What's cooking this week? 

GET TIPS AND SAMPLES JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AT NEW YORK BUTCHER SHOPPE'S HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSES    


The DishThe New York Butcher Shoppe is opening its doors for an evening of great food and cheer. Head over to the Dunwoody location on Wednesday, November 9 or to the Sandy Springs location on Thursday, November 10. Both holiday open houses run from 5 - 8 p.m., and guests can sample chef-prepared holiday menu items and party appetizers, discuss menu options and get advice on holiday party and catering opportunities. As a bonus, order your turkey and sides while you're there, and New York Butcher Shoppe will give you 20 percent off your chef-prepared sides. And with the holidays in mind, don't forget to ask about corporate gifts and gift baskets.  


New York Butcher Shoppe - Dunwoody: 2458 Mt. Vernon Road; 770-399-6328.

New York Butcher Shoppe - Sandy Springs: 4969 Roswell Road; 404-303-0704.

VETERANS, YOU'VE SERVED. NOW KRISPY KREME WANTS TO SERVE YOU A FREE DOUGHNUT ON VETERANS DAY


The DishSweet victory! This Veterans Day, Krispy Kreme in Columbus, Ga. has a sweet token of gratitude for those who have served or who are currently serving in the United States military. On Friday, November 11, these men and women will receive one free signature Original Glazed doughnut in honor of their service. No purchase necessary. This offer is only available at the Krispy Kreme located at 6761 Veterans Parkway in Columbus, Ga.

 

Krispy Kreme: 6761 Veterans Parkway in Columbus, Ga.; 706-320-2124.

BRIZA'S JANINE FALVO STIRS UP SEASONAL FLAVORS AT PIEDMONT PARK GREEN MARKET AND SCORES WITH WINNING RECIPES AT GEORGIA DOME'S LOCAL CHEF STAND


The DishJanine Falvo seems to be everywhere these days! While "Top Chef:  Texas" had her skedaddling out west, Briza's executive chef spends the majority of her time creating Southern-influenced, whimsical dishes that are drawing happy diners in at the Midtown restaurant. On Saturday, November 12, she won't have to travel far when she journeys the few blocks from Briza's turf adjacent to the Atlanta Renaissance Midtown Hotel to the Piedmont Park Green Market. Falvo will lead the Green Market chef's demo from 11 a.m. until noon on the patio. Market opens at 9 a.m. for shopping; fill your shopping bags with seasonal good stuff then get some prep and serving tips from Falvo.    

 

On Sunday, Falvo will be at the Georgia Dome, heading up the local chef stand while the Falcons take on the New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. While the Falcons battle it out on the field, Falvo will be stirring things up inside 2View Restaurant located in the Dome's east end zone on the executive concourse (near the suites). Chat with Falvo and savor her dishes without missing a minute of the action on the field.

ATLANTA CHEFS ADD THEIR BEAT TO 5th ANNUAL "MUSIC TO YOUR MOUTH" EVENT, NOVEMBER 15-20 IN BLUFFTON, S.C.

The DishThere's a mouthful of food and wine events on the plate at next week's "Music to Your Mouth" southern culinary festival in Bluffton, S.C. Three Atlanta executive chefs and food stars, Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, Ford Fry of JCT. Kitchen & Bar and Drew Belline of No. 246 will be among the more than 60 food stars, chefs, brewers, farmers and artisans forking it out at culinary demonstrations and showdowns... and at calm dinners at the Palmetto Bluff Lowcountry destination. 

Ticket and weekend package information is online. "Music to Your Mouth" runs November 15-20 and benefits Second Helpings, which has "rescued" more than five million pounds of good food destined for landfills and has distributed it to agencies helping to feed the disadvantaged in Bluffton's surrounding counties.

CHICKEN AND THE EGG'S FALL MENU HAS COMFORT WRITTEN ALL OVER IT

The DishWe know one bird that's ready for cool weather -- Chicken and the Egg in Marietta. Their new fall menu lineup keeps shivers at bay with body-warming comfort foods for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Don't miss the cocktail list either -- it's way too interesting to skip! For weekday lunch, Chicken and the Egg's blue plate specials ($9) give you a choice of one meat and two veggies from a changing daily selection. Each day brings new choices from Monday's turkey and dressing, meatloaf with tomato gravy or fried chicken breast to Wednesday's fried chicken livers or chicken and dumplings. Salads, soups, combos and sandwiches ($4.50-$12) expand options further.

Come dinner time, start with selections from the "Before Supper" list ($6-$9). Try short rib sliders on house-made brioche, buttermilk fried oysters or fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese fondue, country ham and tomato jam. Warm up with roasted tomato soup ($4.50) and a sandwich ($8.50-$10) such as the Farm House Burger or the Plant with grilled mesquite portabella and veggies. Supper ($14-$19) features iron skillet fried chicken with real mac and cheese, smoked and grilled pork chop, Georgia trout, duck breast with roasted root vegetables and Gouda grits, meat-free portabella stroganoff and more. For peeps 12 and under, a special $5 menu lays out pasta, Ashley Farms chicken fingers, pita pizza, sliders and more  -- all with a choice of fries, simple salad, fruit or roasted heirloom tomato soup.

And if weekdays and nights are jammed, set aside time for weekend brunch on Saturday from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Pleasing morning birds and afternoon risers alike are "Bites" ($6-$9) of buttermilk fried oysters with Creole tartar, fried green tomatoes and black-eyed pea "hummus" and "Favorites" ($9-$14) ranging from fried chicken to French toast, crab cake Benedict, steak and eggs, a garden omelet or the C&E Cobb salad. Sandwiches bridge the a.m./p.m. pangs ($8.50-$10). Youngsters can even get breakfast with eggs, bacon or sausage, hash brown casserole and a biscuit for only $5.

Along with a robust wine and beer list, Chicken and the Egg lets fly a colorful list of cocktails at $9 each, including Dirty South, Autumn Heir, Grilled Apple Manhattan, Fallen Fig and Devil Came Down.

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

$5 ABSOLUT COCKTAILS AND APPETIZERS KEEP TRUFFLES GRILL GUESTS HAPPY


The DishGuests are euphoric about November's new $5 cocktail and appetizer promotion at Truffles Grill in Buckhead. Six Absolut martinis and an "Absolut-ly Your Way" cocktail are offered for $5 each -- all day, every day -- in the bar or dining area. Absolut Citron spikes the classic cosmo martini and the lemon drop martini; the Orient apple martini and APeach martini feature those Absolut flavors respectively; and Absolut Pears goes into the pear and elderflower martini. The Absolut classic martini wows purists. Micromanagers can have it "Absolut-ly Your Way" with the Absolut vodka of their choice and a mixer. Absolutely, there's more! From 4 -7 p.m. daily, a $5 appetizer menu draws guests to the bar for baked brie in puff pastry, black bean cake, coconut shrimp, jumbo lump crab cake, fresh mushroom crostini or spinach and artichoke dip. Drop a $5, $10, $20 or more -- small prices for one big, happy setting.


Truffles Grill:  3345 Lenox Road; 404-364-9050.

RAY'S IN THE CITY HAS ITS OWN STASH OF "FIVE AFTER FIVE" DRINKS AND APPETIZER SPECIALS


The DishFall's Five after Five at Ray's in the City is a delectable testament to positive feedback generated during recent Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week, Sips in the City and Central Atlanta Progress promotions. For five days a week starting at 5 p.m., Ray's in the City and others on the Downtown dining scene will offer $5 cocktails and appetizer specials. Sip a skinny margarita, sake mojito, blood orange old fashioned, Georgia peach martini or pomegranate martini -- each only $5. Spend the same on small plates such as Maytag blue cheese chips, crispy calamari, Ray's BBQ shrimp, select sushi rolls or East Coast oysters with champagne mignonette and Ray's cocktail sauce.Take Ray's in the City up on this deal and stay downtown after the work whistle blows and let rush hour blow over. 


Ray's in the City:  240 Peachtree Street, NW; 404-524-9224.

AND KENNESAW WILL MAKE FOUR -- SMASHBURGER TO OPEN NOVEMBER 30


The DishThere's something smashing about a "better burger" restaurant that keeps its burger flipping fingers on the regional pulse. Truth be told, Smashburger doesn't flip its burgers -- they're "smashed" on a flat grill to sear in juicy flavor. When Smashburger opens its fourth Atlanta-area restaurant in Kennesaw on Wednesday, November 30, you can bet that the signature, 100 percent Certified Angus Beef Atlanta Smashburger and the Atlanta Smashdog -- both topped with Wicked Pimena cheese and Vidalia coleslaw -- will be outright smash hits on toasted artisan buns. Lay on some of that peach BBQ sauce and a side of haystack onions, will ya?  Local beer, wine, hand-spun H�agen-Dazs shakes and IBC root beer floats in frosted mugs complete the thought. Look for the new Smashburger at 440 Ernest W. Barrett Parkway.  

 

If you can't wait, stay calm and visit any of Atlanta's other Smashburger locations:  Buckhead at 2625 Piedmont Road, NE, 404-237-2374; Johns Creek at 9775 Medlock Bridge Road, 770-497-6274; and Alpharetta at 5530 Windward Parkway, 770-754-0554.

IS HE ANALYZING WINE OR PHO? YELPER HITS PHO ZONE IN NAM PHUONG


The DishIs Yelper Dio S. analyzing wine or pho broth? Good thing the quixotic Yelpster mentions Nam Phuong three words into his thesis statement, clarifying that "mild and balanced," "clean-tasting," "sharp and pungent" and the like modify broth, not Bordeaux. Bottom line:  top pho.  

 

These days Nam Phuong is my preferred choice for overall Vietnamese food. When it first opened I was a little skeptical, worrying that it might be more presentation and no substance, or that it might be formulaic, or watered down to maximize profits, etc. But months passed and I found myself coming back here again and again and really have very little interest in getting pho, chao, bun, or crab noodle soup anywhere else anymore. Not only does Nam Phuong offer a pretty comprehensive menu, but the quality of food has been consistently high. The broths are tastier than most with the exception of the beef stew, which is a bit one dimensionally sweet and definitely not as good as the former Pho #1's version. The chao long, one of my favorite dishes, is clean-tasting and well seasoned here, with good variety of parts that are all fresh. The crab broth is a beautiful thing to behold, with a mouthwatering dense consistency and good amount of of crab bits. Other broths such as for bun bo huey, which is to be sharp and pungent, or for the clear noodle soup, which is to be mild and balanced, also generally impress or satisfy. I should just copy and paste what I said about Quan Ba 9 before its quality slumped mysteriously.  

 

All versions of the fresh spring rolls (either with pork/shrimp, shredded pork, or crab and sausage) are fresh and delicious, with little nice touches in the recipes that make them stand out from pedestrian versions. Unfortunately, the bahn xeo (crepes) dish sucks hard. The crepe itself has little taste and is a tiny thing sitting in huge plate of herbs and vegetables. I hated it. The com (rice plate) dishes also are not noticeably better than most places'.  

 

Like Chateau Saigon, Nam Phuong, being more than just a pho joint, not surprisingly also offers competently prepared entrees like pan fried noodles, shaking beef, salt/pepper squid, etc. Having tried a lot of these, I found them solid but mostly not quite amazing like the entrees at Cheateau when the original chef stilled cooked there. It's certainly nice to have these options.  

 

Aside from being a fan of the food, I also like that this place has consistently eager service and a nice clean environment. A worthy and in many ways improved replacement for this former Pho #1 spot!


Nam Phuong:  4051 Buford Highway; 404-633-2400. 

EAT IT AND TWEEP:  DESIGN*SPONGE DOLES OUT EYE CANDY AND IDEAS FOR AN ARTFUL, GRACEFUL WORLD

 

The DishGrace Bonney founded Design*Sponge in 2004. These days, global readership tops 75,000 blog readers daily and 315,000+ Twitter followers. The New York Times calls it "Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials." With multiple daily updates on design, decorating, DIY, entertaining, travel, how-to videos and beyond, it's easy to see why followers are so absorbed. Follow her on Twitter (@designsponge) and soak in more on her Design*Sponge blog.  

 

Sample Tweeti love how lucianna repurposed these amazing old horse stall doors in her home for today's third BEFORE & AFTER: http://bit.ly/rVhp9h 

OUR APPETIZING APERTURE OF THE WEEK 

 

Ecto-Cooler  

  

Tacos Mexicanos, anyone? We can't wait to dive into this delicious dinner when Chepe's newest location opens at the Old Alabama Square shopping center in Johns Creek on Wednesday, November 16!  

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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