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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up-to-date on new and ongoing restaurant events around Atlanta!
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Nashville's Humming Now that FLIP burger boutique is Opening January 21
FLIP burger boutique patties up restaurant number five this month, opening its first Nashville location on Wednesday, January 21. FLIP creative director and television personality Richard Blais is the man behind the plan, same as at the Atlanta and Birmingham locations. FLIP Nashville chef Chris Cunningham and general manager Jason DeSpain welcome guests to enjoy FLIP's high-quality burgers, unique combinations and excellent service at lunch and dinner daily, served inside or out on the patio (weather permitting). Ho, ho! Light-hearted FLIP repurposes space in a former Hostess bakery warehouse, emitting a bun-tiful high-energy new life amid mod red and white decor. Menu items rotate with seasonal produce accessibility and feature creative starters and sides ($3.50-$12), salads ($6-$10), about 20 burger varieties ($7.50-$14) and Blais' signature nitrogen-infused dessert-type milkshakes ($5) and liquor-laced milkshakes ($10, adults only). Fun yet sophisticated FLIP burgers include the Earth + Turf mushroom and beef blend patty; the Southern, a chicken-fried beef patty with pimento cheese, bread and butter pickles and Coca-Cola ketchup; a chickpea Fauxlafel with pickled beets and pickled red onion; chorizo-spiced pork with hash browns, manchego and a fried egg; or the Shrimp, a blackened shrimp patty with tempura-fried lemon and Cajun-aise. Add a side of sweet potato tots with burnt marshmallow foam or crispy duck confit nuggets with maple-oy to your RBQ Angus beef and pulled brisket burger -- or protein pack a salad by adding a burger patty or seared chicken. An edgy drink menu yields beer, wine and specialty cocktails. Nashville's new FLIP burger boutique, located at 4111 Charlotte Avenue in the Sylvan Park neighborhood, offers ample free parking.
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G's Midtown Ribs & Ryes Roasts and Toasts Two American Legacies through January 20
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Photo Credit: Clayton Morey
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Spin the bottle back in time on American culinary history, and it points to rib roasting and rye whiskey right there in the early days. G's Midtown spins the bottle forward for its Ribs & Ryes menu, available through January 20, pouring America's spirit into rye-witted cocktails and sauces for slow-cooked meats. Baby back ribs glazed in Georgia peach rye BBQ sauce rack in praises alongside smoked baked beans, coleslaw and Parmesan truffle "chips," and pork ribs in a plum and rye glaze target cold weather appetites with skillet mac and cheese and green beans (both priced at $16/full rack and $10/half rack). Bone-in beef short ribs ($14) are slow braised with red wine and rye whiskey while whipped garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, celery and onions catch saucy fall-off-the-bone morsels. More proof lies in the drinks. Catcher in the Rye is a classic sipper of Doc Holliday Double Barrel Rye whiskey, OJ and a splash of vermouth; Sazerac heightens Bulleit rye whiskey with Peychaud's bitters and absinthe; a honey rye old fashioned embellishes Doc Holliday Double Barrel Rye with honey maple simple syrup, Angostura bitters and a cherry; and the Diamondback bites with Doc Rittenhouse Straight Rye, AppleJack and Green Chartreuse. These featured rye-tails are $9 each; rye shorties are $4. Call your friends and call G's to reserve a table at 404-872-8012. If they're wry on rye, they can order off the regular menu.
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Article 14 Digs Back to Pre-Prohibition Days for January's Presidential Seal Cocktail
Another tip-able testimony to the what's-old-is-new-again truism is the Presidential Seal, cocktail of the month at Article 14. A couple of good drinking stories here. Sometimes known as the Seelbach, the libation has glamorous beginnings, being concocted in pre-Prohibition days for high rollers at the Seelbach Hotel (now Seelbach Hilton) in Louisville, Kentucky. Jefferson's Very Small Batch Kentucky bourbon plays a very big part in Article 14's updated rendition. In the Presidential Seal, this bourbon, distilled in "ridiculously small batches," builds a highly drinkable dossier along with Pierre Ferrand dry curacao, Angostura and Peychaud's bitters and Champagne. Distillery founder Trey Zoeller and his dad Chet chose Thomas Jefferson to personify their small batches based on Jefferson's sense of curiosity. Perhaps if Article 14 had been around back in the day, President Jefferson would have imbibed of such and placed his seal of approval on this spirituous, new traditionalist cocktail.
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Bowled Over by National Soup Month
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Seems every January, there's a hotly contested battle as soup spoons and outdoor temperatures vie to see which will dip deeper and faster. Cool it, climate. Our bouillon's on spoons diving down into the depths of deep cups and bowls of soup at Atlanta-area restaurants. Let no drop be left behind.
At Nikolai's Roof atop the Hilton Atlanta, Chef Stephanie Alderete's red beet and beef borscht consommé ($12) is simply unbeetable, paired with fennel pollen, crème fraîche and smoked duck.
Spuds, bacon, scallions and cheddar cheese buddy up in Chef Todd Richard's loaded potato soup at The Shed at Glenwood. A gluten-free soul warmer at $8/cup.
Lean, freshly ground bison is the key ingredient in Karen's "Flying-D" bison chili, a menu favorite at the 13 Ted's Montana Grill locations across metro Atlanta. Karen Averitt, Ted Turner's personal chef of 22 years, developed the recipe while home on the range at Turner's Flying D ranch in Montana. Savor her warm and filling tribute to the Great American West by the cup ($5) or bowl ($7).
Let the equatorial sun shine into your January with a bowl of Caribbean lobster bisque at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill in Buckhead. Dive into lobster, blue crab, tomato and island spices in a cup ($4.95) or bowl ($6.95).
10th and Piedmont ladles up a "souperior" bowl of tomato bisque ($6). Buttermilk biscuit croutons, Parmesan and fried basil backstroke on top. Race your friends to a bowl.
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Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays
at Aqua blue in Roswell
Children ages 12 and under dine free off the kids menu on Wednesdays at Aqua blue in Roswell. Choose a main: grilled chicken breast or salmon filet, chicken fingers, the All-American burger, mini corn dog nuggets, grilled cheese on Texas toast, three cheese ravioli, or fettucini with alfredo or marinara sauce. Add a side dish: tater tots, grits, whipped potatoes, sautéed garlic spinach or fresh strawberries. Limit one meal per child. What about grownups? Aqua blue woos them with globally inspired menus stocked to satisfy a wide range of lunch and dinner appetites and occasions, from social hours to sushi hours to full-fledged mouthwatering main meals. Stop on the way home from extracurriculars or plan a family night out for fresh, seasonal foods the whole family will devour.
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Rout Out Kevin Gillespie's "Pure Pork Awesomeness" Cookbook on Gunshow Website and Pre-Order Your Signed Copy
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Photo Credit: Angie Mosier
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Hogwash to winter. Gunshow's website hints spring is squealing round the bend. The clue? Not daffodils. The pre-order link is up for signed copies of chef Kevin Gillespie's new cookbook, "Pure Pork Awesomeness," releasing March 31. In his second cookbook, Gillespie shares his unbridled passion for pork in 100 worldly recipes -- and puts you in the know on selecting, preparing and enjoying the tattooed chef's favorite meat. A few bacon-baiting examples are banoffee trifle with candied bacon and bacon popcorn. Poke around on the Gunshow website and hit the General Store tab or tap this link to reach the pre-order page. Ordering your book ($30 each) from Gunshow guarantees you'll receive a first-edition book, signed by chef Gillespie himself and shipped out to you on the release date of March 31. So purely awesome, you'll want to order at least one to give and a keeper for yourself.
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Tin Lizzy's Cantina Names Tory Bartlett
as Its First CEO
Hey amigos, Tin Lizzy's Cantina has its first chief executive officer. The Atlanta-based neighborhood taqueria and bar has promoted chief operating officer Tory Bartlett to CEO. Bartlett will spearhead strategic expansion throughout the Southeast including a 2015 opening in Greenville, South Carolina and three more Georgia locations in Duluth, Augusta and downtown Atlanta. Look for more FlexMex next year in Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia. Bartlett knows his dishes. He began his restaurant career as a dishwasher and cook at Hooters of America, Inc. Twenty years and several career moves later, he became Tin Lizzy's COO and led Tin Lizzy's to record performance. Now he'll "taco" the reins as CEO. Best wishes for years of success!
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Happy Hour Becomes Happy Day with All Day Specials at RA Sushi on January 19
There's no better place to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day than Atlanta, and on Monday, January 19, there's no better place to eat than RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown. We suggest honoring our hometown hero by coming together for a day of service in the community. Afterwards, stop by RA Sushi to enjoy your favorite happy hour specials including Viva Las Vegas rolls and "RA"kin' shrimp along with creative cocktails such as the Lotus Blossom and Tokyo Peach at special happy hour prices all day long from 11 a.m.-midnight. RA Sushi guests can obtain two hours of validated parking in the 1010 Midtown parking garage off Crescent Avenue.
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Cold Weather Savings are in the Forkcast at
G's Midtown and 10th & Piedmont
Get down with your puffy down jacket. If it's arctic enough to don your down, it's probably frosty enough to slide into HOBNOB, G's Midtown and 10th & Piedmont and fill up on Forkcast savings. When Atlanta's outdoor temperature falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, mention "Forkcast" to your server and watch 20 percent of your dinner check melt away. Hey baby, we're liking this cold outside business. Cannot be combined with any other offer.
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Register Early and Save on the
Hooves & Horns Ruff Run
Don't slack on that New Year's resolution! Sign up for the Hooves & Horns Ruff Run at White Oak Pastures by January 16 for $15 off the registration fee. Check out our blog for more information about the run.
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Devote Pritchard is a culinary specialist, nutrition consultant and personal chef for Ludacris. His meals and music man make it onto Instagram at @devotefood (and snapchat de_vote). About raps that up.
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Warm your innards with a mug of cider at G's Midtown and 10th & Piedmont. It's okay to play with the cinnamon stick swizzlers. Pick one or more through January 31.
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Trek along with us through global kitchens as we explore Flavors Abroad on Pinterest. Tour Europe via Slovak bread fondue, Irish sausage rolls, flan, pierogi, German meat pies, simple beet borscht and Russian doughnuts. Eat up Asia in Thai chicken lettuce wraps, Thai tom yum soup and banh mi with lemongrass pork. Those selfies showing you eating some exotic dish in front of a famous landmark? Well, that landmark will be your own stove.
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