Giveaway: @brizarestaurant blogger night + win a $20 gift certificate!

Posted by Laura Haynes in atlanta briza, atlanta deals, atlanta giveaway, atlanta giveaways, atlanta restaurant, atlanta restaurants, briza, briza atlanta, pacci

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I had a blast at the Briza Restaurant summer menu blogger party! Thrilled to clink glasses and nom delectable food with my fellow foodies. Briza Restaurant occupies the space formally lived in by Pacci, one resto that I was very, very sad to see go. I had very high hopes for the new resident since my favorite Atlanta Italian restaurant was ousted due to change in ownership for the adjacent hotel.

Briza serves farm-to-table fare with Southern flair. Executive Chef Janine Falvo’s seasonal cuisine is made from locally sourced ingredients.

Executive Chef Janine Falvo’s passion for food stems from a family deeply rooted in culinary tradition. Falvo was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where her childhood was filled with memories of berry picking, seasonal harvest canning and celebratory holiday feasts. After years of showcasing her culinary prowess to her family and friends at such gatherings, Falvo decided to hone her skills and make a career out of her lifelong passion.

Falvo’s culinary savvy has earned her recognition as Restaurant Hospitality’s Rising Star Chef in 2007. In 2010, she was selected to represent Sonoma in a dinner at the James Beard House in New York City and was a featured chef in Food Arts’ bi-annual menu preview. In 2011, Falvo appeared as a hopeful on the ninth season of Bravo’s popular series “Top Chef.”

I had the pleasure of sampling dishes from Briza's new summer menu and can't wait to share the dish details with you.

We started out the dinner with an amuse bouche consisting of a beau soleil oyster, and green tomato-black pepper mignonette. Paired with iron horse “russian cuvee”, green valley ‘04 (let me tell you, these pairing were SPOT ON). This oyster made the perfect first bite, seasoned beautifully and awakening the palette.

The first course was heirloom tomatoes served with burrata cheese, watermelon, and gazpacho water paired the iron horse as well. The small seeds you see on the plate are basil seeds that bring forward a bit of that basil flavor while adding some texture to the dish. This dish blew me away. The burrata was so incredibly creamy and the flavors mixed so well together. I could substitute this for my Yoforia on any given hot Atlanta evening. So refreshing.

The next course was the artisan foie gras served like a fried pies with a strawberry-rhubarb compote. Paired with castillo de monseran garnacha, carinena d.o. ‘09 (my favorite wine of the evening). This dish was inspired by Chef's Sonoma days. I love the combination of savory/sweet and the playful display of the foie gras.

Next up was the Alaskan halibut served with lobster home fries, truffled hollandaise and paired with the buena vista pinot noir, carneros ‘09. A very summery fish - nice and light, fluffy and creamy.

The 48 hour short rib was a big hit among the crowd. Served with vidalia onion puree, rattlesnake beans, and stone fruit watercress salad, the meat was braised with cherries and apricots and sous-vide for 48 hours. Paired with joseph carr merlot, carneros ‘09 .

Rounding out this refreshingly delightful dinner was the sour cream pound cake served with grilled Georgia peaches, spicy peanut brittle and peach sorbet. Paired with paolo saracco moscato d’asti, piedmonte d.o.c.g. Amazing. Just simply amazing. A perfect salute to the peach state, the moscato was paired wonderfully.

Want the opportunity to check out Briza's summer menu for yourself? Click here to enter to win a $20 gift certificate to Briza. Two winners will be selected. Sweepstakes ends 7/31 at midnight.

Briza is located at 866 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 and is adjacent to the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel.