Where to Imbibe & Dine on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

Known for exceptional service and offering a fresh, innovative approach to traditional dishes, holiday diners can head to Atlas this Christmas Eve for a special dinner created by Executive Chef Chris Grossman from 5 to 9 p.m.  With a daily-changing menu that is driven entirely by partnerships with a collection of more than a dozen local farms, Atlas is an award-winning restaurant located in The St. Regis Atlanta that celebrates the very best in seasonal American cuisine combined with European influences.  Atlas will be closed on Christmas Day.  For more information or to make a reservation, visit atlasrestaurant.com or call (404) 600-6471.  Atlas is located at 88 West Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, GA 30305. 

This Christmas Eve, TWO urban licks will be hosting a special a la carte dinner. From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. patrons can enjoy fiery creations by acclaimed Executive Chef Michael Bertozzi, including his seasonal and classic favorites, such as Oysters Rockefeller, Smoked Tomahawk Prime Rib, Cajun Deep Fried Turkey and Trimmings, Warm Sugar Cookies and Eggnog Creme Brûlée, while taking in the smooth sounds of a live music performance from Kerry Hill band. TWO will be closed on Christmas Day. Located conveniently on the Atlanta BeltLine in the Old Fourth Ward, guests can also take advantage of the outdoor seating available on TWO’s expansive patio. To make a reservation, visit twourbanlicks.com or call 404.522.4622. TWO urban licks is located at 820 Ralph McGill Blvd. Atlanta, GA 30306. 

Guests can belly up to the bar or relax in the dining room at Dantanna’s Buckhead this Christmas Eve between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and take advantage of the expansive menu featuring aged steaks, daily fresh seafood, juicy burgers, signature favorites and much more.  Signature and classic cocktails, craft beers and wine will also be flowing.  Dantanna’s Buckhead will be closed Christmas Day and Dantanna’s Downtown will be closed on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  For more information, visit www.dantannas.com or call 404.760.8873 for Buckhead and 404.522.8873 for Downtown. Dantanna’s Buckhead is located at the Shops Around Lenox, 3400 Around Lenox Rd NE #304, Atlanta, GA 30326.

Diners looking for a chic Christmas Eve experience can head to STK Atlanta for an unforgettable dinner.  Along with the full dinner menu featuring reimagined classic American  cuisine with signature dishes and, of course, the highest quality  steak, Midtown’s sexiest steakhouse will be serving holiday specials created by Executive Chef Thomas Mikesell from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. such as: Roasted Chestnut Soup; Waygu Prime Rib; Surf & Turf - 8 ounce Bone in Filet, Main Lobster, Champagne Bearer Blanc; and a 4 ounce filet with mac and cheese and asparagus for the kids at the table. STK will be open on Christmas Day from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.  For more information about STK, visit www.stkhouse.com or call 404-793-0144.   STK Atlanta is located at 1075 Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta on the corner of Peachtree and 12th Streets in the 12th & Midtown development.

Bully Boy, the newest BeltLine restaurant from Concentrics Restaurants and acclaimed Executive Chef Michael Bertozzi, is offering its full dinner menu on Christmas Eve from 5 to 9 p.m.  Offering Eastern seaboard fare from its farms, rivers and coastal waters with an approach that has far reaching influences, guests can also enjoy a nostalgic cocktail list, local and coastal craft brews and curated wine list created by Advanced Sommelier Justin Amick of Painted Hospitality.  Bully Boy is closed on Christmas Day. 

Bully Boy is a destination restaurant located in the Old Fourth Ward next to TWO urban licks, in between The Telephone Factory and Common Grounds, right down the BeltLine from Ponce City Market at 828 W10 Ralph McGill Blvd, Atlanta, Georgia 30306.  For more information on Bully Boy and Concentrics Restaurants please visit www.bullyboyatl.com and www.concentricsrestaurants.com or call 678.904.5607.  

RESTAURANTS OPEN ON CHRISTMAS EVE — Atlas, Bully Boy, Dantanna’s Buckhead, STK Atlanta, TWO urban licks.

RESTAURANTS CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS EVE — Bistro Off Broad, City Winery, Dantanna's Downtown, PARISH, Park Tavern. 

RESTAURANTS OPEN ON CHRISTMAS DAY — STK Atlanta.

*RESTAURANTS CLOSED ON CHRISTMAS DAY — Atlas, Bully Boy, Bistro Off Broad, City Winery, Dantanna’s Buckhead, Dantanna’s Downtown, PARISH, Park Tavern, TWO urban licks. 

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The Atlanta Ballet presents A WHOLE NEW ‘NUTCRACKER’

Atlanta Ballet’s first fresh holiday show in 2 decades

was 2 years in the making. Creators hint

that it will be brimming with surprises.

Atlanta Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 8-24 at the Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE. Details, tickets HERE or at 404.892.3303. 

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CURTAIN UP on the glow and oh-so-pretty snow. It’s finally time to crack open a whole new Nutcracker because, as Atlanta Ballet Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin says, every generation deserves its own.

Choreographer Yuri Possokhov in rehearsal for the new “Nutcracker.” Atlanta Ballet Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin describes his friend as “a child in big-person pants” and calls his work “amazing.” Photo: Kim Kenney

Nedvigin, a Bolshoi-trained artist, became the fourth artistic director in the company’s 89-year history two seasons ago. He last danced with San Francisco Ballet, and moved to Atlanta knowing he’d help oversee an all-new Nutcracker ballet.

Young people who grew up attending its predecessor, a storybook production staged for 23 seasons, are continuing the tradition. The old version was set against rich, jewel-toned backdrops that evoked 19th-century Russia. It blended clever comedic moments and ethereal classical ballet sequences with thrilling pas de deux.

Nedvigin’s new $3.7 million staging, choreographed by friend and Russian-born dancer Yuri Possokhov, returns to the original source material: German author E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 fantasy story, “Nutcracker and Mouse King.” It places the opening Christmas Eve party scene in a small German village.

A magical uncle

With dream-versus-reality notions, along with toy soldiers and snowflakes and such, The Nutcracker opens its imagination wide to artistic invention. But its central story line often remains: a magical uncle figure brings handmade toys to children at the party. Among them is a nutcracker, which is soon broken. A young girl named Marie checks on it in the middle of the night and discovers it has come to life. The nutcracker battles a mouse king, and then turns into a prince who carries Marie off to a fantasy kingdom inhabited by dolls.

A costume fitting with designer Sandra Woodall. Photo: Kim Kenney

Hoffmann’s tale contained bleak, even scary elements. As a leader in the German Romantic movement, he was accustomed to writing fantasy and Gothic horror, with tales full of inanimate objects coming to life. In 1844, French writer Alexandre Dumas toned down much of the darkness in Hoffmann’s story. An all-new Nutcracker, which premiered in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia, paired the lighter Dumas telling with the familiar Tchaikovsky score.

The ballet was not an immediate hit, finding success gradually and chiefly after 1954, when George Balanchine created a version for New York City Ballet. Atlanta audiences have seen that version, too, and until now the one choreographed by Possokhov predecessor John McFall. Possokhov’s ballet is unlike either of those.

“Yuri is truly a child in big-person pants,” Nedvigin says. “He has such a great sense of creativeness inside him. The dancers can prove my words. He truly becomes a child and runs and plays when he is creating. It’s amazing to watch him. We’ll be having dinner, and you will see him just sort of float away. You discover he is making steps in the air.”

The ‘firepower’

Atlanta Ballet hints that its new  Nut “will rival a Broadway show in terms of production firepower.” A versatile team was assembled to help make that happen:

A costume rendering for Christmas Eve party guests by designer Sandra Woodall.

SCENIC DESIGNER TOM PYE sometimes designs costumes as well. He received a Tony nomination for the scenic design of Broadway’s 2004 Fiddler on the Roof revival.

COSTUME DESIGNER SANDRA WOODALL has done costumes and scenery for prominent ballet companies around the world. She designed costumes for Atlanta Ballet’s Helen Pickett-choreographed Camino Real (2017). A “costume can be absolutely stunning,” Pickett says, “but it cannot take away from what the body is doing … how the body describes the story … and Sandra understands that.”

LIGHTING DESIGNER DAVID FINN did lights and scenery for Camino Real. Next for him are world premieres of The Little Prince for the National Ballet of Canada and Frankenstein for London’s Royal Ballet.

PROJECTION DESIGNER FINN ROSS did scenery for Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Frozen and Mean Girls. He won London’s Olivier Award (2012) and Broadway’s Tony Award (2014) for the scenic design of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He and his team spent nine months making the short, three-dimensional film shown during the overture.

And that’s not all. Robert Allsopp, known in  theater circles for his sculptural costumes, was hired to create mice costumes and some headpieces. His work is among more than 250 costumes this Nut uses, many hand-dyed and handcrafted in the United States and three other countries.

Friends & colleagues

Possokhov and Nedvigin have known each other for 18 years. Both were San Francisco Ballet principals near the ends of their performing careers, which also is when Possokhov’s choreographic reputation began growing.

“Oh, so many wonderful surprises,” promises artistic director Gennadi Nedvigin. “So much more is possible.” Photo: Hyosub Shin

“The Nutcracker is rooted in Tchaikovsky’s music,” Possokhov says, and gives choreographers “much room for imagination.” Its magic is “its ability to bring people together — children, parents, grandparents, friends, people from all different backgrounds and various faiths.”

Atlanta Ballet calls the new production “a Nutcracker for our time,” without getting too specific. “You will lose your mind to it,” Nedvigin says, “and will forget what is outside the theater walls. You will be transported to a completely different world.”

Nedvigin and Possokhov want audiences to have a hard time discerning what is and isn’t real “but in a good way.” Almost whispering, Nedvigin says, “Oh, so many wonderful surprises. So much more is possible. One time will not be enough to see it or love it.”

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Planning Your Christmas Shopping To Be Stress Free

At this time of year, Christmas shopping has gone from being a thought for the future to something that is very much in the here and now. Unfortunately, buying gifts for all of your loved ones, and even ones you don’t, can be a stressful experience. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways that you can save yourself some problems this festive season and get shopping with comfort.

Deals

Everybody loves a bargain and your Christmas shopping should be full of them. Just because you are buying someone a present doesn’t mean you have to pay top dollar. Shopping around online for a little while or even taking a leisurely stroll around the shops will quickly give you an idea of the average price of the products you’re looking to buy this year. Alternatively, if you already know what you want to buy some people then get looking on comparison websites. They’ve done all the research for you, so you can sit at home with your favorite drink in hand knowing full well you’ve saved some cash while putting smiles on the faces of your friends and family.

Difficult People

We all have them in our groups, every year we wonder what on Earth can we get them this year? They are the people who have everything they could possibly want already, or even worse the people who are impossible to read. Sometimes you wonder why you’re bothering, but you persevere regardless. After all, it’s Christmas and you’re in the spirit of giving and bringing cheer.

So some options for you; first of all consider the tried and tested voucher. You don’t know what to buy these people, but they know what they want so give them the tools necessary to go and get their ideal present. If you’re clever about it, you might just be able to earn free gift cards online thus saving yourself the need to pay out. Alternatively, you can try something a little bit more festive and traditional like a candle or a scarf. Both things that they’re likely to use, both say you’ve thought about them, but you’re not expecting much in return. Simple yet satisfying for everyone involved.

Enjoy Yourself

Christmas comes but once a year and everyone is going through the same shopping pains as you. However, you don’t have to. Shopping is just one aspect of the holiday season, and it is one that can be enjoyed by making the most of festive markets and the other experiences that this time of year can bring. Just make sure that you aren’t allowing your anxiety over presents for others build up too much, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’ve worked all year so you deserve to enjoy this wonderful period just as much as anyone else.

Even that person who keeps walking in front of you on the high street.

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Ignite Date Night at ONE.midtown kitchen

New comers and local diners alike can take date night to the next level by visiting ONE. midtown kitchen, a Midtown staple known for its unique wine offerings and high energy cuisine, before or after visiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s spectacular Garden Lights, Holiday Nights.

While noshing on mouth-watering American cuisine created by Executive Chef Matt Weinstein or indulging in full bodied wines, sipping on local craft brews and handcrafted cocktails, diners and imbibers can receive 50% off their check with a Garden Lights, Holiday Nights ticket stub, now through Sunday, January 7, 2018.

Offer is valid on the ticketed day only and cannot be combined with in-house promotions, such as New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, or other discounts.

One discount per table per visit and the maximum discount is $20 per check.

For more information or to make a reservation, call ONE. midtown kitchen at 404.892.4111 or visit www.onemidtownkitchen.com. ONE. midtown kitchen is located at 559 Dutch Valley Rd, Atlanta, GA 30324.

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