What's cooking this week? 

SOUTH CITY KITCHEN VININGS POURS BEWITCHING BREWS AT OCTOBER 12 HOGTOBERFEST LINGER & LEARN 
Linger and Learn 

Leave the swill for the swines, these brews are some of the best in the U.S.  South City Kitchen Vinings' first Hogtoberfest is coming up, and they've planned a night of sampling brews and 'cue that fits right into the restaurant's Linger & Learn educational series.  On Wednesday, October 12 at 5:30 p.m., sample Sweetwater Dank Tank, Terrapin Peaotch, Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Wild Heaven Ode to Mercy, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber, Brooklyn Local 1 and Uinta Wyld Extra Pale Ale.  South City Kitchen chefs will demonstrate how to make bacon and slow-smoked BBQ ribs at home in two interactive cooking demos.  Nibble on bacon-wrapped chicken livers; bananas with peanuts and honey; shrimp and scallops; slow-smoked pork BBQ ribs with apple slaw; sea salt and vinegar pork rinds; and city ham and cheese fritters with Creole cane syrup mustard.  Stay for dinner and deduct 15 percent from your dinner tab.  The price won't scare you:  $30 per person including tax and gratuity, but space is limited -- grab tickets today.  The restaurant's pork-centric Hogtoberfest menu runs October 13-22.


South City Kitchen Vinings:
  1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700.

ROLL 'EM FOR THE 3-DAY AT DOUBLE ZERO BOCCE BALL TOURNAMENT ON OCTOBER 13


Double Zero NapoletanaSome run, some walk, some play bocce to knock out breast cancer.  At 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, bocce balls will roll in support of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure at
Double Zero Napoletana's first bocce charity event.  Pull on one of your new fall sweaters for this patio-compatible sporting event in Sandy Springs.  Enter for a mere $5 per person and know that all proceeds are going to the cause.  The tournament winner snags a trophy, a magnum of reserve wine, and every Sunday in 2012, they'll get a free Double Zero Margherita pizza.  Upping the ante that night, Double Zero is hosting a silent auction starting at 6:30 p.m.  All auction proceeds and 20 percent of the evening's restaurant sales go to the walk.  Bid on an illy espresso machine, a Salon Greco Spa gift package, a reserve wine basket and more.  Tournament and auction guests also may partake in a complimentary wine tasting on the outdoor courts.  Sign up at [email protected].  

 

You may remember the background:  two members of the Castellucci family lost their battles against breast cancer.  Stephanie and Nancy Castellucci, owners of Sugo, Iberian Pig and Double Zero, will be walking in this year's 3-Day to help end breast cancer.  To donate, go online or stop by any Castellucci Hospitality Group restaurant this month.  Additionally, the restaurants are mixing up special pink cocktails during October and donating the proceeds to the walk.

ATLANTA CHEFS ROPED INTO KITCHEN (WILLINGLY) FOR WORTHWHILE CAUSE AT CRYSTAL BOOTS AND SILVER SADDLES GALA ON OCTOBER 14


Silver SaddlesFood lovers in western wear will be riding high at the fifth annual Crystal Boots and Silver Saddles gala for the Ovarian Cancer Institute on Friday, October 14 from 7 -11 p.m. at Mason Murer Fine Art.  Fifteen Atlanta chefs play chuck wagon boss, hosting food stations to fuel guests and spur them along through exciting casino, auction, raffle and line dancing activities.  Some of Atlanta's "most wanted" chefs will be there, including Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar, E.J. Hodgkinson of Woodfire Grill and Gerry Klaskala of Aria.  Grey Goose Vodka and Barefoot Wine are providing libations, band Talk Journey to Me cranks live music, and we can't leave out the mechanical bull ride and jailhouse.  The sponsorship level/ticket form is available on the event website.

 

Crystal Boots and Silver Saddles is a 501(c)(3) organization assisting the not-for-profit foundation, the Ovarian Cancer Institute.  Ovarian cancer ranks fifth as the cause of cancer deaths in women and is difficult to detect.

MATTHEW MAYFIELD PERFORMS AT BRIZA RLIFE LIVE PARTY ON OCTOBER 14


Matthew MayfieldEsquire
magazine and Renaissance Hotels will host emerging artist Matthew Mayfield in a special acoustic performance at Briza as part of the RLife LIVE global entertainment program on Friday, October 14 at 9 p.m.  If you're a "Grey's Anatomy" follower, you've probably heard some of Mayfield's songs.  His hits have topped the iTunes singer/songwriter charts -- claiming #1 status several times -- and he's recently released a new album, Now You're Free. The versatile artist has an online series covering hits by Britney Spears, U2, Radiohead and others.  

 

RLife LIVE is Renaissance Hotels' global entertainment program dedicated to providing hotel guests and local patrons with an intimate and up-close look into music, culinary arts, film, arts and more.  During the show, nationally acclaimed bartender Chris McMillan will craft one of his classic cocktails featuring Belvedere Vodka to complement full bar offerings. Be sure to RSVP on Facebook for this event!

 

Briza: 866 West Peachtree Street, NW, adjacent to the Atlanta Renaissance Midtown Hotel; 678-412-2400.

FARMERS AND CULINARY COMMUNITY COMBINE GIFTS AT SECOND ANNUAL MARKET MASH-UP AT PEACHTREE ROAD FARMERS MARKET ON OCTOBER 15


PRFMAt the second annual Market Mash-Up at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on Saturday, October 15, you'll benefit from a 10-team draft uniting farmers and purveyors of locally made food.  From 9 a.m. to noon, guests will sample tempting dishes from teams you've surely heard of, such as Spotted Trotter, Red Queen Tarts, Indian Ridge, Hope's Gardens, Riverview Farms, H&F Bread, Greenleaf Farms and more.  Two hundred and fifty tasting tickets are available and will be for sale at $5 each (buys tasting of all 10 dishes) starting at 9 a.m.  Tasting runs from 10-11 a.m. or until sold out.  Guests fork up samples, vote for favorites and pick up recipes of the Mash-Up dishes.  Celebrity judges will choose a victor among the 10 teams.  This year's judges include Kim Severson, Atlanta bureau chief of The New York Times and author of Spoon Fed; Christiane Lauterbach, dining critic forAtlanta magazine and Knife & Fork; Jennifer Zyman, editor of The Blissful Glutton and Eater Atlanta; and Emily Smith, CNN Eatocracy contributor. 

 

More than 50 silent auction items will be up for bid that morning.  The event pays forward, helping fund the market's 2012 city permit fees and city-required police officer.  The PRFM is the largest producer-only market in metro Atlanta, meaning that everything at the market has been grown, raised or made by the seller and ensuring fair prices for both vendor and consumer.  Lauren Carey, PRFM manager, sums it up, "Accessibility to fresh local produce is a gift; it means so much more to shake the hand of the farmer that grew the vegetables on your dinner plate." 

 

Peachtree Road Farmers Market:  The Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, NW.

AQUA BLUE, CHICKEN AND THE EGG, SUGO AND MORE AT TASTE OF ROSWELL ON OCTOBER 15


Taste of RoswellFood fans looking for a "square" meal will find it at A Taste of Roswell filling the historic town square this Saturday, October 15.  Come at noon and graze until 5:30 p.m.  Admission is free; food tickets are $0.50 each for samples priced from $0.50 to $3 from more than 21 restaurants.  Aqua blue, Chicken and the Egg and Sugo are on that list -- you definitely want to stop by those booths!  

 

A popular DJ from 106.7 Atlanta's Greatest Hits will take care of the tunes.  To keep bellies trim, an active afternoon is planned with the hokey pokey, electric slide, line dancing, a Hula-Hoop contest, "The Twist" dance contest and a bean bag toss (keeps the wrists limber for forking and spooning).  More than a taste, this event promises to be a heaping helping of fun for the whole family.

JAZZOO IS ZOO ATLANTA'S WILDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR ON OCTOBER 15


JazzooJazz up your day by clicking on Zoo Atlanta's Jazzoo page for jazzy vibes and tickets to this fourth annual fundraiser on October 15 from 6:30 - 11 p.m.  Spice Market, RA Sushi 
and Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food are among the 25 popular Atlanta restaurants feeding the human animals.  A  full bar serves as the watering hole, and four stages of entertainment provide plenty of show time by Eddie's Attic, Dr. Stech, Nervous Habit and party band Yacht Rock. 

 

Unleash your inner peacock and wear "creative cocktail" attire such as shorts, flip-flops, sequins and bow ties.  All-inclusive tickets are priced at $100 each (VIP tickets/$150 each); rain or shine, no refunds.  Ages 21 and over only, and please have ID.  SafeRide will provide "tips only" rides home within a 15-mile radius and $2 per mile beyond that.  Proceeds support Zoo Atlanta programs and fund field trips for disadvantaged children and schools.

PUNT THE POPCORN!  OPT FOR THE MEET AND EAT WITH GERRY KLASKALA AT FALCONS VS. PANTHERS GAME


AriaWho's manning the local chef stand at the Georgia Dome for this Sunday's game?  Aria Owner/Executive Chef Gerry Klaskala is the man with the pan backing up the Falcon's game plan as they take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 16 at 1 p.m.  

 

Look for the Falcons on the turf and Klaskala inside 2View Restaurant located in the Dome's east end zone on the executive concourse (near the suites).  Talk shop with Gerry -- you won't have to leave the game to taste his marvels; they'll be on the menu inside 2View.

POULET?  OEUF?  VIN?  FRENCH WINE DINNER AT CHICKEN AND THE EGG ON OCTOBER 17

 

Chicken and the EggMarietta's modern farmstead dining destination, Chicken and the Egg, adds vine-to-table designation to its event calendar as it plans for a French wine dinner on Monday, October 17 at 7 p.m.  There are only a few seats left to grab out of the 20 available at the private dining room table for this nine-course meal with French wine pairings.  At $48 a head for the whole food and wine experience, it's quite the golden egg of dining finds this month.   For reservations, call 678-388-8813.

 

Chicken and the Egg:  800 Whitlock Avenue in Marietta; 678-388-8813. 

FERRAGAMO'S IL BORRO WINE FINDS FOOTING AS FLEMING'S NEW FORTY-SIX DIAMONDS LIMITED-EDITION WINE 
Salvatore F.
If the name sounds familiar, it is. Salvatore Ferragamo, Il Borro Winery proprietor, is the grandson of the famed footwear designer Ferragamo.  Lineage aside, this Ferragamo is all about the wines of Tuscany's Il Borro Winery and creating the newest private-label wine -- Forty-Six Diamonds Toscana 2009 -- for Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.   Il Borro premium wines have graced Fleming's reserve wine list for many years.  

 

This year's limited-edition private-label wine represents a delicious collaboration between Ferragamo, Il Borro Winemaker Nicol� D'Afflitto and Fleming's Wine Director Maeve Pesquera.  The Sangiovese for the blend comes from Politi Vineyard, which provides the ideal elevation, Pliocene lake soil and southwestern exposure to turn out Tuscany's famed grape.  Taste the artistry and note the artwork of internationally renowned artist and wine aficionado Thomas Arvid on the wine labels and on Fleming's walls.

 

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar:  4501 Olde Perimeter Way in Perimeter Place Village; 770-698-8112.

THINGS ARE REALLY STARTING TO COOK IN EAST COBB WITH OPENING OF THE COOK'S WAREHOUSE STORE


East CobbEast Cobbers have been turning up the heat under Mary Moore, founder and owner of Atlanta's premier gourmet cookware store The Cook's Warehouse, to open a store in their community.  With the September 29 opening of her fourth store and second largest in the family, she can finally say, "Come and get it!" According to Moore, "East Cobb has been the most-requested store location since the day I opened The Cook's Warehouse in 1995...a thorough review of registrants to our cooking school classes showed a significant percentage came from East Cobb."  

 

The 4,800-square-foot store is located next to Whole Foods in the newly renovated Merchants Walk shopping center on Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta.  Shoppers will find an inventory of 15,000 top-quality cooking products, cookware and accessories and high-end appliances for indoors and out.  Specialists help customers make wise choices and "test runs" before appliance purchases are offered.  The Merchants Walk store will join the other three locations in Midtown (Ansley Mall flagship store), Brookhaven and Decatur in conducting more than 600 cooking classes annually, making the four-store family the largest avocational cooking school in the Southeast!

 

The Cook's Warehouse - East Cobb:  In Merchants Walk shopping center, 1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 568; 770-565-8005.

NO. 246 TAKES IT OUT BACK TO THEIR NEWLY FINISHED BACKYARD.  COME ON OVER -- YOU WON'T HAVE TO RAKE LEAVES 

No. 246Perfect timing!  These gorgeous early fall days should be spent outdoors as much as possible.  No. 246 in Decatur obliges, opening their backyard for dining and relaxation.  The big deck is an eye catcher, built around a tree and home base for live music on weekends.  In the yard proper, the herb garden emits wonderful fragrance while waiting patiently for chefs' hands to pick and add to the restaurant's Italian-inspired dishes.  Live music fills the air on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 5 p.m., weather permitting.  Picture those magazine photos of smiling folks gathered 'round outside tables, pouring wine, forking up Italian food and chattering away?  Might as well be you and yours in the big backyard at No. 246.


No. 246:  129 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue; 678-399-8246.

JUSTIN BALMES AND THE VIDALIA ONION COMMITTEE WILL BE AT THE PRODUCE MARKET ASSOCIATION'S FRESH SUMMIT EXPOSITION 

Justin BalmesThe Produce Market Association is holding their Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Atlanta October 14 -17.   Look for "Food Network Star" Chef Justin Balmes at the Duda Farm Fresh Foods booth October 15 and 16. The friendly folks from the Vidalia Onion Committee also will be there with a booth to spread the word about Georgia's sweet onion.

 

PMA's Fresh Summit is a must-attend event for those in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry and is a dynamic platform to keep attendees up to date on the industry's emerging trends and changing global supply chain.

BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, LUNCH - YELPER HAS SUN IN MY BELLY


YelperA plate of French toast at Eastlake-area Sun in my Belly opened the day to a sweet and sunny start for Yelper Sindhura S.  She loves the carbs, cuteness and comfort; a little cool on the parking so don't get uptight looking for a parking place.

 

I went here for the first time today and the food is absolutely DELISH!!! They have an excellent breakfast/lunch menu. We went for brunch so I ordered the French toast. The French toast is melt in your mouth, make your heart race GOOD!!! The potatoes were seasoned so well and the biscuits were really soft. Overall the food here is great!! The place is really cute and comfortable, very relaxed. It's usually pretty busy, so make sure you come prepared to wait a few minutes. The only cons are that the parking is limited, so you may have to drive around a few times before you can find a spot. And though the staff is extremely polite, the service is really slow. But the food is worth waiting for. And the sweet tea brew is not that good, kinda has a weird taste to it. Overall a good experience, can't wait to go back and try all the other yummy dishes!

 

Sun in my Belly:  2161 College Avenue, NE; 404-370-1088.

EAT IT AND TWEEP:  FRUGAL FOODIE TRIES RESTAURANTS ONE BY ONE


Tweep of the WeekWhen you're a foodie on a budget (and who isn't these days), you savor each restaurant on your hit list, appreciating every bite.  Julie Gallien tweets (@frugalfoodieJG) of her finds and daily life and offers up bigger portions on her Nourishment on a Plate blog.

 

Sample Tweet: Dude from Vampire Diaries is here at Ecco! Told you celebrities love @FifthGrouper restaurants!


OUR APPETIZING APERTURE OF THE WEEK 

 

Fleming's   

 

Cheers! This October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Fleming's is pitching in.  Try the "Stiletto" -- 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the drink will be donated back to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. You also can feel good when you choose to sip on Cline Cashmere at Fleming's.  Cline is making a $25,000 donation to Living Beyond Breast Cancer during the month of October in conjunction with the sale of Cashmere. 

Looking for the latest restaurant opening, weekly wine tastings and drink specials, or other culinary happenings? Whatever makes your mouth water, Melissa Libby & Associates will point you in the right direction. Our monthly calendar, blog, flickr, Facebook page and Twitter feed will keep you up-to-date on new and ongoing restaurant events around Atlanta.
 
Melissa Libby & Associates is an Atlanta-based public relations firm specializing in the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries.
 
For information about these and other great Atlanta restaurants, go to www.melissalibbypr.com, check out our Facebook fanpage, follow AtlantaDish on Twitter, or call 404-816-3068.
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