Home may be where the heart is during the holidays, but many restaurants offer enticements to bring out diners and celebrate the season with festive dishes, cocktails and events.
At Food 101 in Sandy Springs, chef Justin Keith focuses on farm-to-table Southern cuisine, with nods to comfort food favorites.
This year, Keith, who is a craft beer aficionado, got into the holiday spirit by creating a gastropub-inspired "Twelve Brews of Christmas" dinner — presenting five courses paired with seasonal beers, such as Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and St. Bernardus Christmas Ale.
“For me, personally, Christmas has always been about food and family and friends,” Keith said. “It’s a time of year when people are in a little bit better mood.
"As a chef, I try to make people happy year-round. But the holidays are special. It’s great to see people out enjoying themselves with a warm, hearty meal and a holiday drink.”
For his Twelve Brews dinner, Keith said he drew on traditional holiday fare, but added his own twists.
One course features a silky, earthy chestnut soup with fromage blanc and fried sage, served with tastings of Anchor Christmas Ale and New Belgium 2 Below Winter Ale.
Dessert is what Keith calls “Not Your Grandmother’s Fruit Cake” — a fresh update of the Christmas classic, served with egg nog anglaise, and paired with two spiced brews, Hitachino Nest Winter Warmer and Sweetwater Festive Ale.
“My grandmother always made fruit cakes with that crazy neon candied fruit to give as gifts,” Keith said. “I make something that’s more like a gingerbread pound cake. And instead of using the crazy fruit, I use things like dried figs and pistachios.”
At Food 101’s sister restaurant, Cibo e Beve, chef Linda Harrell celebrates Italian cooking with local and seasonal ingredients.
This holiday season, Harrell is doing a "Holiday Favorites" cooking class at the restaurant, teaching participants how to make pasta fagoli, baked ziti with bolognese and gingerbread zeppole.
“It’s a fun little thing,” Harrel said. “It’s kind of like a wine dinner meets a cooking class. While we teach them how to make the three dishes, they get to drink wine and taste the food.”
Harrel said pasta fagoli, the classic bean and pasta soup, and baked ziti are the kinds of Italian dishes that evoke the warmth of the holiday season.
Her take on zeppole uses ricotta, ginger and molasses, and is dusted with powdered sugar, for a Christmas dessert that resembles a gingerbread beignet.
Harrell will pair the zeppole with an eggnog cocktail created by bartender Justin Hadaway.
Hadaway also has a Baked Apple Toddy made with 100 proof apple brandy, apple cider and demerara simple syrup. The big surprise is the baked apple, fresh from Harrell’s kitchen oven, that’s added to flavor and garnish the drink.
Food 101 Twelve Brews of Christmas beer dinner, $55, limited seating, 6:45 p.m. Dec. 15, 4969 Roswell Road, 404-497-9700, food101atlanta.com
Cibo e Beve Holiday Favorites cooking class, $50, limited seating, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 10, 4969 Roswell Road, Atlanta, 404-250-8988, ciboatlanta.com.
Here’s a round-up of what some other metro Atlanta restaurants have planned for the holiday season:
Atkins Park in Smyrna is kicking off the holidays with a “Tacky Sweater Party,” 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. December 16. Drink specials, an appearance from Santa, and cash prizes for the top three tackiest in attendance. 2840 Atlanta Road, Smyrna, 770-435-1887, atkinspark.com
Atkins Park in Virginia-Highland is spreading cheer at a customer appreciation party, 6-7 p.m. Dec. 14, with a tasting station and treats from Santa. The restaurant also is opening the kitchen at 6 p.m. on Christmas Day with a $20 dinner special. 794 North Highland Ave., Atlanta, 404-876-7249. atkinspark.com
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse in Dunwoody decorates the season with the Sparkling Star cocktail, available all December, with Cointreau, chilled pomegranate juice, topped with Chandon Etoile Brut and a lime twist. 4501 Olde Perimeter Way, Dunwoody, 770-698-8112, flemingssteakhouse.com.
Livingston Restaurant and Bar in Atlanta named it’s holiday cocktail the Marquee to pay tribute to the bright lights of the Fox Theatre’s grand entrance. It’s pureed fresh ginger and Prunier orange liquor blended with a splash of cranberry and topped with champagne. 659 Peachtree Street Northeast, Atlanta, 404-897-5000, livingstonatlanta.com.
The Mansion Lounge and Cafe Bar in Buckhead mixes seasonal holiday cocktails through Dec. 30, including the Chateau Mansion with cabernet and blood orange reduction, lemon juice and Grey Goose orange vodka, and the Mansion Valrhona hot chocolate with Valrhona chocolate, Godiva raspberry vodka and homemade marshmallows. 3376 Peachtree Road Atlanta, 404-995-7500, rwmansiononpeachtree.com
The Melting Pot in Roswell, and three other metro locations, offers a special Winter Wonderland family event with Santa on Dec. 17. Enjoy a three-course menu with seasonal favorite fondues, mocktails for kids and winter cocktails for adults. $29 adults; $17 children, 1055 Mansell Road, Roswell, 770-518-4100, meltingpot.com
Market Buckhead celebrates with seasonal favorite dishes inspired by local flavors from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with a special prix fixe dinner menu for each evening. 3377 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta, 404-523-3600, marketbuckhead.com.
Miller Union in Atlanta is featuring several new winter cocktails from mixologists Stuart White and Cara Laudino, made with seasonal and local ingredients and artisan spirits. Warming concoctions include Mulled Cider with rum, cognac, local apple cider and mulling spices, and the Traditional Hot Toddy with a blend of Irish whisky, back tea, lemon, honey and clove. 999 Brady Avenue, Atlanta, 678-733-8550, millerunion.com
RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown has a December pairing special with seared albacore tapas and a bright Pomegranate Breeze cocktail for $15. The cocktail mixes Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, pomegranate juice, pomegranate liqueur and pink grapefruit juice.1080 Peachtree Street N.E., Atlanta, 404-267-0114, rasushi.com.
Rosebud in Morningside celebrates the season, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 15, when popular bartender Jeff Jackson offers three seasonally-inspired cocktail creations for $15, while a DJ spins holiday tunes. Bring in a new or gently-used coat for donation to the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children and receive $10 off. 1397 North Highland Ave., Atlanta, 404-347-9747, rosebudatlanta.com.
Spice Market, located inside the W Atlanta-Midtown, will open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with dinner from 5-9 p.m. both days. 188 14th Street, N.E., Atlanta, 404-724-2550, spicemarketatlanta.com
Twelve Hotel at Atlantic Station hosts a breakfast with Santa, 9-11:30 a.m. Dec. 17 in the ballroom, with a buffet in the Lobby Bar and Bistro. $25 adults/ $12 kids under 12. 361 17th Street N.W., Atlanta, 404-961-1212, twelvehotels.com.
Wild Wing Cafe in Marietta hosts Christmas vs. Hannukkah, a four-course cask ale dinner, 8 p.m. Dec. 15, with Sweetwater Festive Ale representing Christmas and Hebrew Jewbelation Ale representing Hannukkah. $40, limited seating, 2145 Roswell Road, Marietta, 770-509-9464, wildwingcafe.com
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