Rim Shot: National Margarita Day is February 22

Limiting margaritas to summer is like denying yourself a tropical vacation when you need it most. National Margarita Day falls on Saturday, February 22. Seizing the excuse to tip one is a given. More complex decisions involve glass or pitcher, salted rim, on the rocks, flavors and well-crafted specialties. Tin Lizzy's Cantina swizzles up seven house margaritas, from skinny to "Fall Off the House" strong, as well as five specialty blends -- watermelon basil, pomegranate cilantro, Mexi-mule, Texas or the Thai with 1800 Coconut tequila. Simply Buckhead magazine (May/June 2013) picked the St. Rita at Hearth Pizza Tavern as the epitome of summer in a glass. St. Rita wears tequila blanco, St. Germain and fresh lime juice. By the way, Hearth Pizza Tavern serves up the St. Rita and other margaritas for $5 each on Thursdays, adding another day of margarita mania to your week! A margarita bonbon from Chocolate South's Cocktail Hour Collection works inside the box and out. No glass required to hold this lime ganache treat complete with margarita Himalayan salt. 

Have a Love Affair with Caviar and Bubbles through February 25 at 10th & Piedmont

All that sparkles might not be snow. At 10th & Piedmont, sparkly bubbles rise from Champagne flutes to tickle noses and palates during the Midtown restaurant's annual Caviar & Bubbles event going on through Tuesday, February 25. The bubbly stuff -- hailing from Italy, France and Spain -- pairs divinely with caviar-centric creations such as "From Russia with Love." The caviar? Siberian sturgeon caviar has been developed and sustainably raised through The University of Georgia's aquaculture program. Like its tin proclaims, "They have Gatorade...We have caviar." Eat up more Caviar & Bubbles details on our blog.

Article 14 Picks Five Courses, Three Bourbons for Four Roses Bourbon Dinner on February 27 

If you're looking for a good read, pore over the legend and history of award-winning Four Roses Bourbon. Sends you craving a pour or two, doesn't it? Quench those thoughts at Article 14's Four Roses Bourbon dinner on Thursday, February 27 starting at 6 p.m. Learn about and taste the story behind this historic Kentucky distillery over five courses prepared by executive chef Nathan Geist at this Midtown restaurant. Head bartender/mixologist Leo de Rivera is ready with three bourbon pairings: Four Roses Yellow, Small Batch and Article 14 single barrel, plus two smooth bourbon cocktails. There are only seats for 20 guests. Be sure to be one of them. $85 per person. RSVP required; call 404-443-8432.

Bantam + Biddy has Cure for Cabin Fever: 50 Cent Wings and Tenders on Weekdays

 Photo by Angie Mosier

Who doesn't feel cooped up after some of the winter weather we've experienced lately in the ATL?  Bantam + Biddy holds the cure: wings and tenders at 50 cents apiece Mondays through Fridays from 3-6 p.m. All of the chicken at Bantam + Biddy is all-natural and pasture-raised. Peck out a text or tweet friends to join you at either the original Ansley Mall location or the new Crescent Avenue venue. Cheer over getting out of the house with a beer, cocktail, glass of wine or glass of sweet tea.

$10 Buys All-You-Can-Eat Sushi Lunch Weekdays at Aqua blue

Ten dollars purchases an awesome sushi power lunch at Aqua blue in Roswell. And, it's all you can eat. Sushi provides a healthy and fast midday meal, bringing a good amount of protein and omega-3s to the table. Aqua blue's special is "chef's choice" from the lunch sushi menu and includes sashimi and nigiri. A ten-spot per person nabs the deal Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. A few ground rules apply to this lunchtime catch: dine-in only, no carry out and no sharing please (tax and gratuity not included).

Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub is Your Brookhaven Lunch Spot

Brookhaveners are well aware of good neighbor Kaleidoscope Bistro & Pub in Village Place Brookhaven as their go-to for drinks, dinner, brunch and lunch. Lunch? That's right! Kaleidoscope sits a stone's throw from Buckhead's office towers and makes for a quick lunch break away from the crowds from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their globally inspired menu changes daily and always includes steaming hot soups, big crisp salads and mouth-stretching burgers and sandwiches on H & F Bread Co. bread. Recent offerings include potato leek soup with applewood smoked bacon, croutons and Tillamook cheddar, Greek chicken salad, fried chicken club salad with bacon and avocado, a lamb patty gyro with tzatziki, and a roast beef dip sandwich with Gruyère and Vidalia onion. Flexible Kaleidoscope satisfies all of your lunch needs for about the same as you'd pay at a fast food place but with an all made-in-house touch, customizable options and lots more personality. Come in for a quick lunch, call in a to-go order (404-474-9600) or steer friends or office mates here for a big group lunch. A fast way to spread the word and lunch meet-up idea is to have friends click on Kaleidoscope's Facebook page for the daily lunch menu posting. One glance and they'll be right over.

Warm Up over Ray's Restaurants' Winter Menu of Three Courses for $32

Photo by Timothy Thiel  

Slow roasted pork "osso bucco," winter fruit cobbler, warm white chocolate bread pudding...are your gloves off and fingers thawed already? The executive chefs at Ray's Restaurants have crafted a three-course winter menu encompassing the season's best flavors for $32 per person (excluding tax and gratuity, no splits). Add sommelier-selected wine pairings to each course for an additional $15 per person. Just reading through course options will thaw you out in no time. Start with winter chicory salad topped with Ellijay apples, spiced pecans and farm cheese; soup du jour or crispy green tomato stack (+$3) with Boursin cheese and smoked bacon. Entrée choices include slow-roasted pork "osso bucco" with Logan Turnpike grits; a filet trio with local, wild mushroom risotto; and grilled, marinated Block Island swordfish (+$4) accompanied by fingerling potatoes and grilled endive. End with winter fruit cobbler and High Road vanilla ice cream, chocolate-raspberry mousse cake with ganache and raspberry coulis or warm white chocolate bread pudding with High Road burnt sugar ice cream (+$2). Respective wine pairings include Bliss Family Vineyard sauvignon blanc with the first course, Bell Glos "Meiomi" pinot noir or Steele "Pacini" zinfandel with the second course and La Marca prosecco, Rustico with dessert. Enjoy now at Ray's on the River, Ray's in the City and Ray's at Killer Creek because, like winter, this menu is only here for a limited time.

Where Y'at, D'awlin? Marlow's Tavern "Bayou 'n Bourbon" Celebrates NOLA in the ATL

Filling your lagniappe tank this week is a Big Easy as "Bayou 'n Bourbon" rolls into all Marlow's Tavern locations. Convivial Marlow's is a natural for this scintillating celebration of Cajun and Creole culinary arts, cocktails and brews. Join the party over lunch or dinner through March 31. Bold NOLA tastes include roast chicken and shrimp gumbo ($6.50) or a fiery spice lump crab cake decked out with sweet corn and pepper relish, baby arugula, Roma tomato, Dijon dressing and "infamous" smoked chili cream ($11.50); Honey Jack chicken and andouille flatbread ($9.50); "Nawlins-style" po'boy sporting tempura-battered shrimp and crawfish ($12.50); the Bayou burger, all jazzed up with andouille sausage, cheddar cheese, crawdaddies, house-made Creole rémoulade and more ($13); deconstructed jambalaya rich with grilled Prestige Farms chicken, andouille sausage, house-made dirty rice and traditional Creole sauce ($14.50); and sweet Bourbon Street rib-eye blackened and blazed with Jack Daniel's Honey and served with tiny asparagus and a crispy sweet potato cake ($26). Cap your meal with Jack Daniel's Honey-splashed honey-bourbon bread pudding ($7). Libations star here just as on Bourbon Street and include "Pat's" Marlow's Hurricane ($8.50); Ramos Gin Fizz ($9); Cajun Cosmo ($9.50), Louisiana's own Abita Restoration pale ale or Abita Amber ($5.50); and Sokol Blosser Evolution, Oregon 16^th edition ($11 a glass; $44 a bottle).

Half Off All Bottles of Wine on Mondays Kick Starts Your Week at Hearth Pizza Tavern

Too often, Mondays get a bad rap. Hearth Pizza Tavern taps into good news - ALL bottles of wine are half price ALL day on Mondays at the Sandy Springs restaurant. You caught that big three-letter word, didn't you? ALL. Including the premier wine of the month, which happens to be Robert Mondavi cabernet sauvignon during February. That means you'll only shell out $30 for a bottle of wine that's $60 the other six days of the week. We're liking that math.

#foodgram

This and that, you and me, cookies and kids. Self-taught baker Sarah Kieffer is building a food heritage legacy for her family and yours. Zoom in @sarah_kieffer or nibble her blog.

Appetizing Aperture

Tuning in to the Winter Olympics in Sochi and following all of those side stories has us craving a Russian experience of our own. In one colorful bowl, the red beet and beef borscht consommé at Nikolai's Roof combines Russia's rich heritage and the modern vibrancy of this iconic restaurant high atop the Atlanta Hilton. Gold medal all the way.

What's New on Pinterest

Did George really cut down that cherry tree or was it a colonial urban legend? Pondering put us in Cheery for Cherries mode, and we soon found ourselves knee deep in irresistible ways to eat up these juicy gems. No lie, we've pinned them all and some cherry wannabes to boot.