What's New on Pinterest: Watermelon Wow

Seedless watermelons are throwing a kink in the whole summer seed-spitting contest tradition. On the other hand, there's something to be said for biting into a huge hunk of pure melon. Straight up, salad, granita, cocktails, melon balls? We're Pinterested in seeing how you prefer yours.

Something Special Going on at Ray's Restaurants

Looking for memorable meals and sensational specials? Look no further than Ray's Restaurants this month. So, what does August have in store for happy guests? Here’s the scoop:

Whether you’re in downtown or Alpharetta, all three restaurants are offering Wine Wednesday price points of selected wines at $5 a glass and a free cheese board at the bar. 

Ray's on the River and Ray's at Killer Creek also pull a succulent August catch:  1 ¼ lb. live Maine lobster (steamed or broiled) served with sautéed green beans, steamed red potatoes and drawn butter for $24.99.

On Friday, August 17, Ray's on the River is hosting a "Sunset Wine & Cheese" event. Also look for riverside lawn parties on Fridays and Saturdays with one-man bands, an outdoor bar and a grill turning out hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken sandwiches (unless a wedding pre-empts).

Downtown, Ray's in the City pairs a Long Day Lager with its weekly panini special for $15 at lunch and $20 at dinner during August. 

Dine on Five Courses at Share Our Strength's "Give Me Five" Fundraiser This Sunday

The gorgeous Cherokee Town and Country Club in Buckhead is the setting for this year's "Give Me Five" wine-and-dine event to raise funds for Share Our Strength and its mission to alleviate childhood hunger in the U.S. In the datebook for Sunday, August 19, the elegant evening opens with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. East Lake Country Club Chef Michael Deihl is the chef chair for the night's five-course dinner where five talented guests, including Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, will each prepare a course. Sommelier Andrés Loaiza of Aria is one of the four Atlanta sommeliers who will select wine pairings for each course. Jenn Hobby of Q100's The Bert Show and WSB radio host Scott Slade cap dinner with a full evening of live entertainment and live and silent auctions - which should be pretty tasty since each chef is donating something to the auction lineup. Individual tickets are $275, and tables for 10 are $2,500; purchase online. 

American Spirit Whiskey and Golf is a Recipe for Fun!

Photography by Ben Rose

This Saturday, August 18, the 9^th Annual Buckhead Invitational Golf Tournament tees off at Bobby Jones Municipal Golf Course in Atlanta. The event benefits Answer Atlanta, a local organization that seeks to provide creative solutions to help those less fortunate in our community who have a particularly timely or urgent need. American Spirit Whiskey, an artisanal small batch spirit with ties to Athens, Atlanta and Charleston, S.C., is a tournament sponsor. The ultra-filtered, neutral white whiskey is highly mixable in cocktails and a clearly great sip on the rocks, making it a congenial fit for any occasion with a glass. Are you in? $100 per person/$400 per team of four to play; contact buckheadinvitational@gmail.com.

Shake up your clubhouse by mixing up a "19^th at Augusta" cocktail at home using this recipe from American Spirit Whiskey. We see some tailgating potential here as well!

19^th at Augusta
2 oz. American Spirit Whiskey (ASW)
2.5 oz. sweet tea
.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
Pale ale (Terrapin Rye out of Athens works well)

Combine ASW, tea and lemon in pint glass over ice. Stir and top with beer. Garnish with lemon twist.

Safety Dance All the Way to Atkins Park This Friday

Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance

Billie Jean, drive your little red Corvette to Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland and let's dance! Sweet dreams are made of this as you flashdance back in time during the tavern's "1983 Summer of Love" party on Friday, August 17 beginning at 10 p.m. Dress the part - more than $500 in cash and prizes is up for grabs by 1983 fashionistas. DJ Jeremy Healy spins 80s hits all night long so every breath you take is oh, what a feeling. 

MLA Taste and Tell - Reach for a Peach Before They're All Gone

MLA's Administrative Assistant Shelby had such a hankering for sweet Georgia peaches that she drove two hours south of Atlanta to Dickey Farms in Musella to pick up a few pounds of the tree-fresh fruit. We don't think they had to twist her arm much to get her to try the peach pecan preserves, peach butter, homemade peach ice cream and other peachy-keen treats. Watch her YouTube Taste and Tell and peach out.

Flashdance back in time to "1983 Summer of Love" at Atkins Park Tavern - And Lots More - In This Week's Dish

Watermelon, peaches, beer, sandwiches, ping pong - yep, it's still summer! Find out about this week's best culinary happenings in The Dish. If you're not already receiving the Dish, be sure to sign up on our Facebook page or right here on our blog.

"Rhine" Down at Woodfire Grill This Thursday

This Thursday is your last chance to take advantage of Woodfire Grill's summer wine tasting series. The tastings are going out in German style on August 16 with an entire spectrum of Rieslings, which originated in Germany's Rhine region, that will begin with dry selections, move on to fruity wines and finish with some sweet pucker. You can enjoy the wine tasting at your table or at Woodfire Grill's bar, just make sure to mention you're in for the "Rieslings from Germany" tasting when making a reservation. Call 404-347-9055 to reserve a spot and get wrapped up in Rieslings!

Hard Pressed for Dinner Ideas? Marlow's Tavern Panini to the Rescue

During the summer months when the sun doesn't set until later, dinnertime can sneak up on you. Thankfully, Marlow's Tavern has a stay-cool menu of dishes and drinks and nine locations - including the newest location in Dunwoody. Always a good neighbor, Marlow's Tavern is glad to share its recipe for grilled chicken panini, a simple summer classic that will get dinner on the table fast and keep the cook cool as a cucumber.

Marlow's Tavern Grilled Chicken Panini

Serves 2

Ingredients:      

1 loaf focaccia bread     

2 grilled chicken breasts

4 slices fresh mozzarella

2 tbsp. basil aioli (see recipe below)

2 sliced fresh Roma tomatoes     

1/2 cup fresh spinach    

Method:

Evenly season each chicken breast with salt and pepper and grill chicken breasts until cooked through. Cut focaccia loaf in half to make two sandwiches. Spread both sides of each sandwich with one tablespoon of basil aioli. Build each sandwich from the bottom up, layering the ingredients in the following order: ¼ cup spinach, tomato slices, grilled chicken and two mozzarella slices. Place sandwich in panini press for 60 seconds or until lightly toasted. Alternatively, grill in a hot skillet until toasted and heated through.

Basil Aioli

Ingredients:      

12 fresh basil leaves

½ tsp. garlic, chopped   

1 scallion, chopped        

1/8 cup olive oil

1 cup mayonnaise         

Salt and pepper 

Method:

Place all ingredients (except for mayonnaise) into blender or food processor and blend on high speed until puréed. Place puréed mixture into a mixing bowl and fold in mayonnaise until combined. 

Appetizing Aperture: National Filet Mignon Day

National Filet Mignon Day is coming up on Monday, August 13. As easy to slice as butter, a tender filet mignon like this one served at Ray's Restaurants just about melts in your mouth. So what do you say? Steak knife or butter knife? You chews.

Celebrate Chicken and the Egg’s First Anniversary With Fun Prizes, Discounts, Contests This August

Congrats to Chicken and the Egg! This delicious Marietta restaurant opened in August 2011 and is now celebrating its anniversary month with a variety of specials and contests to thank guests for their support throughout the eatery’s first year.

Feeling lucky? The restaurant will hand out golden eggs containing different prizes to each table Monday, August 13 through Thursday, August 16. The prizes range from complimentary beverages to a dinner for two!

Chicken and the Egg is also offering a teacher appreciation special from now through Tuesday, August 14. Teachers who show their school ID to their server will receive 15 percent off their meal and can register to win a Chicken and the Egg sponsored class party!

If you've been snap happy with your camera or iPhone on your past visits to Chicken and the Egg, be sure to check out the restaurant’s Facebook photo contest to submit your photos from the restaurant’s first year of being open. The contest will run until Tuesday, August 20 and the tasty prize is dinner for two – a $50 value!

Throughout the month of August, the restaurant will also host a family recipe contest, and guests can submit their recipes at the restaurant. Taft will pick a winner and feature the dish on the restaurant’s September menu along with the winner’s name and information on his/ her family.

Oh, Chicken and the Egg – it seems like just yesterday we were falling in love with our very first amazingly scrumptious bites of your fried chicken and macaroni & cheese… how time flies! 

Wine & Spirits Raises a Glass to Aria's Jacob Gragg

Photo by George Sanchez

Wine & Spirits magazine will toast to Aria Sommelier Jacob Gragg on its "bests" list for 2012. The magazine will publish its list in the October issue. That gives you just shy of two months to wine and dine at Aria before the word is officially uncorked. 

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

John Deere tractors get the job done in the fields. Farm Mobile brings those veggies to the tables of metro urbanites. The mobile farm store operated by Riverview Farms stops at various places around town. 

Check out their tweets for locations and stops, head over, hop on and shop for produce from local farms. Follow on Twitter (@FarmMobile) to find them. More reads to pick at on the Riverview Farms website.  

What's New on Pinterest: Peachy Keen

Coming back from the beach, you purchased a big basket of blushing peaches at a roadside stand. They're going to be delish, and they're going to ripen in unison. Peachy keen Pinterest posts are the pick of the crop for ways to make the most of your haul.

Schnitzel Savings for Dekalb County Government Employees at Seven Hens in Decatur

Throughout the month of August, Seven Hens is welcoming in the restaurant's government neighbors for a discounted meal. Those who show their DeKalb County government ID at the newly opened schnitzel eatery will receive a 15 percent reduction on their tab. The fast-casual restaurant, located at the corner of Clairmont and North Decatur roads, has plenty to crow about in the field of reasonably priced, globally inspired chicken schnitzel. And they're just getting started on community-oriented promotions, so stop by and tell them if you'd like your business to be considered for future perks and schnitzel savings.

MLA Taste and Tell: Drink Up!

MLA Client Services Manager Tuan tells us his top three favorite places to pick up pleasing summer beverages. Watch on YouTube as he spills all the details on where to find the best adult slushies and reusable tiki glasses. Bottoms up!

JCT. Bar Continues Tomato Celebration with $10 BLT and Beer Special

 

In July, I got to check an item off of my food-related bucket list: attend JCT. Kitchen's Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival. I had a blast, enjoying the live music and of course, eating and drinking all the tomato-y goodness my stomach could handle. Although we have to wait until next July for the festival's return, JCT. Bar is offering a new "BLT and Beer" special for $10 we can feast on until then. Replacing the burger in their popular "Burger and Beer" special, the BLT comes with heirloom tomato, house-smoked bacon from Gum Creek Farms, peppery arugula and a pickled jalapeno mayo. The rooftop bar is pairing it with with a smooth, lager-like Southampton Biere de Mars to complete this perfect summer meal. The "BLT and Beer" special is available every Tuesday through Thursday from 5 - 10 p.m. during tomato season. This offer is only available at JCT. Bar, located above JCT. Kitchen in Atlanta's Westside Urban Market. 

Explore the flavors of summer sandwiches - and more - in this week's Dish

From schnitzel to BLT to panini, there's no denying that August is National Sandwich Month when you read through this week's Atlanta Dish! If you're not already receiving the Dish, be sure to sign up on our Facebook page or right here on our blog.

Alon’s Bakery and Market in Dunwoody Gets Beery Crafty

Hop on over to the craft beer tasting hosted by Alon’s Bakery and Market in Dunwoody this Thursday, August 9. The 7-8 p.m. tasting will highlight five craft brews from Cisco Brewers in Nantucket, Mass. And Minhas Brewery in Calgary, Canada. Sample the entire range from English-style Whale’s Tale Pale Ale to the classic Bavarian-style Summer of Lager, along with a light-bodied American golden Sankaty Light Lager (named after a Nantucket lighthouse), malty-fruity Indie Pale Ale, and an amber-hued Vienna lager named Fat Cat Lager.     The tasting costs $15 per person. Interested guests can reserve a spot by calling 678-397-1781 or purchase tickets online at www.alons.com. Cheers!

Sanctuary Park Employees Enjoy Breakfast and Lunch at Three New Market Street Cafés

The Southeastern leader in on-site culinary cafes, Sterling Spoon Culinary Management (SSCM), has recently opened three casual Market Street Café locations in the Sanctuary Park office development. Alpharettans who work in and near Sanctuary Park office campuses – Lake View II, the Falls and Stone Bridge I -- are already savoring the spoils of having three new, yummy dining options. Each café is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cafés satisfy early morning to lunch time cravings with chef-driven fresh, nutritious and delicious foods prepared from scratch right there in each café. From boardroom to mailroom and carnivore to vegetarian, there’s something for everyone. 

In addition to delicious taste, Sterling Spoon’s signature HEALTHchecks initiative ensures menu items meet nationally accepted dietary guidelines for healthy and nutritious dining options. Atlantans are already familiar with SSCM dining concepts and catering services. Perhaps you’ve heard of Bistro 191 in downtown, Market Street Café in Buckhead, Aqua blue in Roswell and Atlanta-spanning Marlow’s Tavern locations?  Healthy and delicious, the new Market Street Cafés are the perfect addition to a busy workday.