  Walk the red carpet. Keep your fingers crossed for Reese Witherspoon and George Clooney on Sunday, March 5. No matter who ends up winning those little gold men, everyone knows that the buzz is over the dress and the after-party. Dress up and dine out at Atlanta’s only sanctioned Oscar Night America Party. The Center for Family Resources will broadcast the 78th annual Academy Awards at the Cobb Galleria Centre. For $75, guests can get a good look at host Jon Stewart on two big screens, while nibbling on a buffet and dancing the night away. For $50 more, they can glide down the red carpet and sit down to a formal dinner. The local nonprofit is expecting more than 1,000 movie fans, including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. The theme is “Diamonds Are Forever,” a throwback to the 1971 James Bond film. And the grand raffle prize is a 2006 Ford Mustang GT, a sports car fitting of a spy. For tickets, call 770-428-2601 or visit www.thecfr.org. |
  Pitch the pinto bean. This isn’t a messy plate of cheesy, oily Tex-Mex. Rosa Mexicano prides itself on serving .ing last month’s opening at Atlantic Station. In 1984, Manhattan flipped for the frozen pomegranate margaritas and the fresh guacamole prepared tableside using a lava-rock mortar. This crowd-pleasing chain, which translates to Mexican pink, now has one sister restaurant in Washington, D.C. and a total of three in New York. Celebrated architect David Rockwell even incorporated a dramatic 18-foot water wall as the centerpiece to Atlanta’s new lunch and dinner destination. For a complete menu, visit www.rosamexicano.com; for reservations, call 404-347-4090. |
  Guzzle green beer. Atkins Park Tavern in Smyrna hosts a St. Patrick’s Day bash worthy of a four-leaf clover and a pot of gold. The city’s Mayor Max Bacon will kick off the big block party by dying the village fountain green. From 2 to 5 p.m., the cover band Desire will pay tribute to U2, the ultimate Irish rockers, followed by the Zac Brown Band. This year, St. Paddy’s falls on a Friday, so party on with $4 draft beers from Bass, Hoegarden and Stella Artois, and maybe a traditional plate of corn beef and cabbage. The cover charge is $5 in advance and $10 at the gate. For details, please visit www.atkinspark.com. |
  Bid on a bottle or two. The annual Wine Auction, now in its 14th year, is the single largest fundraiser for the High Museum of Art. In fact, the 2005 event raised $1.6 million through dinners, seminars, a glamorous gala, and of course, live and silent auctions. This year’s theme is “Toast a New High. Ooh, la, la!” Held Thursday, March 30 through Saturday, April 1 at Atlantic Station (its new venue), the festivities salute the museum’s recent expansion, as well as the October debut of “Louvre Atlanta,” a partnership with the one and only Musée de Louvre in Paris. There are even a few scheduled classes and banquets leading up the wine weekend, including a Secret Cellars Tour on March 19 for $250. For a complete list of all the different happenings, participating wineries and special guests, please visit www.atlanta-wineauction.org. For tickets, call 404-733-5335. |
  Celebrate soulful women. Returning for an eighth season, Nothin’ but the Blues aims to entertain and educate with the pluck of a guitar string and the stroke of a piano key. Presented by the Atlanta History Center, Blind Willie’s and True Blues Productions, this spring concert series is dedicated to the hundreds of musicians in the Gulf Coast states affected by last year’s devastating hurricanes. March’s lineup, held Thursday the second and Friday the third, will feature some of the best blues singers around, including boogie chanteuse Lady Bianca, husky-voiced Janiva Magness, and Atlanta’s very own Heaven “Wild Child” Davis. Grab a plate of barbecue for Wild Women Sing the Blues, beginning at 7 p.m. in McElreath Hall at the Atlanta History Center. For tickets starting at $25, call 404-814-4150. |
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