Our Appetizing Aperture of the Week

Tacos Mexicanos, anyone? We can't wait to dive into this delicious dinner when Chepe's newest location opens at the Old Alabama Square shopping center in Johns Creek on Wednesday, November 16!

From Piedmont Park to the Georgia Dome... Catch Chef Janine Falvo Around Town This Weekend

Janine Falvo seems to be everywhere these days! While "Top Chef:  Texas" had her skedaddling out west, Briza's executive chef spends the majority of her time creating Southern-influenced, whimsical dishes that are drawing happy diners in at the Midtown restaurant. On Saturday, November 12, she won't have to travel far when she journeys the few blocks from Briza's turf adjacent to the Atlanta Renaissance Midtown Hotel to the Piedmont Park Green Market. Falvo will lead the Green Market chef's demo from 11 a.m. until noon on the patio. Market opens at 9 a.m. for shopping; fill your shopping bags with seasonal good stuff then get some prep and serving tips from Falvo.    

On Sunday, Falvo will be at the Georgia Dome, heading up the local chef stand while the Falcons take on the New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. While the Falcons battle it out on the field, Falvo will be stirring things up inside 2View Restaurant located in the Dome's east end zone on the executive concourse (near the suites). Chat with Falvo and savor her dishes without missing a minute of the action on the field.

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

Grace Bonney founded Design*Sponge in 2004. These days, global readership tops 75,000 blog readers daily and 315,000+ Twitter followers. The New York Times calls it "Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials." With multiple daily updates on design, decorating, DIY, entertaining, travel, how-to videos and beyond, it's easy to see why followers are so absorbed. Follow her on Twitter(@designsponge) and soak in more on her Design*Sponge blog.  

Every Day I'm Trufflin'

Guests are euphoric about November's new $5 cocktail and appetizer promotion at Truffles Grill in Buckhead. Six Absolut martinis and an "Absolut-ly Your Way" cocktail are offered for $5 each -- all day, every day -- in the bar or dining area. That's not all, there's more! From 4 -7 p.m. daily, a $5 appetizer menu draws guests to the bar for baked brie in puff pastry, black bean cake, coconut shrimp, jumbo lump crab cake, fresh mushroom crostini or spinach and artichoke dip. Drop a $5, $10, $20 or more -- small prices for one big, happy setting.

Truffles Grill: 3345 Lenox Road; 404-364-9050.

Five After Five in the City

As if you needed one more reason to let rush hour pass before heading home after work, Ray's in the City is now offering $5 cocktails and appetizer specials starting at 5 p.m. every weekday in November to help keep you out of traffic - and sane! As part of the Downtown Dining District's "Five After Five" program, guests can sip on cocktails like a skinny margarita, sake mojito or blood orange old fashioned while nibbling on small plates such as Maytag blue cheese chips, crispy calamari, Ray's BBQ shrimp and select sushi rolls. Settle into a seat in the lounge area at Ray's in the City (240 Peachtree Street, NW) and say goodbye to road rage.

It's Open House Season - Come Visit New York Butcher Shoppe

I just love going to open houses. It's legitimized snooping. You can check out everything you've wondered about and there's usually food and drink involved too!

This week's open houses at the two locations of the New York Butcher Shoppe are no exception. You'll get to snoop to your heart's content, finding out that they carry a lot more than the best steaks around! Come by the Dunwoody location on Wednesday, November 9 or to the Sandy Springs location on Thursday, November 10 (5 - 8 p.m.) and sample chef-prepared holiday menu items and party appetizers, discuss menu options and get advice on holiday party and catering opportunities. As a bonus, order your turkey and sides while you're there, and New York Butcher Shoppe will give you 20 percent off your chef-prepared sides. See you there!

New York Butcher Shoppe - Dunwoody: 2458 Mt. Vernon Road; 770-399-6328.

New York Butcher Shoppe - Sandy Springs: 4969 Roswell Road; 404-303-0704.

Cocktails and Ra Sushi Make The Perfect Pear

North Georgia apples fall close to trees. In Midtown, "The Perfect Pears" fall into RA Sushi's cocktail glasses. The Pear Martini and Asian Pear Smash are two seasonal cocktails, $8 each, that both begin with the crisp pear taste of Absolut Pears vodka and pear nectar. 

For kicks, the Pear Martini shakes in St. Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice and a splash of Prosecco. The Asian Pear Smash muddles in falernum for spice, shiso leaf and fresh lemon juice and splashes in some nose-tickling soda. Try one or both of these "Perfect Pairs" before the last pear falls... November 30 to be exact.

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

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!