Cows, Moove Over and Share the Field! Atlanta Restaurants Plate Up Pastured Poultry Week Specials over July 7-13

In an effort to celebrate the advantages of pastured raised chicken, nearly 100 restaurants in Georgia, New York City and Charleston will feature pastured poultry specialties on their menus for Pastured Poultry Week, July 7-13. Participating Atlanta restaurants include Aria, Article 14, Bantam + Biddy, Chick-a-Biddy, Glenn’s Kitchen, Gunshow, JCT. Kitchen & Bar, King + Duke and The Optimist. For the chefs at home, White Oak Pastures pasture-raised poultry is available for purchase online or at Whole Foods Market locations.

RA Sushi Adds Four New Salads to Summer Menu

Four crisp, new salads from RA Sushi Bar Restaurant are the newest additions to the summer menu. With the Asian chicken salad, the Midtown restaurant tosses together mixed greens, chicken, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes in seasoned soy vinaigrette and tops it with sweet cayenne cashews, fried ramen noodles and sesame seeds ($10). The grilled shrimp and pineapple salad brings together mixed greens, shrimp, pineapple and green onion with Suehiro vinaigrette and sweet cayenne cashews ($11.75). Sushi and salad become one with the sashimi salad that includes tuna, yellowtail, salmon and shrimp sashimi with mixed greens, seaweed, cucumber, avocado, lo bok, poke dressing and is topped with sesame seeds, wonton chips and sliced red pepper ($12). The last salad on the menu is the dill salmon cucumber salad that combines seared salmon with mixed greens, tomato, cucumber asparagus and house dressing and is topped with dill, lemon and truffle salt ($11). Stop by RA Sushi for lunch or dinner from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and freshen up your summer taste buds. 

Get Patriotic with Festive Food and Cool Cocktails

There’s no need to sit in hours of holiday traffic because Atlanta restaurants and bars are making it worthwhile to ditch the car jams and stay in the city this Independence Day.

10^th & Piedmont is opening early on the Fourth of July to serve their regular brunch menu. Starting at 8 a.m., diners can enjoy favorites like the 10P chicken and waffles. The restaurant will be open with regular dinner hours. For more information, visit communitashospitality.com.

Time this right and you can run the Peachtree Road Race, clean up and be at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland when doors open at 11 a.m. on July 4. After that morning sprint, you’ll be ready to refuel at the neighborhood tavern’s seventh annual Go Whole Hog or Go Home barbecue. Chef Andrew Smith chooses the whole hog route. He’s smoking a Riverview Farms whole hog in the restaurant’s backyard pit. Ante up $15 for a meat, three sides and three barbecue sauces for your holiday lunch or dinner. Backyard Beer Olympics begin at 3 p.m. See which teams will dominate Ping-Pong, ladder toss, cornhole and darts to win a portion of more than $500 in prizes. Register your team at 404-876-7249. The party flows into Saturday, closing up at 3 a.m. on July 5.

A Southern Fourth of July picnic conjures up visions of fried chicken spreads and chins dripping barbecue sauce. Thanks to Bantam + Biddy, you can have both and declare independence from the heated preliminaries of frying, smoking and cleaning up your mess. Given 48-hour notice, both the Crescent Avenue and Ansley Mall Bantam + Biddy locations will pack up a Picnic-to-Go to feed four, including a whole smoked or fried chicken, fingerling potato salad with grainy mustard, watermelon and feta salad, black-eyed peas and tomato salad, cornbread and lemon bars, all for $48. If friends and family squeal over chopped pork barbecue, the Ansley Mall restaurant is smoking up a pig and will offer chopped barbecue pork sandwiches and a side for $6 each on July 4 from noon-4 p.m., while supplies last. Goodbye picnic basket – hello, holiday!

You earned it, now carb-load on the backside of the race at Hearth Pizza Tavern on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. Show off your Peachtree Road Race number and receive a complimentary eight-inch pizza (maximum value $8) on Friday, July 4. Running with a crowd or cheering section? Hearth Pizza Tavern’s menu is packed with signature and build-your-own pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, salads and plenty of thirst-quenching brews and cocktails, wines, waters, teas and Abita bottled root beer. Regular hours rule the day, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

To honor their loyal regulars, Marlow’s Tavern is sending an email to insiders with an offer of a free bison burger (one per table, per email, with a minimum purchase of $10) at their locations. To sign up for the Insider’s Club newsletter and giveaways like this, visit marlowstavern.com.

One night, so many fireworks displays. So many people! Command a calm view of metro Atlanta’s holiday illuminations by dining or enjoying drinks at Nikolai’s Roof. Think of it. A brilliant menu, sparkling drinks, 24 years with the coveted AAA Four-Diamond award, air-conditioned comfort…and no crowds or parking issues. Just a few little reminders that Roman candles and bottle rockets aren’t the only things lighting up the sky on this holiday! Open regular hours, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Make reservations via OpenTable or call 404-221-6362.

Located on Ponce de Leon in downtown Decatur, No. 246 is sidewalk close to the city’s Fourth of July Pied Piper Parade, concert and fireworks on and near the square. The restaurant will open at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 4 for a backyard cookout. Duck into the thoughtfully planned backyard complete with shaded areas, deck seating, Ping-Pong and a patriotic menu of barbecued meats, baked beans, potato salad and mac ‘n’ cheese until 9 p.m. Parade bound first? Cruise through afterward when the restaurant’s popular $6 all-you-can-eat pizza special kicks in from 9-11 p.m. The bar remains open throughout to slake thirsts.

What a catch! A whole Maine lobster is only $19.95 per person at all three Ray’s Restaurants beginning today, July 1 for a limited time. Each 1¼ pound lobster buddies up with a pool of drawn butter and your choice of side dish. And, on Friday, July 4, all three Ray’s Restaurants will be open, and you’ll shell out even less for lobster because the price sinks down to $16.95 per person. Tax and gratuity are not included in either price point. Grab this special by the tail at Ray’s in the City, Ray’s at Killer Creek and Ray’s on the River, and hurry before the tide changes and the price goes up.

Smokebelly in Buckhead is celebrating Independence Day with live music, $5 craft cocktails and $2 PBR cans. The regular menu will be offered. For more information, visit smokebellybbq.com or call 404-848-9100.

Even though Kevin Gillespie is keeping the meaty details of Terminus City when and where-abouts tucked under the bun, he’s eager for Atlantans to go ahead and sneak in a taste of what’s to come. And, since barbecue is as American as the Fourth of July, Gillespie is rolling out this special menu (instead of the regular menu) at Gunshow, his Glenwood Park flagship restaurant, on Friday and Saturday, July 4-5. Chomp into chopped barbecue, chicken-fried steak or a vegetarian entrée. Heaping helpings of sides will be offered (and replenished) via Gunshow’s rolling carts. Dine-in seating is first-come, first-served. Takeout is available à la carte with barbecued meats, slaw, Brunswick stew, cornbread, sandwiches and fried pies. Dine-in items may differ from to-go items. Visit the Facebook page or call 404-380-1886 for more information.

Make a beeline to Whole Foods Market locations for savings during the July 4 holiday. From July 3-6, Whole Foods makes cookouts a breeze with the Fourth of July Bundle. For $20, take home eight house-made Italian sausages (traditional Italian or spicy), eight hot dog buns (white or wheat) and two pounds of farmer’s potato salad. Not in the mood to cook? Whole Foods has you covered with $6.99 chicken. Choose from fried, grilled or barbecued and receive two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks and two wings. Toast the holiday with a Whole Foods Market Wine deal. All stores (except TN) are offering 20 percent off cases of wine (mix or match) from July 3-6.

After crossing the finish line at the Peachtree Road Race, get in line at Willy’s Mexicana Grill for a deal to refuel hungry runners. On Friday, July 4, wear the coveted Peachtree Road Race t-shirt to any Atlanta Willy’s location and purchase $5 burritos all day long. Burrito extras not included. For more information, restaurant locations and July 4 holiday closings, visit willys.com.

Tin Lizzy's Cantina will offer the regular menu to Independence Day celebrators until 5 p.m. at all locations. The Mall of Georgia location will be open normal hours and is the perfect spot to grab dinner before the Mall of Georgia's 12th Annual Fabulous Fourth. 

#foodgram: @damn_delicious

If you have ever wished for a page dedicated to food and Corgis, Los-Angeles based food blogger Chung-Ah Rhee has come to the rescue. Scroll through the images of her life as a food photographer, runner and Corgi mom on @damn_delicious. We think the pineapple fried rice and raspberry-crowned limoncello prosecco look too good to just be images, so head on over to the blog and try out the recipes.

Appetizing Aperture:Tin Drum Asiacafé Kang Yum Mango Bowl

Tin Drum Asiacafé is mixing things up with the Kang Yum mango bowl. Filled with sweet mango, spicy green curry sauce, sautéed chicken, rice, fresh spinach, carrots and red cabbage mango slaw topping, this dish is definitely not lacking in color or flavor. A vegetarian option is also available, but hurry before this dish disappears on August 17.

Fourth of July Celebrations, Pastured Poultry Week and More in This Week's Dish!

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the third annual Pastured Poultry Week! Restaurants from Atlanta to New York City are getting in on the action this July 7-13 by featuring pastured poultry dishes on their menus. Make a reservation at one of the participating restaurants or purchase White Oak Pastures poultry from Whole Foods Market and create a dish of your own. We're also eagerly anticipating the plethora of options for Independence Day celebrations. From ITP classics to OTP newcomers, there's sure to be an event full of food and fireworks in your neighborhood. All that and more in this week's Dish!

What's New on Pinterest: The Magical Bean

We’re spilling the beans with The Magical Bean board that’s overflowing with meat-free and meat-inclusive dishes. Create delicious chocolate brownies with black beans, chow down on chicken and pinto bean soup with lime and cilantro or cook up ugly beans that are better than fries (we’ll let you be the judge of that). If bean is the main ingredient, we have the recipe solution.

Sweet Meets Heat with Limited-time Menu at Tin Drum Asiacafé

Through August 17, Tin Drum Asiacafé diners can experience the limited-time menu – “Sweet+Heat from the Asian Streets.” Two signature items feature the Asian sweet and spicy combination. The Snap Dragon mango taco has juicy, sautéed chopped chicken marinated in an authentic spicy green curry sauce and is topped with fresh, sweet mango, steamed rice and red cabbage slaw folded into a flour tortilla. The Kang Yum mango bowl features spicy green curry sauce with sweet mango on top of sautéed chicken and a bed of rice with fresh spinach, carrots and red cabbage mango slaw. There is also a vegetarian option. For locations and more menu items, visit Tin Drum Asiacafé website. 

BBQ & Blues Stars at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails on June 29

Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails’ monthly BBQ & Blues Sundays begins Sunday, June 29. Live music starts at 5 p.m. and strums along until 9 p.m. When cornhole, craft brews and cocktails, chicken, ribs, sides by chef Derek Dollar and a special barbecue menu all come together, it is a guaranteed great time. To claim a seat call 770-817-0161.  Don’t fret, if you can’t make it this month, clear your schedule for August 24 and September 28. 

Piedmont Park Green Market Picks Article 14 Chef Christopher Blobaum to Lead Demo on June 28

Stop by the Piedmont Park Green Market on Saturday, June 28 and watch chef Christopher Blobaum from Article 14 lead the cooking demo. Chris is the corporate executive chef for Legacy Restaurant Partners and is passionate about organic farming and agricultural sustainability. The market opens at 9 a.m. and Chris will be on the Community Center patio at 11 a.m. Don’t leave empty handed; be sure to pick up farm-fresh produce and locally made goodies!

Mimosas and Bloody Marys are $1 at Article 14 Weekend Brunch

If the only tough decisions in life were about mimosas and bloody marys, the world might be a happier place. For a limited time, Article 14 in Midtown is serving up $1 mimosas and $1 bloody marys during Saturday or Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Pair your drink with menu favorites like summer berries with Greek yogurt and local honey ($8) or a simple garden salad ($7). You can also enjoy a farmers market omelet with Many Fold sheep’s milk cheese ($12) or the Daily Grind of Angus beef with aged white cheddar on brioche ($12). Sip, eat and be merry.

What’s New on Pinterest: More Cheese, Please!

Cheese really does make a meal better, but you don’t have to take our word for it. Our “More Cheese, Please!” board is filled with recipes that will have you grabbing your cheese shredder. Put a spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich with beer-battered grilled cheese oozing with smoky bacon and melty cheese between two toasted slices of beer-battered bread, or turn macaroni and cheese into pancakes. With cheese, the possibilities are endless. 

Toast Water with SweetWater Hefeweizen and Save the Hooch with Pizza on June 28

Chow down on pizza for a great cause at the Save the Hooch pizza party on Saturday, June 28 from 2-5 p.m. at Parma Tavern in Buford, Ga. Handcrafted stone-oven pizza samples will be served and the sales benefit the Waterkeeper Alliance and SweetWater’s Save the Hooch campaign. Wash it all down with an ice cold SweetWater Waterkeeper Hefeweizen before it leaves for the summer. To get the full experience, purchase a SweetWater t-shirt before you drift home. 

Appetizing Aperture: Chick-a-Biddy Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders

Calling all chicken tenders lovers, specifically the gluten-free ones. Chick-a-Biddy offers gluten-free chicken tenders served in a basket with wasabi honey or barbecue sauce and two sides ($12). Try the Itty Biddie versions fried ($6) or jerked ($5). Elvis Presley said it best, “Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled.” Happy eating!

Give it a Swirl -- Article 14 Hosts Bourbon & Bites Tasting on July 1

Article 14 offers their Bourbon & Bites tasting on the first Tuesday of each month. For $25 per person, enjoy handpicked bourbon and small bites on July 1 from 5-7 p.m. To prepare for the event, Article 14 has seven tips for bourbon tasting: study the color, give it a swirl, sniff, sip, swallow, water it down and put it on the rocks. No need to write it down; look on the Article 14 Bourbon & Bites page for a review session.

Beat the Clock and Purchase Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival Tickets before the Price Rises on July 1

We are all about saving you money. That’s why we are bringing you the ticket scoop on JCT.’s sixth annual Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival. Get your tickets before midnight on July 1 or shell out more money as ticket prices increase to $70 per person. Through June 30, experience the luxury of paying $55 person and $50 for Georgia Organics members. Spend Sunday, July 20 from 1-5 p.m. with more than 50 of the South’s top chefs, 19 mixologists and more than 30 farmers. The afternoon devoted to tasting tomato dishes and concoctions will benefit Georgia Organics and The Giving Kitchen. Along with festival founder Ford Fry, participating chefs include Gerry Klaskala of Aria, Lance Gummere of Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy, Joey Ward of Gunshow, E.J. Hodgkinson of JCT. Kitchen & Bar, Chrysta Poulos of King + Duke and St. Cecilia, Joe Schafer of King + Duke, Derek Dollar of Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, Adam Evans of The Optimist, Andrew Smith and Scotley Innis of Ormsby’s, Andrew Isabella and Drew Belline of No. 246 and Craig Richards of St. Cecilia. Mercedes O’Brien of Gunshow, Eduardo Guzman of JCT. Kitchen & Bar and The Optimist and Ronnie LeClair II of No. 246 are on the mixologist list. Head over to Goat Farm Arts Center this year for the festival and again, don’t procrastinate on purchasing your tickets. Visit Facebook for more information.

Kevin Gillespie Named Finalist in 8th Annual GRACE Awards

Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow is one of three finalists in the running for The Innovator Award. The finalists for the Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Awards are peer-nominated and are set apart by their exceptional contributions to the Georgia restaurant industry. Winners will be announced at the GRACE Awards Gala in November. Congratulations, Kevin!

Old Vinings Inn SummerFeast Puts Dinner for Two on the Table for $35

After a long work day, sometimes that last thing you want to do is turn the stove on during a hot, summer day. Old Vinings Inn understands and has the perfect solution with their SummerFeast promotion that runs through mid-August. Whether you dine in or pick up, you can receive two complete meals for $35 – appetizer, entrée, side dish and dessert. Now that’s great tasting Southern value! Each week, the chef cooks up a new menu that consists of Southern classics that are planned around the market’s best seasonal ingredients and posted on the restaurant's website and Facebook page. Some examples include pimento cheese spread, smoked and dry-rubbed baby back ribs, summer bean salad and fingerling potato salad. Dessert items could include salted caramel torte or white chocolate shortcakes with strawberry coulis and vanilla crème. For pick up orders or more information call 770-438-2282.

Bite Your Bison and Celebrate the Great American West and Great American Summer at Ted’s Montana Grill

Put your professional selfie (or regular photography) skills to great use and kick off the Ted’s Montana Grill Great American Summer celebration with “Bite Your Bison,” an online photo contest and grassroots campaign to elect bison as the national mammal (www.votebison.org). Through July 14, submit photo contest entries and nominations on the Ted’s Montana Grill Facebook page or upload Instagram photos and tweets with the hashtag #BiteYourBison. Fans vote for three finalists and a restaurant panel will vote for a grand prize winner to take home a Big Green Egg.

Ted’s Montana Grill was the first national restaurant company to introduce bison to the menu, and it offers more bison menu items than any other restaurant in the world. Before sizzling on the grill, Certified Angus Beef or National Bison Association-certified bison is ground fresh throughout the day, dashed with seasoning and hand-pattied. Some noteworthy menu items include Montana Breakfast topped with American cheese, grilled ham, spicy tomato jam and an over-easy egg; Knife-And-Fork Chili Cheese with pepper jack, cheddar, Flying D chili, jalapeños and red onions; and George’s Cadillac with cheddar cheese, smoky bacon and barbecue sauce. 

Killer Tomato Tickets, $1 Cocktails at Article 14 and More in This Week's Dish

Have your tickets to the sixth annual Attack of the Killer Tomato at The Goat Farm Arts Center yet? Snag some for just $55 per person or $50 for Georgia Organic members before the ticket price increases to $70 per person on July 1. Once your tickets have been secured, set your sights on Article 14 for $1 mimosas and bloody marys during weekend brunch for a limited time. Impressed with the menu at the Midtown favorite? Stroll over to Piedmont Park on June 28 for a demonstration from Article 14's own chef Christopher Blobaum at the Piedmont Park Green Market. All that and more in this week's Dish!