Lunching at Lure

Lunch is the newest munch on the menu at Lure, Fifth Group Restaurants' newest restaurant located on Crescent Avenue in Midtown. From 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, guests can dine on Executive Chef David Bradley's coastal themes, including smoked trout pâté, fried Rhode Island calamari, fried catfish chopped salad, shrimp and crab gumbo, grilled octopus and pork lettuce wraps and a smoked trout club sandwich. In the mood for something from the mainland? Available only at lunch is Lure's new charcoal-grilled burger with Cabot clothbound cheddar, bread-and-butter pickles, red onion and lettuce. The spacious patio is ideal for fall time al fresco dining, so come join us for lunch today!

Pumped for the Patio Party

This time of year, it’s hard to pry myself from all the glorious patios with our perfect (well, pollen excluded) spring weather.  Celebrate your love of fine patio partying at Aqua blue on April 30!  Open the season with patio drink and dining deals and live music from the American Flyers, whose 7–10 p.m. concert simply can’t be contained indoors. 

From 4 p.m. until close, $5 buys a glass of wine or patio-perfect drinks such as Aqua blue Icy Hard Tea, Mojotini, Beam Rye-Ade and Avion Summer.  Imported beer runs $3.  Patio fresh air works up appetites that are easily appeased by the regular menu or the special $10 buffet featuring jumbo lump crab cake sliders, Maker’s Mark-glazed barbecue ribs, wild shrimp and scallop lime ceviche and slathered corn on the cob.   Hello spring evenings on Aqua blue’s gorgeous blue and white dressed patio!

Spring Brings New Things at Fleming’s

The season is already off to a great start at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Dunwoody. Last week, the restaurant opened its completely revamped patio giving guests more room for al fresco drinks and dining. The patio includes a new cover that shields guests from showers or too much sun, two televisions, new lighting and comfy furniture. Fleming's patio tastes as good as it looks: "5 for 6 'til 7" bar specials are available indoors and out from 5 - 7 p.m. each night. Each menu item is $6 until 7 p.m., including five cocktails, five wines by the glass and five full-portion appetizers such as tenderloin carpaccio, seared ahi tuna, sweet chili calamari, roasted mushroom ravioli and Fleming's prime burger. New "5 for 6 'til 7" drink specials include the 99-calorie Tickled Pink cocktail, Mionetto Prosecco and two bottles of Guinness Draught.

When you come to Fleming's to try out the new patio, be sure to ask about their new chef's prix fixe menu, available starting today. The three-course, $39.95 menu will change weekly.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar: 4501 Olde Perimeter Way in Perimeter Place Village; 770-698-8112.

South City Kitchen Vinings Offers a Smokin' Good Time

South City Kitchen Vinings' annual Blues, Brews & BBQ event is back, which means it's time for your dose of live music, finger lickin' food, draft beer and drink specials. From Thursday, June 10 through Sunday, June 13, the Vinings restaurant will be serving up plates of Texas-style smoked beef brisket, chopped smoked pork butt, sweet tea-brined smoked half-chicken and half-racks of St. Louis-style spare ribs ($7-$8). Guests who just can't decide can opt for a combo Q plate for $15. Smoked meat plates come with Texas toast, house pickles and three BBQ sauces. Diners can also choose special appetizers, desserts and side items to complete their meal while listening to blues on the patio.

For reservations, call 770-435-0700 or book online .

South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700.

Big Green Egg-cellence at Atkins Park

If you're like me, you can't get enough of patio dining now that the spring weather has finally arrived. Luckily, the folks at Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia-Highland feel the same way and have begun offering a weekly Big Green Egg "Chill & Grill" patio cookout. Every Wednesday night from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the restaurant's Sous Chef Justin Carr will prepare seasonal à la carte appetizers and entrées on the Big Green Egg that will change each week. The “chill” comes from a weekly selection of wine and craft beer chosen as ideal mates for the night’s menu. You can start teasing your taste buds every Monday when Atkins Park posts the week’s Chill & Grill menu on their Facebook Fan Page.

Atkins Park Tavern: 794 N. Highland Avenue; 404-876-7249.

New Belgium New Patio

It might be a bit chilly outside but today's sunshine (especially after yesterday's crazy snow) is just begging to be enjoyed. Luckily, Marlow's Tavern Northlake is celebrating its newly renovated rooftop patio tonight with a New Belgium beer party at 8 p.m. Check out the refreshed patio, enjoy tasty appetizers and of course, drink plenty of beer! The brewers will also be in attendance, so don't miss the chance to mingle with the brains behind these newly-released brews.

Don't worry, if it gets too cold to be enjoyed outside the party will move indoors so there is no excuse not to show!

MLA Hearts JCT

It’s the time when I brag about how much I love my job, then flaunt our fun in front of all who dread sitting in traffic to head to an office they are still not quite sure they like. Last night’s episode: Drinks at JCT Kitchen. We got together to partake in the fun cocktails and catch up on the week’s events. JCT has a great bar on the second floor, which has both indoor and outdoor seating. Unfortunately for us, the weather was a little too chilly for us to sit outside, but as it gets nicer, I am sure this’ll be our second home (it’s only 3 ½ minutes from our new office – not that I was counting…) While a few of the girls took the safe route (wine), several of us tried the cool cocktails. Melissa and Caryn had the JCTea -- ice-tea infused gin, Grand Marnier, lemon, orange bitters, served up.

I had the Rough Rider -- vanilla-infused 10Cane rum, Mexican Coca-Cola, velvet falernum, served on the rocks – which, despite my girlish embarrassment from the name, was definitely strong enough for a man! Then, just to make sure we were hooked for life, the truffle fries came out. All I can say is I think we may need to do some studies to test the addictive properties of those fries…(In my best Schwarzenegger voice “I’ll be back!”)

Til the next episode, champagne wishes and cognac dreams! Don’t you wish your job was hot like mine!?!

Perfect Patio Weather For Lunching At South City Kitchen Midtown

Yesterday, fellow MLA team member Meryl and I had a meeting with Fifth Group Restaurants Marketing Director Michael Erickson over lunch at South City Kitchen in Midtown, and it was the perfect day for dining on the patio. I opted for the vegetable plate (pictured left) with roasted corn, cucumber salad, local field peas, green beans and tomato "mac & cheese" ($12.75); Meryl had the salad and sandwich combo with a mixed baby lettuces salad and the BBQ pork sandwich ($10.25; sandwich pictured below on right); and Michael had Dorothy's chicken salad sandwich with melted Swiss cheese, house chips and cole slaw ($8.25; pictured below on left).

South City Kitchen is always packed for lunch, so go grab a seat on the sidewalk patio pronto and enjoy this gorgeous fall weather along with Chef Dean Dupuis' delicious menu. And don't forget to sample the cornbread in the restaurant's bread basket - our sources tell us it's a new recipe from the company's Beverage Director Vajra Stratigos!

South City Kitchen Midtown is located at 1144 Crescent Avenue in Midtown; 404-873-7358; www.fifthgroup.com.

Love is in the Air

Brunch was a cherry on top of what was a gorgeous Easter Sunday afternoon. La Tavola Trattoria in Virginia-Highlands has one of the best patios in town, so we decided to head there for our first patio meal of the season. Since Allen and I had our first date at the very same table where we dined, the entire experience was chick flick sentimental. Memories from that first date were at the center of our attention – until the food came!

I had the chicken sausage, which is served over potato-leek hash with poached eggs and a spicy cherry pepper chutney ($9.95). The sausage was juicy and full of flavor, but stood out even more when blended with the spicy potatoes.

Allen ordered the Pork Milanese, which is breaded pork scallopine, served with arugula-tomato salad and a poached egg ($12.95). I can always tell when he likes something, because he always eats that last. I could tell he was having a hard time deciding what to eat first – including the tomatoes, which I have never seen him eat.

For dessert, I had the mascarpone cheesecake and he had the free form tiramisu. I fell in love again at La Tavola, but this time it was with the food.