Midtown

Atlanta Braves’ baseball is finally here and the crew at RA Sushi is bringing back a fan-favorite to help ring in the new season. The Tomahawk Chop Roll features eight pieces of spicy lobster made with avocado and fresh cucumber, all wrapped in white rice and seaweed. It’s topped with tasty tuna tataki, red beet tempura bits, and a light drizzle of wasabi aioli, and is served with a rich tataki dipping sauce.

Bantam + Biddy, located in Ansley Mall shopping center, blends slow southern cooking with casual, quick service. The result: fast gourmet food – just the ticket for casual first dates or drinks and snacks.

K and I dined a week or so after Bantam & Biddy opened and ordered at the counter. The experience was a tad awkward. We weren’t sure where to go or what to do. Now, the restaurant offers table service for which Date Nighter’s are grateful. Counter ordering feels too informal for an evening date with someone new.

If you like sushi, you know RA Sushi. If you've enjoyed a meal at RA, you'll enjoy another. It's just that good.

To elevate your sushi + dating experience, RA recently spruced up their dinner and drink menus with new creations from Chef Tai Obata.

New additions include Black Pepper Teriyaki Asian Chicken Wings, Bonfire Shrimp, Drunken Black Mussels, "RA"ckin' Shrimp and Garlic Edamame.

JCT Kitchen remains one of my favorite restaurants, so I expected nothing less than perfection from The Optimist, Chef Ford Fry’s newest dining concept. The seafood restaurant exceeded my expectations.

My new favorite Italian restaurant is Cucina Asellina located in the 12th & Midtown development on Peachtree Street. The high-top tables. The stuffed olives. The high-energy music. The prosciutto flatbread. The high ceiling. The flavor-rich pasta. So many reasons to return to Cucina Asellina time and again, and return I have several times in the few short weeks since the restaurant opened.

A mainstay in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles, STK has quite a following. The restaurant’s recent Atlanta opening created a stir in the trendsetting foodie community. Set in the new 12th and Midtown building on Peachtree Street, even its location is buzz-worthy. A “feminine steakhouse” it’s touted. As you can imagine, my expectations were high.

Encouraging Atlantans to dine at hotel restaurants is difficult in a city filled with dozens of exceptional eateries located in cute, hip, fun and charming neighborhoods. However, several hotels get it right and the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown is among them. Briza, the hotel’s southern American restaurant, offers farm-to-table dishes paired with impressive cocktail and wine selections.

Escorpion is a relatively new cantina and tequila bar from Chef Richard Ullio who owns Italian favorites Sotto Sotto and Fritti.

My husband and I dined on a Tuesday night. The restaurant is located on the corner of 5th and Peachtree in the bottom of the Cornerstone Village Condos. There's a free valet which is always well-appreciated in Midtown. Let the valet park your car and look for the giant scorpion sculpture outside the restaurant. You can't miss it.

I met R. at TAP for an early evening weekday drink. At 5:30p.m., the bar was relatively quiet, which suited us just fine. I’ve had drinks and meals at the Midtown Gastropub many times, enjoying the patio, the bar and the upstairs dining room. The menu is decent – you’ll find tasty choices (such as Buffalo Fried Calamari tossed with bleu cheese; the Pub Burger served with house-made pickles on a whole wheat English muffin; and Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tacos) but your best bet on a first date is to meet for drinks, take a date before or after a show or for a post-date nightcap.

The Real Chow Baby has always been a pretty solid date choice in my book. There’s that whole interactive DIY component that gives you and your date something to talk about, the atmosphere is typically fun and lively, and it’s easy to keep the meal healthy and non-gluttonous. In other words, you’ll be up for a post-dinner activity (dancing, making out, cocktails at another location, whatever) rather than feeling lethargic and ready to call it a night (no one wants that).