Get pumped! The Atkins Park Riders and Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland are setting wheels in motion for this year’s Warren Bruno Summerfest Celebration Ride and fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Societyon Sunday, June 7. Warren Bruno owned the flagship Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland and later opened Ormsby’s on Atlanta’s Westside. Bruno lived life with gusto, even during his eight-year battle against the cancer that eventually took his life in 2012. An avid cyclist, Bruno loved biking through his neighborhood and helped found Virginia-Highland Summerfest to share his love for “Va-Hi.” Each June, bicyclists saddle up to ride along some of his favorite streets and paths in New Highland Park, Little Five Points, the Old Fourth Ward, Piedmont Park, Ansley Park and along the Atlanta BeltLine. Summerfest, with its artist market, music, food and refreshments, waits at the end of the ride. The family friendly ride is organized for three cycling skill levels. Ride begins at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of North Highland and St. Charles avenues. BYOB -- as in bike, bottle for water and bike helmet. Sign up ($5 children under 18 years, $20 adults) before June 6 or make a donation online. All proceeds benefit Atkins Park Cycling Team as they raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Bruno’s honor.
If you’re tossing ideas around over what to do on Sunday afternoon, the cornhole tournament at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland wins, hands down. Bags will fly on the patio from 2-5 p.m. on May 17. Buddy up and form a two-person team to join the fun. The $30 per person ($60 per two-person team) entry fee includes your first pint of Monday Night Brewing Company beer and two raffle tickets for an onslaught of raffles throughout the afternoon. Loosen up with discounted Monday Night Brewing beers. Even better, 100 percent of proceeds benefit the Georgia Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training. Stretch those fingers over your mouse or screen and register online in advance. By the way, cornhole cadre, now is the time to register for Cornhole ATL’s summer leagues that compete Tuesday nights at Atkins Park in Virginia-Highland.
The Local Palate on Instagram appe-teases food voyeurs to dig further into the Southern scene at the album’s sister website and magazine. What will happen when Gunshow executive chef Joey Ward barrels into Instagram for a #TLP2DayTakeover” on May 15-16? In non-tech terms, that means Ward will take over the Instagram account and post an inside look into his Southern culinary world at Gunshow. Cheers -- it’s a friendly conquest.
Fried chicken is one of those feel-good Southern foods, especially when chomping into crispy-tender pieces of regionally raised poultry generates multiple rewards, i.e. your personal comfort food tank and assisting homeless families move toward more stable lives. Give Back Night at Bantam + Biddy Avalon on Monday, May 18 is such an occasion. After 5 p.m. that evening, 10 percent of all proceeds move on to The Drake House. This North Fulton County nonprofit helps homeless mothers and their children work toward self-sufficiency through short-term crisis housing, education and empowerment programs. Fried chicken is just the start. Bantam + Biddy offers rotisserie chicken, pork loin, pork schnitzel, sautéed Maine salmon, Southern Breakfast All Day, salads, sandwiches and snacks such as pimento cheese, crispy wings and Jb Farm deviled eggs. Browse the complete menu here.
Those bumbling around, interested in beekeeping but not sure where to begin, will find a sweet Saturday awaits them at White Oak Pastures. The family owned, organic farm is leading a Beginner’s Beekeeping Workshop on May 16. Pull into the Bluffton, Georgia farm at 10 a.m. for a tour of the farm (optional). A noon lunch in the Pavilion officially opens the workshop, followed by an introduction to honeybees, apiology and colony organization, tools of the trade, managing hive pests naturally, colony collapse disorder and Q & A time. Inspect an open hive, weather permitting. No hives of your own? No problem. It’s still a golden opportunity to learn how to make your own honey and create bee-friendly environments to keep the world buzzing with these important food chain pollinators. Limited to 25 participants; $65 per person. Call 229-641-2081 for information or reservations. Reservations also may be made online.
A Taste of the Highlands will be one mammoth, mouthwatering walk in the park; that’s John Howell Park in Virginia-Highland, on Saturday, May 16 from 2-5 p.m. FLIP burger boutique and Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar are two of more than 30 restaurants claiming spaces and doling out tastes of popular dishes at the 13th annual food fest. Music to munch by comes courtesy of Sweet Auburn Swing Band and Jambodia. All proceeds go to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The nonprofit hospital system marks 100 years of aiding children in 2015. General admission tickets are $50 each and include entry and your fill of food and drinks.
Around 200 sheep and 800 chickens cavort on Many Fold Farm, situated in the Chattahoochee Hill Country about an hour southwest of Article 14. (View a daily dose of cute on the Many Fold LambCam.) Many Fold owners Ross and Rebecca ventured to Vermont to soak up knowledge and scale the cheesemaking learning curve before raising ewes to milk for their own farmstead cheeses -- cheeses that have been mentioned in Garden & Gun magazine. For anyone who’s had the wool pulled over their eyes into thinking all cheese comes via cow or goat, this month’s cheese dinner at Article 14 lends a ewe-some chance to sample Many Fold’s organic sheep milk cheeses as part of a four-course dinner with wine pairings. Gather up some bits of wisdom from an American Cheese Society speaker during the evening. $45 per person (not including tax or gratuity). Make reservations online or call 404-443-8432.
Does anyone ever say, “Sure wish there were more hours to enjoy Monday?” Precisely. Monday tends to drag on the heels of its boisterous weekend siblings. Max’s Wine Dive, the Midtown restaurant and wine bar that pairs casual foods and fine wines, is out to drag the mundane weekday down a different path by teaming up with Atlanta’s best drag queens for “Monday’s a Drag” viewing parties featuring a classic drag movie or TV show each Monday from 6-10 p.m. Campy food and drink specials, such as $8 mixed berry sangria, $5 hibiscus Bellinis or $5 glasses of wine, will vary weekly and always raise spirits. Chef Patric Bell baked pink champagne cupcakes for the first “Monday’s a Drag” party -- who knows what delicacies he’ll “drag” out next. During the 6-10 p.m. timeframe, 10 percent of all food and drink sales will go to Lost-n-Found Youth, Atlanta’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to taking homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth off the streets and placing them into more permanent housing. Lost-n-Found Youth advocates and serves youth from 13-25 years of age. Stay tuned for what’s on the screen and more on Facebook or at #MondaysADrag. Save a seat on Max’s reservation page or by calling 404-249-0445.
‘Cue and brew. Have two rhyming words ever been so delightfully compatible? Smokebelly BBQ and Atlanta’s own Red Brick Brewing Company join forces for a harmonious evening of chef-crafted barbecue and craft beers at the Buckhead barbecue joint on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. Smokebelly chef Nagib Sued and Red Brick lead brewer Steve Anderson navigate attendees through five courses and five Red Brick beer pairings. Plans are to tap into a special cask created specifically for this event! Seats are $50 each and are available to purchase online.
Our Bite-Size Bonanza board is mighty with many, mini recipes perfectly portioned to pick up and go, no drips, slips or launching off paper plates and onto pristine white jeans. Hand egg and cheese mini muffins to toddlers and find adult brunch bites among mini-breakfast ideas. Meatball sub cupcakes, mini brie en croute, zucchini pizza bites and low-carb/gluten-free bacon guacamole cups pack some protein while baked s’mores, pineapple upside-down cupcakes and three-bite chocolate French silk pies fashion neat little sweets.
Bill Addison, Eater’s restaurant editor and roving food critic, calls Atlanta home base, which bodes well for all of our locals looking for good eats in Atlanta, Decatur and Duluth as well as those traveling to NYC, San Fran and Santa Fe.
How does your garden grow? At Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple, the backdoor Milton’s Acre garden grows some of the makings for the chef’s vegetable plate ($21), newly sprouted on the spring menu. Pick this veritable rainbow of colorful veggies -- garden vegetable and almond quinoa, grilled asparagus, garlic wax beans, pickled beets, summer squash casserole and sunflower pesto. Then, call mom, tell her you love her and confirm you are eating your vegetables.
In Spain, no one says, “Paddle faster, I hear flamenco guitar music.” The mesmerizing notes of the flamenco guitarist invite listeners to hang out and appreciate the moment and the music. To, as they say at Gypsy Kitchen, Basque in the Sun. Totally doable. Come “Basque in the Sun” every Sunday between 5-8 p.m. on Gypsy Kitchen’s new, open-air patio overlooking Buckhead Atlanta. Sip a few glasses of tinto de verano, the “red wine of summer” spritzer adored by locals in Spain’s Southern regions and along the Costa del Sol, only $4 each. Tip back heady, fruity sangria at $5 a glass. Select dishes are half off; go ahead and order several plates for the table to share -- it’s the Iberian way. And, there really is a flamenco guitarist strumming away in the background. Olé!
Seafood and veggie lovers take heart, Downtown Steak Week woos you, too, as restaurants showcase tantalizing specialties from Delmonico ribeye to diver scallops, yellow fin tuna steak to cowboy sushi rolls and lamb chops to lasagna. Presented by Central Atlanta Progress and Creative Loafing, this meaty occasion returns for its second year over the week of Monday, May 11 through Sunday, May 17. Downtown Atlanta is a tasty destination whether you come by foot, car, streetcar, MARTA...or elevator up to the top of the Hilton Atlanta to feast eyes on the special menu at Nikolai’s Roof and the spectacular view. Chef Stephanie Alderete combs land and sea for her Downtown Steak Week menu featuring starters such as braised short rib piroshki ($12), Brussels sprout salad ($13) and caviar ($95-$145); first-course options like jumbo lump crab terrine ($13), diver scallop ($14), red beet and beef borscht consommé ($12) or beef carpaccio with olive beignets ($14); and seared beef tenderloin with duck bacon ($36), sautéed tilefish with shrimp confit ($32), roasted Magret duck breast ($36) and oven-roasted lamb chops ($39) among the entrées. Conclude the divine meal with local and global artisanal cheeses ($18 for three) and sweets such as blackberry crème brûlée ($12) and chocolate soufflé with espresso crème fraîche ($16). Order à la carte or choose the Chef’s Menu with three ($61), four ($71) or six ($91) courses. Make reservations online.
Ray’s in the City stakes a share in lunch and dinner plans with steak and seafood specialties including a featured lobster-stuffed filet ($30), Delmonico ribeye ($39), seven-ounce filet (Ã la carte, $29), steak frites ($20) or yellow fin tuna steak ($32). Round up special cowboy sushi rolls of steak, asparagus, crab meat and cream cheese ($15), available for weekday lunch only. Make lunch or dinner reservations online.
Trader Vic’s Atlanta in the Hilton Atlanta dashes Pacific Rim karma over its Steak Week dinner features of smoked oven New York strip steak with wok garlic green beans, scallop potatoes and red wine sauce ($30) and stir-fried filet de boeuf uniting beef tenderloin, sugar peas, carrots and steamed jasmine rice ($28). Make reservations online.
Bantam + Biddy co-owners Shaun Doty and Lance Gummere have soft spots for children and keep tabs on ways to reach out and help where needed. Here’s a way we can all step up to the plate to aid Georgia foster families. Monday, May 11 is Foster Care Support Foundation (FCSF) benefit night at the Bantam + Biddy Avalon location. Ten percent of restaurant sales after 5 p.m. will go to support children through FCSF. Each year, the non-profit serves an average of 3,000 foster children all over Georgia, working to chisel away some of the expenses families incur. Without receiving government funding, FCSF assists foster parents and grandparents by supplying equipment such as cribs and car seats for infants, providing clothing for preemies through college-age young adults, holding Promapalooza each February where foster teen girls can select prom attire, and leading free classes to help foster parents better care for neglected or abused children.
Count Chick-a-Biddy in the mix of 10 restaurants offering prix fixe menus during Atlantic Station Restaurant Week, Saturday, May 9 through Sunday, May 17. The easy-going eatery cracks open a three-course lunch and dinner menu priced at $15 per person (excludes alcohol, gratuity and tax). Choose pimento cheese with veggies and crackers or homestyle chili with sour cream and cheddar as an appetizer; one quarter chicken grilled (piri piri or jerk) or fried (Buffalo or mild) with a choice of two sides as an entrée; and homemade carrot cake or Key lime cheesecake for dessert. During Atlantic Station Restaurant Week and throughout May, Chick-a-Biddy will donate 20 percent of prix fixe meal sales to the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation.
Go outside and play at the Bantam + Biddy Spring Festival at Ansley Mall on Saturday, May 9. On this Mother’s Day weekend, the casual eatery featuring regional, all-natural and pastured poultry fills the 11 a.m.-2 p.m. midday slot with family friendly festivities, live music, local vendors, a lemonade stand and a Mom’s Day card crafting table for children (adults, you should have your cards in the mail by now). Buy some steamy Bantam + Biddy chicken tamales and King of Pops popsicles if hunger pangs strike. Additionally, Jb Farm Fresh Eggs will be selling its grain-free, free-range chicken eggs and will bring baby goats for youngsters to pet. Grownups, check out The Cook’s Warehouse Big Green Egg cooking demonstration. To partake, steer your flock to the courtyard between Bantam + Biddy and Starbucks.
Back in the day, progressive radio stations aired REM and the Romantics (classic rock today) and categorized Duran Duran as “New Wave.” The Macarena led 90s line dances right into the hands of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the 2ks (2000s). Vivid memories or Valley Girl and Guy wannabes, Retro in the Metro at 10th & Piedmont plays your songs -- and videos -- on Saturday, May 9. DJ/VJ Nando orchestrates interactive music video mixes hitting everything from salsa to Depeche Mode beginning at 9 p.m. Craft cocktails are the refreshment of choice at this righteous rendezvous with decades past. Free admission.
Stand up for a street food supper this Thursday night. It’s time for the 25th annual Taste of Alpharetta, turning historic downtown Alpharetta into one gigantic, awesome appetizer on May 7 from 5-10 p.m. If you haven’t yet dined at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, here’s an opportunity to fork into appe-teasers of their seed-to-fork cuisine. Admission is free. Buy tasting tickets for 50 cents each (most samples are $1-$3 each) and relish in tastes of appetizers, entrées and desserts from top area restaurants. More to do than chew: watch culinary competitions pitting chef against chef, cast your vote for the People’s Choice award, party with Atlanta radio stations, jump into activities for all ages and tune in to harmonic rock, folk and R&B bands on stage throughout the evening.
The Georgia Aquarium aquatic tanks are full, and the fish are well fed. The issue is filling the tummy tanks of hungry children across the U.S. with nourishing food -- the ultimate goal of Share Our Strength’s Atlanta Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry on Thursday, May 7. While guests in the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom are there to help raise funds for this mission, they’ll be able to sample their fill of signature dishes and drinks prepared by 50 of Atlanta’s top chefs and mixologists including those from Aria, Marlow’s Tavern, Ray’s Restaurants, Seed Kitchen & Bar, Stem Wine Bar and Umi, and they’ll enjoy more than a splash of fine wines from around the world. Great “see” life as well: looking at life through the ballroom’s huge water window, absorbing live music vibes, and auction bidding on wines, world-class trips, dining and culinary experiences and other luxury items. Event honorary chair is Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent. Buy tickets online: VIP is $350, for 6-10 p.m. admission; General is $250 person, for 7-10 p.m. admission. Attendees must be 21 years or older.
