How Sweet It Is – A Sugar Coma Awaits And You Could Win Tickets

Seeing as how quite a few of us on the MLA staff are dyed-in-the-wool sweet tooths (don't tell our dentist), we had to dish about the upcoming Sugar Coma event right here in Atlanta on Sunday, November 13 at Atlantic Station from 2 to 6 p.m.! It’s a dessert-lover’s dream, with a cornucopia of delicious vendors to tempt you with all sorts of amazing desserts. We hear that there are less than 30 tickets left, so be sure to snag yours online! 


If you’re feeling lucky today, we also have a pair to give away here…  just tell us what your favorite dessert is in our comments and we’ll be picking a winner at random later this afternoon. Good luck and happy desserts to you!

Chop Chop - It's The Last Weekend to Enjoy Chop Month at Aqua blue

Drool over Aqua blue's complete Chop menu, then hurry to Roswell to bite into these hearty dishes before the limited-time-only menu is, uh, chopped. Monday, November 7 is the last day to devour Chop menu specials including the Aqua blue "Chop" salad ($9) and St. Louis-style hoisin rib chop with jicama and apple slaw ($12); bone-in spicy Guinness-marinated chicken ($19); Caribbean-spiced pork chop with Maker's Mark glaze, black currants and pineapple ($26); and Australian lamb chop with pistachio, horseradish crust, Madeira demi and mint ($30). Chop month sippers include the "AB" classic martini with Gorgonzola-stuffed olives ($8); the "AB" Manhattan Chop made with High West Double Rye Whiskey, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, orange flower water and orange bitters ($10); 2008 Benziger Sangiacomo Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay ($8.50); and 2008 Trapiche Broquel Malbec ($10).

Our Appetizing Aperture of the Week

This week's Appetizing Aperture (a scrumptious salted caramel cake by Angie Mosier) is a delicious memory from a past Afternoon in the Country! Lucky for us that the event returns to Serenbe on Sunday, November 6 from 1 - 6 p.m. With sweet and savory bites from Bold American, Briza, Double Zero Napoletana, South City Kitchen, La Tavola Trattoria, JCT. Kitchen,No. 246, White Oak Pastures, Marlow's Tavern and more, it's bound to be a tasting guests won't soon forget!

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

Wife and mom of three, Stacie H. Connerty is a food truck stalker. She also likes toy trucks and has a truckload of tweets (@StacieinAtlanta) and lengthier posts on her The Divine Miss Mommy blog. 


She writes about her kids, and her "Wordless Wednesday" will brighten your day. Cruise with this lifestyle and travel blogger -- her posts drive home some money-saving deals!

Start Your Engines (and Appetites!) at the Cadillac Culinary Challenge, November 5-6 at Lenox Square

Cadillac and its culinary partners invite you and your friends to take part in the Cadillac Culinary Challenge this Saturday and Sunday, November 5-6 at Lenox Square. First, brake for a friendly competition between chefs Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster Harlem and Kenneth Bills of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

Fuel up with fine cuisine and check out the best of Cadillac. You'll be revved up to test drive a Cadillac and compare it to challengers from BMW, Lexus and Mercedes. Test drives run the entire program time, and culinary demonstrations take place at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Register for this free event at www.cadillacchallenge.com.

Come Watch No. 246's Drew Belline at the Morningside Farmers Market

Drew Belline, executive chef at No. 246 in Decatur, welcomes Sequatchie Cove Farm, a Morningside Farmers Market product newbie, this Saturday, November 5. Belline will be working with ground lamb from the Sequatchie, Tenn. farm at his 9:30 a.m. demo. Make sure to stick around for a tasting and pick up some fresh produce for the week. Sequatchie Cove Farm is about 35 miles northwest of Chattanooga. Livestock, including Katahdin lamb, root and roam stress-free on grassy pastures.


Morningside Farmers Market, located at 1393 N. Highland Avenue, is open Saturdays 8 - 11 a.m.

A Sinfully Good Deviled Egg Recipe for National Deviled Egg Day

Halloween treats were egg-ceptionally good this past weekend. National Deviled Egg Day, November 2, will be devilishly divine when you boil a dozen eggs and one lobster to whip up JCT. Kitchen and Bar Owner/Executive Chef Ford Fry's lobster deviled eggs!  

Maine Lobster Deviled Eggs

Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Makes 24 deviled eggs

Ingredients:

Eggs:

12 Eggs

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

6 cornichon pickles (chopped fine)

1 tbsp. minced chives

¼ lemon (juice of)

Dash of Tabasco

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Lobster:

1 live Maine lobster

2 tsp. minced fresh garlic (Not that jar stuff!)

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt to taste

Vinaigrette:

1 Meyer lemon (zests and juice of)

3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley

Kosher salt to taste

Method:

Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Just as it boils, turn the heat off and let them sit for exactly 10 minutes. Immediately strain and cover with ice water to chill. Peel eggs, split in half and separate the yolks from the whites. Finely mash the yolks and mix in the remaining ingredients from the "egg" portion of the recipe. Place the yolk mixture into a piping bag with a nickel-sized round tip and chill until ready to assemble.

For the lobster, place a pot of water on to boil. Drop live lobster in for two minutes. Remove from water and cover with ice water. Once chilled, remove the meat and mince. Reserve until ready to assemble.

Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the juice, zests, olive oil, parsley, and salt to taste. (add the parsley just before assembling so that it does not turn brown.)

Just prior to serving, pipe the yolk mixture into each white bottom and place on your serving platter. Using a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until light golden. Add the minced lobster meat and stir well. Cook until just done. Take pan off the heat and season lightly with kosher salt. Toss with the vinaigrette and the parsley. Spoon a divot into the yolk mixture of the deviled egg. Spoon in the lobster mixture and serve.

Tis the Season for New Treats at Truffles

The holiday are upon us, and while for some this can be the “most wonderful time of the year,” others tend to find the preparation and planning a little stressful. Never fear! Truffles Grill has just the thing to help us slow down and savor the season, with a brand new roster of $5 Absolut cocktails. Sample the elegant Pear & Elderflower Martini made with Absolut Pears, or the Orient Apple Martini made with Absolut Orient Apple. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even design your own drink using any flavors you like with the Absolut-ly Your Way cocktail.  Need some snacks to go with those drinks? Truffles is rolling out $5 appetizers for all bar-goers. They offer a baked brie in puff pastry, coconut shrimp, and fresh mushroom crostini (to name a few!), and at $5 a piece you don’t have to choose between them!  The cocktails are offered all day throughout the entire restaurant, but these tasty treats are in the bar area only from 4 p.m. to  7 p.m.  So, what are you waiting for?  Go treat yourself at Truffles!

Get to Know Briza Chef Janine Falvo on "Top Chef: Texas" Tomorrow Night

From our experience with past seasons of "Top Chef," we all know how much fun it is to have a local chef to root for, and Season 9 in Texas is no different. This time around, Briza Excutive Chef Janine Falvo is the hopeful we have our eyes on as she competes against 28 other chefs on the new season of Bravo's "Top Chef: Texas." Tune in for the season premiere tomorrow, Wednesday, November 2, at 10 p.m. Only 16 of the 29 chefs (double the usual number of hopefuls) will progress to cook their way across the Lone Star State. Since everything's bigger in Texas, cheer big for Chef Falvo! And when you're done cheering, come meet Falvo on her home turf at Briza. The restaurant happens to be hosting a Gloria Ferrer Wine Dinner at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 3 that will feature seven courses prepared by Falvo and wine pairings from Eva Bertran, executive vice president of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards. During the dinner, you'll have a chance to taste the dish that Falvo created on the "Top Chef" Season 9 premiere the night before! Cost is $75 per person (plus tax and gratuity). For reservations, please call 678-412-2334.

Sake & Sushi Make Me Social

Sitting and staring at each other is kind of boring when you could be actively rolling sushi and tossing back sake at RA Sushi’s monthly Sake and Sushi Social. The first one is coming up this Tuesday, November 1 at 6 p.m. Participants in the interactive evening will roll up their sleeves and learn about sushi rolling and sake pairing while enjoying a selection of RA Sushi’s fresh sushi, appetizers and fine sakes. The cost of $35 per person or $60 per couple includes the lesson and a four-course sushi sampling with sake pairings. Space is limited so anchor your spot now by calling 404-267-0114.

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

Sit and Sip with Ray’s on the River and Shafer Vineyards

Once the craziness of Halloween is over, the idea of a quiet and delicious night at Ray’s on the River sounds fantastic to ease into November! Good thing that on Thursday, November 3, Ray’s on the River will be hosting an intimate wine dinner with Quality Wine & Spirits’ Master Sommelier Michael McNeill from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The four-course dinner includes mouth-watering dishes like rosemary roasted veal tenderloin with sautéed cherries, farro and raspberry red wine reduction paired with Napa Valley Merlot! Dinner is $95 per person (including tax and gratuity) and will include a selection of wines from Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley. There are only 4 seats left as we write this, so pick up the phone and call for your reservation at 770-955-1187. Cheers!

Saturday Fun with Urban Picnic in East Point

Wait until you see the spread Alisa Barry, creator of Bella Cucina, and social entrepreneur Donna Toepfer have for you this Saturday at their new farm-to-kitchen food center the two are opening in East Point. Down the street from Bella Cucina, the center will serve a wide variety of opportunities for community engagement -- kitchen space for local food businesses, classes for consumers and businesses, an edible learning garden and an abundance of events. The opening celebration is Saturday, October 29 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. See the garden handiwork of Crop Mob Atlanta, tour the kitchen facility, enjoy savory discounts on Bella Cucina products (made in East Point) during a sample sale and find out what's on the menu for this new community food center. While there, take an enlightening gardening class taught by Sustenance Design, sample mead from local meadery Obec Medovina and view the award-winning documentary "GROW!." Purchase tickets for $45 per person ($5 discount for Georgia Organics members) and enjoy the kitchen tour, lunch, garden class and movie (sample sale purchases are separate). All proceeds go toward opening the community food center. Bring your curiosity, enthusiasm and a picnic blanket! The Farm-to-Kitchen Urban Picnic will take place at Bella Cucina's kitchen located at 1870 Murphy Avenue, SW. Take I-85 to Langford Parkway. Take Langford Parkway west to the Fort McPherson exit and follow the Urban Picnic signs.

Our Appetizing Aperture of the Week

We love Halloween... and we think even Slimer would be tempted to take a sip of this delicious Ecto-Cooler at Briza, one of the many ghastly delights the restaurant will have on the cocktail menu from October 26 to 31! 

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

You know the pit where you drown in your sorrows because you skipped the workout, overindulged or human-trash compacted the Halloween leftovers.  Self-professed workout and health food nut Zoë Levine tweets (@SkinnyPeaches). She's the little voice inside your smartphone steering you gently toward dietary corrections, suggestions and righteous workouts. She's a little bit louder on herSkinny Peaches blog.

Last Call for Oysterfest at Ray's in the City!

A new day means a new haul for Oysterfest at Ray’s in the City. This is the last week you can take in Ray’s pearl of an event that pairs ocean fresh oysters with New Belgium Brewery brews out of Fort Collins, Colo. Pairing examples are, say, Blue Point oysters from New York waters paired with New Belgium’s Fat Tire Ale; Fanny Bay oysters out of British Columbia’s western waters paired with New Belgium’s 1554 Black Ale; and Pine Island oysters out of New York paired with New Belgium’s Ranger IPA. New Belgium Hoptoberfest is also available to keep you and your friends afloat!

Ray’s in the City:  240 Peachtree Street, NW; 404-524-9224.

Fall and Spring Internship Opportunities at MLA

Are you a student who is passionate about food/ wine culture and public relations? Melissa Libby & Associates is currently seeking an intern for the remainder of fall 2011 and also for our spring 2012 program.  Interns will join the MLA team to work directly with all facets of agency life, including media communications, social media, events and client services. Creativity, positive energy and great writing skills are very important.

The ideal candidate will receive school credit for their experience with MLA.  Our internships are unpaid and 15 hours per week.  We strive to make it a hands-on experience that our interns can definitely benefit from in the future.  To find out more about Melissa Libby & Associates, please visit our website and our Facebook page.  If you are interested, please send your resume and availability to atlantadish@gmail.com. Please be sure to specify which semester you are interested in – fall or spring. Good luck!

Treat Yourself To Halloween Debauchery This Weekend!

Ready to haunt the streets of this city? It's all treats and no tricks when it comes to finding something fun to do in Atlanta this Halloween!

All three Smashburger locations are featuring a special Halloween deal for children under age 12. If they wear their Halloween costume to Smashburger on Friday, October 28 through Monday, October 31, they'll be treated to a free meal when their parent purchases a meal.

Get two for one at Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna on Saturday, October 29 when they host both the Smyrna Beer Fest and their own 9th annual Halloween celebration. From 1 - 6 p.m., there will be more than 100 beers to sample, live music, costume and pumpkin carving contests, bobbing for apples and more. The Halloween celebration kicks in from 10:30 p.m. - 2:30 a.m. with a live DJ in the bar, more costume contests and other Halloween-inspired activities and decorations.

Over in Virginia Highland, Atkins Park Tavern kicks off Halloween with their annual pumpkin carving contest on Thursday, October 27 at 8 p.m. Join friends for a night of pumpkin carving, beer drinking, scary movie watching on the big screen and a chance to win great house prizes. On Saturday, October 29, DJ Lion spins tunes beginning at 9 p.m. followed by the Tavern's annual costume contest at the witching hour. And on Monday, October 31, get ready for the Halloween Hangover when Atkins Park serves up a trio including the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," Terrapin Big Happy Monster and Monday Night Football.

Dig those skeletons out of the closet and party your bones off at your nearest Marlow's Tavern on Saturday, October 29. All eight locations are hosting Halloween shindigs from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. There's no cover charge to attend, but you definitely want to come up with a costume -- you might win cash, gift certificates or other prizes. Music? You bet your bones there's a DJ or live music, depending on the location.

At Fadó Irish Pub & Restaurant, the "Thriller Monster Bash: A Retro 80s Halloween Party" brings the 80s to life on Saturday, October 29. A spooky holiday and a kooky decade (fashion-wise) go together like tricks and treats when Fadó gets tricked out in full Halloween décor for the spooktacular event. Specialty cocktails come at a $5 treat of a price, and a DJ spins 80s tunes from 9 p.m. into the wicked wee hours. Why be shy about dressing up? Costumes are expected, and all are encouraged to enter the midnight costume contest for a chance to take home $1,001 in cash. There's a $5 cover charge for the 9 p.m. bash, although ladies get in free.

Aqua blue dresses up as "Aqua Boo!" for their 10th annual Halloween Monster Bash on Saturday, October 29. So what are you going to wear? Decisions, decisions! Do you go all out or do your best to be the worst for the 11 p.m. costume contest? Dressed up or down, you can still imbibe in specially priced creepy cocktails and gobble up ghoulish appetizers. The regular á la carte menu is available from 4 p.m. on into the witching hours. A DJ spins dance hits starting at 9 p.m.

RA Sushi doles out Boo Bites and Potent Potions at their Halloween night "Boo Bash 2011" on Monday, October 31. The fun starts at 8 p.m. as the DJ spins his haunting mix and thrills guests until closing. Dress up and enter the "Boo Bash" costume contest. Read up and RSVP on Facebook.

The Iberian Pig is a true party animal this Halloween night, lining up Decatur restaurants and bars for a Halloween Pub Crawl at 8 p.m. on Monday, October 31. The cost is $45 per person, which covers one featured drink at each stop. Look for a smoking punchbowl at the Iberian Pig along with snacks. Wear a costume and take part in the Brickstore's annual costume contest (hint, prizes) at tour's end. Other participating restaurants and bars include Square Pub, Mac McGee's, Eddie's Attic and Leon's Full Service.

For those in Marietta, Cumming and Suwanee, kids eat free at all four Chepe's locations on Halloween! Kids in costume on Monday, October 31, will receive one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree.

Visit The Dish for more Halloween details.

Knocking Out Breast Cancer One Smashburger At A Time

There's still time to help "smash" breast cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Wednesday, October 26, metro Atlanta's three Smashburger locations will donate a percentage of the day's sales to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Chances are that you know someone who has been affected by this terrible disease. Knock it out, one Atlanta Smashburger, avocado club or spicy Baja at a time!

Atlanta Chefs Show Off Pumpkin Carving Prowess This Thursday

Thinking about carving your pumpkin but need a little inspiration? Watch local chefs battle it out for the top pumpkin carver crown at the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Fest-of-Ale on Thursday, October 27 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. We'll be cheering for Chef Janine Falvo of Briza as she cuts her way through the competition during the 25-minute contest (and if you miss seeing her at the pumpkin carving contest, you can catch her on Bravo's Top Chef Season 9, which starts on November 2). Guests are encouraged to clap loudly for their favorites as audience applause determines the winner. Once a winner has been picked, all of the chef-carved pumpkins will be sold in a silent auction to benefit the Garden, giving you another chance at an eye-catching jack-o-lantern for your own home.

Gear Up For Atkins Park Smyrna's Wii Bowling Tournament

Atkins Park is once again taking bar games to the next level. Get a crew together and find out who's kingpin (or queen) of the Wii bowling alley when Atkins Park - Smyrna rolls out a six-week Wii bowling tournament beginning at midnight on October 25. Anyone who wants to join in on the fun is welcome to participate in the tournament.

There's no sign up or league fee, and bowling shirts and shoes are optional. Best of all, each night's first- and second-place victors will walk away with house cash! Your points will add up week by week, and at the end of the six week bowling brouhaha, a tournament winner will be announced. The grand prize winner will receive a Fat Tire Cruiser bike, so get your team together now and start practicing your virtual bowling game so you can win this sweet ride! Follow along on Facebook.

Atkins Park Tavern: 2840 Atlanta Road SE, Smyrna; 770.435.1887