Friday, July 1, 2011

TASTES, TRENDS & FLAVORS

'Day of Dining' raises $130,000
Eating light with Cyrille Holota

23-year-old Open Hand, the community-based nonprofit organization providing comprehensive nutrition care, recently held its largest annual fundraiser, the 19th Annual Dining Out for Life event at more than 100 metro Atlanta restaurants. Participating restaurants donated 20% or more of each diner’s bill and through restaurant contributions, sponsorships and individual donations, this year’s event has raised over $130,000. For more information on Open Hand, visit OpenHandAtlanta.org, and to find out more about Dining Out for Life, visit DiningOutforOH.org...  The summer ‘Chef Series’ continues at One.Midtown Kitchen as resident Chef Drew Van Leuvan welcomes area chefs for a five-course dinner paied with cocktails, wine or beer. Van Leuvan will prepare the appetizer and dessert portion of the menu while each guest chef will prepare courses two, three and four.  July 20th, Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen cooks along side Van Leuvan followed by Hector Santiago of Pura Vida on August 3rd. Cost is $75 per dinner, $200 for three dinners or $300 for five dinners.  Visit onemidtownkitchen.com or call 404.892.4111 for reservations...  As if the summers aren’t hot enough in Atlanta, Café Circa on Edgewood Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward district is heating things up with ‘Dinner and the Blues’ dates with Atlanta vocalist Francine Reed. To make the musical experience delicious, Café Circa is offering a two-course dinner special for $20 - choice of an appetizer or a dessert and an entrée - on the nights Reed performs created by executive chef Hopeton S. Hibbert. After Francine’s set, head upstairs to The Reserve to enjoy cigars and libations from the new summer cocktail menu. Reed is slated to perform on Monday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m., July 11th and 18th. For more info, visit www.cafecircaatl.com or call 404.477.0008... Genki Noodles and Sushi, with locations in Buckhead, Sandy Springs and now Virginia-Highland, is adding new weekly events to their ranks: Sake Sundays with $1 sushi nigiri, $3 rolls, $3 Genki draft beer, $3.50 sake bombs and $5 cold sake. The Buckhead location will also feature live music starting at 6 p.m. In addition to Sake Sundays, all three Genki locations host Wine Wednesdays with half price bottles of wine starting at $12 and Genki Hour every Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with $3 appetizers, sushi rolls, wine and beer.  Visit www.genkiatl.com for addresses and numbers... Also offering tunes with food, The Charlie Wooton Project will perform on Saturday, July 2 from 10 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at The Family Dog located at 1402 N. Highland Avenue in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.thefamilydogatlanta.com or call 404.249.0180...  Who says all wine tastings have to be the same?  The new H&F Bottle Shop on Peachtree Road is bringing a whole new kind of wine tasting starting with the Thursday night ‘food and wine’ tasting events, themed around a song, a movie, a type of food or a wine, and the ‘Unplugged and Uncorked,’ a rock and roll kind of tasting --- debuting on Saturday nights --- pairing wines with live music.  For $35 guests attend a private party with Atlanta’s best musicians. Saturday evening July performers include: Herb Harris on July 2nd; Book of Colors on the 9th; Adron on the 16th; Phillip Frobos on the 23rd; and Anna Kramer on the 30th. Check out the website, hfbottleshop.com or call 404.841.4070 for all the details.
Cooking light...
You can join Chef Cyrille Holota on Saturday, July 16 for an interactive cooking class in the kitchen at BLT Steak on Ivan Allen Junior Boulevard in Atlanta. The class theme, ‘Eating Light: Flavorful yet Healthy Entrees including Salads and Dressings,’ will take place from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. The cooking classes cost $50 per person and include wine pairings and samples of the dishes. For reservations, call 404.577.7601 or visit www.bltrestaurants.com... The third annual JCT Kitchen ‘Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival’ is set to take place on July 17th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Check out all the details on page 15... Food 101’s Executive Chef Justin Keith has created a series of local summer crop dinners that highlight the best produce available that month.  His first featured produce is sweet corn and the ‘Corn Crop Dinner’ will take place Thursday, July 14th. Highlights of the menu include: Hickory smoked pork belly “Tamale” of roasted corn, green tomato & poblano pepper relish and ham hock jus; Corn vichyssoise of lump crab, chive and truffle oil; Littleneck clam bake of chorizo, corn, fennel, fingerling potatoes and aromatic corn broth; 1855 shoulder steak a la plancha of triple creamed corn, crispy onion and red wine demi; and Sweet Corn souffle with blueberry compote, corn shoots and Cracker Jacks. The cost is $45 for the pre fix menu and $15 for optional wine pairings. Food 101 is located at 4969 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs. Call 404.497.9700 for reservations... Cheshire Bridge Road has taken a lot of rap over the years, which only adds to its quirky edge. Where else in Atlanta can you find food, antique stores, boutiques and strip clubs without making any turns?  Learn more about the road’s colorful history and colorful offerings by taking the ‘Taste & Tour of Cheshire Bridge’ from 5 - 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, July 20 and 21.  Ticket prices are $15 per person per day or $25 per person for both days until July 1; after July 1, they’re $20 and $35 respectively.  Follow the event on Twitter (@tourofCB) for timely info... On Thursday, July 14, Morton’s The Steakhouse Buckhead location will host an interactive event featuring stemware from Riedel Wine Glass Company. Guests will explore the effect the shape of the glass has on the taste of the wine during a comparative stem to stem tasting. Signature hors d’oeuvres will be served including chicken goujonettes, petite filet mignon sandwiches and broiled sea scallops wrapped in bacon served with apricot chutney. Each attendee will receive a tasting set of four (4) Riedel Wine Glasses valued at $116. An array of featured wines will be served and the evening will also present a silent auction with 100% of proceeds benefitting Birdies for the Brave. Tickets are $95 per person (which includes tax, gratuity, hors d’oeuvres, tasting wine and set of 4 Riedel ‘Vinum’ wine glasses). Morton’s The Steakhouse is located at 3379 Peachtree Road. For tickets and additional information, call 404.816.6535.
New eats...
Through Monday, July 25, Atlantans can get a taste of America at all seven metro Marlow’s Tavern locations with its “Red, White and Brew” celebrating the flavors of the season. The menu includes the following dishes: Beer & cheese soup - a light beer soup with garlic, thyme, provolone, Swiss and Parmesan served with a ciabatta crisp ($6); Firecracker deviled eggs - pimento cheese, applewood smoked bacon, fresh herbs and firecracker sauce ($3/$5); Watermelon, feta and arugula salad - fresh basil, ginger and balsamic glaze ($9); Red, White and Bleu Burger - made with lean ground beef and decorated with red pepper, Vidalia onion and Maytag blue cheese on a toasted sesame brioche bun served with American fries ($11); Backyard blackened swordfish - dusted, grilled, pressed and stacked with baby arugula, citrus aioli, toasted challah and Red, White and Blue Potato Salad ($14); Honey glazed grilled chicken-grilled chicken glazed with honey mustard and Meyer lemon served with loaded Red Bliss potatoes and chili-slathered corn on the cob ($17); Grilled skirt steak - “hot off the grill” skirt steak blazed with house made chimichurri, summer squash and jumbo Vidalia onion rings ($19); Chili slathered corn on the cob - secret seasoning, chili butter and fresh parsley ($3); Red White and Blue Potato Salad - Red Bliss and Peruvian purple potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, chopped egg and fresh herbs ($3); and Key Lime Pie in a Glass - made with Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key Lime juice, stacked with a graham cracker-pecan crust and fresh berries ($6). The menu also features the following specialty beverages: ‘Summertime’ Watermelon Margarita - Herradura  Reposado, fresh watermelon syrup, house made sour and fresh lime ($8); Tommy’s Favorite Sangria - Savida sangria, the freshest seasonal fruit and Agave nectar ($8); Red - Rogue American Ale ($5); White- SweetWater Sch’Wheat American Wheat Ale ($5.50); and Blue - Terrapin Hop Karma IPA ($6).  Marlow’s is also hosting its Second Annual Marlow’s Tavern Grilling Recipe Contest. This competition gives grillers the opportunity to enter their favorite recipe for a chance to win an array of prizes.  Contestants can submit their recipe through July 25 at www.marlowstavern.com or fill out an entry form at one of the seven tavern locations.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the winning menu item will be donated in the winner’s name to Special Olympics Georgia.  Visit www.marlowstavern.com for locations and all the details...  Restaurant Eugene on Peachtree celebrates desserts with Pastry Chef Aaron Russell’s new dessert tasting menus. The three and five course tastings can be enjoyed every night and as with any tasting menu, the desserts are coursed and come with optional pairings.  A recent five course tasting included:  lavender lemonade and vanilla ice cream float, followed by caramel ganache with espresso anglaise and streusel, followed by pickled strawberries, vegan cocoa cake and orange blossom mousse, then a bite of sweet tea crème brulee and finished with blueberry sorbet and citrus shortbread. The tasting menu will change nightly and will feature the best fruits, herbs and spices of the season at just the right time for $18 and $24 respectively.  Restaurant Eugene is located at 2277 Peachtree Road and reservations are encouraged, 404.355.0321... 11-year-old Agave restaurant, located on Boulevard in the historic Cotton Mill General Store in Cabbagetown has added to its eclectic southwestern menu with new summer dishes.  Agave has kept the customers’ favorites and added new dishes such as homemade chile rellenos, spicy grilled swordfish and roasted poblano chicken soup.  Agaves signature Herb & Chile Rub is now also available ‘for sale’ at Savi Urban Market in Inman Park.

Get Shakin’...  

The second-annual Mayfield Dairy Milkshake Recipe Contest is underway offering a $10,000 grand prize to the 2011 winning ‘Below Zero Hero.’  Aspiring milkshake makers can submit their milkshake masterpiece recipes to the contest website until August. A panel of culinary judges will pick the top-10 recipes nationally based on overall appeal, originality and taste. The recipes will be posted online for consumers to test and to vote for their favorites. The first place winner will receive $10,000, second place $3,000 and third place $1,000.  Plug in the blender, purchase Mayfield ice cream and milk, gather your favorite add ins -- fresh fruit, candy or cookies --  and start shakin.’  Like the contest on Facebook and follow it on Twitter (@IceCreamFun) for tips and recipe ideas.