Show Pops He's Tops with These Father's Day Ideas

   

Food and beverages are the way to go for the king of everything on Father's Day, June 17. There are numerous advantages to treating dad to a special meal out or gourmet food and drink items to enjoy with his pals. Family time for starters, everyone gets to try something new, and you won't see that tie or tool in the donation or re-gifting box.

Gourmet-on-the-go dads have places to go and want epicurean foods to eat. Alon's Bakery and Market is a superhero in this department with decadent desserts, artisan breads, chocolates and lots more fit-for-a-king food and beverage items. Locations in Virginia Highland and Dunwoody.

Spirited dads who already have the golf clubs and tennis accessories will appreciate receiving a gift they can enjoy after the action - a cool summer cocktail made from your gift of American Spirit Whiskey (ASW), available to purchase at area package stores. Start his mixology ideas flowing with recipes from the ASW website.

Sleep in or church first? Afterward, head to Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar for a special three-course Father's Day brunch offered from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. $34.95 per adult and $16.95 for children ages 12 and under (plus tax and gratuity). Besides covering taste bud bases from filet mignon to New Orleans-style French toast, guests can celebrate with Blood Orange Fizz cocktails for $6.95 each. Dads receive a $25 gift card for marking the day at Fleming's. Make reservations by calling 770-698-8112.

Calling all grill daddies and Big Green Egg aficionados. Marlow's Tavern locations are ready to thrill with grilled skirt steak and backyard blackened swordfish - all offerings on the hit "Red, White and Brew" menu available Tuesday, June 12 through Monday, July 23 at all eight Marlow's Tavern locations. Dad prefers his eggs big, green and smoking hot?  Suggest he enter the third annual Marlow's Tavern Grilling Recipe Contest, same dates. He could win a Big Green Egg and get his recipe on the menu! Stay tuned for more details on Facebook.

Burger-meisters will relish lunch or dinner at Smashburger, where they can create their own burger or choose the wedge club burger, Atlanta burger or another juicy specialty beef burger or chicken sandwich. Thick, handspun Häagen-Dazs milkshakes might lead to a new mustache look for dad. With five Atlanta-area locations, there's a Smashburger near you.

Grill-it-yourselfers will salivate in anticipation when receiving grass-fed beef, lamb or free-range poultry from White Oak Pastures. It's okay. Let dad show off his grill-stripe patterns and save with the White Oak Pastures Father's Day sale running June 8-12. Sale prices include ribeyes for $10.09/pound, New York strips for $8.49/pound, filets for $10.89/pound, ground chicken for $4.99/pound and duck for $12/pound. Place an order online or call 229-641-2081. 

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

This week's tweep proves one can host a cooking show on the radio and garnish it with Twitter and a website/blog. American Public Media proves it with "The Splendid Table," the show for people who love to eat, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Find "The Splendid Table" on Twitter (@Splendid Table) or online. To cook while driving, find your radio station and tune in. WABE 90.1 FM in Atlanta plays the show Saturdays at noon.

Doughnuts and Donations for Krispy Kreme Cops on Shops

From 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, Law Enforcement Torch Run deputies will be perched on the roof of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts store at 6761 Veterans Parkway in Columbus. These heroes have been sitting on top of Krispy Kreme Doughnut shops to raise money for Special Olympics athletes in Georgia for a dozen years now, so stop by and help donate. A $5 donation receives a thank you treat from Krispy Kreme. Donate $1,000 or more, and Krispy Kreme throws a complimentary doughnut party for you. Customers will enjoy fun activities on the ground level such as a space walk (courtesy of Clownin' Around Amusement Rentals) and "Dunk a Deputy" for a $2 donation. Cool off with a treat from The Ice Cream Girl & Co. and 20 percent goes to the fundraiser. Don’t forget about all of the yummy doughnut choices, iced drinks and Krispy Kreme Chillers inside.

Appetizing Aperture: Mixologist Lara Creasy's Farmer Tom's Collins Cocktail at JCT. Kitchen & Bar

Shop for your cocktail glass as well as for your plate at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. At 10 a.m. this Saturday, June 9, JCT. Kitchen & Bar Mixologist Lara Creasy demos how to concoct garden-fresh libations. Bet you want to reach into the screen and pluck out her Farmer Tom's Collins cocktail, a refreshing mix of Farmer's Organic Gin, lemon, herbsaint, fresh herbs and soda.

Eat Some Pastured Poultry, Y'all

If you haven't given much thought to the chicken you eat, next week is a good time to remedy that. Pastured Poultry Week starts Monday, June 11 and goes through Sunday, June 17. It's set up by Georgians for Pastured Poultry(GPP), an alliance that promotes the use of high-welfare, pasture-raised poultry in Georgia. Over 20 Atlanta restaurants, including Ecco, JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246 and Woodfire Grill, will feature the superior tasting and healthier birds each day so that you can taste the difference. If you'd like to cook some pastured poultry at home, buy some at your local farmers market or Whole Foods  and then check out this video where Shaun Doty shows you how it's a little different from the chickens we typically buy in the store. Or come see Shaun in person at Morningside Farmers Market on Saturday, June 16 where he'll be doing a demonstration and talking about his new local free-range and pastured poultry restaurant, Bantam and Biddy, which opens in September. We get our pastured chickens from Will Harris at  White Oak Pastures, another stakeholder in the group whose mission is to make Georgia the leader in the production and consumption of pastured poultry. Learn more about  pastured poultry facts and information by visiting the Georgians for Pastured Poultry website.

Jazz up Your Saturday at Ray's on the River

Ray's on the River's Summer Concert Series is taking the stage again this Saturday, June 9 at 2 p.m., and you won't want to miss out on this melodious afternoon at Atlanta's beloved riverside restaurant. Ray's on the River will carve out an area for guests to sit back and soak up jazz and blues by Jon Liebman, Scott Glazer, Joe Alterman and friends. If you come early, you can enjoy 20 percent off lunch at the restaurant with your ticket; otherwise, food and drink concessions will be sold at the concert. Concert tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door with proceeds benefitting the Fragile Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists families in need of aid to effectively care for their medically fragile children. This family friendly event is one of a three-part series of Ray's on the River concerts benefiting local charities. After this Saturday, you'll have to wait until July 21 to sit back and enjoy renowned trumpeter Joey Sommerville at a concert that will assist the clean water efforts led by the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Click here to purchase tickets via Eventbrite, and see you out on the lawn!

A Heaping Helping of Father's Day Ideas - Plus Lots More - In The Dish

Father's Day is right around the corner, and we've got the scoop on how to treat dear old dad - plus lots more - in this week's Dish! If you're not receiving the Dish every Tuesday morning in your inbox, you can sign up either here on our blog or on our Facebook page.

Which Came First: The Chicken? Or the Eggs Benedict?

According to The Kitchen Project, there seems to be some discrepancy in the which-came-first department of eggs Benedict recipe origins. While it appears to have had its inception up north, we're partial to the southern version -- Georgia Eggs Benedict -- poached up by Chicken and the Egg. Southern farmstead fare, such as this or fried green tomato eggs Benedict, is an integral part of each day at the Marietta eatery. Seeing that June 4 is National Eggs Benedict Day, you might be up for trying your hand at making this dish over the weekend. Chicken and the Egg Chef and Owner Marc Taft gave us the thumbs up on sharing his recipe, so don't think we're being Benedict Arnolds. For trivia's sake, the Revolutionary War traitor was neither initiator nor namesake of the traditional or Georgia versions.

Sit down to weekend brunch at Chicken and the Egg on Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Additionally, the restaurant serves weekday lunch and dinner nightly.

Chicken and the Egg's Georgia Eggs Benedict 

2 Biscuits (Make your own or use your favorite store-bought brand)

4 Slices of country ham (may also use Canadian bacon or bacon strips)

4 Eggs

1 Container of pimento cheese (of course you can make your own)

Heavy cream

Chives or green onions for garnish

1. In a saucepan on the side burner of your grill or on your cook top, slowly melt pimento cheese over medium-low heat. When it starts melting, slowly add a little heavy cream while stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Keep this mixture over low heat until ready to use.
2. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Break each egg into one of the muffin slots and set on the grill over medium-high heat.
3. While the eggs are cooking, place your country ham on the grill to heat.
4. Cut biscuits in half. On each half, place one of the slices of country ham.
5. Place one of the cooked eggs on top of each slice of country ham and spoon pimento cheese mixture over the top.
6. Place trimmed chive or green onion on top for a garnish.

Appetizing Aperture of the Week: Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Lump Crabmeat from Alma Cocina

If the photo is as fresh and delish as this, can you imagine how exquisite the real deal tastes? You can just about taste this cantaloupe gazpacho with lump crabmeat that won first place for Alma Cocina at the recent Taste of the Highlands food fest in Virginia Highland. No pictures for second-place winner Ecco or dessert winner Alon's Bakery and Market. Better head over and snap a photo or two before you chew.

It's Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep Of The Week @thesouthernc #ff

What's hot in the South besides the asphalt? All modern-paved and Old South dirt roads lead to The SouthernC (@the southernc), where a community of friends share a similar interest -- the South. If you live below the Mason-Dixon Line, say "yes" and nod as you read along. Displaced up north or pining to move south, visit The Southern Coterie blog and let the South come to you. Plenty to pin here.

Warm Weather means Mouthwatering Pairing at RA Sushi

Summer flavors unite between the watermelon and kiwi cocktail and entrée pairing at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown. Explore these flavors with the Watermelon Kiwi Shrimp and the Melon-Kiwi-Tini cocktail. Watermelon, kiwi, orange slices, lychee and shrimp come together for the light and healthy Watermelon Kiwi Shrimp entrée. Pair this dish with the Melon-Kiwi-Tini, featuring muddled flavors of Monin Watermelon, Svedka Citron and shochu with soda fizz and watermelon and kiwi garnish, and you've got a colorfully refreshing meal for just $18. Enjoy the summer pairing between June 1-30 at RA sushi, which is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with a late-night menu available until midnight (the bar is open even later).

Celebrate National Doughnut Day with Krispy Kreme

This Friday, June 1st, let Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in Columbus, Ga. treat you to a free doughnut of your choice. Whether it's Original Glazed®, sprinkled with sugar or iced, enjoy this well-rounded treat in honor of National Doughnut Day. The Salvation Army initiated the annual occasion in 1948 to raise funds for those in need during the Great Depression, and it remains something to look forward to on the first Friday of each June. Share your doughy delight via Twitter (@KrispyKreme #DoughnutDay), but make sure to lick your fingers clean first. The Columbus Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop is located at 6761 Veterans Parkway, 706-320-2124. 

Chefs Shop, Chop, Vie For Iron Chef Title At Friday Night Peachtree Road Farmers Market

Atlanta’s largest producer-only market will be open this Friday night from 4-8 p.m. for a special Iron Chef competition. The fresh-from-the-field action will be going down between Chefs Justin Balmes and Patric Bell, along with four other popular Atlanta chefs. The chefs will each be given $45 to buy ingredients. Before the clock strikes 6 p.m. they must turn those ingredients into farm-fresh plates for 100 lucky ticket holders. The ticket holders will be the judges by sampling the plates and choosing a winner. Tickets are $5 and go on sale at 4 p.m.

Not only will there be hot competition among some of the hottest chef’s in Atlanta, the usual 70-plus vendors selling fruits, veggies and handmade goodies will be there, plus live bluegrass by The Farmland Trio and dinner options from a fleet of food trucks.

If you show up Saturday morning you’ll miss out on all the fun! Plus the vender’s will be sleeping in after a big Friday night in the city. Repeat, no market on Saturday. So come spend your Friday happy hour at the Peachtree Road Farmer’s Market and you too can sleep in on Saturday morning.

Summer Fun Begins Early At Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland with Pong Wars & Summerfest

Short work weeks are something to celebrate, so make plans to do just that at Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland this week with a spirited paddle battle! The restaurant is setting Pong Wars in motion starting on Wednesday, May 30 with single elimination rounds starting up at 10:30 p.m. Sam Adams sponsors the fast-paced event that leads to a Sam Adams tailgate grill and awesome cooler (each valued at $150) for first- and second-place winners. Be there early to get a seat and get in the lineup!

Also coming up in the neighborhood and celebrating 29 years of art, food and fun, Virginia Highland Summerfest 2012 will be taking over on June 2-3.  Visitors can shop for original art at the artist market, enjoy great food, run the 5K and listen to live music presented by 92.9 dave-fm. There’s also a KidsFest area in John Howell Park to keep the little ones entertained. Look for the Atkins Park Tavern food tent while you’re there. At this year’s festival, we remember our friend Warren Bruno, owner of Atkins Park and Ormsby’s, who passed away earlier this month. Warren was one of the original organizers of this popular summertime festival.

Wake Up and Taste the Samples: Jittery Joe's Demos at Alon's

Perk up your midweek morning with a few jolts of Jittery Joe's java at a Wednesday morning coffee tasting on May 30, courtesy of Alon's Bakery and Market in Virginia Highland. Jittery Joe's will start roasting and pouring it on strong at 10 a.m. Sip several types and pick out a few to fit your a.m. and p.m. coffee moods then purchase some small cans to take with you. According to research, coffee is the number-one source of antioxidants in the American diet. Put that in your cup and drink it. You know what they say, the mo' Joe the merrier!

Pour the best brew with Alon's Bakery And Market and Jittery Joe's - And More - In This Week's Dish

A long Memorial Day weekend comes to a close here in Atlanta -- it's time to pour a strong cup of coffee and catch up on the latest culinary news from around town in The Dish! If you're not receiving the Dish every Tuesday morning in your inbox, you can sign up either here on our blog or on our Facebook page.

Memorial Day at Atkins Park

It's too hot to cook. Head to Atkins Park in the Highlands on Memorial Day where they will be firing up the Big Green Egg. Enjoy Slow Smoked BBQ Brisket served with creamy slaw and Vidalia onion rings ($15), or have some yummy St. Louis Spare Ribs topped with fresh GA peach BBQ sauce served with fries and corn on the cob (half rack $15/full rack $21). And you gotta wet your whistle, right? Pair both these Memorial Day smokers with New Belgium Somersault Ale: Citrus aroma, soft apricot fruitiness and a hint of ginger (pint $5.50). What a delicious way to end the 3-day weekend!

Memorial Day Openings and Closings

Gearing up for a nice "staycation" this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, but don't feel like spending time in the kitchen on your day off? Here's a list of restaurants that will be open and ready to take care of the cooking on Monday.

• Alon's Bakery & Market (Open from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.) 
• Alpine Bakery and Trattoria 
• Atkins Park Tavern (Smyrna & Virginia Highland) 
• Double Zero Napoletana 
• Ecco 
• The Original El Taco 
• Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 
• La Tavola Trattoria 
• Marlow's Tavern (All locations) 
• Ormsby's (Opens at 5 p.m.) 
• RA Sushi 
• Ray's Restaurants (Open from 12:00 p.m. - 9 p.m.) 
• Ray's in the City and Ray's at Killer Creek will have "Buy One, Get One" entrees during dinner. 
• Ray's on the River will feature half price wine during dinner.
• Spice Market
• Uncle Julio's (Buckhead & Sandy Springs)

Restaurants that will be closed Monday: 

• Alma Cocina 
• Aqua Blue Restaurant & Bar 
• Aria 
• Chicken and the Egg 
• JCT Kitchen & Bar 
• Kaleidoscope Bistro and Pub 
• Market Street Cafe 
• No. 246 
• South City Kitchen (Midtown & Vinings) 
• The Optimist & Oyster Bar at The Optimist 
• Woodfire Grill

Whatever your plans may be, have a safe and relaxing holiday!

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

Food and writing has everything to do with Lucky Peach, the quarterly journal created by David Chang, chef/owner of Momofuko, writer Peter Meehan, and Zero Point Zero Production, the producers of "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations."  Follow them on Twitter (@LuckyPeach). To subscribe or to submit your own recipes, dirty jokes and tall tales, visit the website.

RA Sushi Hosts 8th Annual Nicky’s Week for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

In 2005, at the young age of 13, Nicholas “Nicky” Malliard lost his long battle with brain cancer. A nephew of one of RA Sushi’s founders, for the past eight years during Memorial Day weekend RA Sushi has celebrated and honored Nicky’s memory.  This year the 8^th Annual Nicky’s Week stretches from Sunday May 27 to Saturday June 2.  In honor of the treatment Nicky received at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital during his battle with brain cancer, 100% of the proceeds from a variety of menu and drink items will benefit St. Jude’s. This year’s special selections include edamame, Tootsy Maki, shrimp nigiri, pork gyoza, chicken yakitori, garlic citrus yellowtail tapas and a variety of beverages. Since RA first established Nicky’s Week fundraiser in 2005, it has raised more than $943,000 for St. Jude’s, all to ensure that no child is turned away from treatment due to the inability to pay. Come out to RA Sushi this Memorial Day weekend and you can help surpass the $1 million in donations!