Coming all the way from Farmville, N.C., Duck Rabbit Brewery is teaming with Woodfire Grill to create a three course meal with beer pairings.
On March 3 executive Chef Kein Gillespie will create dishes to be paired with the Duck Rabbit brand. The dinner costs $45 per person. 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road. 404-347-9055.
Here’s a look at what’s going down in Atlanta to celebrate Mardi Gras:
COPELAND’S CHEESECAKE BISTRO—The Atlantic Station location is offering half-priced preselected appetizers, and New Orleans-style specialty drinks, including New Orleans Iced Tea and hurricanes. Mardi Gras beads and King Cake will complete the evening on Feb. 23 and 24. 265 18th St. Ste. 4130 .404-815-8800. www.copelandscheesecakebistro.com
FRONT PAGE NEWS—Little Five Points celebrates Fat Tuesdays with its 2nd Annual Music and Food Festival on Feb. 21. There will be five bands performing and New Orleans-style food and drink. The headliner is Kingsized, featured foods are Jambalaya, Crawfish and beans and rice and drinks of choice are SoCo Hurricanes and Abita Amber beer. Tickets are $10 in advance and $20 at the gate (which open at 2 p.m.). 351 A Moreland Ave. 404-475-7777 go to www.L5PMardiGras.com for more information.
KOZMO GASTRO PUB—From Grand Opening to Mardi Gras, this pub is celebrating with King Cake and Kozmopolitans on Feb. 21. 11890 Douglas Road, Ste. 105. 678-526-6094. www.kozmogastropub.com
MARLOW’S TAVERN—Saturday, Feb. 21, the Vinings location is having a Ball for Mardi Gras. There will be festive food including shrimp etouffee, jambalaya and more. There will also be Southern Comfort drink and hurricanes to wet the palatte. To top it off, New Orleans-style jazz and funk will set the mood from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. 2355 Cumberland Parkway, Ste. 10. 770-432-2526 www.marlowstavern.com
PARISH—On Sat. Feb 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Orleans food and music. For a cost of $35 in advance and $40 at the door, folks can munch on as much crawfish and oysters they can stand; drink as much as they want; all while listening to Charlie Wooten’s Zydefunk. This music mixes washboard and accordion sounds with blues and jazz. A portion of the proceeds goes to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank. For more information and reservations call 404-681-4434. 240 North Highland Ave. www.PARISHatl.com
SOUTH CITY KITCHEN—Cooking up a hurricane with the “Taste of the Low Country.” New Orleans-style food will be on the menu from Feb. 25-March 7. Choices range from buttermilk fried oysters, to grilled marinated quail with sweet potato fries. Call for reservations at either locations: 1144 Crescent Avenue; 404-873-7358, or 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700. www.southcitykitchen.com
Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points is taking a reality approach to self-defense. Tonight, restaurant and bar staff in the Atlanta community are invited to come out to the Fight for your Life seminar from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The head instructor of the Pretty Bandage Fight School, Stephen Scarborough, will lead instruction using self defense techniques. Admission is free and done in conjunction with Atlantans Together Against Crime; but donations are accepted ($5 preferably) to benefit the cause.
The event is also open to others not in the restuarant and bar field, but space is limited. Afterward there is a discounted dinner and drinks for restaurant workers. Dress comfortably to work out, and bring pen and paper for note taking. 501 Moreland Ave. N.E.
Here’s a chance to broaden your taste and do a good deed for Refugee Family Services:
Don’t miss this opportunity to TASTE THE WORLD on Sunday, March 15, 2-5 p.m., at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Rd. This multicultural festival will showcase Atlanta’s international cultures with tastings from more than 25 ethnic restaurants, including Bhojanic, Café Istanbul, Enat Ethiopian, Hae Woon Dae, Mezza Lebanese Bistro, Nicola’s and many more.
There will also be international music and dance performances, along with an art auction.
Order tickets and learn more about Refugee Family Services at www.refugeefamilyservices.org. Adult tickets are $35 each; children 7-15 are $10; and children 6 and under are free.
Call 404-299-6217 for more information. Limited tickets are available at the door, but advance tickets are suggested. Free parking will be available at Callanwolde and Emory Briarcliff Campus (1256 Briarcliff Road).
On Sun. Feb. 22, Athens will host its 16th Annual A Taste of Athens while celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Community Connection—the beneficiary of the event.
From 5-8 p.m. at the Classic Center (300 N. Thomas St.) more than 50 local restaurants will provide wine and beer tasting, food and a silent auction. There will also be a birthday cake competition showcasing local restaurants and bakeries.
General Admission is $45 and VIP access costs $75. That gets you access to the VIP Taste Garden, early entrance, special gifts and more. Proceeds benefit the Community Connection. It is an organization that links those in need of social services and the services they need.
For more information visit the Taste of Athens or call 706-208-0900. Also check out Community Connection for details on the organization.
OK, this is about the coolest thing I’ve heard about in quite a while.
Natalie Keng writes a blog called Chinese Southern Belle. She explains in her blog profile:
As a true “Chinese Southern Belle,” I was born a first-generation Chinese-American in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in what was then the small town of Smyrna, “Jonquil City.” My parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 on academic scholarships to graduate school. As the third girl in the family, my name is revealing and auspicious: “ti” means humanitarian and is composed of the characters for “heart” and “brother.”
Her blog is a fascinating read and that’s no surprise. She attended Vassar as an undergrad and holds a master’s degree from Harvard. Now she and her mother, Margaret Keng, have teamed up to teach an Evening at Emory course called “Eggrolls ‘n’ Sweet Tea: Explore Chinese Cuisine and Demystify the Asian Grocery Store” on March 26 and 28. You can register and get full details on Emory’s website:
Class includes: 1) An Asian grocery store fieldtrip and tour where you’ll learn to navigate Asian vegetables, meats, spices, noodles and more. 2) An interactive classroom session exploring the connection between Asian food, culture, and history; cooking strategies; and kitchen pointers. (While this is not a cooking class, samples of popular food items, recipe ideas, cookware, and creative shortcuts will be covered.) 3) A teaching tasting at a local restaurant where you’ll learn to order authentic dishes that may not be listed on the American menu.
Margaret Keng, besides working as a full-time teacher, also has an interesting background in food, according to Emory’s profile of the duo:
Margaret taught the first adult education Chinese cooking class in Atlanta in 1978, “before soy sauce was available in a regular grocery.” She also co-owned and ran the first full-service Chinese restaurant opened in a mall. Her repertoire included “Ginger Beef with Rice-a-Roni,” “Braised Rutabaga with Black-eyed Peas” and “Hot Hunan Catfish.”
(Photo of Natalie and Maragret Keng courtesy of Emory Center for Lifelong Learning.)
Here’s a listing of a few special offerings for that special lovey dovey day.
BEFORE V-DAY: In preparation for your sweetheart, a few places have a few things you may want to check out.
Whiskey Blue —Attend a Whiskey seminar with chocolate and bourbon on the menu. Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris will be hosting the event at the W Hotel and seminars begin at the top of every hour from 7:30-11:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at 3377 Peachtree Rd. RSVP at atlevents@sixdegreesmag.com
Legal Seafood—Oysters are a deliciously tricky item to eat, but if you really want to learn, you can attend a tasting and tutorial on Feb. 11 from 6-7:30 p.m. This will be an especially good idea if couples need to brush up on their oyster eating habits for the big V-Day. Tickets are $35 per person, not including champagne, tax and gratuity. Call 617-530-9287 for reservations.
Woodfire Grill —Hosting a Pre-V-Day Cabaret the Shakespearean way. Atlanta’s top actors will perform on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. as guests are entertained and fed hors d’oeuvrs, a three-course dinner, and wine. Tickets are $100, but $50 is tax deductible. RSVP online or call 404-504-3413 by Feb.6. 1782 Cheshire Bridge Rd.
10 Degrees South- Offering a 3-course prix-fixe menu for $55 per person. 4183 Roswell Rd. 404-705-8807. www.10degreessouth.com
4th & Swift- Offering a 4-course menu for $75 with a $25 wine pairing. 621 North Ave. NE. 678-904-0160. www.4thandswift.com
Allegro- Prix-fixe menu for $49. 560 Dutch Valley Rd. 404-888-1890. www.allegroatlanta.com.
Anis Café and Bistro- 4-course menu for $50. 2974 Grandview Ave. Ne. 404-233-9889. www.anisbistro.com
Anthony’s Fine Dining- 5-course menu with champagne and wine pairing included for $200/couple. 3109 Piedmont Rd. NE. 404-262-7379. www.anthonysfinedining.com
Aqua Blue- 3-course prix-fixe menu for $55/person with wine pairing offered for an additional $22. 1564 Holcomb Bridge Rd. 770-643-8886. www.aquablueatl.com
Aquaknox- 4-course prix-fixe menu with champagne for $99.95/couple. 3280 Peachtree Road NE. 404-477-5600. www.Aquaknox.net
Aria- 4-course prix-fixe menu for $85. 490 E. Paces Ferry Rd. 404-233-7673. www.aria-atl.com
Atmosphere Bistro- 3-course menu for $55/person. 1620 Piedmont Ave. 678-702-1620. www.atmospherebistro.com
(More listings after the jump)
It’s gonna be brutal!
For three days, Feb. 13-15, baristas from throughout the Southeast will be trying to out-cappuccino one another for the title of best in the region. The event — open to the public 9 a.m.-5 p.m. — will be held at the Counter Culture Coffee training center in the King Plow Arts Center (887 W. Marietta St.).
The rules:
Entrants must make 12 beverages, including four espressos, four cappuccinos and four original signature drinks of their own creation within 15 minutes in front of a panel of accomplished industry judges. Competitors are judged on taste, beverage presentation, technical skills, station cleanliness and overall impression.
The winner will compete for the national title at the U.S. Barista Championship in Portland, March 5-8. The winner of that competition will compete in the World Championship right here in Atlanta, April 16-19.
Sponsors of the local competition are Everything Coffee & Tea Company, Counter Culture Coffee and Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters.
(Photo courtesy of Icanhascheezburger.com)
I don’t have the full story, but Gravity Pub in East Atlanta is facing extinction, so another pub there, the Graveyard Tavern, is sponsoring a benefit this evening to help save the popular spot.
The Graveyard Tavern is holdin‘ a benefit show this Thursday at 8 p.m. and it’s $8 at the door. The Deadtowners, Death of Kings (formerly Das Manics), the Loose Screws and Bitch will be playing and Captain Stabtuggo will be there too to raffle stuff off!!
Y’all go.
February packs a lot into its 28 days, what with Black History Month, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Charles Dickens Day (February 7, in case you were wondering), and of course, today, Groundhog Day, representing for rodents everywhere.
I suggest working beer into the celebrations wherever possible. For instance, in honor of Black History Month, sample the products of Brooklyn Brewery, founded by Garrett Oliver, one of the few African-Americans among American craft brewers. For Valentine’s Day, sample some chocolate stouts and porters, like Terrapin’s latest project, Dos Cocoas, or Atlanta Brewing Company’s Double Chocolate Oatmeal Porter. For Charles Dickens Day, try out some traditional British ales like Fuller’s ESB or Bluebird Bitter. For Groundhog Day, you are on your own. Here are some beercentric goings-on that are worthy of your attention this month. (more…)
RogueApron, the (not-so-)underground supper club, reports that it will be hosting one of its “dirt-to-table dinners” at the new Harvest Farms this summer. The sustainable farm, owned by Collins Davis, is actually located in East Atlanta and work has just begun on it, as this video, featuring a bumper crop of tires, demonstrates.
Free fat! They’re not addictive. You won’t want anything more. We promise:
Next week provides a golden opportunity for Atlantans craving one of the most famous foods from McDonald’s restaurants.
On Tues., Feb. 3, from 10:30 a.m. until midnight, the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association will offer one free small order of McDonald’s French fries to guests at local, participating restaurants. No purchase is necessary.
The offer is good for guests dining-in or using the drive-thru.
This sounds very cool:
If you love books and love to cook, Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta (LVA) and the Southeast Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers invite you to unleash your imagination and your culinary talents for the sixth annual Edible Book Festival.
The event benefits LVA and will be held on Saturday, March 28, in The Gallery at The Art Institute of Atlanta – Decatur. Children’s’ entries will be presented at Cook’s Warehouse, 180 West Ponce in Decatur – at the other end of the block from The Art Institute.
To participate, create a piece of edible art related to books. All creations will be exhibited and judged based on the relevance to the theme of the event and the creativity involved. Judges will award prizes in a variety of categories.
Registration fees will be accepted in four categories: professionals, $25; culinary student, $15; home chef, $5; child (age 6-16), $5.
The entries can promote anything related to books: a scene or character from a book, play, short story, comics, or poem; a book cover; or a book’s structure. All the ingredients must be entirely edible: chocolate, cheese, vegetables, fruit – sweet or savory. Deadline for registration is Monday, March 16.
The International Edible Book Festival is an annual event held throughout the world, uniting bibliophiles, book artists and food lovers to celebrate the ingestion of culture and its fulfilling nourishment.
For more details about the local festival or to register, consult LVA’s website or call 404-377-7323.
(Photo courtesy of LVA. I’m sure you recognize the book to which it refers.)
I’m sorry to get to this so late because only two days remain in the very important celebration of barbecue called Meat Week. Consult the national organization’s website for the full story.
You can join barbecue lovers for dinner at Hae Woon Dae tonight at 8 p.m. or at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon at Fresh Air Barbecue in Jackson, Ga. Go to the website’s Atlanta page for complete details.
Please plan to participate in this tomorrow. You can get the list of the many participating restaurants on the Atlantans Together Against Crime website.
The latest cycle of “Simple Abundance,” a series of cooking classes to benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank, will begin this Monday, Jan. 26, at Cook’s Warehouse in Midtown.
The class, scheduled 7-9 p.m., will feature Chef Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen. His class is entitled “It’s
All about Bacon”:
It’s All About Bacon
Chef Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen
The Cook’s Warehouse – Midtown
($55, 7-9 p.m. Demonstration & Tasting)
This class is for all the bacon lovers out there. After all, everything’s better with bacon, right? Chef Fry brings his popular Southern farmstead cooking to Simple Abundance with a menu of Crispy Braised Bacon “BLT” with apple butter and brioche; Alan Benton’s Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallop with arugula salad, caramel corn and spiced peanuts and Georgia apple vinaigrette; Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Dumplings with grilled JCT cured bacon, brown butter and crispy sage. Evening includes wine tastings and a chance to win tasty door prizes provided by Atlanta Beverage, Bella Cucina Artful Foods, Cabot Cheese and Via Elisa Authentic Fresh Pasta.
Location: The Cook’s Warehouse – Midtown: 549-1 Amsterdam Avenue, Atlanta GA 30306
Consult the Food Bank’s website for more information about classes and to register.
Pyng Ho (1357 Clairmont Rd., 404-634-4477) has announced its 29th annual Chinese New Year menu, available Jan. 28-Feb. 1. Cost of the four-course meal is $46.68 per person.
Dinner begins with a traditional soup of shrimp, fish, scallops, calamari and vegetables. Appetizers include a crab cake, grilled teriyaki chicken and a romaine salad with miso-garlic dressing.
Seven entrees are available. Among them are sliced lamb with Szechuan peppercorns, prawns and sea scallops with caviar sauce, half a roasted duck and a “super deluxe seafood roll with tofu skin.”
Dessert is mandarin sorbet with “flaming Kahlua.”
Although it’s been years since I dined at Pyng Ho, this was certainly an entertaining experience in the past. The food, obviously, is not as exotic as you’ll find on Buford Highway. Then again, I’ve sampled some Chinese New Year menus at which even my exotic-loving palate balked.
(Year of the Ox, a children’s book, available from Amazon.)
Doc Chey’s is launching a two-week Chinese New Year celebration on Jan. 25 with a Chinese New Year’s Eve party.
Guests will receive a traditional red envelope containing a good luck surprise, when they wear a red article of clothing (believed to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune) or order a Tsingtao beer for lunch or dinner. They will also experience the annual lion dance performance at 4:30 p.m. at the restaurant in Virginia-Highland (1424 N. Highland Ave.) and 5:30 p.m. at the Emory location (1556 N. Decatur Rd.).
During the following two weeks, the restaurant will serve a special platter including peanut noodles for life longevity, shrimp rolls for happiness and dumplings for wealth. Cost is $12. The restaurant will donate $2 of every platter purchase to local charities.
Wait a minute! Is that Richard Blais?
Following the murder of Standard bartender John Henderson, several restaurateurs in Grant Park are attempting to organize a dine-out benefit in the area. The plan is to donate 20 percent of sales to Crime Stoppers (404-577-8477) in order to add to the current $10,500 reward for information leading to arrests of John’s killers.
The tentative date is Wednesday, Jan. 28, lunch and dinner.
We’ll keep you posted here as details emerge.
Aria (490 E. Paces Ferry Road. 404-233-7673. www.aria-atl.com) hosts a wine dinner next Wed., Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. featuring seven Freeman Winery selections alongside chef Gerry Klaskala’s five-course, $85 menu. Winery proprietor Ken Freeman will also be on hand to discuss his Burgundian-style offerings. The wining and dining’s limited to an intimate 14 people, so reservations are highly recommended.
Actually this, from a news release, sounds kinda cool in a food-nerd sorta way:
Sealed Air’s Cryovac brand, a worldwide leader in perishable food packaging technologies, is hosting the first International Chefs’ Circle Culinary School Contest. The event will be held Jan. 19-21 at Sealed Air’s Packforum Americas facility located near the Atlanta airport.
The contest focuses on the development of new food products and technologies as students from four of the world’s top culinary institutes create gourmet microwavable meals and compete for a grand prize. The students will submit three recipes and then create and package them during the competition. A committee of accomplished chefs from around the world – chaired by Marcus Samuelsson, a recent candidate for White House chef and founder of New York’s acclaimed Aquavit restaurant – will be judging this competition.
Miss Ann’s Ghetto Burger. Mulligans’ late and much-lamented deep-fried ham dog. Richard Blais’ foie gras milkshake. Atlanta sure has a knack for creating some wack (but delicious!) food.
The Travel Channel took notice and sent “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman down for a visit. The episode, which airs tonight at 10 p.m., features Gladys Knight and Ron Winan’s Chicken & Waffles, the Vortex Bar & Grill, and a stop at Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria where Richman and his pal will take on the 11-pound Carnivore Pizza.
If you don’t have cable, or if you simply prefer the atmosphere, both the Midtown and L5P Vortex Bar & Grill locations will be showing tonight’s episode.
“Man v. Food”
Legal Sea Foods will host this month’s Supper Club benefit for the Atlanta Community Food Bank on Monday, January 12. Each month a different restaurant donates 20 percent of the evening’s proceeds to Atlanta’s Table, which is the prepared food rescue project of the Food Bank.
Legal Seafood, located right in the Luckie Marietta District across from Centennial Olympic Park and the Georgia Aquarium, will serve a fresh menu with a raw bar featuring oysters, clams, mussels and jumbo shrimp cocktail. There is also a varietal kid-friendly menu with low sodium and gluten free dishes.
Visit the website for more information or to make reservations for Supper Club, or call 678-500-3700.
Also, read more about the Atlanta’s Table Supper Club.
On Monday Pim Techamuanvivit, one of the world’s top food bloggers, lauched this year’s Menu For Hope, the annual international holiday raffle to help feed the hungry and improve education. In 2007, the UN World Food Programme raised nearly $100,000 from the raffle. Here is Pim’s message to her fellow bloggers:
Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by
offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope
raffle. Anyone – and that means you too – can buy raffle tickets to bid on
these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to
bid on a prize of their choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the
raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.
Read the rest of the details on Pim’s website.
