Parish, Halls of Fine Wine Team For Dinner

Parish: Foods & Goods will partner with its neighbor in Inman Park, Halls of Fine Wine, for a four-course wine pairing dinner on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. The pairing will focus on Pietra Santa Winery, located in Cienega Valley in California  The cost is $50 per person, not including tax or gratuity. Includes 4 courses of culinary artistry, prepared by Chef Tim Magee. The menu includes: 

1st Course: Roasted Wild American Shrimp, mirliton carrot salad, honey basil vinaigrette paired with a 2006 Pietra Santa Amore Pinot Grigio.
 
2nd Course: Parish House Smoked Salmon, roasted tomato sauce, micro celery paired with a 2005 Pietra Santa Pinot Noir.
 
3rd Course: Tamarind Braised Short Rib of Beef, celery root Mahon cheese gratin, corn shoots paired with a 2003 Pietra Santa Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
4th Course: Local Green Apple gallette, housemade vanilla bean ice cream, black pepper caramel sauce paired with a 2006 Pietra Santa Amore Gewurztraminer.
 
Reservations are a must. Call (404) 681-4434.

Taste of Atlanta Tixs On Sale Today

Tickets for this year’s Taste of Atlanta went on sale today. 

More than 70 local restaurants will serve up scrumptious tidbits of their signature dishes at Atlantic Station on Oct. 11 and 12. There will also be live cooking demonstrations and festive entertainment.

Here are the ticket options:

• General Admission is $25 in advance or $35 day of event (includes 10 Taste Coupons).
  
• VIP - $75 until September 15 or $95 September 16-October 12 (includes 20 Taste Coupons, entry into the Wine Experience in TWELVE Hotel Ballroom and Bowling & Brews in Ten Pin Alley).
  
• VIP Georg Riedel (Available Saturday only) - $195 (in addition to benefits of VIP ticket, ticket holders will enjoy an exclusive wine tasting class presented by Georg Riedel and a set of 4 Riedel Vitis wine tasting glasses).

Buy tickets and get more information at www.tasteofatlanta.com.

Corks and Forks Festival, Aug. 30

The Grant Park Summer Shade Festival is proud to announce the return of Corks & Forks - a Fine Food & Wine Event to the line-up of offerings and activities for the 6th Annual Festival. Corks & Forks provides an opportunity to experience scrumptious dishes prepared by Atlanta 's top chefs and taste some of the coolest wines and high-end beers to hit the Atlanta market in 2008. Tickets are on sale now and cost $35.00 per person in advance and $45.00 at the gate. For additional information, contact (404) 521-0938 at this link. 

Quick Bites

The old Prince of Wales pub on Piedmont Avenue at 14th Street will become a restaurant called Lift in the fall. 

Frank Ma South, an upscale Chinese restaurant, is now open at 2088 Briarcliff Rd.

Abattoir, the new eatery from Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, is under construction in the White Provisions development (just next door to Bachannalia) and expected to open in November. 

The German Atlanta Chamber of Commerce will host the fifth annual German Bierfest on Aug. 23 from 2 to 8 p.m. at Woodruff Park in Downtown. Tickets are $30 in advance via the website at www.germanbierfest.com or $35 at the door. 

Terminus Announces New Restaurants

Cousins Properties has announced two new restaurants for Terminus 200, the under-construction 25-story, 565,000 square-foot office building in Buckhead.

Two Texas-based restaurants, III Forks and Cantina Laredo, have signed leases for locations at Terminus 200 when it opens in 2009. Both restaurants will be new to the Atlanta market, and are owned by Dallas-based Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc. (CRO).

III Forks is an all-prime steakhouse with existing locations in Dallas, Austin and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Cantina Laredo offers gourmet Mexican dining with 24 locations in eight states.

“Much of what makes Terminus more than simply an office or residential project is the vibrant atmosphere created by our diverse restaurant lineup. Adding III Forks and Cantina Laredo to the project makes Terminus a one-of-a-kind dining destination in Atlanta,” said Larry Gellerstedt, executive vice president and chief development officer for Cousins.

CRO Chief Executive Officer John D. Harkey, Jr. said, “We are extremely excited to serve the Atlanta market. Buckhead is one of the most robust dining and entertainment areas in the country. Terminus 200 is the perfect setting to launch Cantina Laredo, serving gourmet Mexican food, along with our prime steakhouse, III Forks.”

III Forks and Cantina Laredo will join a host of other destination restaurants at Terminus, including AquaKnox, BrickTops, The Flying Biscuit Café, LOLA Bellini Bar & Restaurant and MF Buckhead. In recent months, Terminus has received additional restaurant commitments from Chick-fil-A and Dressed, a new specialty salad restaurant.

Woodfire Grill Has New Owners

As of this past Friday, the new owners of Woodfire Grill are seasoned restaurant managers Nicolas Quinones and Bernard Moussa of Five Senses Restaurants. The partners plan to continue the Woodfire Grill mission of providing Atlantans locally-sourced, sustainable and organic food originally started by its founder and chef, Michael Tuohy. The existing kitchen team will remain and will be led by Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie, Tuohy’s chef de cuisine for the past two years.

“Kevin shares my passion for sourcing and utilizing products from local farmers,” said Tuohy. “I know he will carry on the tradition, and add to it, as he assumes the role of executive chef at Woodfire Grill.”

“Woodfire guests can expect the same great dining experience they have been used to,” said Quinones. “The transition will be seamless to diners, thanks to Michael’s support and generosity. We hope many of his fans will come in and meet us.”

“When I decided to move back to California, I had discussions with several potential buyers for Woodfire Grill,” said Tuohy. “The partners of Five Senses really impressed me with their enthusiasm and commitment to carry on what we have worked so hard to build. I feel like I am leaving my restaurant in very good hands and look forward to watching the new team grow in this new era for Woodfire Grill.”

“We are indebted to Michael for creating such a wonderful restaurant and for his efforts to share his knowledge about the importance of eating locally and supporting our farmers, and the great taste that comes from that,” said Moussa.

Tuohy, who is moving to California to open Grange restaurant in Sacramento’s The Citizen Hotel, will be in the restaurant through August 12.

Woodfire Grill serves dinner Tuesday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Located at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, the restaurant can be reached by calling 404-347-9055. For more information, visit www.woodfiregrill.com.

Applebee's Wins Neighbor Award

From helping libraries reward children for reading to hosting in-restaurant fundraisers to assist nonprofits, Applebee’s has remained active in the Atlanta area throughout the last year by sponsoring and hosting a variety of programs and events.  

In recognition of its top-quality community involvement, the Applebee’s  franchisee for the greater Atlanta area has been awarded the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Neighbor Award for the state of Georgia. Applebee’s also won  the award last year.

In recognition of its state win, Applebee’s will receive a plaque from the National  Restaurant Association and the Georgia Restaurant Association. Also, Applebee’s will now be considered for the award nationally and the chance to receive $5,000 to be donated to a charity or community project of its choice.

Here's some of the the events Applebee has taken part in:

The Giving Tree: Holiday fundraiser to benefit local charities where diners can add $1, $5, $10 or $25 to their guest checks, and then have a paper ornament featuring their donation hung on “The Giving Tree” at Applebee’s; the program raised more than $21,000 last year.

Dining to Donate: Allows any nonprofit to fundraise in the restaurant by collecting 15 percent of guest check totals from participating diners.

Catch The Reading Bug: Incentive program to help encourage kids to participate in the Vacation Reading Program by awarding them with free kid’s meal cards; certificates distributed to libraries valued more than $124,000.

Flapjack Fundraisers: Template breakfast fundraiser created to make it easier
for any organization to fundraise. Five restaurants participate in this program.

Applebee’s also sponsors many community events, including an annual golf tournament to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, through which more than $760,000 has been raised with 2,500 volunteer hours invested over the last 13 years.  

www.applebees.com