It's Follow Friday - Meet Our Tweep of the Week @Foodieville!

It's not like we're saying you won't see a victory in Athens this fall, but we are saying a surefire way to win points is to base your pre/post game chow-down plans on Kristen Phillip's @foodieville tweets or FoodieVille blog ideas.  

She lives in Athens so she has great foodie advice to ease your pain while you're swallowing your pride.  Phillips takes on "Reviewing Athens One Bite at a Time"... now, if the Dawgs could take it one winning play at a time...

Road Trip Alert! Wolf Mountain Vineyard's Brunch is a Fall Must

Fall is officially here!  I am definitely looking forward to a weekend when I can zip out of the city and head up to the gorgeous North Georgia mountains to absorb gorgeous fall colors, big blue-sky views and a few glasses of wonderful wine during October's 8^th Annual End of the Harvest Celebration and Bluegrass Brunch at Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery. 

Good thing there are five Sundays in October this year to choose from!  Make one (or five) a revitalizing day of rest for a short Appalachian hike or a stroll through nearby historic Dahlonega, beginning or concluding your adventure at Wolf Mountain where live bluegrass music and a bountiful fall harvest buffet await.  Try several of Wolf Mountain's award-winning wines by the glass!  $30 per person (not including tax or gratuity).  Reserve your spot at the 12:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. buffet seating by calling 706-867-9862.

Mark Your Calendars: Marietta Pinkberry Opening October 15!

Get excited yogurt fans – Pinkberry will open its second Atlanta-area location on Friday, October 15^th in the Merchant’s Walk shopping center in East Cobb (1281 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta). 

Can't wait that long?  You can actually get a jump on all the action if you come in the night before for the pre-opener - FREE yogurt for everyone from 6 - 10 p.m. on Thursday, October 14!   If you’re already a fan, you know all about Pinkberry’s six signature flavors of all-natural, non-fat, and rBST hormone-free yogurt.  There’s the famous sweet and tangy original flavor; the bold and tart pomegranate flavor made with 100 percent California-grown pure pomegranate juice; coconut, made with real coconut puree; a rich, indulgent chocolate; and mango, made with authentic Alphonso mango puree; plus there’s the always exciting featured flavor that rotates seasonally. 

After choosing a tasty base you can sprinkle on your own personal flair with toppings like fresh-cut fruit, organic gummy bears (with no high-fructose corn syrup), all natural granola, or rich Belgian chocolate shavings.  You can even get 25 ounce Pinkberry to go, perfect for when those cravings strike while you’re at home. With such great ingredients, Pinkberry is a treat you can actually feel good about eating!  Then you can spread the love by becoming a Pinkberry Groupie, where you can share your passion for Pinkberry with other yogurt fans.  While on the website, check out the 100 Stores 100 Ways contest in honor of Pinkberry's first 100 store openings.  You could win a VIPink card for $1,000 worth of Pinkberry when you share your first Pinkberry experience (which will no doubt be a memorable one)!  Speaking of winning, if you show up for the opening party on October 14^th you can enter to win free Pinkberry for a year!

Send in your RSVP to rsvp@melissalibbypr.com and we'll see you there!

Our time together was short, but delicious!

With autumn weather upon us, that means cooler weather and shorter days. Daylight isn't the only thing that's fleeting, because the availability of the Aqua blue's Chop Month menu is running out too. Don't fret though because you still have through Monday October 11, to choose from all the items on the Aqua blue Chop menu. With entrées like the bone-in spicy Guinness-marinated chicken with pan-roasted herb broth ($19); Caribbean-spiced pork chop with Maker's Mark glaze, black currants and pineapple ($21); and Australian lamb chop with a pistachio and horseradish crust, Madeira demi and mint ($30), it'll be hard for me to be disappointed.

So start up that car, truck, SUV, scooter, motorcycle or ride a horse if you have to, and hurry on up to Aqua blue before this menu disappears.

Aqua blue: 1564 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell; 770-643-8886.

Perfect Pairings: Morton's and the Mondavi Family

This Thursday brings the chance to contribute to an amazing charity while attending a wine dinner that will truly WOW guests! Morton's The Steakhouse in Buckhead is giving Atlantans the perfect reason to dine out for a good cause on October 7. The restaurant is teaming up with Napa Valley's famed Mondavi family for the first-of-its-kind virtual wine dinner to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Morton's restaurants all across America will orchestrate a nationwide "Morton's and the Mondavi Families: Celebrating the Legendary Blend" wine dinner and auction, which will be broadcast simultaneously in high definition to 53 Morton's The Steakhouse private dining rooms. This event enables almost 2,400 guests to participate in the auction from their own Morton's dinner table. For the first time in Mondavi family history, this evening will bring the second and third generations of the Mondavi family together at the Charles Krug Winery Carriage House in Napa Valley to celebrate more than 90 years in growing and crafting wines. The Buckhead event, hosted by Charles Krug Winery's Southeast Region Manager Mark McClure, begins at 8 p.m. A silent auction bid will be held for a three-pack of premium wines from Charles Krug Winery, Continuum Estate and Folio Fine Wine Partners. Tickets are $175 per person and may be booked online or by calling 404-816-6535.

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

It's Follow Friday - Meet our Tweep of the Week @TheTeacherCooks!

We're tweeting an "A" to The Teacher Cooks and its sister foodie blog created by a family consumer science class teacher (a.k.a. home ec) at an Atlanta-area high school.  This gal loves her subject, her students and uncovering some of the most useful recipes you'll find in any culinary classroom. 

She started blogging to draw her technology-loving students into the food world.  We give this blogger a high "SAT" score, because we were drawn in and "sat" at the kitchen counter with our laptops, reading and digesting her words for quite a while!    

Best Burger Battle Tomorrow

Looks like there's going to be perfect weather for tomorrow's Battle of the Burgers to benefit Embraced. With the burger boom in town, this is sure to be a tasty and juicy competition. Check it out to see who you think should be the real burger king! Battle of the Burgers is from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 2 at John Howell Park in Virginia Highland. Tickets are $20 and include 20 taste tickets. $5 for children under 10. Our friends at Atkins Park have two entries: "The Best Way" burger made with grass-fed beef and topped with bacon jam and Taleggio cheese, and the restaurant's house-made black bean veggie burger topped with roasted poblano chilies, pepper Jack cheese and guacamole. For every ticket sold, Embraced is able to serve five individuals in need of medical equipment. Enjoy!

Red Wine and a Ten Day Celebration at Toulouse

It’s their anniversary, but you get the gifts!  Toulouse is celebrating their 16^th Anniversary from October 1-10 with $16 entrees and $16 bottles of wine!  Dozens of wines normally priced at $50 or less will be available throughout the entire 10-day celebration!

Then on Sunday, October 3, Toulouse is focusing on fall with their “Fall Reds” wine tasting.  The Toulouse Wine Guy will lead guests on a sampling tour of 15 different wines along with some light appetizers for $30 per person.  Call 404-351-9533 in advance to reserve your seat. All the fun begins at 6:30 p.m. so don’t be late!

Atkins Park Brings Oktoberfest to Virginia-Highland

We've already been rejoicing the return of pumpkin spice lattes, and now it's time to toast lederhosen and everything else October-y at the Atkins Park Oktoberfest on Thursday, September 30 in Virginia-Highland. Atkins Park Chef Andrew Smith is preparing a special Oktoberfest menu of traditional German fare that includes veal and beef knackwurst with local apple sauerkraut, roasted potatoes and Stout mustard ($10); short rib sauerbraten with braised red cabbage and buttered noodles ($16); and Black Forest cheesecake ($5). The event will also feature Sam Adams Oktoberfest Beer. Just as if you were in Germany, this Oktoberfest keeps going into the wee hours since Atkins Park is open until 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

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

"Ribs & Whiskey" Starts Today!

It’s that time of year again! “Ribs & Whiskey” is back at Marlow’s Tavern for the next five weeks, so head on over to your favorite location to see what this year’s selection includes. For those of you who just can’t wait until lunch, here’s a sneak peek at the menu:

• Slow-Cooked St. Louis-Style Maker’s Mark Glazed Ribs $15/ $21
Half or Full Rack Served with Our Soon-to-Be-Famous “Two Potato” Potato
Salad, Chili-Slathered Corn on the Cob and Our House Made Sweet Corn &
Jalapeño Muffin

• Marlow’s Smoke-House Flatbread $9
Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork, Basted with Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Jalapeño Jack
Cheese, Vine-Ripe Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion and Crispy Tobacco Onions

• BBQ Blazed Cobb Salad $11
BBQ Chicken, Crisp Field Greens, Roma Tomato, Apple-Smoked Bacon,
Sweet Corn, Gorgonzola, Crispy Tobacco Onions and BBQ Gorgonzola Dressing

• A Pig with Buns $9
Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork, Crispy Tobacco Onions, Basted with Chipotle
BBQ Sauce on a Buttery Soft Roll with Our Soon-to-Be-Famous
“Two Potato” Potato Salad

• Drunken Chicken $13
Prestige Farms Chicken, Blazed with Maker’s Mark with Grilled Asparagus,
Southern-Fried Mac & Cheese and Chili-Slathered Corn on the Cob

• Marlow’s Ribs & Whiskey Hookup $22
St. Louis-Style Maker’s Mark Glazed Ribs, Drunken Chicken with
Our Soon-to-Be-Famous “Two Potato” Potato Salad, Southern-Fried Mac &
Cheese and House-Made Sweet Corn & Jalapeño Muffin

• Kickin’ Chicken Verde Soup $6
Tender Chicken, Fresh Cilantro, Roast Tomatillos, Fall Sweet Corn and Chili Cream’

This year’s menu also features some rib ticklin’ cocktails including "A Kick from Ginger"(made with Maker’s Mark and Red Rock Ginger Ale), spicy pineapple cooler (made with fresh pineapple, Maker’s Mark and jalapeño simple syrup) and Georgia peach lemonade (made with Minute Maid lemonade, peach nectar, south Georgia cane, Maker’s Mark and frozen peaches). Signature cocktail prices range from $8 to $10. Marlow's also has plenty of soothing beer and wine selections to help diffuse the bold tastes of "Ribs & Whiskey" dishes!

Marlow's Tavern: Alpharetta at 3719 Old Alabama Road, 770-475-1800; Kennesaw at 745 Chastain Road, NW, 770-425-8777; Midtown at 950 West Peachtree Street, 404-815-0323; Vinings at 2355 Cumberland Parkway, 770-432-2526; Northlake at 4156 LaVista Road, 678-987-1197; and Duluth at 1950 Satellite Boulevard, 770-622-2033.

One Contest Over, Another Just Begun

Thanks to our budding pig poets for the great entries last week… and a big congrats to our High on the Hog winner C, who submitted the following witty limerick for last week’s contest challenge!  

C will be heading to Streak O’ Lean’s High on the Hog event on Thursday, Oct 7 at Engine 11 with a guest.  Have fun!

Here’s the winning entry:

Man, that bacon looks great.
Just look at it there on his plate.
It’s all that I see,
And it’s calling to me,
I don’t care if I ruin our date.

Now, on to another fun prize for our Atlanta Dish readers!  

Local veggie lovers will want to block out Sunday, October 3 for the Field of Greens, Georgia's 5th Annual Organic Farm Aid event at "Don't Panic. It's Organic!" Whippoorwill Hollow Farm.  The family friendly event runs from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and features lots of locally grown, chef-prepared foods, live music and green-living education. 

Get ready for all-day access to the farmers market and educational expo; small-plate tastings (from noon - 3 p.m.) of farm-fresh food prepared by Atlanta- and Athens-area farm-to-table chefs including Micah Willix of Ecco, E. J. Hodgkinson of Woodfire Grill and Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar; live music, cooking demos by chefs, a learning and activity area for kids, plus trail walks and animal visits on the 74-acre, certified-organic farm in Walnut Grove. 

To enter to win tickets here on our blog, just tell us in the comments what your favorite seasonal ingredient is and why – we’ll be picking a entry at random this Wednesday!  Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook pages for the winner announcement.

Purchase tickets for $15 in advance or $20 at the gate; children 12 and under enter for free.  Event proceeds benefit Georgia's organic and sustainable farmers, in partnership with nonprofit Slow Food Atlanta. 

Can You Swirl with the Best of Them?

Looking for a fun, part-time or full time job? You're in luck! Pinkberry is currently hiring a team of enthusiastic “Swirlers” for it's newest location opening next month in Marietta's lively Merchants Walk area. The folks at Pinkberry are looking for energetic team members for both part-time and full-time positions. If you're interested, you must attend Pinkberry's job auditions that are being held at various times starting today through Sunday, October 3. Click here to see the listing with all the details and times. Now, get out there and show them your best swirl!



The newest Pinkberry will be located in Marietta at 1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 108.