The Dish
In This Issue
Bantam + Biddy Wine Tasting with Ansley Wine Merchants
Grilling with Fire & Flavor
Half-Price Wine on Mondays at 10th & Piedmont
Game-X Coming Soon
Pier 213's Crawfish & Crab Boils
RA Sushi's Spring Pairing
Chef Tyler Williams Judges Student Cooking Competition
James Beard-Inspired Menu Graces Atlanta
All-Belgian Beer Dinner at Hearth Pizza Tavern
Free AmeriPark Valet Code
Fifth Group Restaurants Hunger Run
Eat it and Tweep: @Sprint2theTable
Appetizing Aperture
Pinterest: Glad for Green
 
ABOUT THE DISH
 
Looking for the latest restaurant openings, 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. 
 
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Bantam + Biddy and Ansley Wine Merchants Partner Up for Last Tuesday of the Month 

Wine Tasting Series 

 

   

 

Close out the month with a Tuesday night wine tasting, appetizers and wine discounts hosted by Bantam + Biddy and Ansley Wine Merchants, both in Midtown's Ansley Mall. Starting Tuesday, February 26, the two businesses are teaming up to host last Tuesday of the month wine tastings from 6:30 to 7 p.m. for $10 per person. Ansley Wine Merchants will pour six different wines at the restaurant for guests to sample along with assorted Bantam + Biddy appetizers such as their signature pastured deviled eggs with bourbon smoked paprika, pimento cheese with veggies and toast and chopped pastured chicken liver with toast. This week's wine roster features SOHO wines of New Zealand, including White Label and Black Label Sauvignon Blanc, White Label Pinot Noir and McQueen Pinot Noir. Stay on for dinner and apply the tasting fee toward your meal. Ansley Wine Merchants will offer a special discount on the wines sampled for those who stop in afterward. Reserve a seat by calling 404-876-6790.

Grill Like a Legend -- Fire & Flavor Saddles Up with John Wayne Enterprises to Create 

All-American Grilling Collection

 



Timeless, on screen and off, John Wayne embodied the American spirit of authenticity, honesty, optimism and devotion to his country. The Duke loved a good steak, grilled to perfection, according to Ethan Wayne, John Wayne's son and president of John Wayne Enterprises. Athens, Ga.'s own Fire & Flavor is collaborating with John Wayne Enterprises to create a new collection of John Wayne Stock & Supply grilling items -- all made in the good ole' U.S.A. Home grillers will be able to purchase the all-natural, highest-quality spices and charcoal in March. Seasonings lead to bolder chicken, pork and beef. Oak and hickory briquette charcoals allow for quick lighting and sustain long burn times for slow cooking of larger cuts of pork and beef. Saddle up partner and head to this link to round up your posse of grilling items. 
 

10th & Piedmont Pours Wines 

at Half Price on Mondays

 

 


Wine drinkers love that 10th & Piedmont offers wines by the glass so they can pair up different wines with different dishes or try a variety of varietals without committing to a full bottle. Now the Midtown restaurant offers full bottles of their "by the glass" wines at half price on Mondays. Oenophiles, pull up your list of favorites and share a bottle without worrying about going over budget.
 
 

Game-X Opens Soon - Meaning Game On for New High-Tech Gaming Experience, Food and Cocktails in Downtown Atlanta 

 

 


Are you game for Nothin' But Net, QuadAir Hockey, Pac-Man Smash, full-size versions of Fruit Ninja and Temple Run smartphone games - or perhaps a 10-foot-high Connect 4 board or life-sized giant crane game?  When Legacy Property Group opens Game-X across from the Georgia Aquarium in late March, young professionals will have a place to exchange the "bored" room for state-of-the-art playtime on more than 60 of today's most exciting interactive games and blast-from-the-past classics. Friends, parties and corporate team-building groups will all find serious fun here. Guests purchase and load X-Cards to play games and use their X-Cards to store e-tickets to go toward prizes at the X-Change redemption center. The prizes themselves are highly desirable and include electronics, mountain bikes and attraction packages. The 12,000-square-foot facility encompasses fast-casual menu service featuring American fare ($3.50-$10) as well as bottled craft beers and creative cocktails developed by Stephanie Barnett, mixologist and beverage manager at Legacy's Glenn Hotel. Between rounds, fill up on satisfying menu selections such as the sharable Mexico City eggrolls with warm avocado ranch or organic edamame with green tea salt; the Caesar-X and Cali club salads; brisket melt, chicken gyro or B.L.T.A. with sugar-smacked ham and avocado, gourmet dogs or Game-Mex tacos. Located at 275 Baker Street, Game-X will be open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Convenient, validated self-parking for three hours is available at the parking deck within Game-X's building. All major credit cards are accepted. Guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. To book a private event, contact [email protected] or call 404-525-0728. 
 

Dive into Crawfish and Crab Boils at 

Pier 213 Seafood

 

 

 

 The fresh catch at Pier 213 Seafood will have you walking sideways. For a limited time, guests to this fast-casual lunch and dinner restaurant in Marietta can dive into a crawfish boil for $4.50 per pound or a crab boil for $3 per pound. Pier 213's seafood is sourced from the Gulf, ensuring the freshest, highest quality seafood for their sandwiches and plates. Hurry in while it lasts.
 
RA Sushi Reveals Seductive Spring Pairing


  

Blushing in its cocktail glass, the Berry Encumbered Refresher kisses up nicely to complement every forkful of the Lobster Seduction Salad. RA Sushi Bar Restaurant brings this ideal couple to the table in its $20 spring pairing March 1 through April 30 -- spot on for patio dining season. The Lobster Seduction Salad ($12 ordered separately) dresses large chunks of lobster in a homemade spicy sauce accessorized with a cucumber slice, sweet strawberries and cucumber yuzu sauce. Berry Encumbered Refresher ($8 ordered separately) is the matchmaker's choice, shaking up Effen Cucumber Vodka, Absolut Citron, Cointreau, fresh muddled cucumber, strawberry, lime and a splash of soda. Seduction has its place, and it's delicious.
 

Woodfire Grill's New Executive Chef Tyler Williams Judges Tech Chef Student Cooking Competition at Georgia Tech on March 2

    

 

 

Georgia Tech students work with cutting-edge technology and competitive stress every day, but can they engineer and create delicious and nutritionally balanced meals under the pressure of knowing professional chefs will be evaluating their work? And, can they fit this year's key ingredient, mangos, somewhere in the mix? Tyler Williams, the new executive chef at Woodfire Grill, will be one of the first to pass judgment on the teams during the Tech Chef nutritional cooking competition for GT students on March 2, sponsored by CHEFS student cooking club, Stamps Health Services, GT Dining Services and the GT Campaign for Everybody. Williams knows the pressure. He is responsible for creating the ingredient-driven daily menu at Woodfire Grill, Atlanta's iconic farm-to-table restaurant. A member of Slow Food USA and Georgia Organics, he understands the nutritional importance of using sustainable crops and organic foods in restaurant kitchens. Growing up in a Michigan farming community and detouring through  Arizona State University, Western Culinary Institute and restaurant experiences in Portland, Oregon and Chicago, Williams came to Atlanta in 2010 to become sous chef at Bacchanalia and moved up to executive chef at Abattoir. Williams has been honored as "Chef of the Year" by Eater Atlanta and as a 2012 Atlanta Rising Star Chef. Want to judge for yourself? Visit Woodfire Grill on Monday, March 11 for an "Eat, Meet and Greet" five-course dinner introducing the new chef's cooking. Diners will also have the opportunity to chat with Williams throughout the evening. The cost is $70, not including tax or gratuity, and wine pairings are available for $10 for a full pour and $5 for a half pour. Click here to check out the exclusive menu. Seating is limited, so call 404-347-9055 to make a reservation. Can't make the dinner? Taste the fruits of Williams' culinary prowess Tuesday through Saturday at Woodfire Grill.
 

James Beard Foundation-Inspired Menu Items Grace Tables at JCT. Kitchen & Bar, 

No. 246 and The Optimist

 

 

 

This Saturday, the James Beard House in New York City will feature dishes by Atlanta restaurateur Ford Fry and his talented chefs at JCT. Kitchen & Bar, No. 246, The Optimist and soon-to-open King+Duke during its "Toast of Atlanta" dinner. We can't all be there, sigh, but we can taste dishes inspired by those served at the James Beard House at these restaurants from March 3 - 10. At JCT. Kitchen & Bar, Executive Chef E.J. Hodgkinson sets forth a southern plate with "Cold Fried" chicken torchon, field pea salad, crispy chicken skin, white barbecue sauce and pickles and sweetened by Pastry Chef Taria Camerino's fatback praline for dessert. At No. 246 in Decatur, Chef Drew Belline creates Georgia ricotta-preserved Meyer lemon capelletti as an entr�e and peaches and cream for dessert. True to The Optimist credo, Chef Adam Evans sets forth a seafood entr�e of roasted black bass with buttery razor clams with Key lime milk fudge for dessert. Make reservations on OpenTable accordingly to taste each restaurant's dish.
 

Sandy Springs Hearth Pizza Tavern Hosts 

All-Belgian Beer Dinner on March 6 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, March 6, Hearth Pizza Tavern in Sandy Springs will host a five-course all Belgian beer dinner. A 6 p.m. reception opens the evening followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. with complementary items from the restaurant's menu. Beers from the different regions of Belgium will be served, as well as U.S.-crafted Belgian-style beers including Liefmans Fruitesse, Maredsous 6 Blonde, Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Ovila Dubbel, Ommegang and Art of Darkness. Space is limited for this beer dinner and a reservation is required; call 404-252-5378.
 

MLA My Ride: AmeriPark Valets for Free 

March 8 at Phipps, Lenox and Perimeter 

with Code "Melissa Libby" 

 

 

 

Count on Atlanta Dish to steer you in the right direction for food and wine matters -- and now, for free valet parking compliments of AmeriPark at Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and Perimeter Mall. Friday, March 8 is "Melissa Libby Day" at these AmeriPark locations. Pull up to the valet, name drop "Melissa Libby" or shortcut right to "Libby" and parking is on the house. Indulge in shopping, lunch, dinner or people watching, knowing your car is in safe hands and AmeriPark valets will bring it 'round when you're ready to leave.
 

Help Fifth Group Restaurants Raise Money for Atlanta Community Food Bank's 

Hunger Walk/Run 

 

 

 

On Sunday, March 10, join Fifth Group Restaurants in the fight against hunger as they join more than 14,000 participants in Atlanta Community Food Bank's (ACFB) Hunger Walk/Run 5K. This year the group - including Alma Cocina, Ecco, Lure, South City Kitchen Midtown, South City Kitchen Vinings, The Original El Taco and La Tavola Trattoria - has set a goal of raising $28,000 to help the ACFB with their overall goal of raising more than $500,000 to put food on the tables of the deprived. Any amount helps the cause - a simple $25 donation to the ACFB buys $201 worth of groceries! For more information and to donate to the Fifth Group team, click here.
 
Eat it and Tweep:
Sprint2theTable for Fitness and Food Tweets


 

 

Laura is into NPC. Not to be confused with NPR. Preparing for National Physique Competitions dictates careful attention to nutrition and getting physical - the two mainstays of her tweets (@Sprint2theTable). Her tweets and blog posts send out some fun and useful food and fitness help for the average Jane and Joe Gymgoer as well.

 

Sample Tweet:  What new things have you tried to get outside your safety box? Don't be scared to embrace your weird! ow.ly/hUhso#beweird...

 
Appetizing Aperture



Hold the decaf, National Caffeine Awareness Month roars in with March and caf-fiends are all a buzz about the added perk of March logging a full-bodied 31 days. Seven Lamps, in the Shops Around Lenox, offers an extensive coffee program featuring Batdorf & Bronson coffee served in "bottomless" mugs, iced, caf� au lait or steamer-style and in various espresso modes. Run by for coffee and pastries weekday mornings or sit a spell for evening coffee. To calm our jitters, we'll block out time for the restaurant's Sunday brunch launch on March 3 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. And maybe we'll have another cup of Joe while we're there. 
 
What's new on Pinterest: Glad for Green



Maybe you're looking for gobble-icious green ideas (beyond green beer) to honor St. Patrick's Day, spring greening or the annual filing for some green on Tax Day in April. Park yourself on our Pinterest board where we've posted recipe keepers such as Matcha green tea ice cream, Key Lime pie mojitos, shamrock macarons with Baileys chocolate ganache, collard rolls, kale chips and gobs more.