Feathers Are Flying

Every January, the International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo arrives at the Georgia World Congress Center for a week of talking turkey and crowing about chickens. And during their visit each year, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and the U.S Poultry and Egg Association hatch FeatherFest, the weeklong culinary competition between Atlanta restaurants to see who can create the best poultry meat-based appetizers and entrées. From Jan. 21 - Jan. 27, Atlanta restaurant goers and IPE convention attendees can vote for their picks on the FeatherFest website and be entered to win an iPhone! Our recommendations for poultry perfection include Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse, Fifth Group Restaurants, Marlow's Tavern - Northlake, Ray's In The City, and Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown!

Celebrating 30 Years of History

It's been 30 years since The 57th Fighter Group Restaurant opened its doors along the south runways of the DeKalb Peachtree Airport. In honor of this special occasion, the World War II aviation-themed eatery is hosting month-long celebration of anniversary-themed menu specials, nostalgia-inducing events and a chance to win a ride in a P-40 Warhawk plane!

Through January 31, restaurant guests can enter to win the plane ride ($950 value), courtesy of Pat Epps, owner of The 57th Fighter Group Restaurant and Epps Aviation and an April 2011 Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame inductee. Come often to enjoy Executive Chef Gregg Herndon's menu specials, including a daily entree and glass of house wine combo for $19.81; classic 1940s cocktails such as Manhattans, sidecars, hurricanes and more; and blast-from-the-past original menu items including crab-stuffed mushrooms, Chicken Jack Daniels, onion straws, creamed corn and farmhouse chicken.

On Sunday, January 16 from 5 - 8 p.m., the restaurant is hosting a celebratory bash with big band entertainment, $5 classic cocktails and menu favorites from the early days. Guests who bring a picture of themselves from a previous visit will receive a free dessert and will be able to add their photo and memory to the official 30th anniversary scrapbook. Professional swing dance instructors and a swing dance contest with prizes twirl through on Saturday, January 22.

The 57th Fighter Group Restaurant and its lounge are open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday as well as for Sunday brunch. Closed Mondays.

The 57th Fighter Group Restaurant: 3829 Clairmont Road; 770-234-0057.

Take a Break from Beef with January's Burger and Shake of the Month at YEAH! BURGER

I'll admit that I usually get my beef or turkey burger fix at YEAH! BURGER , but this month it's time to steer clear of the regular menu and try the restaurant's Burger of the Month. January brings a juicy lamb burger for only $7.99. This is also the time to splurge on a milkshake and forget your New Year's resolutions for a day. This month's specialty shake is sticky toffee pudding ($4.99), and if you've ever had Chef Shaun Doty's famous sticky toffee pudding dessert, you know that every sip will be delightfully worth it. As with all of YEAH! BURGER's shakes, this one is made with Straus Family Creamery organic soft-serve ice cream from Marin County, California. January is almost half-way gone, so don't dilly daddle!

YEAH! BURGER - Virginia Highland: 1017 North Highland Avenue; 404-437-7845.
YEAH! BURGER - West Midtown: 1168 Howell Mill Road, Suite E; 404-496-4393.

It's Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep of the Week @sflourish

Twenty and thirty-somethings are quick to turn to their smartphones and touch screens for quick reads and research.  New Southern Flourish magazine is hip to that trend, publishing its young and modern outlook 100 percent digitally and skipping the paper thing. 

Visit the website to flip through an issue, which typically features more than 10 pages of Southern recipes, homes, travel guides and news on the chic Southern life.  Bless their hearts, they're on Twitter (@sflourish), too!

Marlow's Tavern in East Cobb Knows How to Celebrate

The new location of Marlow's Tavern in East Cobb opened its doors in mid-December, but the restaurant was smart enough to wait until after the hectic holidays to throw a weeklong opening celebration from Monday, January 10 through Sunday, January 16. Each day of the week brings a different special that you won’t want to miss. Monday is "Insider Day," and all Marlow's Tavern Insiders will receive 20 percent off their checks. Become one by signing up online. Free t-shirts will be given to the first 100 guests! Next comes $2 Tavern Burger Tuesday -- the famous Tavern Burger is just $2. Hourly table-number drawings will occur throughout the day, and guests at each winning table get their entire meal for free. Wednesday is ladies night, and female diners can choose from an array of $5 appetizers and drink specials from 5 p.m. until close while 790 The Zone runs a live remote. Thursday brings East Cobb School Spirit Night and fans who wear their team logo will receive a 20 percent discount. The team with the greatest representation wins $500 for team equipment. During Friday happy hour, guests can munch on free appetizers from 5 - 7 p.m. and listen to live music at 9 p.m. Guests who bring their same-day Merchants Walk Cinema ticket stub to Marlow's on Saturday will receive a free appetizer, and live music starts at 9 p.m. Sunday signals the end of the celebratory week with a brunch buffet for $7 along with $7 BLT Bloody Marys, bottomless mimosas and a Marlow's money booth for seven seconds of prize grabbing.

Marlow's Tavern - East Cobb: 1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 208 (across from the movie theater and next to Kohl's department store); 770-977-7747.

It's Just Good Business to Lunch at Davio's

Good business is about making money, not forking over a ton for a nice lunch. You don't have to have an MBA to know that the new Executive Lunch at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in Phipps is a smart strategy for closing the deal without killing the bottom line. It's available Monday through Friday for $14. You get 2 courses and homemade lemonade or iced tea. Now that's one delicious way to be a success!

First Course (Choose One)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Classic Wedge Salad, Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Blue Cheese

Field Greens, Dried Cranberries, Candied Pecans, Goat Cheese Croquette, Balsamic Vinaigrette



Main Course (Choose One)

Kobe Beef Meatball Sandwich, Fresh Baked Hoagie

Eggplant Parmesan, Buffalo Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, Angel Hair Pasta

Fish & Chips, Hand Battered Sole, Fingerling Potato Chips

Happy Anniversary

Congratulations on anniversary number five for Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar! Five years of dishing up prime steak, seafood and fine wine is more than enough reason to celebrate, but with a new winter prix fixe menu now available there is no reason to delay. Stop in and raise a glass to many more years of Fleming's favorites!

It's Time to Salute Soup!

January is National Soup Month and we’ve got a list of soups to help you celebrate! Grab a bowl and warm up at one of Atlanta’s top restaurants!

• Park your sale bags and take a soup break at Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse in Phipps Plaza -- a bowl of roasted tomato soup with goat cheese-chive crostini ($6) is calling your name.

• We can be cheesy when bringing up the cheddar-based queso soup ($5) on the menu at all seven Marlow's Tavern locations. Chili-roasted chicken, tomatoes and crunchy tortilla strips thicken the spicy plot.

• In the Italian tradition, Pacci Ristorante keeps soup bubbling on the stove, including classic minestrone ($6) and Tuscan white bean soup with pancetta, pecorino cheese, crostini and rosemary oil ($7).

• RA Sushi has several soups to warm your tummy without weighing you down: tofu, seaweed and green onions swim in miso soup ($4); Miso Hot! soup spices up the broth and adds shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and shrimp ($6.75); potsticker soup adds pork potstickers, snow peas, carrots, bok choy and green onion to a lightly seasoned chicken broth ($7); and Nabeyaki udon brings on tempura shrimp, kani kama crab and scallops in a seafood broth ($13.75).

• Will your spoon stand up in a bowl of seafood gumbo at Ray's on the River or Ray's in the City ($7)? Ray's at Killer Creek offers another favorite -- classic French onion soup ($7). Like surprises? All three Ray's Restaurants have their own soup of the day ($5/cup, $7/bowl).

• Cross the globe by crossing Peachtree to the W Atlanta Midtown for a tasty trip through Spice Market's exotic chicken and coconut milk soup ($7) and butternut squash soup with ginger and pumpkin seeds ($7.50).

• Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food has a steaming hot tortilla soup that's the ultimate cold day cure -- diced chicken fajita paired with fresh vegetables and tortilla strips in a zesty chicken broth. The good uncle has five other "souper" soups-of-the-day reasons to bring out the bowls: Monday, it's Mexican corn chowder; Tuesday brings on poblano beef fajita soup; Wednesday doles out thick black bean soup; Thursday tempts with poblano cream soup; and Friday's little luxury is shrimp and lobster soup. All of Uncle Julio's soups are $5.95 a bowl.

• Soup in a burger joint? One spoon and you'll have the hots for Shaun's red chili ($2.99/cup) at YEAH! BURGER.

• Do-it-yourselfers can thank Gena Knox for keeping the home fires burning with a simmering soup pot of Gena's sweet corn chowder with crumbled bacon. The hearty recipe is on her website and also in her recently released cookbook, "Southern My Way."

Atlanta Restaurants Help You Keep Those New Year's Resolutions

Our non-scientific research tells us that year after year, the top resolutions revolve around living a more healthy life.  Several Atlanta restaurants are ready to help you out.  RA Sushi is shaking up three skinny cocktails for its new "New Year, New You" menu.  Big on taste and stingy with the calories, they all feature TY KU Soju and Liqueur and sugar-free triple sec.  The Cucumber Slenderita muddles these together with cucumber, fresh lemon and lime juices and a splash of OJ and soda.  Girls, your new best friend is the Cosmo-teeny with its hints of lime and cranberry.  The Thin Mint mojito is a skinny Cuban highball with mint and lime.  Skinny cocktails are $7 each and available through January 31.  (1080 Peachtree Street at 1010 Midtown; 404-267-0114)

Health guidelines suggest eating fish once or twice a week.  Pacci Ristorante and Executive Chef Keira Moritz are already on top of it.  Moritz's menu is well schooled in sustainable seafood that's good for your waistline and for the environment such as calamari ($9), mussels and clams ($9), and market-fresh wild striped bass served with white bean risotto, acorn squash puree and frisée ($27).   (866 West Peachtree Street, NW, adjacent to the Hotel Palomar; 678-412-2402)

It's Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep of the Week @angiemosier

Angie Mosier has way more than one bun in the oven.  For the past 20 years, Mosier has been baking cakes with many being featured in Food & Wine, Veranda, Town & Country and Elegant Bride magazines plus books on entertaining.  That led to her becoming a food stylist. 

Now she's traveling the nation, gathering photos and recipes to fill "Truck Food Nation," a book in the works by John T. Edge.  She's the current board president of the Southern Foodways Alliance and a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.  And she still has time to Tweet and blog! 

Setting Delicious Goals for 2011

We don't know who said it, but we do know that too often it's true:  a New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.  That's why we're impressed with the thoughtful and attainable resolutions set by some of our favorite Atlanta chefs and foodies.  Here's to your success!

• Gena Knox, author of "Southern My Way," has an organizational goal that may even be on your list (it's on ours)!  "One major resolution is to get organized at work and home.  Cleaning out my emails, closets and getting my kitchen organized will reduce my stress tremendously!  I also want to try a new recipe (that is not mine) twice a week -- exploring new flavors and cuisines I don't normally prepare at home."
• Claude Guillaume, general manager of Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse in Phipps Plaza, pledges "to run a half marathon by March 31, 2011."
• Kevin Gillespie, executive chef/partner of Woodfire Grill and "Top Chef" fame, has plans "to finally open Terminus City, my barbecue restaurant."  We're tying on our bibs and licking our fingers in anticipation!
• Gerry Klaskala, Aria owner and executive chef, aims to get fit.  "I need to get back down to six-pack abs."
• Jenny Levison of Souper Jenny keeps a finger in every pot and refuses to be tied to one resolution, vowing "to stretch as far outside the box as possible!"

It's Not Too Late to Make New Year's Eve Plans

You may be thinking you've missed the boat on making plans to ring in 2011, but there are still plenty of options to pick from. Check out last week's New Year's Eve post with all the info on what's going on this Friday. You've got plenty of time (two full days!) to plan your celebration, so get going!

This just in....Atkins Park in Virginia-Highland has finalized its chef's specials for New Year's Eve. Menu items include:

Appetizers
• Oysters: raw, with a champagne mignonette; crispy, with a spicy three-pepper remoulade; and baked, with house-smoked bacon and Parmesan

• Charcuterie: potted chicken livers, grass-fed beef tartare and quail egg and foie gras bonbon with vanilla apple cider gelee served with micro radish salad and toasts

Entrees
• Caramelized bay scallops and chanterelles over creamy Parmesan polenta

• 20 oz. bone-in grass-fed rib-eye, seared on the Big Green Egg @ 700° and served with creamy potatoes and a Cabernet reduction

Dessert
• Doughnuts: cinnamon holes filled with espresso cream, banana rum and chocolate orange

Say It Ain't So, I Don't Want Lobster & Libations To Go!

Now that your wife's third cousin from Pawtucket that only visits every four years like it's the winter Olympics is gone, you can treat yourself to a hearty meal and much-deserved drink. You have through New Year's Eve 2010 to claw your way through the luxurious "Lobsters & Libations" menu ($6-$25) at all seven Marlow's Tavern locations. Depending on when you're reading this, that's just one, two, three or four more days and nights to satisfy your cravings for lobster and Marlow's special libation selections. Come the first of January this special menu will be gone like 2010, so don't start 2011 with any food regrets!

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; Duluth at 1950 Satellite Boulevard, 770-622-2033; and East Cobb at 1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 208, 770-977-7747.

Reward Yourself and Your Friends at RA Sushi

On Tuesdays, RA Sushi is giving you "Friends With Benefits" minus the awkward morning after. Bring a friend to the Midtown restaurant for lunch between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and get one lunch for FREE! This offer is only valid on RA's lunch specials, and the complimentary lunch must be of equal or lesser value. All you have to do is let your server know that you want the "Friends With Benefits" special when you dine.

RA Sushi: 1080 Peachtree Street at 1010 Midtown; 404-267-0114.

Meet our Tweep of the Week @HoneyandJam

Hannah Queen lives in Georgia, where she's a baker, a photographer and a philosopher of contentment.  She likes good pie, fall leaves, muffins with LOTS of streusel, cameras, black tea lemonade and bluegrass.  And, she tweets and blogs.  

When the pace gets frenetic, pour a cup of tea, toast some bread and look to Hannah for sweet and soothing Honey & Jam.  Follow along on Twitter for a bit of Honey & Jam by the teaspoonful all day! 

Make the season bright with Christmas Eve and Christmas dining plans

In the holiday spirit of sharing and caring, we're giving you a link to our previous blogpost, so you can find good news about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dining with a click or a tap!  We wish everyone a very festive and delicious holiday this weekend.

Happy Holidays from Melissa Libby & Associates!

Take a look back at our year here at Melissa Libby & Associates. As you can see, we play as hard as we work! We wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.

Heading Back to School This Winter

In need of a last minute gift for that foodie friend? How about a cooking class at The Cook's Warehouse? The Cook's Warehouse has released its Winter 2011 class schedule offering almost 150 classes across a broad spectrum of culinary interests and skill levels. Classes cover everything from basic knife skills to global cuisines to gluten-free cooking. Some of the upcoming guest chef instructors include Chef Ronen Skinezes of Manta Ray in Tel Aviv, Chef Jay Swift of 4th and Swift, Chef Khaled Chebbi of Social Resto, Chef Bennett Hollberg of Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse and Shane Thompson of Shane's Rib Shack.

If you want to build on your gift - add a cookbook from one of the visiting cookbook authors slated to visit such as Rebecca Lang, "Quick-Fix Southern;" Angie Mosier, Virginia Willis, Steven Satterfield and Lynne Sawicki, "Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook;" Gena Knox, "Southern My Way: Simple Recipes, Fresh Flavors;" and Anne Byrn, "The Cake Mix Doctor® Bakes Gluten-Free."

Next Up: New Year’s Eve

With Christmas just a few days away, it’s easy to forget about making your New Year’s plans. Well, you’re in luck this year. We’re providing you with a convenient list of New Year’s Eve options that everyone will love! From seven courses of Northern Italian cuisine to a savory Southern dinner, we’ve got the scoop on how to celebrate in style.

• Aqua blue in Roswell is offering a special three-course menu for $49 per person and $69 with wine parings that's available at three seatings: 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. DJ starts up at 9 p.m. Guests will enjoy a complimentary champagne toast and party favors at midnight, and the restaurant will offer a complimentary breakfast buffet at 12:30 a.m. The regular menu also is an option. For reservations, call 770-643-8886.

• Chef specials, a DJ and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight make for a fun New Year's Eve at Atkins Park in Virginia Highland. Dinner reservations are recommended. Come in for New Year's Day brunch and fill up on a little "hair of the dog" along with Hoppin' John, collard greens and all of those traditional good luck dishes!

• Ease into an elegant 2011 over a festive four-course dinner for $85 per person at Aria. Add wine pairings at an additional cost. Call 404-233-7673 for reservations.

• Chef Bennett Hollberg at Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse is creating an incredible seven-course menu (amuse bouche + six courses) on New Year's Eve for a savory $95 per person or $125 with wine pairings. For reservations, call 404-844-4810.

• A rootin'-tootin' good time is in store for all as the doors swing open to a DJ and a complimentary midnight champagne toast at Deadwood Saloon. There's no cover for this party that cranks up at 10 p.m.

• New Year's spreads over three days at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. From Thursday, December 30 through Saturday, January 1, guests can choose from three memorable menu selections of filet mignon and crab-stuffed shrimp, North Atlantic lobster tail or New York strip and giant shrimp ($59.95 - $79.95; excluding wine, tax and gratuity). For bubbly, order the legendary Veuve Clicquot Champagne by the glass ($25). Call 770-698-8112 for reservations.

• JCT. Kitchen & Bar will be serving a $60 four-course menu (a "taste" + three courses). For reservations, call 404-355-2252.

• Felice Anno Nuovo! La Tavola Trattoria is offering a truly authentic three-course Italian prix fixe dinner with lots of course options for only $49 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Call 404-873-5430.

• There are now seven Marlow's Tavern locations where you can ring in 2011! All seven are offering a $35 (plus tax and gratuity) three-course prix fixe menu that includes some savory dishes from the featured "Lobsters & Libations" menu.

• All three locations of Ray's Restaurants (Ray's in the City, Ray's at Killer Creek and Ray's on the River) will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on New Year's Eve (with the bar open until 1 a.m.). Appetizers, shareable sides and special prix fixe menus ($55-$85 per person) are the talk of the day. For earlier risers, Ray's at Killer Creek is doing a New Year's Day brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Make reservations online or by calling the restaurants.

• Times Square has nothing on Southern New Year's traditions -- especially the culinary ones. Dine on three Southern courses for $39.95 at South City Kitchen Midtown and Vinings. Both locations will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. For reservations, call the specific restaurant: South City Kitchen Midtown, 404-873-7358; South City Kitchen Vinings, 770-435-0700.

• Spice Market, located inside the W Atlanta Midtown, is offering two seatings and two different prix fixe menus on New Year's Eve. At 6 p.m., guests can enjoy a four-course menu for $48 per person and wine pairings for an additional $22. The second seating is from 8:30 to 11 p.m. and features a five-course set menu with a glass of champagne for $65 per person; add wine pairings for an additional $33. Tax and gratuity are not included in either menu price. For reservations, call 404-724-2550.

• In addition to the regular prix fixe menu, Woodfire Grill is creating five-course vegetarian and pescatarian menus on New Year's Eve. The regular and pescatarian menus are priced at $100, and the vegetarian menu is priced at $85. Add wine pairings for an additional $50. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 404-347-9055

Cheers to The Beard! Toss Back a Yukon Cornelius Cocktail at Woodfire Grill and Say Hello to the Holidays

Woodfire Grill Chef-Partner Kevin Gillespie has recently been spotted with a new friend named Yukon Cornelius, whose red beard is thought to resemble Gillespie's. Gillespie met Yukon at the Center for Puppetry Arts during a recent performance of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." In honor of his puppeteering doppelganger, Gillespie is now serving up a Yukon Cornelius cocktail (pictured lef) at Woodfire Grill to warm up guests. The $10 cocktail is a mix of High West Silver whiskey, maple bitters, Zirbenz liqueur, allspice dram, egg and half and half. While this concoction won't put a red beard on your face or hair on your chest, it will certainly raise your spirits.

Woodfire Grill: 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road; 404-347-9055.