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What's New on Pinterest? Summertime Sweets

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.

up-to-date on new and ongoing restaurant events around Atlanta!

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July Fourth

Happy Birthday, U.S.A.! Year #237 deserves more than cake and candles, and Atlanta restaurants eagerly oblige with celebrations ranging from backyard Olympics to barbecue, beer and bands to bloody marys for Peachtree Road Race viewers. Have backyard plans and picnics of your own? Purveyors are ready with pastured meats, flavorful grilling blends and bushels of fresh fruit. Your bill of righteous good times is one click away on our Atlanta Dish blog.

Let the SummerFeast Begin at Old Vinings Inn

Executive Chef Don Diem at Old Vinings Inn frees you from kitchen duty during the super-hot months of July and August. He's planning a special SummerFeast dinner for two for $30 that includes an appetizer, entr�e, side dish and dessert -- with a menu that changes weekly. Through July 7, enjoy pimento cheese spread with sea salt and olive oil flatbreads; smoked, dry-rubbed baby back ribs with Chef Don's barbecue sauce; fingerling potato salad; and white chocolate chip shortcakes with strawberry coulis and vanilla cr�me. Dine in or drive by and grab it to go. Quantities limited, so no dilly dallying on decision making. Call 770-438-2282 to nab one of those dinners now!

The Ball's in Your Court to Sign Up for Ping-Pong at No. 246 in Decatur

Why on earth are you sitting on the sidelines being an armchair athlete or bar stool cheerleader? Join in the table tennis action netting Sunday afternoon fans at No. 246. There's a spot for you on the roster when outdoor Ping-Pong play takes over the Decatur restaurant's backyard area from 5-8 p.m. Sign up by emailing Clarke Anderson at [email protected]. No pressure to perform. This is No. 246, not Turner Field or the Georgia Dome. Chef/Co-Owner Drew Belline backs a training table menu of bites and beverages for Ping-Pongers and their guests that includes a selection of toasts ($5-$13) and toppings such as arugula almond pesto and house ricotta; pork rillettes, beet pickled farm eggs, whole grain mustard and local parsley; cannellini beans, Parmesan and EVOO; red pepper, basil and EVOO; and tuna conserva, citrus and olives. Bites ($5) include the No. 246 meatball and french fries with salt and Parmesan, and summery pizzas -- Margherita with tomato, fior di latte and backyard basil ($10) and local mushroom with mozzarella, San Marzano tomato and arugula ($13) -- that beg to be devoured. Cheer and toast victory with Yuengling, Dale's pale ale, Sierra Nevada pale ale and Anderson Valley oatmeal stout ($3-$6) or one-ounce shots of rye whiskey and Fernet Branca ($3 apiece). Relive the glory moments (or nurse a bruised ego) over dinner. No. 246 is open until 10 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Berry Cold Cocktails Top New Drink Menu at Hearth Pizza Tavern

Summer's sweet, fresh fruit screams "pick me!" Hearth Pizza Tavern mixologists heard that and took off from there to create their new summer drink menu. At the Sandy Springs restaurant, the Orange Fizz joins Svedka Orange Cream Pop vodka with ginger ale and a slice of orange. The Strawberry Fields cocktail is "berry" popular with its muddle of strawberries, cilantro, fresh-squeezed lime juice, simple syrup and Absolut Cilantro vodka. Other newbies include the Hummingbird, abuzz with peach and basil, and the Key Lime Pie martini that packs a Florida vacation in a glass. Fruit-centric vodka drinks ($7) circle around the blueberry lemonade made with Little Black Dress blueberry-pomegranate vodka, Strawberry Colada Cosmo and The Pear Tree. The St. Rita, featured in Simply Buckhead's May/June "Margarita" section, brings St. Germain to the Tequila Blanco and lime party. The cucumber mojito and grapefruit-ful Simply White margarita exude modern chill while the retro Old Fashioned, whiskey sour and Manhattan made with Breckenridge Whiskey are ski slope cool. Note to self: Tuesdays, any of the five martinis on Hearth Pizza Tavern's beverage menu are $5 each, and on Thursdays, same deal with five margaritas on the menu.

#foodgram: @burgerfi_emorypoint

Finding photos good enough to eat is our Instagram hobby. Besides, it's how smartphone "phoodies" sneak a peek at the who/what/when/and where of eating. Case in point:@burgerfi_emorypoint.

Appetizing Aperture: Little Cake Bakery

We'll take a Little Cake along with our pizza pie now that Little Cake Bakery is offering its petite gems at Buckhead Pizza locations in Buckhead (3324 Peachtree Road) and Cobb Galleria (One Galleria Parkway). Both restaurants feature the baked-fresh-daily, all-natural ingredient Little Cakes on their dine-in, take-out and catering menus. The icing? Cravers can obtain these delicious morsels seven days a week from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at Buckhead Pizza.

What's New on Pinterest?

Summertime Sweets cure any case of the summertime blues. If the blues are due to having too many blueberries on hand, convert them to blueberry frozen yogurt with a few easy clicks on our board. Skinny raspberry cheesecake is another decadent and healthy option. When a childhood summer nostalgia wave hits, whip up Twinkie pie or Reese's peanut butter cup and chocolate cheesecake bars. Blues be gone; we're lovin' the sweet life.