The Dish
In This Issue
Old Vinings Inn Bubble Brunch
Jezebel's "One Hundred & Eleven Must-Try Tastes"
White Oak Pastures Makes Bulldog 100 List
RA Sushi "Go Red" Fundraiser
Woodruff Arts Center New Catering Team
Valentine's Day in the Dish
Nikolai's Roof Romantic Getaway Contest
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tickets on Sale
Chocolate South at Champagne et Chocolat Event
Hearth Pizza Tavern "Eat Your Hearth Out" Pizza Contest
Umi and Old Vinings Inn are OpenTable Diners' Choice Winners
#foodgram: @careynotcarrie
Appetizing Aperture
Pinterest: Hungry for Love
 
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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Add Sparkle to Your Weekends at Old Vinings Inn Bubble Brunch

 

 

 

You've slogged through the week and deserve more than the same old cereal or sammie to start your day. Old Vinings Inn Bubble Brunch pops to mind, rising and shining with three courses and bubbly pairings on Saturdays 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sundays 12:30-3 p.m. Start off with an appetizer of either truffled lobster mac and cheese fritters or a charcuterie plate with house-pickled vegetables, cured meats, D2 duck, burrata with honey and peanuts, pimento cheese and EVOO herbed flatbreads. Entre choices include crab cake Benedict with fried green tomato and hollandaise; shrimp and grits with andouille sausage, okra, corn, Creole beer broth and soft-poached egg; or sweet potato gnocchi with red wine beef jus. Dessert choices include pumpkin crme brle or apple strudel with vanilla bean ice cream. Bubbly pairings by course are Ferrari Brut, Italy NV; Pol Roger, Champagne NV; and Lamberti prosecco ros�, Italy. $45 per person (not including tax or gratuity); offered for a limited time. Make reservations online or call 770-438-2282.

A Dozen Dishes to Try on Jezebel's "One Hundred & Eleven Must-Try Tastes" List

 

 

"Angry" Mussels at JCT. Kitchen & Bar 
Photo By: Andrew Thomas Lee

  

 

Unabashedly, we admit to having favorite foods and restaurants, and we cheer when others feel the same love. That's why we're sharing our top 12 dishes -- and where you can taste them for yourself -- from the February 2014 "One Hundred & Eleven Must-Try Tastes" list in Jezebel magazine.

 

 

UGA Bulldog 100 Taps Will Harris and White Oak Pastures as 2014 Honoree

 

  

 

Go Dawgs! Or, go pastured poultry and grass-fed beef and lamb, as is the case for fourth-generation cattleman Will Harris and White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Ga. White Oak Pastures is one of this year's "Bulldog 100," an honor The University of Georgia (UGA) Alumni Association awards annually to the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. Harris, a 1976 graduate of the UGA School of Agriculture, took his sheepskin back to the farm his great-grandfather settled in 1866. In 1995, he switched gears, shifting from industrial farming methods to those followed by great-grandfather Harris. The rest is history as cattleman and farm are frequently recognized for their commitment to humane animal husbandry, environmental sustainability and locally produced food. Additionally, Harris is the beef director of the American Grassfed Association and the past president of the board of directors for Georgia Organics.

 

Join the Fight against Women's Heart Disease at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant "Go Red" Fundraiser

 

 

 

Buying sushi and a Red Dress at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant can help prevent the number-one cause of death in women -- heart disease. During the month of February, each item purchased off the special "Go Red" menu sends $3 to the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement. The gorgeous Red Dress martini ($9) blends Absolut Citron vodka, PAMA liqueur and fresh lemon and grapefruit juices. A Red Heart roll ($12) adds a dash more red with its kani kama crab mix, cucumber and avocado rolled and topped with spicy tuna mix. This is the one time all of you girls (okay, and guys) can buy a Red Dress and enjoy it without worrying that someone else might copy cat and show up with the same. If they do, that's even better for the cause.

 

Two New Faces for Woodruff Arts 

Center Catering Team

 

   

 

The Woodruff Arts Center has added two new catering managers to Woodruff Catering, powered by Sterling Spoon Culinary Management. Erika Goodman joins the staff as catering sales manager at the Woodruff Arts Center. She will work with Sterling Spoon catering sales manager Lauren Hradek in overseeing the catering services at the Woodruff Arts Center and Woodruff Catering. Goodman has more than 10 years of hospitality, event and guest service experience, most recently at The Ford Plantation in Richmond Hill, Ga. Hradek was previously the catering sales director for Sterling Spoon Culinary Management where she managed Aqua blue Catered Events and Market Street Caf�. Her industry experience includes the Gio Restaurant Group in Sarasota, Fla., the Biltmore Company in Asheville, N.C. and the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. Join us in welcoming Erika and Lauren, and please call on them for your catering needs. Woodruff Arts Center Special Events: 404-733-5249 or [email protected].

 

 Valentine's Pizzas at Hearth Pizza Tavern, a Romantic Contest at Old Vinings Inn, Willy's Mexicana Grill Returns the Love and Hearty Ideas for Lovebirds -- All in The Dish


 

 

 

 

Dear hearts, let's have some conversation about Valentine's week. Why limit the love to one day when there are more ATL options in The Dish than messages in a box of pastel-hued candies?

 

Hearth Pizza Tavern in Sandy Springs tosses up three pizza ideas to embrace: Stupid Cupid, bearing checca sauce, pizza and Parmesan cheeses, clams, red onion, artichokes, slivered almonds and scallions; French Kiss, wearing French Kiss sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, pizza and Parmesan cheeses, spicy Italian sausage, capicola, roasted red peppers, yellow onion, pickled chilies and oregano; and It's Not You, It's Me, with garlic oil, pizza cheese blend, red pepper sauce, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, broccoli florets, citrus-marinated scallops and shrimp and finished with pickled chilies and cilantro. Kiss after? Better both have a slice or two or three.

 

Was your romantic proposal the stuff of which dreamy sighs are made? Tell your story on the Old Vinings Inn Facebook page, and you might win a $100 gift certificate for a romantic dinner for two at the historic Vinings restaurant. Be sure to include a photo with your sweetie. Fans can read stories and see photos on Facebook then vote for their favorite love story through Thursday, February 13. The winner will be announced on Friday, February 14.

 

Willy's Mexicana Grill loves their guests so much, they are offering a special Valentine's treat. Bring in a homemade or store-bought Valentine's Day card to any Willy's location on Friday, February 14 and receive a special offer to use on a return visit. Now that's what we call returning the love! 

 

Even under Renovations, Nikolai's Roof is On Top of V-Day with a Romantic Getaway Contest

 

 

 

Nikolai's Roof sends its heart out to couples in dire need of escaping the home front for an overnight getaway on the town. In its final weeks of renovation, the iconic restaurant atop the Atlanta Hilton can't have anyone over for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner right now. Delaying gratification, they are hosting a contest that promises to whisk one lucky couple away for a four-course dinner for two plus a one-night stay in an executive-level guest room at the Hilton Atlanta when the restaurant reopens. The getaway includes a bottle of Champagne and breakfast for two at the hotel's Southern Elements restaurant. To enter, capture a happy couple photo, write up why you two need a night out and submit the whole caboodle to the restaurant's Facebook page through Tuesday, February 18. Fans can vote (Dish fans, that means you, too) through February 18, and Nikolai's Roof will announce the winner on Wednesday, February 19.

 

Who Wouldn't Love to Receive 

Tickets to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival? 

Sales Start February 14

 

 

Snagging this Valentine gift is as easy as a couple of February 14th clicks on the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival website. Plan ahead and ingrain the dates of May 29-June 1, 2014 on your calendar to sync with that lucky someone. Food & Wine magazine presents this four-day festival that fills Midtown with more than 90 learning experiences, big tasting tents full of tasting experiences from around the Southern half of the globe, and a bevy of special dinners and parties at restaurants and unique venues. Anticipation never tasted so sweet.

 
Savor Chocolate South Chocolates and Bubbles at Alliance Fran�aise d'Atlanta Champagne et Chocolat Event on February 21
 
 

 

On Friday, February 21, the Alliance Fran�aise d'Atlanta will host Champagne et Chocolat, an elegant evening of bubbly Champagne, savory hors d'oeuvre and tastings of hand-made chocolates from Chocolate South and Europe. Blend Custom Perfumes will be on hand with a preview of their chocolate-inspired perfume. The 7-9:30 p.m. event takes place at the Alliance Fran�aise d'Atlanta in Colony Square, Midtown. Ages 21 and over only. Purchase advance tickets online: $35 for Alliance Fran�aise d'Atlanta members and $40 for non-members. $45 at the door.

 

Your Pie-in-the-Sky Idea Might Win Hearth Pizza Tavern's "Eat Your Hearth Out" Pizza Contest

 

 

 

Imagine a hand-tossed crust, a fired-up oven and your ideal toppings. Hearth Pizza Tavern in Sandy Springs wants to know, what would entice you to "Eat Your Hearth Out"? Fess up and submit your circular nirvana to their "Eat Your Hearth Out" pizza contest on Facebook or in the restaurant by Monday, February 24. Choose your toppings from their list of sauces, cheeses, meats and veggies; think up a creative name; toss in a pizza-related photo and add your contact information. The first-place winner walks away with a $100 Hearth Pizza Tavern gift card, and his or her pizza lands on the menu. Second place pulls a $75 gift card, and third carries out a $50 gift card. Contest rules here.

 

Umi and Old Vinings Inn are January OpenTable Diners' Choice Winners

 

 

 

During January, a number of OpenTable guests dining at Umi and Old Vinings Inn took the time to rate their experiences via OpenTable's dining feedback. We certainly understand why the two havens received excellent reviews. Umi is making waves with its modern, ocean fresh cuisine and understated environs. And, Old Vinings Inn's regional dishes and personal service have won many dining fans. Look for the "Diners' Choice Winner 2014" badge next time you dine at either restaurant. Congratulations!

 

#foodgram

 

 

 

A long Vermont winter provides plenty of food fodder and photography opportunities for @careynotcarrie. Carey Nershi blogs at Reclaiming Provincial, that's provincial in the small towns and countryside sense. Peek in and turn the stress knob down a few notches.

 

Appetizing Aperture

 

 

Photo by Jeremy Adamo

 

What's your pick-up line? Tacos, we mean. Hold 'em? Fold 'em? Fork? The Tin Lizzy's Cantina Taco Contest wraps up on February 14 so jot down your ideas ASAP at your favorite cantina location. Finalists land on the March menu, and the top seller wins $500, his or her taco on the menu and 10 VIP passes to Tin Lizzy's Cinco de Mayo party. Gift cards go to second- and third-place winners.

 

What's New on Pinterest

 

 

 

Looking for love in all the wrong places? If you're Hungry for Love, look to our pins for Valentine-themed goodies and food ideas. Discover how to make your own heart-shaped gum drops, turn a hot dog into a heart on Cupid's arrow and spoon up some lovin'. Hearty, har, har.