In This Issue

Several Restaurants Support Open Hand Dining Out for Life on April 23

Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day at Ray's and Chocolate South

Atkins Park Spring Music Series

Chef Marc Taft Cooks at Vidalia Onion Festival on April 27

Shaun Doty at AquaCurean in Savannah April 25-27

Chocolate South at The Mercantile on April 26

No. 246 Cooks at Junior League of DeKalb Tour of Kitchens

Season Launch Party at Milton's Cuisine on April 27

#foodgram

Appetizing Aperture

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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!

Join Tin Lizzy's Cantina for Paws that Refresh at Ales for Tails Social Benefiting Atlanta Humane Society on April 22

Well, lick my face! The Atlanta Humane Society's fifth annual Ales for Tails spring social nuzzles its way into SweetWater Brewery on Tuesday, April 22 from 6-9 p.m. Guests have the run of the place as they sip ice-cold SweetWater brews in the tasting room or out on the patio and nibble bites from Tin Lizzy's Cantina and other popular Atlanta eateries. Live music by Lingo. Fraternize with adorable pets from the Atlanta Humane Society. Feel that bond forming? Reconnect and adopt your furry friend the next day at the AHS Howell Mill Campus. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.

Several Spots to Support Open Hand Dining Out for Life on April 23

Since 1993, Atlanta's Dining Out for Life (DOFL) restaurant participants have raised more than $2.8 million for Open Hand and community nutrition programs. On Wednesday, April 23, more than 80 Atlanta restaurants will participate in this year's delicious event by donating 25 percent or more from each table's tab to Open Hand. Guests are welcome to add an extra donation for the cause when they eat out with an extra purpose. Aria, a seven-year event veteran, is a 2013 top-five DOFL restaurant donor. Willy's locations in the Atlanta area also will participate in the fundraising. Two-year participant Bantam + Biddy Ansley Mall is joined by its newest sibling, Bantam + Biddy on Crescent Avenue, as well as Chick-a-Biddy in Atlantic Station. Midtowners will find more of their favorites on the list: 10th & Piedmont, G's Midtown and HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern.

Flag Ray's Restaurants and Chocolate South for Administrative Professionals Day April 23

Did you receive that office email about doing something special for the team on Administrative Professionals Day, Wednesday, April 23? Hit "reply all" with your nearest Ray's Restaurants location in the subject line and suggest heading out for lunch, raising a toast at day's end or celebrating over dinner. Ray's in the City welcomes downtowners with $5 cocktails and small plates from 3-7 p.m., live music from 6-10 p.m., plus their mouthwatering menu of hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood and made-to-order sushi. Unwind overlooking the Chattahoochee River at Ray's on the River while enjoying a menu packed with succulent prime cuts and fresh seafood as well as live music from 7-11 p.m. The wood-side deck at Ray's at Killer Creek in Alpharetta is made for enjoying shareable plates, "handhelds" and other specialties.

Support the support staff with chocolate truffles and bonbons from 2013 Flavor of Georgia-winning Chocolate South located on Atlanta's Westside. Owner and chocolatier Amy Stankus fills her cases with signature and sweetly themed treats crafted from organic ingredients and premium liqueurs. The perfect gift for Administrative Professionals Day is the $12 Tea Box containing the following chocolates all made with organic cream and teas from Atlanta small businesses: Jasmine Tea, Peach Tea, Earl Grey Tea and Green Tea with Mint. Or, come by to create a box of your own!

Atkins Park Virginia-Highland Spring Music Series Amps Up with Trailing Tinsley and Monday Night Brewing on April 24

Local brother-sister duo Trailing Tinsley eases into an acoustical evening for this Thursday night's Spring Live Music Series session at Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland. Music starts at 10 p.m. on April 24. Come over earlier to take advantage of Monday Night Brewing specials.

Chicken and the Egg Chef Marc Taft Fixes Georgia Trout with Vidalia Trio in Vidalia Onion Festival Golden Onion Competition

Huh? Surely you're asking why Marc Taft, chef/owner of the Marietta restaurant named Chicken and the Egg, is peeling down the highway, driving two and a half hours south of Atlanta to cook up a dish centered on trout and onions. Taft is one of 10 Georgia chefs competing in the Golden Onion cooking competition and showcase for our state's official vegetable taking place during the Vidalia Onion Festival, running April 24-27 in Vidalia, Ga. He's vying for the honor of acquiring the Golden Onion trophy for a year and a cash prize of $500, $250 or $100. Taft's dish balances the sweet onion flavor found only in Vidalia onions by dressing up pan-seared Enchanted Springs Georgia Mountain trout with baby Vidalia, sweet potato, Brussels sprout and apple hash, Vidalia onion soubise, pickled Vidalia buds and Riverview Farms ham hock reduction. Can't say that without drooling. Tears? Only of joy. Sweet Vidalia onions, you know. The event is free and open to the public at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27.

AquaCurean Harbors Seafood, Spirits and Shaun Doty at Westin Savannah April 25-27

This weekend, Shaun Doty is leaving his roosts in Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy kitchens to soar over to the AquaCurean celebration anchored at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa from April 25-27. Switching gears from poultry to seafood, Doty lands the Master Chef and Mixologist Demonstration stage spot at 1 p.m. on Saturday. An epicurean's paradise, AquaCurean packs the weekend with seafood dishes, craft spirit tastings, demos, seminars, live bands, riverfront walks, surprises and even a souvenir shot glass. Makes for an appetizing weekend getaway! Buy tickets and packages online.

Bubblypalooza Doesn't Trifle Around, Defers to Chocolate South to Truffle Up at April 26 Event

Sparkling wines and fine chocolates pair well, especially when the chocolates are the artisanal ones handmade at Chocolate South. Hence, The Mercantile in Candler Park called upon Chocolate South on Atlanta's Westside to provide chocolate samples to complement their Bubblypalooza Champagne tasting this Saturday, April 26 from 12-3 p.m. Tickle your tongue and your fetish for fancy chocolates by incorporating this indulgent event into your Saturday afternoon. The Mercantile is located at the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Clifton Road.

No. 246 Cooks at Junior League of DeKalb Tour of Kitchens on April 26

Look for chef demos by No. 246 amid the oohing, aahing and admiring and envying passing through the Junior League of DeKalb Tour of Kitchens going on this Saturday, April 26. Buy tickets online for the 11 a.m.-5 p.m. self-guided tour. No. 246 chef de cuisine Andrew Isabella will be preparing agnolotti from 12-1 p.m. at one of the tour stops at 401 Ansley Street in Decatur. Factor in a brunch, lunch break, cocktails or a post-tour dinner at No. 246 in downtown Decatur and relish the locally driven, Italian-inspired dishes this talented kitchen sends your way. Perchance you can sneak a look-see into their own exhibition kitchen while you're there!

Download Garden-Inspired Apps and Cocktails at Milton's Cuisine Season Launch Party

Put down the gadget and putz around the garden at Milton's Cuisine & Cocktails' Season Launch Party on Sunday, April 27. You can't Google or search iTunes for these apps, but you can down delicious hits and sips inspired by the garden gems alongside Jekyll Brewing beer tastings. Grower Peter Kohm and Milton's executive chef Derek Dollar will lead guests on a tour of "Milton's Acre," the on-site mini-farm that generates produce for the restaurant's seasonal menu. Live music provides the soundtrack for this 2-5 p.m. afternoon outside. Purchase tickets online, $30 per person.

#foodgram

Hit HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern's Instagram page for fast glimpses of $10 lunch specials and craveables, such as their Wake and Bake breakfast pizza. Pass the forks, folks, we're going in.

Appetizing Aperture

Jerk mahi mahi ($18) is meant for sharing at 10^th & Piedmont. Coconut ginger rice, tropical pineapple salsa and a lime wedge get along just fine with this dish embedded in the "House Made Shareables" menu. Even though the mahi mahi is jerk seasoned, we recommend you share it with someone who's not one - otherwise they might eat it all.

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Hurray! The frost date's passed! We're knee deep in garden dirt and planning which farmers markets to shop. Sometimes, sensory overload implores us to buy way too much. We'll eat it all using recipes on our From the Earth board then head out for more.