Drop by HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern to try all of the new dinner items, cocktail creations and spirited offerings. Start with one of the novel cocktails: Getting Foggy With It, Easy Ride, Southern Charm or Spanish Inquisition. Bourbon imbibers get a boost from the addition of 30 bourbons and ryes to the bar list. Sip away while deciding on the HOBNOB farmhouse salad or Farmer’s Wife’s salad. Or New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp, braised short rib lettuce wrap, Southern Belle pimento cheese, Artisan Cheese & Friends, pecan-crusted North Georgia fresh trout, pork and veal meat loaf or those yummy and shareable New Generation duck nachos. If only all decisions were so palatable. Good news for those avoiding gluten. In addition to gluten-free salads, buns for burgers and gluten-free dough for pizza, HOBNOBers can indulge in gluten-free vanilla bean brûlée cheesecake.
Salsa, Salsa for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA) peppers Piedmont Park’s Magnolia Hall with salsa eats and beats for fun and fitness from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15. Young chefs representing various BGCMA will offer their healthy salsa creations for sampling and judging. Some recipes use ingredients raised in Boys & Girls Club gardens. While judges deliberate, professional salsa dancers show how it’s done then call everyone out onto the dance floor for some fancy footwork lessons. Event sponsor Willy’s Mexicana Grill provides burritos and chow to refuel bodies in motion, and Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders toss their own blend of pep into the celebration. Before leaving, guests will know who dominates the dance floor and which BGCMA salsa creation wins a spot on a Willy’s salsa bar for a day. Attendance is limited; click here to RSVP.
Stem Wine Bar on the upside of the Perimeter in Marietta, showcases Esk Valley Estate, a boutique winery from down under in New Zealand at a five-course wine dinner with pairings on Thursday, June 11 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Esk Valley Estate senior winemaker Gordon Russell travels northward for the evening to discuss the wines paired with Stem chef/owner Doug Turbush’s sumptuous spring menu. Pairings include yellowtail hamachi with grapefruit, ginger, kaffir lime and toasted sticky rice served with 2013 Esk Valley sauvignon blanc; crispy stuffed squash blossoms filled with house-made ricotta, nasturtium and salsa verde paired with 2012 Esk Valley Hawkes Bay chardonnay; pan-roasted Carolina quail with Carolina Gold rice and Sea Island red pea griddle cake with pepper jelly alongside Villa Maria Taylors Pass pinot noir; Wagyu beef short rib romesco with pinot noir onions and chanterelles served with Reserve pinot noir; and dessert of chocolate ganache tarte with Bing cherries and pistachio ice cream enjoyed with 2012 Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels red blend. Reserve and purchase seats in advance, $119 per person (includes tax and gratuity).
The duck’s handsome, the wine winsome as all get out.Duckhorn Vineyards, founded by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn 40 years ago, has established itself as one of North America’s premium Napa Valley wine producers. Ray’s in the City validates the winery’s reputation at a Duckhorn wine and hors d’oeuvre reception on Thursday, May 28 from 5-7 p.m. Savor fine Duckhorn varietals along with hickory bacon-wrapped oysters with pepper cheese, braised short rib and crab Wellington and pan-roasted sea scallop with Parma ham and melon. $35 per person (excludes tax and gratuity). Call 404-524-9224 for reservations.
