Appetizing Aperture

Share or indulge alone off of the "Chip Shop" snack menu at Fadó Irish Pub in Buckhead. Choose from thick or natural thin-cut chip options. Then pick out sauces from the seven-sauce list. Or, if you prefer, go all out with topping options such as black pudding and chimichurri, pulled lamb and peppercorn sauce or the Harp Lager cheese sauce and bacon (shown above). Right now, the restaurant even has  special online offers for a free snack menu item with boxty purchase or bottomless chips and sauces at the bar. Don't forget to like Fadó on Facebook and sign up for the newsletter for exclusive offers!

What's new on Pinterest: Snack Time

We’re no strangers to a snack or two (or three) throughout the day, and why not? Not only do they provide a nutritional boost to help fuel you between meals, they also enhance workout recovery and are just plain fun to eat. We’ve pinned ideas for your snack mode, offering homemade granola bars and pre-portioned snack ideas to make and stash, mini BBQ vegan pizzas, hot Caprese dip, baked “fried” pickles and other tongue ticklers. Maybe we’ll grab one of each and turn snack time into meal time.

Win Big by Entering the Sinners and Saints Photo Contest at Marlow's Tavern

Say cheese! Take a picture on your smartphone during Marlow's Tavern  “Bayou ‘n Bourbon” and you could win BIG! Show your best side by uploading a photo to the Marlow's Tavern Sinners & Saints photo contest before the contest ends on March 14. The top 10 vote-grabbing photos will become finalists. One first-prize winner will receive dinner for four ($100 value). Second place nabs a $50 gift card, and third takes home a $25 gift card. Encourage friends and family members to vote on Marlow's Facebook page, and you may end up a winner. Don’t miss the food and drink specials at every Marlow’s Tavern location, highlights include chicken and shrimp gumbo, a bayou burger, and honey bourbon bread pudding.  Sinners & Saints can continue to mingle throughout "Bayou 'n Bourbon" until the food and drink fest blows out of town on March 25. 

Sign Up Now -- Cornhole ATL Spring League Starts March 12 at Atkins Park Virginia Highland

Spring is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate the warm weather than by signing up for Cornhole ATL's spring league? Hit the patio at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia Highland starting March 12 for the seven-week season. Tuesday evening competitions are at 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. So, toss back some brews and toss out some corn bags! Register at CornholeAtl.com. Yes, there are cornhole rules. Read up on them here.

Fourth Generation Italian Winemaker Joins New Executive Chef Tyler Williams at Woodfire Grill Demarie Wine Dinner on February 26

Imagine 14 hectares of beautiful vineyards spread along the sun-kissed gentle slopes in the heart of the Roero region, all cared for by a family that has passed down their winemaking heritage into the fourth generation. It’s not a romance novel cliche; for the Demarie family, it is a way of life. Winemaker Paolo Demarie brings all of his experience and knowledge, as well as wines, to the table at Woodfire Grill's Demarie Wine Dinner on Tuesday, February 26. A 7 p.m. reception includes sparkling Arneis, followed by a five-course dinner prepared by the restaurant's new executive chef Tyler Williams at 7:30 p.m. and featuring pairings of 2010 Arneis Roero DOCG, 2008 Barbera D'Alba Superiore DOC, 2007 Barbaresco DOCG, 2007 Barolo DOCG and NV "Birbet' Brachetto." $105 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). Call 404-347-9055 to make reservations.

Atkins Park Smyrna Holds "First" Last Supper Wild Heaven Dinner and Beer Pairing

Only twelve lucky souls will fit around the table for the "First" Last Supper Wild Heaven Paired Dinner at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Smyrna on Sunday, February 24. Sponsored by The Stout Brothers Smyrna Beer Market, this month’s dinner is the inaugural meal in the series of Last Supper events to be held on the last Sunday of each month. Guests will sing praises for Chef Sarah Rothwell after partaking in the five-course menu complete with Wild Heaven Craft Beer pairings. Look forward to prosciutto-wrapped mushroom and "Heywood's" smoked almond pesto, paired with Invocation (Belgian-style golden ale); fennel and grapefruit salad with orange and pomegranate and a lavender and honey agave dressing, paired with Let There Be Light (American ale); Cornish hen stuffed with "Heywood's" Italian sausage and wild rice pilaf, paired with Eschaton (Belgian-style quadruple ale aged with Pinot Noir oak chips); and veal tornado wrapped in lardo with celery root purée, wild mushroom demi and potato crisp, paired with Ode to Mercy (imperial brown ale). The beer-blessed meal concludes with bourbon foie gras crème brûlée paired with Ode to Mercy Winter (imperial brown ale aged in bourbon barrels). Dinner includes two promotional Wild Heaven glasses. $75 per person, not including tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 770-435-1887.

Walk the Red Carpet at 10th & Piedmont Oscar Party Plus More in this Week's Dish

Cornhole junkies - don't forget to sign up for the Cornhole ATL spring league so you can spend Tuesday evenings at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia Highland. Cornhole player or not, join Fadó Irish Pub in Buckhead for the Great Guinness Toast and for the chance to win some great prizes! Read every little must-know detail, plus more in this week's Dish!

Get the Red Carpet Treatment at 10th and Piedmont This Sunday

 

If critics can be believed, there are some sure bets for this year's 85th Annual Academy Awards, like Daniel Day-Lewis nabbing the statuette for Best Actor for his incredible portrayal of our 16th president in Lincoln. (Side note: If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend - Day-Lewis really is incredible in it and Tommy Lee Jones provides some unexpected laughs while playing a cranky and outspoken politician.) Another sure bet for this Sunday is the food and drink specials you'll enjoy while watching the Oscars at 10th and Piedmont in Midtown. Starting at 6:30 p.m., the restaurant is offering special menu items for the occasion including "Les Misérables" French onion soup with house-made croutons and Swiss cheese ($6.50); golden fried chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes, fried corn and house-made pepper gravy ($12); champagne ($3) and red carpet punch ($7). And while this is an A-list party, no need to get all glammed up. Just come prepared to eat, drink and cheer on your favorites!

Atlanta BBQ Club Monthly "Meatings"

 

Satiating a BBQ craving can be a daunting task. It's not easy to find that perfect combination of  sweet and tangy sauce, covering tender, juicy  meat. But now there's a club to help you discover the best BBQ in the city.  The "meatings" are downright delicious and members are into trying out every kind of tender, barbecued pork butt, brisket or chicken they can muster up in the metro area.  Atlanta BBQ Club members meet up at various barbecue places each month for a little pork barrel spending of their own combined with a healthy serving of socializing. Their next get together (a.k.a. official business "meating") will take place on Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m. at Spoon's Smokehouse BBQ, 5040 Old National Highway in College Park. Purchase tickets online and get ready to share some divine swine and finger-lickin' chicken.

What's new on Pinterest: Chocolate Cravings

We know Valentine's Day is over, but that doesn't mean the chocolate-y fun has to stop! Check out our Pinterest board for ideas such as tofu chocolate pudding, a giant Kit Kat bar, or the ultimate decadently dense, flourless chocolate cake. There is always a right time to eat chocolate!

Appetizing Aperture

 

 

We're thinking seafood! Enjoy delicious crab cakes hand crafted by Marietta's newest seafood restaurant, Pier 213 Seafood. Just look at this beauty. Hunks of fresh, tender crabmeat from the Gulf, seasoned, pattied and seared to a luxurious golden brown hue. Dress casual, ride the tide to Marietta and place your order at the counter to get yours for lunch any day or dinner Monday through Saturday.

Read It and Tweep: TravelGirl Magazine Just Wants to Have Global Fun

  

In its fifth year of publication, Atlanta's own TravelGirl Magazine enthralls women 25-65 who love all things travel related. The magazine covers the senses: sense of humor, sense of adventure, sense to catch Twitter tips (@TravelGirlMag) on the go, and the most important of all, the sense to pack stylish, comfortable shoes.

Sample Tweet: Take time this holiday wknd to plan ur 2013 travels. NOLA is hot: Mardi Gras, Super Bowl, Jazz Fest@TravelgirlSteph will keep us posted!

Aqua blue and Marlow's Tavern Dish It Out for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at 10th Annual Taste of Dunwoody

Taste of Dunwoody sells out each year, which is no surprise considering guests can sample specialties from more than 25 of the area's top restaurants such as Marlow's Tavern and Aqua blue. The event, which benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, celebrates its 10^th anniversary on February 15 at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North in the Concourse complex on the Perimeter's top end. Guests will dance off their noshing to music by Yacht Rock Revue and bid on silent auction deals.
 

Weeknights at HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern

 

Look no further for weeknight plans. HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern in Midtown takes daily specials to a whole new level. Mondays are "Date Night" where $19.95 buys a three-course dinner for two (go ahead, call your date today). Pop in on Tuesdays for all-you-can-eat sliders for $12.95 from 5-11 p.m. and show off your smarts when trivia begins at 8:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, stake your claim to surf and turf with a complementary beer pairing, all for only $15. HOBNOB rocks with live music on Thursdays from 8-11 p.m., perfect for toe tapping and finger snapping out any workweek tensions. With all of these succulent and social weeknight opportunities, you'll need the weekend to rest!

5 Chefs + 5 Pigs + 5 Winemakers = Cochon 555 -- Coming Home to Atlanta February 17

Brady Lowe began Cochon 555 five years ago right here in Atlanta to promote sustainable farming of heritage breed pigs. Stopping in 10 cities across the United States, the culinary competition and tasting event is returning home to Atlanta with a stop at the Sheraton Atlanta Downtown on Sunday, February 17. Joe Schafer of King + Duke is one of the five chefs preparing a snout-to-tail menu using one of five pigs in the pork-centric competition. The lineup of 20 event judges includes Gerry Klaskala of Aria, Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246 and The Optimist, Drew Van Leuven of Seven Lamps and Chad Clevenger of Alma Cocina. Guests and judges will determine the “best bite of the day” and send the winner on to the June 16 Grand Cochon competition at the FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, Colo. Seven Lamps Mixologist Arianne Fielder will compete against five other mixologists in the new “Punch Kings” cocktail competition open to VIP guests. All guests will pig out on pork and sample five bourbons in addition to the wines from five family wineries. And there’s more action in the pen: a butcher demonstration from Rusty Bowers of Pine Street Market, a raffle, ice-cold brews and a champagne toast, Fernet Branca digestifs and pork-spiked desserts. VIP ($200/person) admitted at 4 p.m.; general admission ($125/person) at 5 p.m. Purchase tickets online.

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tickets Go On Sale February 14

Save the date! Tickets for the 2013 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival in Midtown go on sale this Thursday, February 14. This year's special events, speakers, demonstrations and food and wine tastings span the weekend of Thursday, May 30-Sunday, June 2. These tickets would make an amazing addition to any Valentine's Day gift, so don't forget to purchase them for your love!

200 Words about Ray's Restaurants Could Win You $200

So you know that story you've told your friends and family a hundred times about the time you were at a Ray's Restaurant and that really awesome/life-changing/mind-blowing thing happened? Well, here's your chance to win a $200 dining card just for sharing it with the restaurant. Jot down that memorable moment in 200 words or less and send it to myraysstory@gmail.com by February 28 and you could have another great tale to tell, courtesy of your friends at Ray's.   The winner will be announced on March 1. No purchase necessary. Read complete details online and on Facebook. Follow along on Twitter (#myraysstory) and visit Pinterest for updates.

Take a Bite Out of the Big Easy with Marlow's Tavern "Bayou 'n Bourbon" Menu Plus More in this Week's Dish

Last minute Valentine's Day planners - you're in luck! With just two more days to make an impression on your loved one, be sure to check out our list of ATL restaurants with delicious V-Day specials. Ahead of the game on those dinner plans? Check out all the Mardi Gras fun and other events around the city, plus much more in this week's Dish! 

Fat Tuesday Fun at Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub

 

Celebrate Mardi Gras by enjoying Bourbon Street festivities right here in Brookhaven. Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub is loading up on beads, classic NOLA foods and adult beverages for Fat Tuesday fans on February 12. Specials such as red beans and rice, jambalaya, and gumbo with chicken, andouille sausage and tasso ham comfort Cajun cravings. Hurricane and Hand Grenade cocktails and shot specials put the whole krewe in a party attitude. More on Facebook.

Marlow’s Tavern is Ready to Let the Good Times Roll During “Bayou ‘n Bourbon”

Can’t travel to NOLA this week? No worries! Head to Marlow’s Tavern for the annual “Bayou ‘n Bourbon” menu! Get a bite of the Big Easy with delicious dishes like roast chicken and shrimp gumbo ($6.50); fiery crawfish fondue ($9); honey Jack chicken and andouille flatbread ($9.50); “Nawlins-style” po’ boy of shrimp and crawfish ($12.50); bayou burger spiked with andouille sausage, crawdaddies and cheddar cheese ($12); deconstructed jambalaya ($14); sweet Bourbon St. rib-eye blackened and blazed with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey ($26).

Ready for dessert? A honey bourbon bread pudding made with honey and vanilla crème brûlée, soaked ciabatta and a splash of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey ($7) closes the spirited meal. And you can’t forget the adult beverages… Marlow’s takes on New Orleans’ classic cocktails including “Pat’s” Marlow’s Hurricane ($8), Ramos Gin Fizz ($8.50), Cajun Cosmo ($9) with Absolut Mango and Pepper ($9) and Louisiana’s own Abita Restoration ($5.50), the ideal companion for spicy Cajun dishes. “Bayou ‘n Bourbon” pours it on through March 25!