What's cooking this week? 

HOW ABOUT A SNOW DAY? SMASHBURGER WINTERFEST SWEEPSTAKE PRIZE IS COLORADO SKI TRIP AND ICELANTIC SKIS

Sizzling hot Smashburgers, chicken sandwiches, Smashdogs and veggie burgers send cold packing, if you catch our drift. If, however, cold calls you to the slopes, Smashburger again comes to the rescue with the Smashburger Winterfest sweepstakes. Enter online through January 27. One grand-prize winner will ski away with a trip for two to Colorado including hotel accommodations, a pair of Icelantic skis and a private tour of the Icelantic factory. Other prizes include Icelantic skis, a snowboard, some 686 snowboard jackets, Winter Park lift tickets, Colorado Avalanche tickets and Smashgear. While you're on the website, enter your preferred Smashburger location -- Alpharetta, Buckhead, Johns Creek, Kennesaw or Sandy Springs -- and receive news on specials and events. 

PAN THE CANNED SOUP AND SPOON UP THESE SOUPER DOOPER SOUPS DURING NATIONAL SOUP MONTH

WMF Profi Plus Soup Ladle from The Cook's Warehouse

A spoon. A bowl. Soup. The humble meal of soup and bread can be so satisfying, not to mention a total body-warming experience. And if you want a cup o' soup to begin the meal or to make friends with a salad or sandwich, well, most of our favorite restaurants say "souper!"

At Alma Cocina, butternut squash soup sports lamb meatballs and tequila-compressed apples ($9). Count on tortilla soup to heat things up ($6).

A star from the beginning, Aria's creamless celery root and black truffle soup ($9 bowl) continues to win raves and requests.

Each Atkins Park Tavern has its own signature soups. Atkins Park - Virginia Highland doles out creamy tomato basil ($3 cup; $5 bowl) or a soup of the day ($4 cup; $6 bowl). Atkins Park Smyrna offers two hearty seafood soups -- Maryland she-crab soup ($5.50 cup; $7.50 bowl) and seafood gumbo ($6.50 cup; $8.50 bowl) -- as well as a soup of the day ($5.50 cup; $7.50 bowl).

Classic French onion soup baked with Gruy�re and Parmesan cheeses ($9.50 bowl) is one to savor spoon by spoon at Fleming's Prime Steak & Wine Bar on the topside Perimeter.

The Southern soup pot at JCT. Kitchen & Bar ladles up several filling recipes at lunch and dinnertime:  sweet onion soup "gratin" ($4 cup; $8 bowl), tomato soup ($3.25 cup; $6.50 bowl) and smoky white bean and ham hock soup ($3.50 cup; $7 bowl).

The chicken queso soup at Marlow's Tavern is a longtime hit and comes in two sizes:  an eight-ounce bowl for $5 and a four-ounce cup for $3.50.

We all root for the sweet taste of parsnip soup ($7 bowl) with fried garlic and EVOO on top at No. 246 in Decatur. Such a hit, there are some "souper" pictures floating out there.

Slide over sushi rolls, we're slurping up soup today at RA Sushi!  In miso soup, tofu, seaweed and green onions swim in a miso broth ($4). Miso Hot! adds shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and shrimp to a spicy miso broth ($6.75), and potsticker soup makes a meal with pork potstickers, snow peas, carrots, bok choy and green onions ($7).

When soup's tugging your soul, there's a Ray's Restaurant nearby to sustain you. Ray's on the River and Ray's in the City both offer seafood gumbo, crab bisque and a soup du jour ($5 cup; $7 bowl). Ray's at Killer Creek swaps out seafood gumbo for French onion soup at the same price points.

Even the beefy chili at Smashburger is a smash hit at $2.99.  Each bowl comes dressed with jalape�os and cheddar. Cap your burger with a ladle for $1.

True to its name, Spice Market warms with fragrant and spicy chicken and coconut milk soup ($7); and shrimp dumplings, shitake and dill in a fragrant miso broth ($7.50).

To spoon or to chip dip Uncle Julio's chile con queso? Do both; no one's looking. It's available by the bowl ($7.95) or cup ($5.25) at Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food in Buckhead and Sandy Springs.

JCT. BAR'S BELOVED "BURGER AND BEER" SPECIAL WON'T BURN A HOLE IN YOUR POCKET

It's time for burgers and brew-ha-ha as JCT. Bar brings back its "Burger and Beer" special beginning Tuesday, January 17. Plow into some Southern farmstead fare on a bun in the way of Executive Chef/Owner Ford Fry's house-ground "Frito Pie" Burger and team it up with your choice of Wyld Extra Pale Ale, Baba Black Lager or Hopnotch IPA from Utah-based Uinta Brewing for only $10. The rooftop bar above JCT. Kitchen serves up this thrifty-yet-filling special every Tuesday through Thursday from 5 - 10 p.m. Read more about Uinta Brewing's wind- and solar-powered enterprise on the brewer's website. JCT. Bar opens Tuesdays through Saturdays beginning at 5 p.m. For reservations or more information, call 404-355-2252.

JCT. Kitchen & Bar:  In Atlanta's Westside Urban Market at 1198 Howell Mill Road; 404-355-2252.

THE DISH IS 10 YEARS OLD 

NOW SHOWING! YELPER GIVES THUMBS UP TO NEW CINEBISTRO IN BROOKHAVEN

Hate it when you come early, fork out the bucks for the tickets, load up on popcorn and snag your preferred seats...only to have a teen soccer kicker plop down behind you just as the feature flick rolls...dragging their not-so-happy younger sibling along for the ride. You're going to give an Oscar to Yelper Michelle A. for her inside information on CineBistro, which opened in Brookhaven this fall. No one under 21, beer, wine and food. Read her Yelp. We won't spoil the ending for you.

Once Fork & Screen dropped the $5 Mon-Thurs deal and quit showing newer movies, I knew it was time to find something new. Unfortunately, all of the eat-in movie theaters were far from home and not worth the drive. Enter CineBistro, which at first I was skeptical of after seeing the prices but after going I see that it is well worth the cost. Why?

  1. 21+. That's right. This location does not allow anyone under 21 inside. No seat kicking, no screaming, no obnoxious teens (we all were one of those once, but geez are they annoying when you grow out of it). WIN.

2. Great seating. There wasn't a terrible seat in the house and I love that you reserve your seat in advance! We grabbed a great middle seat and the seats are set up in twos so if you're on a date or with a friend it's easy to sit close and keep your food separated.

3. Decent food. I split the meatloaf sliders and full caesar salad with my fiance and we enjoyed it. The hummus plate was also good though it's most likely store-bought hummus. I tasted the deconstructed peanut butter pie which was good but very, very rich. Definitely a share food, and I mean sharing among more than two people as it's incredibly heavy.

4. BEER. DRINKS. Nothing more should be said here.

The sound and picture quality was also superb. My only issue is that the staff seemed a little lost between the servers and the people taking orders. Servers said we could ask for a second soda as the refill so we didn't have to get up during the movie but it took a lot of begging to get the person taking our order to agree to do it (apparently the servers can't do it themselves). It's also very expensive, but there's a way to save yourself $10 - go to the Costco in the shopping complex and grab a $50 giftcard for $40. If you're a duo and you want to eat you will probably use both cards (our meal + tickets was $53 so we spent $43 total with our savings) but if you're not eating you could get 4 tickets out of that and have $2 leftover for something to eat should you ever want it. It's a sweet deal.

Parking can be a nightmare but go down the hill and save yourself the time circling the upper lot. Trust me. Unless you can't walk long distances or up stairs, just park down below and don't burn your gas in frustration.

I don't go out often to see movies but I wouldn't mind coming here again. My worries are now gone and I give this place a resounding A+. Well played, CineBistro. Well played.

EAT IT AND TWEEP:  SQUASH BLOSSOM KITCHENS TWEETS TO YOUR HEALTH  

Squash Blossom Kitchens is a boutique catering company that specializes in small- to mid-sized dinner parties. Childhood friends Christine Roberts and Katy Purwin shelved their corporate careers to pursue their first love:  food. The duo is a regular on 11 Alive cooking segments, and have developed winning recipes for Jake's Ice Cream and Maggiano's. Follow their tweets (@SBKitchens) to stay on the detox track for 2012. Learn more about them on their Squash Blossomings blog.  

Sample Tweet:  Cake balls today, cleanse tomorrow! And a very happy (belated) New Years to all! http://pic.twitter.com/QsVkOKMK