Stem Wine Bar Hosts Five-Course Wine Dinner Featuring New Zealand’s Esk Valley Estate June 11

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). 

Marlow’s Tavern Posts Exciting Spring Menu on April 22

The Marlow’s Tavern culinary team spent Atlanta’s cold winter days conjuring up dishes and cocktails to usher in spring. Now, the kitchen is ready to launch the much-anticipated menu on April 22. Two new appetizers are crab beignets and smoked trout dip, featuring Georgia mountain smoked trout packed in a Mason jar and served alongside house-made “wheat thins.” Powerful new salads include a baby kale Caesar and two spring green-based items -- ahi tuna niçoise with Kalamata olives, parslied fingerling potato, jumbo asparagus, chopped egg and house-made lemonette and the Tavern salad with jumbo asparagus tips, sugar snap peas, and toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds with apple cider and honey vinaigrette. Try a hefty new sandwich, such as the grilled lamb wrap with marinated lamb loin, baby arugula and chipotle tzatziki dressing. Strawberry season places RumChata tres leche front and center among desserts. To break that spring fever, try Marlow’s newest cocktails: the Left Coast Negroni featuring DH Krahn gin, Giffard Pamplemousse and Grand Poppy.

New Season, New Reason to Visit Ray’s

Spring is so close we can practically taste it! The chefs at Ray's Restaurants are giving us a chance to enjoy spring flavors with their new three-course menus, by pulling from this season’s freshest market offerings. Guests can choose one selection for each course; wine selections, tax and gratuity are not included in the menu prices. These prix fixe menus are available every day and vary by restaurant:

• At Ray's at Killer Creek, Executive Chef Tracey Bloom's $30 menu boasts entrée choices of roasted chicken breast with bacon risotto and porcini mushroom sauce, Atlantic salmon with herb butter sauce and hand-cut pasta with grilled shrimp and garlic butter.
• A few miles south on the Chattahoochee, Ray's on the River Executive Chef Josh Warner's menu includes entrée choices of goat cheese- and fennel-stuffed airline chicken breast with celery root purée and watercress salad or Moroccan spiced hangar steak joined by Lyonnaise potatoes and Vidalia spring onion. Cost is $39.99 per person.
• Downtown, Executive Chef Ugo Okpareke at Ray's in the City offers entrée choices of mango grilled salmon with a mango BBQ glaze, sesame sautéed spinach and crispy Asian noodles or flat iron steak with blue cheese whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus and wild mushroom demi glaze. Cost is $35 per person.

To round out your dining experience, sommeliers are ready to help you choose complementing wines, and each restaurant has appetizer and dessert selections that are guaranteed to be as delicious as the entrées. 

Ray's at Killer Creek is also offering new Sunday lunch options. Customers can embark on their lunch journey by indulging in a $5 Bloody Mary from Sunday's available-all-day Bloody Mary list. Menu offerings include: 

• Classic French onion soup, crab bisque or soup du jour ($5-$7)
• Meal-worthy salads such as tuna niçoise salad and Chinese chicken salad ($15-$17)
• A soup and salad combo ($12)
• Soy flounder sandwich with spicy Sriracha aioli ($13)
• Jumbo lump crab cake with roasted corn salsa, mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus ($17)
• Shrimp and grits prepared with bacon, mushrooms, red peppers and Gouda and Asiago cheeses ($15).

Guests who want to keep their lunch short and sweet can try Ray's $10 lunch menu. Selections include a cheddar burger, hickory burger, vegetarian pasta, chicken sandwich, Caesar salad with calamari or grilled chopped Black Angus beef steak. Iced tea, coffee or sodas are included in the set price.