APRIL 2011 ISSUE

April 2011 Issue

TRENDS, TASTES & FLAVORS

'Team In Training' for a cause

& Taste of The Nation Atlanta

If you’ve ever participated in a walk, run or biking fundraiser that takes you to your limit, you know the challenge of keeping focused. Imagine the challenge of someone like local restaurateur Warren Bruno (Ormsby’s, Atkins Park Taverns), who has battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma for seven years; yet, he continues to step up to the challenge.  Bruno is in training with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team in Training for a Century Ride at Lake Tahoe on June 5th of this year.  If you’d like to help him reach his fundraising goal of $7,500, visit his fundraising page, http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/ambbr11/wbruno... The Local Farmstand at Star Provisions has opened for the season offering the freshest produce, much of which is organic, from local Georgia farms. Led by Anne Quatrano (Bacchanalia, Quinones at Bacchanalia, Floataway Café, Abattoir and Star Provisions), the Local Farmstand not only sells ready-to-eat gifts from the earth, but also seeds of unique plantings and herbs which farmers-to-be can plant in their own at-home gardens. The Farmstand is located at 1198 Howell Mill Road and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more info, 404.356.0410 or visit www.starprovisions.com.

Dining deals...

Ted’s Montana Grill has added two new offerings to its menu: Signature steak salad and the permanent addition of Ted’s homemade chips-n’-dip.  Ted’s steak salad ($14) is an entrée-sized salad that starts with grilled, center-cut sirloin served on mixed greens with cucumber, crumbled Bleu cheese, smoky bacon and sliced tomatoes. The salad is finished with a sweet balsamic glaze and crispy fried onion straws.The chips-n’-dip, which was a limited time offer in 2010, is back by popular demand. The appetizer ($4) features homemade potato chips served with a side of ranch onion dip then topped at the table with fresh cracked black pepper.  Now through May 1, you can download a certificate for a FREE chips-n’-dip by visiting http://bit.ly/gyRzX6. For a list of locations visit www.tedsmontanagrill.com/locator.html... Next up is ‘Crabfest,’ happening through April 18 outside the perimeter at Aqua Blue in Roswell.  The limited-time Crabfest menu features such dishes as she-crab soup; jumbo lump crab cakes with avocado, mango, chili aioli, rice wine vinegar and wasabi honey mustard; soft shell crab rolls, a chilled Florida stone crab claw taster served with traditional mustard sauce; and drunken king and snow crab legs or large Florida stone crab claws served with green peppercorn cocktail sauce. Check out www.aquablueatl.com for details... Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria presents Atlanta diners with the ultimate pizza challenge as the downtown eatery unveils the newest addition to its menu – ‘The Maximus,’ a six-pound, 24-inch pizza dripping with cheese, pepperoni, sausage and meatballs on a signature crust from the coal-burning oven.  The monstrous meal is FREE for individuals who tackle the challenge and successfully finish the beast in one sitting (less than two hours).  If diners fail to finish every last bite, the price is $60.  To schedule a reservation for “The Maximus,” call 404.974.2941 in advance.  To continue the challenge, patrons can pop next door to partner restaurants Der Biergarten and STATS for even more macho meals.  At STATS, the Big Boy Platter serves four or more and includes steak tips, baby back ribs, sausages, wings, fries and slaw for $60.  Der Biergarten will soon launch King Ludwig’s Platter, an oversized feast of traditional German fare. Max’s Coal Oven Pizzeria, STATS and Der Biergarten are located in the Luckie Marietta District on Marietta Street, Downtown.  For more details, visit www.luckiemariettadistrict.com...  The Oyster Roast has returned to Rosebud Restaurant on North Highland. Saturday, April 9, enjoy wine, beer, live music and as many oysters as you can eat at Chef Ron Eyester’s Morningside restaurant. The fun begins at 2 p.m. and costs $35 per person (tax and gratuity included). For more info, visit www.rosebudatlanta.com or call 404.347.9747... Experience the flavors of the wines of Napa Valley’s Tres Sabores (three flavors) Winery with a wine dinner at SIP @ Riverside on Monday, April 11, 2011. Chef Daniel Massie and Wine Director Foster Smith create a five-course menu accompanied by five wines from Tres Sabores for $50 per person (excluding tax and gratuity). The evening will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. SIP is located at 4403 Northside Pkwy, Atlanta, 404.233.5455... Canoe Restaurant on Paces Ferry Road launches a new event, the ‘Song of the South’ live music series at its outdoor river bar on April 13th. The restaurant will feature live local artists every Wednesday evening from 7 - 10 p.m. throughout the spring on the banks of the Chattahoochee. Guests can relax in riverside Adirondack chairs, gather around the River Bar, savor their aperitif and listen to the music. Chef Carvel Grant Gould’s ‘River Snacks’ features tasty, inexpensive treats, and of course, the bar will serve a variety of local beers, signature river cocktails and wines by the glass.  The lineup includes Tim Brantley on April 13th, Sam Thacker on April 20th and Ben Deignan on April 27th. Visit www.canoeatl.com for May’s schedule.

Congrats...

In case you haven’t heard, the season eight finale of Bravo’s ‘Top Chef All-Stars’ crowned Atlantan Richard Blais as the latest chef’testant to earn the title of ‘Top Chef.’ Chef and partner of FLIP burger boutique, Blais impressively out-cooked his competition throughout the season to win this coveted title. Our many congrats go out to him... Bravo has also announced the next set of chefs competing in the upcoming season of ‘Top Chef Masters’ and among them are Atlanta/Athens chef, Hugh Acheson (Empire State South, Five & Ten, The National). The series begins April 6th...  ‘The Oscars Of The Food World,’ also known as the James Beard Foundation awards, has announced this year’s nominees and Hugh Acheson made this list as well along with restaurateur/chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House (see page 7 for Hopkins’ latest venture, H & F Bottle Shop)... In March, Imbibe Magazine, the ultimate guide to liquid culture (www.imbibemagazine), featured ‘The 100 Best Places To Drink In the South’ and here’s the local drinkeries that made the list: Best Whisky ~ Local Three; Best Classic Cocktails ~ H. Harper Station and The Sound Table; Best Contemporary Cocktails ~ JCT, Leon’s Full Service, Restaurant Eugene and Sauced; Off The Beaten Path ~ One Flew South and Sagehouse Coffee & Tea in Griffin; Best Hotel Bar ~ Drinkshop; Best Bar Food ~ Holeman & Finch Public House and Ormsby’s; Best Wine List ~ Miller Union and Muss & Turner’s; Best Suds ~ The Brick Store Pub, Porter Beer Bar and Young Augustine’s; and Best Southern Breweries ~ Sweetwater Brewing... Local restaurant critic, Christiane Lauterbach, has announced her ‘Best of 2010’ restaurants in her monthly publication Knife & Fork and likes the following: Cafe Q, Empire State South, Kaleidoscope Bistro and Pub, La Fourchette, Lunacy Black Market, Miso Izakaya, Nam Phuong, Sufi’s, Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop and Sprig Restaurant... Online restaurant reservation site, Open Table, recently spotlighted area ‘Great Brunches’ and here’s what they found locally: Corner Café in Buckhead; Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highlands; Parks Edge in Inman Park; Einstein’s in Midtown; Rosebud in Virginia Highlands; Chequers Seafood Grill in Dunwoody; Café 640 in Virginia Highlands; and Park 75  Restaurant at Four Seasons Atlanta in Midtown.

Happenings...

More than 50 top chefs from the Atlanta area will participate in Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Atlanta on Thursday, April 14th, at the Georgia Aquarium.  Celebrating its 23rd anniversary, this gourmet food and wine event will feature specialty food samplings; live, silent and beverage auctions; wine tastings and live entertainment. Check out the website for participating chefs and tickets ($250 per person, VIP $350 per) can also be purchased online at www.atlantataste.org or by calling 770.436.5151... Weary of shedding tears over chopped yellow onions and ready to restock your kitchen with Georgia-grown sweeties, the Vidalia Onion?  Well, the world-famous Vidalia Onion Festival, now in its 34th year, will offer up the goods April 30 and May 1, 2011 in where else but Vidalia, Georgia.  Entertainment will include an air show, rodeo, cook-offs, Miss Vidalia pageant, American Idol alum Kellie Pickler in concert, a parade, and an arts and crafts sale. And, if you get there early, Vidalia onion enthusiasts will be able to explore the history of Georgia’s beloved state vegetable with the official opening of the Vidalia Onion Museum on Friday, April 29, 2011.  The noon event is slated to include high-profile chefs and offers attendees a look into what makes the Vidalia onion so special. “When we first hired a museum consultant, they asked, ‘Really, an onion museum?’ But they quickly realized we’re not just any onion, and this isn’t just any story,” explains Wendy Brannen, Vidalia Onion Committee Executive Director. For information on the festival events, visit www.vidaliaonionfestival.com. The Vidalia Onion Museum will be located at 100 Vidalia Sweet Onion Drive and will open to the public on Friday, April 29 at 3 p.m.   For more info, visit www.vidaliaonion.org or call 912.537.1918.

New menus...

Spring days have us hankering for new tastes to match the season.  Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia Highland has updated with such dishes as the chilled asparagus salad with house pancetta, shaved Parmesan, sherry vinaigrette and a soft-poached farm egg ($8) and a Southern classic cheese plate topped with cheddar, Sweet Grass Asher Blue, Sweet Grass Green Hill, local honey, house preserves and grilled bread ($12).  For lunch is the chicken salad sandwich on toasted sourdough ($10).  More lunch and dinner offerings include a pan-fried crab cake with mashed potatoes, asparagus and tomato jam ($12 lunch/$18 dinner), grilled hanger steak ($12 lunch/$18 dinner) and farm egg carbonara with spring peas ($10 lunch/$14 dinner). Dinner adds a grilled New York strip steak ($22) and lamb two ways -- grilled porterhouse and sausage ($20)... On Mondays, Spice Market in the W Atlanta-Midtown, offers its vegetarian bento box for $24 per person.  Each box includes white or brown rice, the chef’s soup of the day and your choice of three dishes from the varied list... Woodfire Grill on Cheshire Bridge Road stays true to its farm-to-table mantra with a five-course vegetarian tasting menu for $65 (excluding tax and gratuity). Some items in season now that may show up on the menu are sunchokes, micro spring greens, baby red potatoes, arugula, baby Vidalia onions, fennel, turnips and green onions... RA Sushi on Peachtree in Midtown is always swimming with fish, and they’ve recently added two more meat-free dishes:  vegetable tempura roll with lightly battered asparagus, sweet potato and Japanese eggplantand the Tropical roll that rolls cucumber, mango and avocado together and tops them with spinach tempura bits and spicy shrimp... Sunday’s Fajita Fiesta at Uncle Julio’s Fine Mexican Food is an easy way to cap the week with a family meal.  At least two people have to gather at the table.  Here’s what you get for $15.95 per person ($5.95 for 12 and under): chips and salsa served with your choice of guacamole or queso; a combo of mesquite-grilled chicken and beef fajitas served sizzling alongside guacamole, pico de gallo, rice, frijoles a la charra and homemade flour tortillas; and hand-made puffed sopapillas sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar and served warm with ice cream for dessert.  Both Atlanta locations serve up this special every Sunday except on holidays such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  In Buckhead, 1860 Peachtree Road, NW; 404.350.6767.  In Sandy Springs, 1140 Hammond Drive, NE; 678.736.8260.