Our Appetizing Aperture Of The Week

Chef Drew Belline's Backyard Honey Gelato Cone With Fennel Pollen

Honey, this amazing gelato cone from Chef Drew Belline of Decatur's No. 246 is truly the bee's knees!

New York Butcher Shoppe Sponsors Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival

In a deal sealed over grill and flames, New York Butcher Shoppe is sponsoring the Backyard Division cooking competition in this year's Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival on Saturday, October 1. Sure, there's a pro league, but New York Butcher Shoppe's heart is into helping aspiring BBQ pitmasters grill to their greatest potential with top-quality meats. New York Butcher Shoppe is providing all of the meat and a $25 gift card for each of the 20 teams that may make up the Backyard Division. They're even judging teams for the most creative name and will pick up the $200 entrance fee for their winning choice. 


The New York Butcher Shoppe also is providing the meat for the "Anything Butt" competition on Friday, September 30. For more information on the festival and competition, visit the event website. The New York Butcher Shoppe has three locations in Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, and they're on Facebook, too.


New York Butcher Shoppe: Dunwoody at 2458 Mt. Vernon Road; 770-399-6328. Sandy Springs at 4969 Roswell Road; 404-303-0704. Alpharetta at 5354 McGinnis Ferry Road; 678-624-0047.

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

Wow!  That confession almost says it all about this proud Southern Belle!  Like Margaret Mitchell's Melly, Kate S. rejoices in all things "sweetly southern."  Besides cupcakes and silver, she has a penchant for story telling and junk store shopping.  

Her tweets (@sthrnbellesimpl) are a delightful pop of Southern culture on a smart phone, and her Southern Belle Simple blog tells more of the story, y'all.  

Marlow's Tavern & Special Olympics Georgia Set the Gold Standard for Teamwork

With eight locations around metro Atlanta, Marlow's Tavern is all about being a part of the community and satisfying their neighbors with the "Best of the Best" in American tavern fare. Fittingly, for the past 14 years, Marlow's has been dedicated to helping some of the "Best of the Best" in Georgia sports -- Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA). Each year, Marlow's Tavern hosts a golf tournament for SOGA, and each time Marlow's opens a new location, SOGA benefits from the opening night fundraiser. All together, these events have brought in close to $300,000 for Special Olympics Georgia. Marlow's was recognized as a SOGA sponsor in the organization's August e-newsletter. Read it and be inspired to help this very special program. Golfers -- be a part of the fun; the Marlow's Tavern Golf Classic is October 10 at Horseshoe Bend Country Club and is followed by a reception at Aqua blue in Roswell.

Dionysian Delights Every Wednesday in September at Fleming's

What better way to make it past hump day and on to the weekend than by indulging in some savory sips of wine at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar! On every "Winesday" (translation Wednesday) in September, guests can delight in 25 percent off any bottle from the new Fleming's 100 and/or complimentary corkage of their own wine. The gift that keeps on giving, guests who take advantage of either of these offers will receive a special Fleming’s card good for 25 percent off any of the Fleming’s 100 bottles or for complimentary corkage on a future visit before December 30.

Gluten-Free Has Never Tasted So Good: Head to No. 246 for National Celiac Disease Awareness Day (and Beyond!)

Anyone cutting gluten out of their diet knows how tricky it can be, especially when dining out!  Luckily, No. 246 in Decatur has made things a little easier, because they offer gluten-free pasta every day by request.  They can provide gluten-free versions of any of the pasta dishes on their menu, and because they are a locally driven restaurant, these noodle options rotate regularly depending on what ingredients are available.  Since, today is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day (Learn more about it here.), celebrate with a heaping helping of gluten-free pasta at No. 246.  Even better, you can get gluten-free spaghetti at Monday night Spaghetti Suppers, held from 5 - 10 p.m. each Monday through September 26.  Monday's Spaghetti Suppers are $24 per person for four courses, including a "Toast" appetizer, salad, spaghetti with one of three toppings and gelato for dessert.

"Like" No. 246 on Facebook and follow them on Twitter (@no_246).

No. 246:  129 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue; 678-399-8246.

Retail Therapy Reigns Supreme at Spice Market Next Wednesday

Next Wednesday, September 21, Spice Market (located inside the W Atlanta-Midtown) is hosting the ultimate Ladies Night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Think cocktails, nibbles and a discount card for The W Hotels Store. It's a great time to get the girls together to try one or both of the night’s two signature cocktails at $5 apiece and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvre while swooning over the new W Hotels Store exclusive Global Glam fall/winter line that will be on display at the restaurant. Ladies Night attendees will receive a discount card good for 20 percent off a purchase in the store, which is also located inside the hotel and will remain open until 10 p.m. that night. The W Hotels Store has everything from jewelry and apparel to travel gear and home furnishings. It's also a great place to find holiday gifts, and let's face it, who wouldn't want to combine sipping, snacking and shopping?!

Say “So Long Summer” with RA Sushi on September 15

Just because summer's almost over doesn't mean the fun has to end. RA Sushi is throwing a "So Long Summer" party from 7 p.m. until close on Thursday, September 15. Forget about your summertime blues, you'll be too busy enjoying all the outrageous specials and music from DJ Krillz to care!

There are plenty of food specials for guests to sample including a Sunset Roll ($6), Seaside Roll ($7), Grilled Beef Skewers ($8), Bonfire Shrimp ($9), Summer School Chicken Nuggets ($6) and Kaisen Ceviche ($11). Feeling a little parched? Check out the all-day drink specials include Long Island Iced Tea ($5), Endless Summer Night ($5), Summer Sake Sangria ($5), Kirin/Kirin Light and Sake ($5), Bud Light ($3) and Miller Lite ($3).

Summer is on the way out, but outstanding food and drinks are always in at RA Sushi in Midtown. Get more details and RSVP on Facebook.

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

Rooftop has spirit, yes they do! Rooftop has spirit, how about you?

Get your game face on!  Fans wearing or carrying ANY Georgia Tech gear – including Georgia Tech shirts, hats, pom-poms, pens, IDs, bumper stickers, you name it – to Rooftop 866 on Tech game days (home and away!) will score 20 percent off the tasty bar bites!  The deal starts this Saturday, September 10 when the Yellow Jackets face off against Middle Tennessee State University, so dust off your Tech paraphernalia and get ready for a delicious discount!  You can sample house-made chips with chili, peach and Vidalia onion dip, lump crab potato skins, short rib sliders, pork carnitas tacos, grilled ham and cheese with arugula and tomato jam or halibut ceviche!  Need a celebratory drink to wash it all down?  Rooftop 866 has plenty of signature cocktails, wine, and beer to keep the party going.  Open daily, weather permitting, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Rooftop 866:  866 West Peachtree Street, NW; 678-412-2402.

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

From copy and podcasts on music, restaurants, ritzy and boutique travel options, nightlife and clubs to top chef and celebrity sightings and interviews, Carly Redgers and journeyPod peek behind the scenes to keep you well fed on a luxurious diet. It's also a savvy spot for honeymoon ideas, spas and even interesting festivals -- all over the world. Download and listen in or read the online magazine.  For smaller doses, join in on the Twitter (@journeypod) conversation.

Our Appetizing Aperture Of The Week

Touchdown! Football season is back and so were these awesome football doughnuts from always crave-worthy Krispy Kreme on a recent visit to their Columbus store.  This calls for excessive celebration!

Kevin Gillespie on Squidbillies Sunday at 11:45 p.m.

Don't miss it! Kevin plays himself on the popular Adult Swim show Squidbillies. According to sources, it's hilarious. According to Kevin, it's a dream come true. Weigh in on his Facebook page.

You Can't Spell Sunday Southern Comfort Without R-A-Y-S

Buttermilk fried chicken, house-cut pork chops and turkey with dressing...these are just some of the Sunday classics that have brought friends and family together around the table! Now, Ray's at Killer Creek is cooking up these southern comfort foods with a gourmet twist for Sunday supper from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Executive Chef Tracey Bloom is sending out bottomless sides and oven-fresh biscuits or cornbread to accompany her new family style meal that replaces Sunday brunch. Quite a find at $16 per person! When an afternoon or evening calls for a cocktail, stop at Ray's at Killer Creek to enjoy their new line-up of lounge specials. Taste your way through the new flavors of Ray's signature martinis and other daily deals such as half-price appetizers, $5 cocktails, and beer and wine specials. Live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights.

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

Vote for Your Favorite Chefs So Their Face Can Grace a Street Banner!

Hurry! Every vote counts as Taste of Atlanta selects its top 12 chefs according to Facebook polling. We're campaigning for some of our favorites: Andrew Smith of Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland, Asha Gomez of Spice Route Supper Club and Cardamom Hill, Drew Belline of no. 246, Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar and John Coley of Double Zero Napoletana. The only "voter registration" required is to "Like" the Taste of Atlanta Facebook page so you can participate in the vote count. Voting ends September 9. The 12 top vote recipients will be listed on festival banners. This year's fill-the-streets-with-eats festival takes place the weekend of October 23 - 24. Get to voting and tasting!

We've Got the Cure for the Back to Work Blues: National Coffee Ice Cream Day

We know it's extra hard to get back into the work week groove after a long holiday weekend, but luckily today is National Coffee Ice Cream Day so you have an excuse to double up on the sugar and the caffeine. What keeps our buzz going is the Vietnamese coffee ice cream at Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown. As an office full of java junkies, we can promise you it's creamy, caffeinated and totally tasty. And trust us, it's not a dessert that you want to share. You can also get it to go ($4/half a pint) for an even faster fix!

Book Your Christmahaunakwanzika Party at Aqua Blue Early and Save!

Keep more jingle in the holiday season (and in your pocket) by booking your party early at Aqua blue. Do you think Santa waits till the month before Christmas to start planning? Nooo-ho-ho way, and neither should you! You don't have to hold the party now, but if you plan ahead and book your holiday soirée in the next few weeks you’ll be able to save a sizable chunk of change. The popular restaurant and bar in Roswell is extending 10 percent off party food costs and nixing the room rental fee for those who book their event before September 16. Aqua blue simplifies the planning process and offers options ranging from value-priced luncheons to multi-course fine dining and elegant cocktail receptions with chef stations. To book your event, contact Sabrina Rosenberg, srosenberg@sterlingspoon.com, 770-643-8886.

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

Bonnie Tandy Leblang has the healthy degree (she's a registered dietician) but admits loving food -- all kinds of food.  Find out what's going on in her food world bite-by-bite on Twitter (@BonnieBOTB).  For bigger portions, hit up her interactive website -- Bite of the Best.

There’s No Fowl Play in Bluffton: New Chicken Abattoir Opens at White Oak Pastures

Pass the drumsticks, please!  On August 29, White Oak Pastures began processing birds in their brand new, on-farm poultry abattoir -- the only USDA-inspected poultry processing facility available to farmers for processing free-range pastured poultry in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.  The timing couldn’t be better, because today marks the start of National Chicken Month, and what better way to celebrate than with some tasty, free-range fare?  Will Harris offers chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese on his five-generation, family owned and operated Bluffton, Ga. farm.  In addition to the abattoir, Harris is further developing the farm’s Serengeti Plains rotational grazing model that moves cows, sheep and birds through pastures for feeding and fertilizing -- a method that has existed for centuries in Africa.  White Oak Pastures also participates in the Global Animal Partnership's Five-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards program and is one of only two farms in the country to receive the Step Five certification on its chickens (and one of only a handful of farms to receive the Step Four certification on cattle).  You can find White Oak Pastures chicken in many of your favorite restaurants and grocery stores.  So don’t delay, get some today!

White Oak Pastures: 22775 Highway 27, Bluffton, GA; 229-641-2081

Duck Into Atkins Park Smyrna for Dueling Pianos Tonight!

While you're staring at your computer screen today, you might as well start typing up a list of your favorite song requests so you can head over to Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna tonight for dueling pianos! Every Wednesday night at 8 p.m., pianists Ty Reynolds, Mike Renna and Mark Kovaly will play all the requests you can think of along with their own preferred selections. We suggest keeping an ongoing personal playlist and turning this ivory-tickling entertainment into a weekly outing with friends!

Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna is located in Market Village at 2840 Atlanta Road.

Saved by the Bocce Ball

According to the Atlanta Bocce League (ABL), bocce ranks third in worldwide sports participation (behind soccer and golf) and is considered to be the oldest-known sport in world history. In true southern Italian style, Double Zero Napoletana in Sandy Springs is finishing up installation of bocce ball courts on its generous patio, and both courts will soon be ready for bocce action.

Don't know if you have what it takes? The ABL says bocce essentials are "something to sit on, something to sip on, something to listen to, and the bocce balls." The restaurant will host the Atlanta Bocce Ball fall league from 6:15 - 10 p.m. every Wednesday night for eight weeks beginning on September 14. Don't forget the sips at Double Zero's full bar, or the sits -- as in sitting down to share small plates, dinner or dessert after the match! More on Facebook.

Bocce is already well entrenched in the game repertoire of Ormsby's. The Atlanta Bocce League will play fall games at this Westside bar and eatery on Monday nights beginning September 19 from 6:15 - 10 p.m. Ormsby's is home to Atlanta's premier indoor bocce league...good to know because a) no rainouts (in case it does rain); b) no dry spells (abundance of cold brews and other libations); and c) plenty of fuel for the games with hearty appetizers, sandwiches and burgers.

To participate, sign up at www.atlbocce.com by Thursday, September 1. Registration costs $45 per player with a five-player minimum per team. Teams registering with fewer than five players may absorb other registrants to form a complete team.

Double Zero Napoletana: 5825 Roswell Road; 770-817-8000.
Ormsby's: 1170 Howell Mill Road, NW; 404-968-2033.