New & noteworthy

Hallelujah. Winos everywhere can rejoice now that Georgians are finally legally allowed to order wine from vineyards within our very own state, including Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery, a 25-acre family-owned and operated wine growing estate located just five miles north of the historic town square of Dahlonega, Ga. The new law, passed on July 1, opens wine shipping restrictions and allows Georgia wineries to ship to Georgia consumers. Now, wine connoisseurs who are 21 or older can order up to 12 cases of wine a year by Internet or telephone and have it shipped directly to their home or office. For more information or to place an order, call 706-867-9862 or visit www.wolfmountainvineyards.com.

A WALK IN THE PARK
Grant Park's annual Summer Shade Festival is generally thought of as a stellar selection of artisans selling their wares and fun, family-friendly entertainment. And it is. But it's also home to Corks & Forks: A Fine Food & Wine Event, which showcases the city's top chefs. The festival is free; Corks & Forks cost $35 in advance or $45 the day of. Ticket holders are treated to signature dishes from some of Atlanta's top restaurants and wine pairings from around the world, as well as wine seminars and beer tastings. Participating restaurants include Babette's, Canoe, Steel and 4th & Swift. Corks & Forks is held Aug. 30–31, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Historic Grant Park at the intersection of Park Avenue and Berne Street. For more information or to buy advance tickets, visit www.summershade.org.

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
Every week, it seems, I'm visiting restaurants, tasting new menu items or indulging in beloved classics. Whether I'm out with my fiancée, friends, family or colleagues, I try to pick places I've not been before or in awhile, so I can stay on top of what's new and noteworthy. This week was no different, with the exception of one restaurant we're at all the time. Maria and I headed to the patio of East Point Corner Tavern on Friday for dinner, where I enjoyed the Hawaiian chicken salad, while she had a barbecued salmon BLT sandwich and a side of mashed sweet potatoes, and we shared an indulgent slice of turtle pie. Saturday, our lunch at Brake Pad in College Park delivered the goods as usual. We both had our standard white truffle chicken salad sandwich, which is filled with ripe cranberries and served on wholesome eight-grain bread. Paired with a bed of greens with balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese, and an icy glass of Sweetwater 420, this afternoon delight is the way to go when you're on the Southside. Monday, I held a show for my jewelry line at Girls Night Out at The Melting Pot in Midtown, where I tried the spinach and artichoke cheese for the first time. Insanely delicious—and surprisingly good with apples.

Tuesday, Maria and I were flying high as we were whipped up the elevator shaft to the 72nd floor of The Westin Peachtree Plaza to dine at The Sun Dial. My warm Georgia peach soup, laden with Maytag blue cheese cream and pecan ancho chile pesto, was on another level of heartwarming goodness, and Maria's BLFGT (bacon, lettuce, fried green tomatoes) sandwich, with peppercorn ranch sauce on grilled Texas toast, had the right amount of crunch and Southern hospitality. The breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views of Atlanta added to the experience. On Wednesday, the day before we send our paper to the printer, was a lunch with a friend at Star Provisions in West Midtown. She and I both selected a slice of the blue cheese-and-fig pizza, along with beet salad and minted peach salad (she skipped our state fruit for a bowl of lentils). At $3.20, the lemon and mint carbonated soda I opted for was the most expensive thing in my order, which refutes what many people say about the market-style restaurant being overpriced. My freshly prepared and wholly satisfying lunch was only $8.48, and that's pretty decent in my book. SP
Have something for Dish? E-mail Life, Food & Style Editor Kirsten Ott at kirstenott@sundaypaper.com.

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The Sunday Paper, Dish column, August 24, 2008

Something to savor

Food from around here just tastes better. It's riper, sweeter, juicier, perkier and more flavorful. It's time for a farm-to-table meal in all its glory, yes? On Tuesday, August 12, at 7 p.m., Inman Park's Parish presents a four-course meal comprised of entirely local ingredients perfectly paired with local wines and served family style at the Communal Table. Join farmer Bill Yoder for a special grower’s dinner. Check out the menu lineup:
First course: Broadbean and crispy pancetta salad, tomato, pecorino, mint vinaigrette. Broadbeans are from Stillwater Farms. Tomatoes from Bill Yoder. Mint is from Parish’s garden.
Second course: Apple-walnut risotto, gorgonzola cheese. Apples are from Ellijay, GA. Cheese is from Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, GA.
Third course: Roasted Springer Mountain chicken, sweet sausage, Yukon gold potato, pearl onion, balsamic butter. Chicken from Springer Mountain Farms in Mt. Airy, GA. Sausages are handcrafted at Parish from Riverview Pork. Potatoes are from Waverly Bros in Forest Park, GA
Fourth course: Peach crostata, ginger ice cream. Peaches are from Neil Taylor and Split Cedar Farms in Ellenwood, GA

Tickets cost $60 per person, not including tax and gratuity. Space is limited. Call Parish at 404.681.4434 to make a reservation. Parish is at 240 N. Highland Ave. Atlanta, 30307

New & noteworthy

New and noteworthy
By Kirsten Ott

Atlanta’s restaurant scene is always buzzing with activity. From chefs selling off their businesses to new restaurants opening, there’s always something going on. Read on to get the scoop.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
OK, so Michael Tuohy may not exactly be a young buck starting out in his career, but the owner of Woodfire Grill is returning to his roots in California soon and has put his restaurant up for sale. For the past 22 years, the San Francisco native has served as a leader in Atlanta’s burgeoning restaurant scene with innovations such as his groundbreaking Chefs’ Café, where he was doing farm-to-table even before it was trendy. Continuing on that path, Chef Tuohy will launch a farm-to-table restaurant called Grange, which will be in the Citizen Hotel, a new 200-room stylish boutique property in Sacramento, Calif. August 12 is the official six-year anniversary date for Woodfire Grill, and Tuohy will host his farewell dinner for his longtime fans and friends in Atlanta. The restaurant, which features local, seasonal and organic cuisine, will remain open after Tuohy departs. Woodfire Grill is located at 1782 Cheshire Bridge Road. 404-347-9055. www.woodfiregrill.com.


OPEN FOR BUSINESS
In bloom is the seriously Southern Dogwood Restaurant, which opened to the public last week. Chef and co-owner Shane Touhy has teamed up with Scott Black to serve his take on Southern hospitality and sophisticated cuisine. Housed on the ground floor of the Reynolds condominium building on Peachtree Street, the 150-seat Dogwood is awash in Southern splendor with a earthy palette of mossy green, espresso and tangerine.
The menu is ripe with American-style dishes with regional influences and many local products. The grits bar features creamy, yellow, stone-ground grits, served with Southern delights like lowcountry shrimp, fried oysters with spicy hollandaise sauce, and ham and pimento cheese. For an entrée, try the SoCo glazed pork chop with caramelized shallots and silver queen soufflé. For now, Dogwood is open only for dinner, but lunch service is coming soon. Dogwood Restaurant is located in the Reynolds Condominium building at 565 Peachtree St. 404-835-1410. www.dogwoodrestaurant.com.


LAP UP THE LUXURY
The Mansion on Peachtree, the luxury hotel and residences near Lenox Square that’ll soon be home to Tom Collechio’s Craft restaurant, recently premiered its contemporary Italian restaurant, Neo. With Director of Restaurants Guido Piccinni and Executive Chef Eric Chopin at its helm and Chef de Cuisine first-generation Italian-American Giuseppe Napoli overseeing the daily operation and menu creations, the 95-seat restaurant, which overlooks a fine set of English gardens, is poised to be one of the hot new spots in town for upscale dining (plates are far from cheap, but worth every buck). Superb customer service and decadent decor leaves diners wanting for very little. Of the fare, personal favorites include the antipasto board featuring an array of meats, cheeses, olives and juicy figs, as well as the beet salad, a beautifully plated dish of red and yellow bababietola in aged Pecorino, mint and orange. A standout among the entrees is the pappardelle neopasta with Maine lobster in a lemongrass sauce. For dessert, the tiramisu is divine. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, as well as a five-course Sunday brunch with a weekly menu that showcases the chef’s selections. The hotel’s Mansion Bar, an elegant 30-seat affair, offers a small menu and signature drinks, like the Lady Violette, a lovely blend of vodka, crème de violette and champagne. Neo is located at 3376 Peachtree Road. 404-995-7545. www.mansiononpeachtree.com. SP
When she’s not checking out restaurants, interviewing chefs or nodding off after her fifth glass of wine, Life, Food & Style Editor Kirsten Ott dishes culinary and cocktail insights. E-mail her at kirstenott@sundaypaper.com.
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The Sunday Paper, Dish column, August 3, 2008

Taking the plunge

Taking the plunge
Water and wine make a splash
By Kirsten Ott
LA VITA BUENA
Restaurateur Tony LaRocco continues to elevate expectations for restaurant-goers. The owner of Vita, the New York-style classic Italian restaurant in Buckhead where I had lunch last week, just installed the Natura water purification system. So instead of my typical order of a tall glass of city water with lemon (it relieves the twinge of chlorine for me), I agreed to give this fancy new water a try. It’s just $2 a person, which is about the price I’d pay for a Diet Coke or a sweet tea. Our server tells me he’s got sparkling and still; we take the bubbles. He returns with a frosted glass bottle similar to Voss water, except this bottle, he tells us, is reusable by the restaurant because the compact dispensing system is actually installed in the kitchen and the glass bottles are refilled throughout the day, eliminating waste and carbon footprints, and saving storage space. As we take our first sips (it’s delicious and refreshing), we’re given a rundown of what Natura water offers. The water purification system uses both high-grade carbon filters and UV technology to eliminate impurities and bacteria while retaining healthy, thirst-quenching minerals. Furthermore, these filters reduce chlorine compounds, particles and heavy metals, while retaining magnesium, zinc, calcium and all the good-for-you minerals. Vita is one of only four restaurants to have come on board with Natura (the others are Repast, Cakes & Ale and Steel). Vita is located at 2110 Peachtree Road in the old Mick’s location. 404-367-8482. www.vitaatl.com.


PORTUGUESE BY THE GLASS
In the 5,200-square-foot space LITKitchen behind Atlantic Station, owner Brad Lev continues his series, “An introduction to the wines of the world,” with a Portuguese wine tasting on Aug. 11, at 6:30 p.m. Take a trip through the Minho region where the summer sipper Vinhjo Verde is produced before heading through the Douro and other fine wine-producing regions to see what those in the know are drinking. The tuition of $35 includes a materials fee for wine and cheese. LITKitchen is located at 433c Bishop St. 404-249-4300. www.litkitchen.com.


TRAVELING ON THE VINE
Atlantans have another wine to choose from at restaurants as Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard crosses state lines into Georgia. The family-owned and -operated winery, which was founded in 1999 and released its first wine in 2003, is located in Charlottesville, Va.—just seven miles from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, where American winemaking began. Kluge Estate has joined forces with Georgia Crown Distributing Company (another family-owned and -operated business) to introduce its stable of wines to Georgians. Kluge Estate’s classic East Coast wines and their unique terroir include the Blanc de Blancs, a brut sparkling wine made from chardonnay grapes I like to pair with sushi. The complex aromas are vibrant, exhibiting notes of ripe apple and pear with hints of hazelnut and roasted almond. The wine is medium-bodied with a creamy, finely beaded mouthfeel and a clean, zesty finish. Kluge Estate wines are currently offered at Repast, City Grill and Shaun’s. www.klugeestateonline.com. SP
When she’s not checking out restaurants, interviewing chefs or nodding off after her fifth glass of wine, Life, Food & Style Editor Kirsten Ott dishes culinary and cocktail insights. E-mail her at kirstenott@sundaypaper.com.
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The Sunday Paper, Dish column, August 10, 2008

Regator, The Social Blog Aggregator, Launches To The Public

Regator, the blog aggregator that acts like a mix between a standard RSS reader and Digg, has launched in public beta.

read more | digg story