Quit Dashing. Relax Over a Weekend Lunch of Southern Faves at Revival

Need a weekend, midday reprieve from the usual scenery? Comfort food and joy? Revival time. Savor the weekend over a Southern-style lunch at Kevin Gillespie’s Decatur restaurant. Creamy tomato and dill soup or Granny’s soup beans with iron skillet cornbread warm the innards ($7). Salads pile on the sunshine with veggies and fruit -- heirloom farro with charred broccoli, beets, fennel, winter citrus and ginger dressing or local mixed greens with pickled squash, carrots, local goat cheese, pomegranate, and thyme vinaigrette ($10). Hold on to scintillating sandwiches like the “Closed on Sunday” chicken sandwich, griddled meatloaf and aged cheddar, herb roasted mushrooms and provolone melt or toasted deviled ham tea sandwiches ($8-$12). Blue Plate Specials hit home and feature mains of grass-fed beef and pork meatloaf wrapped in bacon, country fried steak with creamy pan gravy, cornmeal fried Carolina catfish and skillet roasted chicken, rounded out with two melt-in-your-mouth sides of your choosing (Revival mac ‘n cheese, roasted local turnips and apples, hickory-smoked greens, sweet young carrots with dill butter or Granny’s pole beans) for $15. Dessert? Awesome chocolate cake, lemon icebox pie and cinnamon baked apple with streusel and vanilla ice cream ($7-$8) garner an “Amen!” every time, even on Saturday. Revival serves lunch Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.        

Bantam + Biddy Hatches New Weekend Blue Plate Specials

Photo By Angie Mosier

You've worked hard this week, and now it's time to reward yourself. Instead of blowing your paycheck on a flashy meal with less-than-satisfying portions, check out Bantam + Biddy's new weekend blue plate specials. Chefs Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere are known for their high-quality, pastured poultry, Niman Ranch pork and grass-fed beef and draw upon local, seasonal produce for sides at the Ansley Mall eatery. On Friday, Bantam + Biddy is serving up Mississippi catfish with tartar sauce and fennel slaw ($12), while Saturday's blue plate features a bistro steak with frites (fries) and salad ($15). Where's the chicken you ask? Bantam + Biddy would never leave you feeling peckish - the restaurant offers a fried chicken plate with your choice of two sides ($14) on Sunday. Blue plate specials are available from 11:30 a.m. to close. And don't forget to use that money you saved to order a beer, wine or cocktail. It is the weekend after all. 

Great Food Awaits, Indulge in Aqua Blue’s “Blue Plates”

If three courses sound great, and you love Aqua Blue – then their “Blue Plate” menu is perfect for you! For only $25 per person, guests can choose one appetizer, entrée and dessert.

Appetizers include calamari, tempura green beans, a handmade sushi roll and traditional Caesar salad. House-made cioppino, hand-battered fish and chips and hardwood-grilled N.Y. strip are filling entrées. Be sure to end the journey on a sweet note by indulging in a dessert.  They revolve around High Road sorbet in fresh seasonal fruits and flavors or the chocolate-y riches of flourless chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream or chocolate mousse in a crunchy cookie crust. The “Blue Plate” menu only goes through May 28, when the Roswell restaurant changes the menu again. 

More Blue for Your Buck in Roswell

Tonight marks the debut of a new blue plate special menu at Aqua blue in Roswell, and you can select an appetizer, entrée and dessert from the menu for only $25 (not including tax or gratuity). Begin with either AB calamari with sweet chili sauce, tempura green beans with sweet mustard dipping sauce, a hand-made sushi roll or a crisp Caesar salad. Hot and hearty entrée choices include cioppino with jumbo shrimp, sea scallops, clams and mussels in a rich tomato broth with crunchy risotto hoisin; glazed baby back ribs served with slaw and black bean cassoulet; or seafood en papillote with Alaskan cod, jumbo scallop and shrimp with julienne of vegetables and potatoes steamed in parchment with fresh herbs and white wine broth. Dessert options include house-made ciabatta bread pudding served with cinnamon ice cream, milk and dark chocolate molten cake with by vanilla ice cream or the daily sorbet, house-made from seasonal fruits. Be sure to get to the restaurant by March 12 to try this menu before another one rolls out!

Blue Skies and Blue Plate Specials at Aqua blue in Roswell

Now that we can actually see blue skies today for the first time in what seems like ages, I can't think of a better dinner option for tonight than the "Aqua blue plate" menu offered at Aqua blue Restaurant & Bar in Roswell. This $25, three-course prix fixe menu changes monthly and offers a choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert for $25 per person (not including tax or gratuity). Offered nightly through February 20, appetizer choices include AB calamari with sweet chili sauce, tempura green beans with sweet mustard dipping sauce, seared pork dumpling or a hand-made sushi roll. Entrées feature hardwood-grilled N.Y. strip with roast sweet potato, asparagus and Madeira wine reduction; hand-battered fish and chips of Alaskan cod with house-made slaw; and jumbo shrimp jambalaya with sea scallops and Prestige Farms chicken. Desserts include house-made bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream; chocolate molten cake with a liquid center and vanilla ice cream; and fruit sorbet. This is the kind of blue I could get used to.