomatoes, we surrender already.

Whisk-ey Away to Vermont in The Southern Gentleman and WhistlePig Giveaway through July 18

Will sipping whiskey whisk you away to Vermont? Could happen when you savor WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey at The Southern Gentleman in the Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Through July 18, each WhistlePig purchase enters you for a chance to win a trip for two to the WhistlePig Distillery in Vermont (entry form requires name and email address). The Southern Gentleman serves several varieties of WhistlePig whiskeys so guests can taste the different nuances. Partake in a WhistlePig flight, Whiskey Pig Rye Sidecar cocktails or try WhistlePig 10-year Rye ($22), 12-year Old World Marriage ($39) and 15-year Maple Smoked ($50).

Appetizing Aperture

The Southern Gentleman pays homage to old-fashioned Southern summer staples in a modern green tomato and buttermilk tart. The refreshing play of tangy and crisp elements makes for a delightful “Small Plate” ($7) on the supper menu. At lunch, enjoy a slice paired with arugula salad on the “Salads & Such” menu ($9).

Playtime! Passion for Paws Hosts Pet Soirée Fundraiser at The Southern Gentleman and Gypsy Kitchen June 7

“Paws” for a night out on the patios of The Southern Gentleman and Gypsy Kitchen on Wednesday, June 7. Passion for Paws is hosting an animal rescue fundraiser from 6-10 p.m. at the sibling restaurants in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Unleash a midweek pick-me-up of a complimentary drink, light bites, live music and silent auction bidding. Stay for dinner and enjoy 10 percent off your dinner tab that night at either restaurant. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Valet and self-parking available. That’s parking, not barking…no dogs or cats, please. Non-profit Passion for Paws, Atlanta helps raise money for non-profit, no-kill shelters to rescue and medically treat animals. Funds raised at this event will specifically benefit PAWS Atlanta and Good Mews. 

Sip What’s Near and Dear – Limited Edition 25-Year Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon at The Southern Gentleman

One bottle. That’s all. Be one of the lucky diners at The Southern Gentleman to indulge in limited edition 25-year Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Bourbon connoisseurs know this elixir is to be savored and rolled across the palate. The Van Winkle family distillery produced fewer than 1000 bottles and just 710 bottles have been filled and sold – which works out to fewer than 15 bottles per state. A one-ounce neat pour carries a $350 price tag. Impressive? You bet. But then, so is The Southern Gentleman -- and its notable bourbon program -- in the Shops Buckhead Atlanta.

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.

No Foolin’ -- Matthew Ridgway of Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman Leads Piedmont Park Green Market Chef Demo April 1

Take eating healthily seriously and shop local farmers markets, like the Piedmont Park Green Market. Free chef demos are an added bonus as Atlanta chefs happily dole out delicious, fresh ideas using the market’s seasonal offerings. See what chef Matthew Ridgway of Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman has in mind this Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m. in the Visitor Center. Shop the Green Market Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Matthew Ridgway Plans Steamy Visit to Guest Chef at Little Trouble Monday Bunday Feb. 27

“Bun’s” the word for Matthew Ridgway, executive chef at Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman restaurants in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. On Monday, Feb. 27, Ridgway takes a one-night hiatus from his sunny Spain and Southern kitchens to create a signature steamed bun for Westside restaurant-lounge Little Trouble’s weekly “Bunday.” Little Trouble happily provides the delicious steamed buns to cushion the guest chef’s creation. Ridgway’s stunning buns, along with drink specials, will be offered alongside the regular menu from 5 p.m. until “late.”

Tip Back a Tito’s Mule and Southern Proper Donates to No Kid Hungry

Meet some really smart mules, Tito’s Mules. They’re at all Southern Proper Hospitality restaurants. Why so smart? Each Tito’s Mule cocktail ($10) sold packs a double, no, triple punch by quenching thirsts with a blend of Tito’s vodka, fresh squeezed lime and ginger beer AND by sending two donations to No Kid Hungry. Both Southern Proper and Tito’s will donate $1 to No Kid Hungry for each Tito’s Mule purchased at Gypsy Kitchen, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, The Southern Gentleman and Smokebelly BBQ. Harness the power of this intelligent, do-good cocktail choice. Introduce a couple of friends to Tito’s Mules and toast your multi-tasking skills. Enjoying more Tito’s Mules adds up to more money for No Kid Hungry. Promotion runs through March 31.

Southern Proper Hospitality Food Drive Weighs in with 765 Meals for ACFB

Atlantans came through in a big can-do way, contributing more than 917 pounds of canned goods during a holiday food drive sponsored by Southern Proper Hospitality for the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB). In dining terms, that adds up to 765 meals! Contributors received a $15 off restaurant coupon when turning in five of the needed non-perishable items at Gypsy Kitchen, The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, The Southern Gentleman and Smokebelly BBQ. Food drive or not, the ACFB always welcomes donations at acfb.org.

Appetizing Aperture at The Southern Gentleman

Move over romaine, there’s a new Caesar in town. Shaved Brussels sprout Caesar salad at The Southern Gentleman tosses a powerhouse of shaved Brussels sprouts with crushed hazelnuts, shaved Grana Padano, charred green onions and dressed in an on-the-lighter-side house-made yogurt Caesar dressing. Make it the main thing at lunch or supper by adding grilled shrimp, Carolina mountain trout or fried chicken for $5-$11 more.

Wear Your Tackiest Christmas Sweater to The Southern Gentleman Anniversary Party Dec. 11

Don your so-ugly-it’s-cute Christmas sweater for the photo booth and rock to holiday revelry at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. The Southern Gentleman celebrates birthday number two on Sunday, Dec. 11. with a holiday party theme and food freebies -- complimentary appetizers from 4-6 p.m. and complimentary desserts from 7:30-9 p.m. Dasher and Dancer your way over and relieve the drought with $5 drafts and $6 specialty cocktails throughout the evening. Giving spirits, bring eight cans of non-perishable food items to the party and receive a complimentary drink. Fukishima Tuna entertains with live music from 5-9 p.m.

American Cut, Smokebelly BBQ and The Southern Gentleman Burgermaster Their Way into Atlanta Magazine’s Best Burger Battle October 15

Infiniti and Atlanta magazine join forces to back their first Best Burger Battle, a showdown of almost two dozen of the best local burger joints, bourbon, blues and brews in the ATL. American Cut, Smokebelly BBQ and The Southern Gentleman are practicing their patties and flips for the action heating up The Shops Buckhead Atlanta on Saturday, October 15 from 1-5 p.m. Tickets are $50 each, inclusive of unlimited tastes, beer and bourbon. Cast votes for the People’s Choice Best Burger and see if the Atlanta magazine judges panel chooses the same as Best Burger Battle 2016 victor. Buy tickets online for this epic burger-rama. Open to ages 21 and over.

Experience Culinary Camaraderie with Smokebelly BBQ, The Southern Gentleman, The Big Ketch and More at Taste of Buckhead September 15

Taste of Buckhead, hosted every fall by the Buckhead Business Association, shows off tastes from Buckhead’s premier restaurants as well as samples of wine, beer, spirits and other goodies. More than 30 chefs, mixologists and reps from beloved Buckhead restaurants -- including Smokebelly BBQ, The Southern Gentleman and The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill -- will come together on Thursday, September 15 for this year’s event at The Stave Room at American Spirit Works in the SweetWater Design District. This year’s event premieres The Taste of Buckhead Spirit Wall, in lieu of the wine wall of past years, where attendees can purchase a ticket for $20 and take home a donated bottle of spirits. Wall proceeds will pour into The Giving Kitchen and the organization’s mission to help workers in the restaurant industry. A silent auction and VIP experience round out the night’s entertaining agenda. General admission tickets are $50 each and include unlimited tastings. VIP tickets, $75 each, include exclusives such as a tour of American Spirit Whiskey’s distillery, chef demonstrations, food samples, specialty cocktails, interactive stations and a VIP gift bag. Buy tickets here.