Get Your Seat at This Sunday’s Toulouse Wine Tasting

It’s time for another one of Toulouse's tempting wine tastings. With holiday wining and dining season fast approaching, you should reserve your spot for this Sunday’s tasting of Reserve wines soon! The Toulouse Wine Guy will direct your tasting spree of 15 wines interspersed with light appetizers starting at 6:30 p.m. $40 per person. Be sure to make your reservations by calling 404-351-9533.

Toulouse: 2293 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite B; 404-351-9533.

Spain is the Name of the Game for this Month’s Toulouse Wine Tasting

Spain knows a thing or two about wine as it happens to be world's third-largest wine producing nation. Let’s raise a glass and celebrate the intoxicating taste of Spanish wines at the Toulouse July 11 Spanish wine tasting. At least 15 wines will be tasted at this month's event, along with light appetizers for palate cleansing. Call ahead for more information and to make reservations for the 6:30 p.m. tasting: 404-351-9533.

Toulouse: 2293 Peachtree Road, NE; 404-351-9533.

Wine + Dinner = True Love at Toulouse

I’m afraid I’m developing quite an addiction for wine dinners – what’s not to love?

Perfectly paired dishes with exquisite wines and the chance to hear the actual winemaker tell about the soil, the weather, and all of the things that intricately help make this wine what it has become? Yes, please. It’s a pleasure to hear them speak because they love what they do and what they create. It’s educational AND delicious!

Since my first ever wine dinner experience at Pacci was so wonderful, I jumped at the opportunity to attend the Dine Around Dinner at Toulouse in Buckhead last night. It was a new event as part of the High Museum Wine Auction going on this weekend, and Toulouse created a seven course dinner based on the wines of two California wineries, Niner Wine Estates and Lancaster Estate, with a part of the proceeds going towards the High Museum.

We listened closely as reps from each winery filled us in about each wine as we went thru from course to course. Both reps went the extra mile by sitting down to chat with guests at different tables and answer any questions people had – what a great way to learn. I think I see a visit to California Wine Country in my future!

Because sometimes pictures speak louder than words, I’m sharing a slideshow of my photos from the evening. Follow along with the menu online if you wish! Every dish was delightful and I can’t wait to go back and try Toulouse again soon.

Toulouse Hosts Hello Stiletto Shoe Club's Red Shoe Party

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Hello Stiletto Shoe Club had a red shoe party for ladies to show off those red heels! The event took place last night at Toulouse restaurant in Buckhead, and over 50 ladies showed up to compete in the shoe competition. The guest judge for the evening was Will Randall from Will Randall Designs. He also had his stunning jewelry on display with a special discount to shoe club members.

Toulouse served tons of tasty appetizers including potato and gorgonzola fritters and baked goat cheese. Oh, and the great selection of wine -- there were many happy ladies.

If you're a shoe lover and haven't heard of this group before - you certainly must check it out. They host monthly events that all revolve around shoes.

Thankful for an Easy Thanksgiving!

I learned early on that my favorite Thanksgiving dinners were prepared by someone else, cleaned up by someone else, and hosted somewhere other than my house. I remember watching my mom spend days preparing food, ironing tablecloths and polishing silver, and then hours after dinner washing dishes and putting things away, all for 30 minutes of delicious turkey and dressing eating with friends and family. Even as a little kid I thought to myself that this was not a good investment of time and energy!

When I worked for Hyatt Hotels everyone had to work the day after Thanksgiving so we had “orphan Thanksgiving” at someone’s house every year. Those are some of my favorite holiday memories, with pot luck and a wonderful assortment of personalities, drinking and smoking and celebrating well into the night. Since then, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving in a number of non-traditional ways. I’ve enjoyed the southern offerings at the Colonnade, the carving stations and ice sculptures at the Waverly, and an all-souffle dinner at a restaurant in Paris. One year I ate a Hungry Man TV dinner (turkey and dressing, of course) because I was arriving late from a trip that Thursday. The closest I ever came to hosting Thanksgiving was when I ordered everything from Eatzi’s (may they rest in peace) and invited some fellow orphans and my parents over.

So, it will come as no surprise that I will be dining out tomorrow. I was delighted to see that Toulouse was offering Thanksgiving dinner. Not just because they are a client of ours but because I truly love that restaurant and it’s in my neighborhood. Their menu includes the traditional offerings plus more – like lamb shank, wild mushroom ravioli and grilled salmon. And of course, because it’s Toulouse, there are wine pairing suggestions for each item.

I still don’t know if I’m going to go the traditional route and get butternut squash soup, turkey and dressing, and pumpkin pie or if I’ll branch out. All I know for sure is that all that is required of me is to show up on time and enjoy myself. That is something to be thankful for!

From everyone at MLA, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Cook's Warehouse in Midtown Hosts Pre-holiday Sale and Celebration November 14

Two weeks until Thanksgiving then it's a blink until New Year's Day! Perfect timing for the Friday, November 14 pre-holiday sale at The Cook's Warehouse Midtown, featuring discounts on Wusthof Trident knives and 10 percent off on Staub enameled cast iron cookware. Shoppers who stop in between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. that evening can sample wine and appetizers, watch cooking demos by Chef Michael Harnage from Toulouse and Chef Tony Ballester from Morton's Buckhead, and meet Staub Cookware Marketing Manager Matt Mozzer. Harold Wüsthof, seventh generation knife maker and president of Wüsthof Trident knives, will be at the store throughout the day. Add some $5 raffle tickets to your shopping basket for chances to win prizes and help Open Hand.

Open Hand helps people prevent or better manage chronic disease through Comprehensive Nutrition Care, which combines home-delivered meals and nutrition education as a means to reinforce the connection between informed food choices and improved quality of life.

The Cook's Warehouse - Midtown: 549-I Amsterdam Avenue; 404-815-4993.

Drink Up For the November Wine Specials

You won’t hear any complaining from me this month! Atlanta restaurants are offering some fabulous wine specials this November. It is a perfect time to go out and enjoy great food and even better wine specials!

Morton’s The Steakhouse Buckhead enjoys Wine Down Wednesday on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the bar area. Today’s November 5 tasting features Italian wines -- Donnafugata Anthilia, Frescobaldi Nippozzano and Guado al Tasso. For $12 per person you get to sample all three wines and nibble on complimentary appetizers. Can’t make it to the wine tasting? November is full of drink specials at Morton’s The Steakhouse! Drink specials include $5 glasses of Canyon Road California Cabernet or Chardonnay and $3 Samuel Adams “Octoberfest” every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 – 6:30 p.m.

Morton’s The Steakhouse-Buckhead: Peachtree Lenox Building, 3379 Peachtree Road, NE;
404-816-6535.

Toulouse American Bistro will host two Sunday wine tastings this month: Reserve wines ($40) on November 9 and Port/dessert wines ($35) on November 30. In just two hours the Toulouse Wine Guy will have you walking away feeling like a wine sommelier! Both tastings consist of a sample of 15 wines accompanied with palate cleansers.

Toulouse American Bistro: 2293 Peachtree Road, NE;
404-351-9533.

Tony LaRocco’s VITA hosts weekly Tuesday Tastings from 6-8 p.m. in the bar area. Branch out and go for the Italian feel by tryingTerre Valse Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Vagnoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano, La Monesca Verdicchio di Matelica, Illuminate Riparosso Montelpuciano d’Abruzzo, Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon and Dona Paula Malbec. $15 per person includes 5 to 6 featured wines and of course delicious complimentary appetizers.

Tony LaRocco’s VITA: 2110 Peachtree Road at Bennett Street; 404-367-8482.

Woodfire Grill will offer up their advice on completing your Thanksgiving meal with the perfect feature wines. On Wednesday, November 19th at 6 p.m. for $15 per person you will have the chance to sample eight different wines! The perfect way to taste test for the upcoming holidays!
Woodfire Grill: 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road; 404-347-9055.

Taste 15 Cabs at Toulouse on Sunday

I had the pleasure of dining at Toulouse not once but twice last week! It's long been one of my favorite neighborhood places. The MLA team had a blast on Wednesday night and then I went with some friends on Friday. Fun!

Toulouse owner George Tice has a passion: wine. He knows it, loves it, teaches it and sells it. The wine tastings at Toulouse are awesome and luckily, there's one coming up! Sunday night, Sept. 21, they are pouring 15 samples of Cabernet Sauvignon beginning at 6:30 p.m. Nibbles and palate cleansers will keep taste buds sharp. $30 per person includes wine and nibbles; seating is limited, and these wine tastings are usually a sell out, so make plans and make reservations now by calling 404-351-9533.

Dinner At Toulouse

Last night, everyone from MLA got together to visit Toulouse. What a wonderful place! The staff was very knowledgable about wine as as well as food. And about the food - it was wonderful. We had a variety of appetizers -- steamed mussels with tomato concasse, crawfish and vegetable tower, fried chicken livers, potato and gorgonzola fritters and tomato bruschette.

The entrees were just as good as the appetizers -- grilled salmon with jasmine rice and braised cabbage, pan seared duck breast with poached pears, Buffalo meatloaf with mashed potatoes, pistachio encrusted yellow fin tuna and mushroom ravioli.

George Tice, the owner, took us for a little tour around the restaurant and we learned that all of the fabulous paintings were by no other than Steve Penley. Being a fellow UGA grad myself, I couldn't help but applaud his decision to have such fine artwork displayed in his restaurant.

The restaurant hosts monthly wine tastings with a different theme each month. They all begin at 6:30 p.m. and include close to 15 different samplings of wine. I'll be sure to sign up for the next one.