Replica of a first-class cabin room on display at "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at Atlantic Station. Photo: Bita Honarvar, bhonarvar@ajc.com

FRIDAY
Festival: The Dunwoody Preservation Trust presents its annual Lemonade Days fundraiser, which features carnival rides and games, live entertainment and a bicycle ride around Dunwoody. The fest continues through April 22 at Brook Run Park.

Festival: This weekend marks the 76th edition of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, the city’s signature springtime event. Piedmont Park will be packed with people, art, crafts, music and more. It begins at noon April 20 and continues at 10 a.m. April 21 and 22.

Festival, music: The SweetWater 420 Fest offers music from Maceo Parker, Perpetual Groove, Donna The Buffalo, the Mickey Hart Band, Soulive and many more is the big draw, but the festival also offers comedy, kids’ activities and a cornhole tournament. The fest runs 4:20-11 p.m. April 20, noon-10 p.m. April 21 and 12:30-7 p.m. April 22 in …

Continue reading Weekend best bets: April 20-22 »

What's better than a margarita? Two margaritas from Agave with a plate of tequila anejo shrimp with grtis cake and asparagus. The margaritas at this Southwest-themed Cabbagetown spot were your pick and our pick for the best in and around Atlanta. Staff photo

YOUR PICKS
1. Agave
You say, “great tastes, great tequilas, fair prices” and “Incredible selection, quite tasty and out of town friends are always impressed.”

2. Pure
3. Taqueria del Sol
4. Nuevo Laredo Cantina
5. Pozole

OUR PICKS
1. Agave
We say, “A good margarita is all about quality ingredients, starting with the tart pop of fresh lime juice. That’s what you’ll get at Agave, where you can turn anything on Agave’s impressive list of tequilas into a traditional margarita for just 50 cents more — or just order one of the specialty margaritas. You really can’t go wrong.”

2. Alma Cocina
3. Pure
4. Inc. Street Food
5. Escorpion

Continue reading Best margarita »

Topher Payne plays Mame and Kate Graham is young Patrick Dennis in the Process Theatre Company production of "Auntie Mame." Photo: Tom Gillespie

FRIDAY
Stage: Process Theatre Company puts a gender-bending twist on the classic “Auntie Mame,” with Atlanta playwright and actor Topher Payne taking on the title role. The show opens April 14 and continues through May 5 at OnStage Atlanta in Decatur.

Stage: Everyone’s favorite gun-toting granny finds employment at a retirement home in “Tyler Perry’s Madea Gets a Job.” The show runs April 13-15 at the Fox Theatre.

Stage: Georgia Ensemble Theatre presents “Ring of Fire,” a musical celebrating the songs of Johnny Cash. The show runs through April 29 at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.

Stage, music: Mozart’s opera “Le Nozze di Figaro” (”The Marriage of Figaro”) is performed by the Georgia State University Opera Theatre at 8 p.m. April 13-14 and 3 p.m. April 15 at the Rialto Center for the Arts.

Music: Violinist …

Continue reading Weekend best bets: April 13-15 »

The shrimp and grits at South City Kitchen were your pick for the best version of this Southern favorite in and around Atlanta. Photo courtesy Fifth Group Restaurants

YOUR PICKS
1. South City Kitchen
You say, “South City Kitchen has the BEST shrimp and grits. Red Mule Grits from Athens, Ga. Tasso and smoked tomato gravy. YUM!” And “The Tasso ham makes the dish.”

2. Marlow’s Tavern
3. Six Feet Under
4. Rosebud
5. Trackside Grill
6. The Nook

Buckhead Diner, where you can try out our pick for the best shrimp and grits in and around Atlanta. Photo: Brant Sanderlin / bsanderlin@ajc.com

OUR PICKS
1. Buckhead Diner
The AJC dining team’s specialist in Southern and Neighborhood Fare Jenny Turknett says, “Combining shrimp and grits into a dish is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only a few decades ago. Some cultural historians believe it grew out of the coastal “gentleman’s meal” of breakfast shrimp. The version at Buckhead Diner gives a nod to these origins by …

Continue reading Best shrimp and grits »