What’s New on Pinterest: Picnic Perfection

Set out the compostable plates, light the citronella Tiki torches and turn on the Bluetooth speakers, July is National Picnic Month. Whether you’re picnicking in your own backyard or packing a cooler for an outdoor lunch or dinner destination, you’ll find oodles of Perfect for Picnics ideas and recipes on our Pinterest board. Take a stab at assembling wedge salad or Cuban sandwiches on a stick, walking tacos, mini lasagna cups and individual seven-layer dips. For more hand-helds, slice spiraled turkey, spinach and cranberry spread pinwheels, tie pressed Italian sandwiches or turn out a platter of BLT sliders with vine-ripe tomatoes. Basket case? In the most delicious way.

Simple Abundance Class Abundant with Red Beard Restaurants Chefs -- Gillespie, Ward and Müller – July 11

“Top Chef” alum Kevin Gillespie and his own top chef flankers Joey Ward of Gunshow and Andreas Müller of Revival go three deep teaching the July 11 Simple Abundance class“Cooking with Red Beard” at The Cook’s Warehouse Midtown. Eager learners and Atlanta Community Food Bank supporters will learn how to prepare home-cooked dishes from Gillespie’s popular cookbook “Fire in My Belly.” On the board: cornbread pancakes with sliced Brandywine tomatoes and bacon mayonnaise, kung pao Brussels sprouts, and roasted chicken with golden raisin and sweet onion jus with spring greens. The red-bearded chef will stay after class to autograph his cookbooks. Bring yours or buy one or more that evening. To attend the 7-9 p.m. class, buy tickets on the ACFB website or call 404-892-3333 ext. 1444; $65 per person.

These Birds are Outstanding in Their Field and Flying to Atlanta Restaurants during Pastured Poultry Week, July 11-18

Imparting superior taste and nutrition, enjoying a humane, less stressful life and leaving a positive environmental footprint are a few of the outstanding characteristics of pastured poultry. Georgia’s fifth-annual Pastured Poultry Week, July 11-18, shines the spotlight on these happy, sustainably raised campers and their poultry prowess. Restaurants across the state are flocking to join in by featuring pastured poultry on their menus. Here in the metro area, wing it to Aria, Bellina Alimentari, Gunshow, Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails and Seed Kitchen & Bar to gobble specialty dishes centered on pastured poultry.

Those hungry to learn more can attend the White Oak Pastures Pastured Poultry class at Bellina Alimentari on Monday, July 11. Bellina’s own chef Gizzy Barton will demo how to break down and cook a whole chicken during the 6:30-8 p.m. class. Buy tickets online. As they say, a pastured bird in the hand is, well, going to be delicious. 

What’SUP, Man? Ormsby’s SweetWater BOTE Board Raffle for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper – Buy Tickets Through July 30

Because it’s the rad and right thing to do to help Chattahoochee Riverkeeper efforts to protect and preserve the Chattahoochee River Basin. Through July 30, Ormsby’sand SweetWater Brewing Company are peddling $5 raffle tickets for a hip BOTE standup paddle board – ask an Ormsby’s server or bartender for details. Ormsby’s adds more liquid assets to the cause by donating $1 from every SweetWater brew sold in June and July to the environmentally conscious organization. Sweet beer, sweet board and a sweet, cool place to hang out on Atlanta’s Westside. Navigate the social stream at @sweetwaterbrewand @boteboards; tag along at #dontfloatthemainstream#crkeeper #atl #ormsbys #westside #coolatlanta #outdoors.

HOBNOB Summer Forkcast Offers Hot Discount on Hot Atlanta Days

Instead of sweating out broiling hot summer days and nights, give thanks. According to the HOBNOB Summer Forkcast, HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern guests enjoy 20 percent off food and drink when the temperature rises to 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above. Stipulations apply: HOBNOB-ers must mention Summer Forkcast to their server to redeem; cannot be combined with any other offers. Sweat beads dissipate when confronted with frosty brews, chillin’ cocktails or your favorite tall iced beverage in HOBNOB’s air-conditioned comfort or sunset-savvy outdoor patio. Go withs? The Midtown watering hole serves crisp salads such as the BLT, the BASE, Mother Nature and tomato and burrata with the upcharge option of adding shrimp, grilled chicken, steak or salmon. Guac, pico de gallo, Colby Jack cheese, HOBNOB beer cheese and sour cream temper spicy chili on Mother Lode nachos. A duo of hummus and goat cheese spreads with carrots, celery and fresh baked pizza crust points are another cool app to share. Of course, those wanting more heat can savor chicken wings with hot or Asian sweet and spicy sauce (milder sauces available). And it’s just not summer in the South without biting into a fried green tomato BLT. Seriously.

Show Your Buns in The Big Burger Bite Photo Contest at Marlow's Tavern through July 19

Focus. Or have a friend do the honors of snapping a picture of you biting into your bodacious burger during the “Burger & Brews” celebration at Marlow's Tavern. Your pixels might win a dinner for four ($100 value) if you submit it to The Big Burger Bite contest using the Marlow's Facebook form or #MarlowsBurgerBite to post on Instagram and Twitter. Friends' mouths will water when they witness your burger joy and juicy drips on your chin -- and maybe they'll dash over to join you...especially if you win the prize. Entries accepted until July 19.

Chef Kevin Gillespie Judges Children’s “Top Chef” Competition for Quality Care for Children on July 8

Chef, restaurateur, speaker and author Kevin Gillespie will join Mara Davis and Steven Carse (King of Pops) to judge a midday team competition for Quality Care for Children. As part of the organization’s July 8 Health and Field Day at Trinity Presbyterian Church on Atlanta’s Westside, teams composed of two adults and 10 children each will go toque to toque, “Top Chef”-style, to create nutritious and innovative dishes. The catch is Play-Doh stands in for real ingredients! Quality Care for Children focuses on creating excellence in child care and early learning by providing quality training and resources to child care providers and ensuring affordable, quality care for early learning experiences.

Brake for Burritos! Road Trip It to 27 Willy’s Before August 14 to Win

Fill your guac tank with real fuel food this summer, and you could win free burritos for a year. Accept Willy’s challenge and visit 27 Willy’s Mexicana Grill locations before August 14 (not counting the soon-to-open Lawrenceville location). Stash all those receipts in a handy place -- they’ll serve as a sort of passport stamp, recording your purchase at each stopover. After collecting a receipt from each Willy’s, email community@willys.com to pass along the good news and set up a time to show off those receipts to the Willy’s team. For fun, post a social selfie “wishing you were here” or “greetings from” each time you swing through a different Willy’s location. Use #WillysRoadTrip to help build one giant social scrapbook. Why take on the challenge? Prizes! The first five fans to complete the tasty task will win free burritos for a year (a.k.a. 52 free burrito cards). An additional $50 gift card will be awarded to travelers who visit the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta

International Airport location as an extra 28^th stop on their adventure. Other prizes include a catered party with the Willy’s food truck and an opportunity to go burrito-to-burrito in a roll-off against Willy himself for a grand prize. So what are you waiting for? Keep this list of Willy’s locations open by your map app:http://www.willys.com/locations. Hit the road, Jack (and Jane), and do drive safely. The car in front of you also may brake for burritos.

Stem Wine Bar Salutes Wines Born in the U.S.A. during July

Stem Wine Bar pays homage to the homeland this month, going firecrackers over wines from the U.S.A. From east to west and north to south, our spacious skies shine on grapevine trellised hills as well as those amber waves of grain. Owner/chef Doug Turbush prepares six small bite plates to harmoniously unite with sommelier Chris McNeill’s selections of wines. It’s your patriotic duty to meet these all-American wines in Stem’s unpretentious and fun atmosphere. Wednesday night wine tastings begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 each (plus $3.19 service fee; gratuity added at in-store checkout). Seats are limited. Click on the date to buy tickets online: July 13, July 20, July 27.

What's New on Pinterest: Your July 4th Menu!

Raise the flag (cake). Light the night with glow cotton candy. Shoot off “fire rocket” cocktails. Our 4^th of July board is red, white and blue to the core and absolutely the place to muster up party plans, patriotic decorations, Old Glory-themed treats and timesaving BBQ hacks for kitchen independence, such as skewer doers and make-ahead shrimp boil foil packets. When air and grill temperatures rise, douse them with doses of spiked iced tea for grownups and fizzy watermelon ice cream floats and patriotic punch for the young ‘uns. And this might seem like an American folktale, but it’s true and beaming on our board: a Paula Deen fast-and-easy peach cobbler recipe calling for only two tablespoons of butter for each cup of fresh peaches.

Tour Italy, One Bite at a Time, through Bellina Alimentari July Cooking Classes and Tastings

Break out of summer’s pizza at the pool or patio and opt for the air-conditioned comfort of culinary learning experiences at Bellina Alimentari in Ponce City Market. Browse and click on the following offerings to save your seat. Sales tax added at check out.

How will boxed pasta find its way into the grocery cart after participating in Bellina’s hands-on Pasta Making class? Taste your freshly made pasta and take some home. Offered Thursday, July 7 from 7-8:30 p.m. and Tuesday, July 26 from 6:30-8 p.m. ($45 per class).
 
White Oak Pastures wings up from Bluffton to lead a Pastured Poultry class during Pastured Poultry Week. Discover the delicious health and environmental virtues of these free-to-be birds and watch as chef Gizzy Barton demos how to break down and cook a whole chicken; Monday, July 11, 6:30-8 p.m. ($32).

Mama, Mia! Let’s plan, shop for, prepare and eat An Italian Meal. Source fresh, local ingredients while touring the Ponce City Farmers Market with Kenan Hill, shop for artisanal Italian ingredients at The Market at Bellina, then cook and eat a family style meal. Tuesday, July 12, 6:30-8 p.m. ($45).

Get a charge out of charcuterie when Kevin Ouzts from The Spotted Trotter leads guests through a guided tasting of four cured meats paired with natural Italian wines on Wednesday, July 13, 6:30-7:30 p.m. ($28).

Bond over dough-drenched fingers while cracking eggs, mixing and rolling out pasta and relishing the results with your 8-12 year-old youngster at Kids Kitchen on Tuesday, July 19, 5:30-6:30 p.m. ($45 covers parent and child).

Explore some of Italy’s finest natural wines paired with local, artisanal cheeses on a guided 3 Wine 3 Cheese tasting tour on Wednesday, July 20, 6:30-7:30 p.m. ($28)
 
Summer Sauces really pan out as a way to lightly enliven meals on hot summer nights when Bellina Alimentari chef Gizzy Barton shows students how to make three easy sauces and how to cook the perfect pasta. Sampling the trio of dishes is encouraged at this class on Thursday, July 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m. ($38).

An Introduction to Amaro familiarizes guests with amari, herbal spirits that have been a longtime part of Italian culture. Visiting friends this summer? Italians often present a local amaro as a host gift. Light bites from Bellina’s kitchen accompany spirited tasting on Wednesday, July 27, 7-8:30 p.m. ($28).

#Foodgram: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Coloring books are all the rage to center, focus and regain calm after a stressful day. For caffeinated artistry, connect the dots and visit Baristart where celebrity coffee artist Michael Breach shows off his steady-handed “coffee art.” Breach has dabbled on “Good Morning America,” “Today,” “Rachael Ray,” Food Network, “Nightline” and more. Wake up and smell the coffee because these masterpieces are too good looking to sip. See more “cuppa Joe” art at www.baristart.com.

Salute Independence Day over the July 4 Holiday Weekend at Atlanta-Area Restaurants

Have your picnic, but eat out, too – and sport that new star-spangled top and sunglasses! Atlanta restaurants are fired up for the holiday weekend and stoked with celebrations, barbecues, bands, spirited beverages and all-American food faves – from our shores and beyond.

Get red, white and bluesin’ at Bellina Alimentari. The Ponce City Market favorite hosts a live music series the first Sunday of each month from 4-7 p.m. and that means loads of food, libations and tunes on July 3.

Oh say, you must see the Fourth of July BBQ blowout occurring when Terminus City takes command of Communion, the beer garden-inspired backyard behind Revival, Kevin Gillespie’s family-style restaurant in Decatur. The all-ages event packs in barbecue, beer, family-friendly entertainment and games (darts, cornhole, horseshoes) plus live music by Dave Lockwood on Monday, July 4 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Purchase food, drinks and play games using tokens, $5 each, with prices ranging from one to four tokens (tax and gratuity included). Gillespie's Terminus City will offer a chopped whole hog barbecue sandwich plate with Brunswick stew, potato salad, coleslaw and fried pie, purchasable for four tokens (tax and gratuity included). Drinks and cold beer hit the spot. Mingle around communal picnic tables and on the front and side porches of Revival (the restaurant itself will be closed). All proceeds from the day benefit Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, which helps post-9/11 veterans.

Gypsy Kitchen, in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta, puts a Spanish spin on the holiday weekend. “Basque in the Sun” begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 3 and features paella on the open-air patio along with drink specials such as $4 tinto de verano, $5 rosé and half-off select bottles of wine. A flamenco guitarist and a DJ set toes tapping.

Newly opened 5Church in Midtown hosts a Whole Hog Roast on July 4. The celebration takes place during the Peachtree Road Race from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guests will partake in a whole hog roast and beers from SweetWater Brewing Company while enjoying music outside along the sidewalk and on the rooftop patio. 5ChurchAtlanta.com

HOBNOB is open for regular business hours and serving its popular brunch menu Saturday, July 2 through Monday, July 4. Also on Monday, $17 bottomless mimosas and the neighborhood tavern’s Monday Date Night special -- a three-course dinner for two for $22.95. Post Peachtree takers?

A pre-Independence Day bash at Johnny’s Hideawayjumpstarts the revelry on Sunday, July 3. Food and drink specials fuel the celebration, and live music from Band X beginning at 8:30 p.m. and DJ Spin keep the party on pace into the late-night hours. Johnny’s will be open and ready to keep the party going on Monday, July 4.

Hooray for the Red, White and Brew Burger at Marlow’s Tavern, a patriotic palate pleaser offered Saturday, July 2 through Monday, July 4 at all Marlow’s locations. The $12.50 burger tops a perfectly seasoned beef patty with blue cheese, seared red peppers, caramelized onion and crisp romaine on a sesame bun for a flavor explosion.

From 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on July 4, three of Ray’s Restaurantsare offering a sea-to-shining-sea special surf and turf prix fixe menu for lunch and dinner. The two-course meal includes a choice of salad, six-ounce filet mignon, four-ounce lobster tail and Yukon Gold whipped potatoes for $24.95. Available at Ray’s on the River, Ray’s at Killer Creek andRay’s in the City.

The Southern Gentleman is serving its creative take on contemporary Southern cuisine for brunch on Sunday, July 3. For sparkle, add the $5 mimosa special or a $10 seasonal mimosa that includes seasonal fruit, orange juice and Champagne.

Love That Southern Summer Harvest with Matthew Ridgway at Morningside Farmers Market on July 2

Atlanta, NYC, Philadelphia, Paris, Morningside Farmers Market. Matthew Ridgway has cheffed in all these places. The verdict for the executive chef of Southern Proper Hospitality’s Gypsy Kitchen and The Southern Gentleman?  “I love the people and the ingredients in the South, as well as the longer growing season,” confides Ridgway. Agree! His enthusiasm, along with loads of farm-fresh produce, is ripe for the picking at Saturday’s Morningside Farmers Market. Stop by and gather ideas at his chef demo, 9 a.m.-ish on July 2.

Appetizing Aperture: $5 Mimosas for Sunday Brunch at The Southern Gentleman

Have you seen the feathery pink flowers blooming on mimosa trees around town? One variety in particular outshines the rest -- the Sunday $5 mimosa special blooming during Sunday Brunch at The Southern Gentleman gastropub in The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Reconnaissance reveals a bodacious sibling of orange juice and Champagne that’s well endowed with seasonal fruits ($10 each).

New 101 Steak Carves Top-Notch Steak and Seafood Niche in Vinings

Simple name, simply wonderful dining experience. In Vinings, 101 Steak is the first place to go to seek out high-quality steaks cut from Prime beef, seafood, a raw bar experience and a selection of more than 100 wines by the glass. The newest restaurant from 101 Concepts (Food 101, Meehan’s Public House and Cibo e Beve) is now open, and owners Steve Buero, Chris Segal and Phil Roness are excited to be a part of the Vinings community. Helming the 101 Steak kitchen is chef/partner Joe Ahn, whose double decades in Atlanta’s culinary scene have won followers at some of the city’s top restaurants. His seasonal menu showcases a multitude of global influences from Asia to Italy to our own Southern food scape -- crispy seafood misto, house-made burrata and heirloom tomatoes with kale pesto and a Big Green Egg-smoked pork chop served with pimento mac-n-cheese, collards and Coca-Cola gastrique. More examples of appetizers, raw bar items, steaks, chops and specialties on the menu include:

• Selection of East and West Coast oysters, sour orange cocktail, pickled ginger mignonette
• Parmesan-crusted roasted marrow bones, onion marmalade, fresh sage, artisan bread
• Caribbean seafood cocktail tossed with diced tomato, red onion, cilantro, avocado, blue corn tortilla and fried plantains
• 32-ounce tomahawk chop – 50-day dry-aged Prime
• Spicy “frutti de mare” with Maine lobster, Georgia shrimp, clams, Spanish octopus and squid ink linguine
• 101 wagyu beef burger, Gruyère, thick smoked bacon, house-made pickles, onion jam and fries

A copper-top raw bar shows off the daily catch of fresh seafood. Beyond the menu, 101 Steak pours a strong beverage program of craft cocktails and beers and a carefully curated list of wines, including 50 properly stored reserve selections by the glass. Wine sippers will appreciate the wine pairing guide with two price points for each dish. Seating options spread from the main dining room, bar and lounge areas to the outdoor patio and multiple private dining rooms.

Terminus BBQ Pops Up at Peachtree Road Farmers Market June 29

Satisfy your midweek veggie fix at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market and grab some mouthwatering pork barbecue amid the cukes, beans and tomatoes. Terminus City, the smokin’ good barbecue arm of chef Kevin Gillespie’s Red Beard Restaurants family (Gunshow, Revival), pops up for dinner at the Wednesday, June 29 market at The Cathedral of St. Philip. Addicting pork barbecue sandwiches, $6 each, stave off suppertime hunger pangs so you can shop the market without listening to a growling stomach. Beers from Three Taverns Brewery will be available to wash down the ‘cue. Think forward toward Thursday’s dinner and purchase barbecue to go, priced at $16 a pound. Awesome solo, sauced on a bun or scooped on a salad. Sooey! Wednesday night market hours are 4:30-8 p.m.

Appetizing Aperture:HOBNOB's Sampler Platter

Reach for chicken tenders, fish and chips, warm pretzels with beer cheese dip, fried green tomatoes, Southern spring rolls and a sampler of house-made sauces. Meant for sharing, the Sampler Platter ($29.95) at HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern satisfies Midtown’s “In” crowd…those in a group looking for an easy way to order a crowd-pleasing platter for the table and those indecisive guests eager to try some of HOBNOB’s popular appetizers…but agonizing over which ones to order. Are you in? Drop in and order a platter today.

Chris Hadermann of Southern Proper Hospitality Named “Man of the Year” by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Chris Hadermann of Southern Proper Hospitality was named Atlanta’s “Man of the Year” by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) at a gala at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta on June 11. Hadermann, a founding partner of the Atlanta-based restaurant group, raised $191,595 during the LLS Man & Woman of the Year fundraising competition. Monies raised in the competition go toward the LLS mission of eradicating leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening blood cancers. Hadermann competed in honor of his grandfather, who lost his life to leukemia, as well as local blood cancer survivors Emory and Norah, LLS’s Boy & Girl of the Year. Southern Proper Hospitality restaurants pitched in to Hadermann’s fundraising efforts in a number of creative ways. Gypsy Kitchen, The Southern Gentleman, Smokebelly BBQ, The Big Ketch, The Blind Pig Parlour Bar and Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails staged special cocktail promotions, donating $1 to LLS for every drink sold -- matched dollar for dollar by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Other efforts included a Great Gatsby-themed dinner and party at The Blind Pig; a garden dinner hosted by Milton’s; a golf tournament at the Polo Golf & Country Club; and a “Sip & Savor” fundraiser at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Hadermann also raised funds via his Facebook page and his personal MWOY page. He is now competing for LLS Man of the Year, which the winner will be announced in July.

Picnic Basket Alert: Bellina Alimentari Salumeria Sells Antipasti, Salads and Local Meats and Cheeses by the Pound

Let Bellina Alimentari pound out your plans for outdoor concert supping, a romantic picnic in the park or an authentic Italian aperitivo on your patio. The salumeria section of The Market in this Ponce City Market Italian mainstay houses a huge selection of local meats and cheeses in addition to a mouthwatering variety of house-made salads and antipasti. Cheese offerings include Pecorino Toscano, Pecorino Romano, Parmesan Reggiano, Fontina, Taleggio, Decimal Place Farm goat feta, Rivertown sheep milk cheese and Garretts Ferry crotin-style cheeses from Many Fold Farm plus Sweet Grass Dairy Asher Blue and Thomasville tomme ($10-$24 per pound). Build a charcuterie platter from Buckhead Beef prosciutto di Parma; Spotted Trotter sweet hot Italian sausage, finocchiona and nduja; rolled pancetta Americana; cured and sliced Blackberry Farms guanciale, bresaola; coppa; pepperoni; and tuna confit ($11-$32 per pound). No Italian spread is complete without antipasti or salads. Pick up house-made bean, farro, peach or quinoa salads, pasta misto insalata or arrange an antipasti of olives, artichokes, giardiniera, agrodolce onions or roasted peppers ($10-$13). Add some fresh bread and you’re all set. Shop Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.–8 p.m. Call 404-330-9933 for more information.