It's Follow Friday: Meet our Tweep of the Week @alisonlewis

Drop in on this fresh blog and find all kinds of food info.  Alison Lewis tweets for those who prefer shortcuts.  And boy, does Lewis have a long list of ingredients in her own life recipe:  food TV and media spokesperson, recipe developer, cookbook author, mom, food blogger, food educator, food photographer/stylist, nutritionist and president of Ingredients, Inc. in Birmingham, Ala. -- and lots more!  

Visit her blog, Ingredients, Inc., to add an extra dash of healthy, family friendly recipes and a generous shake of entertaining ideas to your bookmark list!

Ray's at Killer Creek Rolls Out New Sunday Brunch Menu This Weekend

Ray's at Killer Creek is changin’ things up a little bit with a new à la carte Sunday brunch menu starting this weekend. Executive Chef Tracey Bloom is making this mid-morning meal to-die-for with delicious new dishes like mascarpone-stuffed brioche French toast, green eggs and ham, steak and eggs and a homemade veggie frittata. Head on up to Alpharetta and be the first to check it out! Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

Ray's at Killer Creek: 1700 Mansell Road; 770-649-0064

Hey mom! Can we get some meatloaf?!

This summer, Marlow's Tavern held its "Red, White and Brew" grilling recipe contest and had some great recipes to choose from. The big winner though is Steve Hartsock for his blue ribbon-winning Big Daddy's BBQ grilled meatloaf. This Saturday, October 16 from 3 to 5 p.m., Marlow's Tavern in Tucker is honoring contest winners with an open-to-all celebration featuring complimentary tastings of all winning recipes, drink specials and live music. In addition to tasting Hartsock's meatloaf, guests can try out recipes from the runners up: Jonathan LaLiberty's famous inside out burger; Jason Gates' root beer BBQ pork sandwich; peachy smoked pork loin from Lauren Cox; the teriyaki burger with chili ketchup from Lisa Mary Anglese; and Lisa Rodebush's grilled green beans.

Top winner Hartsock wins a Big Green Egg and has the honor of seeing his meatloaf on the tavern's fall/winter menu and knowing that Special Olympics Georgia will receive a donation each time a Marlow's guest orders his dish. So come out and enjoy all these contestants’ great recipes, grab yourself a few drinks, enjoy the live music and stay after to watch a game or two on TV.

Marlow's Tavern-Tucker: 4156 LaVista Road; 678-987-1197.

Pinkberry Party Tonight!

We're getting another Pinkberry in Atlanta - yay! Well, actually, in Marietta, but that's a technicality. Tonight is the party and tomorrow is the first day of business. Come to the new location in Merchant's Walk Shopping Center from 6 - 10 p.m., take in tunes from DJ Black Dominoes and sample your favorite flavors. There will be several chances to win FREE Pinkberry for a year: either be the first person in line when the party starts at 6 p.m. or enter your name for the three drawings that night. See you there!


Pinkberry Marietta: 1281 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta; 770-977-9770.

A Taste of France Comes to Ray's On The River with Trimbach Wine Dinner

Ray's Restaurants Corporate Executive Chef Tom McEachern has put together the ultimate autumnal menu for the upcoming Trimbach wine dinner slated for Ray's on the River on Monday, October 18.  Maison Trimbach has been making fine French wines in the French region of Alsace since 1626.  

 The five-course dinner includes pairings of Trimbach's 2008 vintage.  McEachern starts the evening with hamachi tartare, a warm scallion compote and caviar, paired with Trimbach Pinot Gris, Reserve followed by a seafood sausage with peppered pineapple vinaigrette paired with Trimbach Riesling.  Miso-glazed sea bass with kimchee and steamed rice finds friendship with Trimbach Gewurztraminer.  

The next course, seared venison with elderberry gastrique and roasted root vegetables, is a warm companion for Trimbach Pinot Noir, Personelle.  Alsatian apple and plum strudel add the final sweet fall note.  $85 per person, all inclusive.  Make reservations by calling Julie at 770-952-4209 or by email.

We’ll Drink To That: Wine Wednesdays at Davio’s

More please!

This week brings a great new tradition to the middle of your work week when you stop by Davio’s in Phipps Plaza; Wine Wednesdays will have shoppers, diners and movie-goers alike cheering with a glass in hand!   

Each Wednesday night starting at 5 p.m. in their bar area, Davio’s will be featuring four wines and serve complimentary appetizers to snack on while you taste. The cost is $25 per person/ $40 per couple (plus tax & tip) with complimentary parking. 

What a perfect way to end a busy day of shopping or to start a great date night before hitting the movie theatre!  Make sure to visit Davio’s Facebook page for more information about the wines they’ll be featuring each week.

Cocktails for a Cure at Pacci Ristorante

Be a H.E.R.O. at Pacci Ristorante, a Kimpton restaurant, in October and November by ordering a Red Ribbon-themed cocktail. Pacci will donate $1 for each one of the three "Cocktails for a Cure" purchased from now through World AIDS Day on December 1 to non-profit HIV/AIDS service organization H.E.R.O. for Children (Hearts Everywhere Reaching Out for Children, Inc.). The three $10 cocktails for this year's Red Ribbon Campaign include:

•Rouge: Belvedere Vodka, Grand Marnier, Campari and fresh orange juice shaken with fresh raspberries
•Ruby Red: Belvedere Pink Grapefruit Vodka, Lillet Blanc, fresh grapefruit juice and simple syrup muddled with ginger coins and sparked with club soda
•VS Smash: Hennessy VS, Grand Marnier, 10yr Tawny Port and lemon juice muddled with pineapple and dusted with grated nutmeg

Money raised for H.E.R.O. will help improve the quality of life for children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS across the state of Georgia.

Pacci Ristorante: 866 West Peachtree Street, NW, adjacent to the Hotel Palomar; 678-412-2402

This Friday Brings Aqua blue’s Beer Festival

Don’t forget about Aqua blue’s second annual Beer Festival this Friday, October 15. The Roswell restaurant and festival sponsor Eagle Rock Distributing Company are taking advantage of fabulous fall evenings by hosting the party outside on the restaurant's patio and lawn areas starting at 5 p.m. and adding live music from The Moonlight Band at 7 p.m. Festival attendees can savor the night's prix fixe tapas menu of eight dishes paired with eight different beers for $44 per person, including tax and gratuity. Menu items include hoisin BBQ ribs, sweet and spicy tuna roll, spicy pumpkin soup, smoked lamb lollipops, fried Gouda ravioli, oatmeal-crusted chicken tenders, Port-Salut beef sliders and a mocha German chocolate brownie. Beer pairings will include Magner's Irish Cider, Mothership Wit, Magic Hat #9, Southern Tier 2XIPA, Red Hook Late Harvest Autumn Ale, Southern Tier Harvest Ale, Magic Hat Hex and Kona Pipeline Porter.

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

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!