Join Bottle Rocket and Wine Shoe for their first wine tasting event of 2012. The event will be held at Bottle Rocket in Castleberry Hill for a tasting of select wines from The Wine Shoe. Led by Wine Shoe owner, Nora Wiley, the tasting will be held on Monday, January 30 at 7 pm. Bottle Rocket will be making a unique selection of small bites to pair with the wines. I’ll be in attendance signing copies of my book, Food Lovers’ Atlanta.

Who: Wine Lovers and Foodies
What: Wine Tasting with select varietals from The Wine Shoe + Food Lovers’ Atlanta book signing
Where: Bottle Rocket, Castleberry Hill, 180 Walker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313
When: Monday, January 30, 7pm,
Cost: Wines are free to taste, specially priced appetizers available.

Drop by on January 30 to taste carefully selected wines of different varietals. It is it a treat to have Nora Wiley guide the tasting as her wine classes are wildly popular. No Bottle Rocket event would be complete without our delicious bites. There isn’t a menu, but know the bites will be crafted to pair expertly with the wines samples.

My book, will be available for purchase for $15 (cash only). It maps out the best restaurants in Atlanta from mom and pop, hole in the wall places to fancy five star restaurants. I’ve scoured the city to find the best restaurants on any budget, in any neighborhood, encompassing all the terrific cuisines we have at our disposal. It is a terrific resource for those visiting Atlanta on business or pleasure or for Atlanta residents who want to get out and explore the city but aren’t sure where to start.

There are also features like:

* Nightly Specials at different restaurants
* Insider tips for many restaurants that only regulars are privy to
* Food festivals and culinary events
* Atlanta chefs that have appeared on Top Chef
* Recipes from popular Atlanta Restaurants

Here’s what some other folks had to say about the book:

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: “Keep it in the glove compartment when you want something more detailed than a Zagat Survey..” Read More
Examiner.com
Gilt City “The latest gourmet bible covers everything from haute cuisine to food trucks and, with its convenient carrying size, makes finding a good meal easy..”Read More at Gilt City
Roswell Patch

I chose Botekim for my Birthday dinner, opting for a low key evening out. The space is not much to look at from the outside. However, it is pretty inside with hardwood flooring and exposed duct work. We started the evening with two of Botekim’s cocktails – the Scottish Mule and their version of a Margarita. Both were overly sweet. But the wine list is quite nice. So skip the cocktails and focus on the wine. There are some unique wines like Pinot Gris or Douro that you won’t find elsewhere.

For starters we chose the Yucca fritters and the Sausage with toast points. Both were delicious and the highlight of our meal. The Yucca fritters are like a pastry filled with savory ground beef. The sausage was perfectly done and had a wonderful smokey flavor. Both of these appetizers were $8 and if you have a large group the sausage app is where you get the most bang for your buck. Drive ITP and you’d get half that size for the same price. My only regret is not having a glass of red to savor with that sausage.

We noticed that there is a prix fixe menu available: 2 courses for $19 or 3 courses for $24. So we opted for the 2 course option (apps were part of that offering) and got the Flounder and Shepherd’s Pie for our entrees. The Flounder had a sauce with shrimp, capers and other goodies that was just delicious and I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again. I ordered the Shepherd’s pie because one of how much Cliff Bostock of Creative Loafing gushed about how delightful it was. He must’ve tasted something very different than what I had because most of what I tasted was salt. It did have a nice flavor but was completely overpowered by the salt.

We were quite full and got our dessert to go, but I wish we would have skipped it altogether. The flan was super tiny a way too rich for what I was expecting. Totally not worth the money. I’d definitely stop in again if for nothing else than those tasty appetizers. The service was another highlight, with the owner making recommendations and checking in to make sure each table was enjoying their meals.

1410 Terrill Mill Road
Marietta, GA 30067
678 402 7584
Botemkim Bistro Website

The wine and cocktail menu is extensive with a bevy of Italian wines and specialty cocktails like the Yellow Fever (pictured at the top of this post), which includes one of my favorite ingredients, St. Germain, and the Chatham County Line with Peach infused whiskey, maple syrup and a Georgia peach. Servers are very adept and helping you make a wine selection if you aren’t sure what to order. Just give them idea of what you like, and they’ll come back with a couple choice selections which are sure to please.

The menu is divided into Small plates, Pies, Pastas and Main plates. We started things off with the Hamachi Crudo, a lovely piece of Yellowtail, which was followed up by a Cibo Meatball and one of Chef’s signature dishes, the Arancini Siciliani, safrron risotto fritters filled with buffalo mozzarella and parmesan, the flavor was absolutely titillating. This is a must order if you visit Cibo E Beve. I’d love to spend some more time exploring the small plates menu, especially items like the Octopus or Lamb belly with Polenta.

Next up were the pies: Margherita and Quattro Formaggi. The Margherita was light and delicious, the San Marzano tomatoes, make all the difference, in my opinion. The Quattro Formaggi, or four cheese, was equally delightful, and I loved the addition of the fire roasted Mortadella, which the additional meat was kind of a surprise, but a good one. I’m anxious to try the Soppresate pizza on a return visit.

There are eight different pastas on the menu, half of which are vegetarian, as well as some of the small bites and pizzas being vegetarian, so there is no problem accommodating herbivores as well as carnivores. We sampled two of the meat-centric pastas during the media preview: Bucatini with bacon and pancetta, and Orecchiette with turnip greens, sausage and asaigo. My favorite was latter, with the turnip greens making for an unexpected but good combination with the sausage. However, I’d love to try the house special – Rigatoni with gorgonzola dolce and pistachio cream.

Mains include Veal, Scallops, Halibut, Salmon, Lamb Shank Osso Buco and the obligatory chicken. I was torn between our two dining options: Scallops or Lamb Osso Buco. However, since it was quite warm out, I decided to keep things light with the scallops. The three scallops were wonderfully prepared and served on shallot risotto with white chocolate veloute, although I tasted some sort of Asian influence in the sauce that I can’t quite put my finger on. One my dining companions shared a taste of the lamb shank with me and it was heavenly, just about melting in my mouth.

Cibo E Beve is an excellent choice for meeting up with a friend for drinks and to share a couple small plates or pizza. If you want to have an Italian feast, Cibo E Beve has got you covered there too with authentic pizzas, pastas and main dishes. This new Italian eatery is definitely worth putting on your must visit list. Dining room seating is only 70 people max, so reservations are a must for weekends.

4969 Roswell Road, Suite 245
Sandy Springs, GA 30345
404 250 8988
Cibo E Beve Website

I’ve eaten at the Capital Grille before and always have been impressed. With locations around the country (I believe they have 43), it is a restaurant you know you can walk into in any city and be treated with amazing service and have a damn fine steak too. So, when I was invited to the preview the Generous Pour Wine Event, I was thrilled? Terrific food, service and I get to be one of the first to sample some unique wines? You don’t have to twist my arm.

The Generous Pour Wine event offers guests the chance to taste nine varietals ranging from bubbly to full-bodied reds to a Port. These wines are selected by Master Sommelier, George Miliotes – Twitter @TheWineExpert – Tweet him, he’ll tweet you back! He even hosted a live webcast during the tasting where we were able to tweet to him and ask questions.

Ample servings of nine rare and limited vintage varietals – all for just $25 per person (with dinner entree purchase) from July 12 through September 4. The collection includes wines from all over – Spain, California, Australia and Italy. So no region is excluded. I loved that I was able to try wines that would normally be out of price range like the Freemark Abbey, Cabernet Bosche, 2003 which if I’m not mistaken is about $250 a bottle. The other thing I appreciated is that everyone at the Capital Grille is friendly and helpful and not snooty at all even if you don’t know much about wine.

I’m not usually a fan of white wine and Chardonnay is my least favorite but I’m so thrilled that I tried the Chateau St. Jean, Belle Terre, 2008. This wine was fruity and citrusy, with not a hint of oak that is typical of Chardonnays. It is my new favorite white. My favorite of the reds and the clear winner that night was the Chalk Hill Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma 2006. It paired nicely with my Kona Sirloin. I’d have put a picture of it below, but let’s just say the camera didn’t love it as much as I did.

Guests may sample all nine wines or they may choose to have multiple tastings of one or more of their favorites from The Generous Pour – their server will guide them through the experience, suggesting pairings for each course ordered and providing each person with a summary of tasting notes. The restaurant will also prepare custom wine flights upon request, for those guests interested in comparing and contrasting The Generous Pour selections.

The Generous Pour Wine Event Highlights from this summer’s collection of choice whites and reds are:

· Tarima Hill Monastrell, 2009 – Making its U.S. debut at The Capital Grille this summer, this spectacular varietal is setting a new standard for Spanish medium-bodied red wine.

· Chalk Hill Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 – Named for the volcanic chalk under the vineyard’s hillside surface, which gives a delightfully unique quality to the wine’s flavor, this rich, dense wine is one of Sonoma Valley’s best.

· Marquis de la Tour, NV – This sparkling “bubbly” hails from a vineyard in France’s Loire Valley, which has been producing excellence since 1885.

· Conte Brandolini Vistorta Merlot, 2006 – Harvested from 100-year-old vines in a small vineyard in Northeast Italy, this merlot epitomizes powerful elegance.

Don’t forget the Generous Pour Wine event at The Capital Grille ends on September 4, so you have just over a month to take advantage.

255 East Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
The Capital Grille Website

• Pickled Georgia Peach Salad arugula, pecans,
  goat cheese and pecan vinaigrette

• Summer Ceviche Georgia shrimp, Roma tomatoes and cucumbers
  …Chilled Roasted Tomato Soup housemade corn crackers

• Seared Sea Scallops Romesco-style pan sauce,
  Georgia peanuts and okra

You’ll also linger with a tasting of light, perfect-for-summer wines:
Crios Torrontes | Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Chard
Vietti Arneis | Stephen Vincent Crimson
Janasse Cotes du Rhone
Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon
Paul Mathews TNT Pinot Noir
Byron Chardonnay | Chehalem Inox Chard
Eroica | Hangtime Arroyo Pinot Noir
Le Cengle | Montevina Barbera
Nopa Vinho Verde | Cims de Porerra

The price is only $30/person including tax and gratuity! Sounds like a deal to me! Space is limited, so get your tickets today http://tinyurl.com/sckvlin?gerlearn.

South City Kitchen Vinings
1675 Cumberland Parkway SE
Smyrna, Georgia