cartraveler

I will be travelling through N. GA soon and looking for a good place for dinner (with wine). Specifically route will follow Blairsville, Young Harris, Hiawassee, Clayton. Suggestions? Thanks!

starrsville

Buck Head Tavern in downtown Clayton is good with great steaks. Mama G's is a family restaurant transplanted from the Atlanta area. Casual but good basic Italian fare. There's a nice restaurant in downtown Cornelia, but you didn't mention there. Isabelle's is an old home overlooking Tallulah Gorge in Tallulah Falls. When it warms up some, there will be some nice places in the lakes area west of Clayton not far off your route. I assume you are taking 76 from west to east. It depends on when "soon" is.
Have a good trip. That's the prettiest part of GA (imho).

Litespeed_Chick

Same question here! I'll be in the same general area in April for the Tour de Georgia (Lance just announced his intention to defend his title today).

Last year we totally washed out on finding any decent food in that area. We had dinner at FieldCrest Lodge (where we stayed) in Hiawasee. It was a really nice setting eating outside on the lake, but the food was bad.

The only good meal we had on that trip was at Paoletti's in Highland NC.

I hope you get some good responses!

leahinsc

litespeed - we went to Tour de Georgia last year and stayed outside of Blairsville. We had dinner at an Italian place in Young Harris with wine that was pretty decent...right on the main road in a plaza with business shops...maybe Enrico's? I think thought that they were going to move to another location but still in the area.
I heard the Brasstown Resort had a very good restaurant
would be fun to run into you at the TDG this year but we will be in D.C on business...

padams421

The Brasstown restaurant is pretty good, not great. If the weather is good, it's nice to sit on the porch to dine. Try Green Shutters in Clayton.

starrsville

Green Shutters has been closed for at least a couple of years.

The closest to that style of cooking would be the Dillard House - all you can eat, family style dining. The Cupboard Cafe in Dillard has country favorites as well as an extensive menu that mirrors Ruby Tuesday-type restaurants - plenty of menu options from owners that used to own a local favorite in Atlanta. Julia's is a local favorite in Clayton with early bird specials that are a good deal - especially the steaks.

For wonderful, healthy, unique offerings try Grapes and Beans or Ingers in downtown Clayton.

padams421

I didn't realize that Green Shutters had closed and it had been that long since we had been there.

Wayne

I don't recall the exact location relative to the cities you named, but I think the inn at Glen-Ella Springs would be a wonderful place to eat. It's a B&B with a gourmet restaurant, out in the country on a gravel road, and (I think) not too far off your planned route. I believe their web address is www.glenella.com. If that isn't it, fool around with the name on your search function and you'll find it. I can assure you, it's one of the best places you'll ever eat. And it's also a very pleasant and peaceful place for spending a few days. Good luck.

maryf

We had two very nice meals at Brasstown Valley Resort earlier this month. The lodge is charming in a rustic unpretentious sort of way, a lobby with a humongous fireplace and a beautiful deck with a superb view. I'd suggest choosing from the menu, not the buffet if they are offering both. I think dinner was about $80 with wine (for two.) It wasn't the world's greatest food but it was a nice dinner overall.
Someone above mentioned Highlands, NC. My fave there is On The Veranda, but it has been a few years.

Inkspot

Make sure to hit Rick's located in Dalonegha http://ricksdining.com/main.asp

starrsville

The Oar House overlooking a river outside of Dahlonega is good too.

starrsville

You mentioned wine in your original post. Did you know that there are a few wineries along your route in N GA? You may want to include one or two of those in your route - and visit restaurants based on recommendations there.

Rookie

Enrico's has moved (last year) from Young Harris to Hiawassee. It is on the hill above the Fieldstone Resort with a nice view of the lake. There are a few dining tables on the patio and a small bar as well.

Julia's has also moved a few miles south of Clayton on 23 & 441.

Both are good and will likely have lengthy waits on weekends and during the Tour de Georgia.

Litespeed_Chick

ttt!

Litespeed_Chick

Here's my report:

Enricos - as noted here, it's decent, and has a decent wine list. Our service was god-awful, but I think that's because our waiter was about 13.

Brasstown - not bad. I wish we had eaten there both nights. They had a prime rib buffet on Saturday, and the prime rib, although not fantastic quality, was cooked to a perfect rare-medrare. The other sides, salads, desserts, etc were all of acceptable quality. Nothing to write home about, but good enough to eat. The wine list was somewhat lacking, but they had a big selection of Georgia wines. I had a glass of Cabernet Franc which wasn't bad. Definitely the best wine from the South I've ever tasted. Very good service.

Brasstown Valley Resort was very nice. Although much more expensive than other hotels in the area, it was quite nice. Huge fireplace and expansive view. Miles of great trails and a golf course. It's sort-of "Grove Park Lite", except the service and food were much better than Grove Park. That the front desk found my husband some duct tape at 10pm at night (don't ask) is an example of the friendly service.

leahinsc

LItespeed - how was Tour de Georgia? WE were in DC so missed seeing Lance this year. Did you get a glimpse? Cheryl? Won't ask about the duct tape but hopefully it had something to do with a bike! Thanks for the report on Brasstown - we drove round it last year and were impressed w/ grounds and thought the lobby was like something you'd find at a western resort.
Last year we rented a cabin as we had dog w/ us which worked out great.

Litespeed_Chick

TdG was great as usual. I have my fingers crossed that the excitement(and sponsorship) doesn't dwindle when Lance is not there next year. We watched in the pouring rain/hail/lightning on Woody's Gap (people I know actually got slightly lightning-struck from sitting on a guard rail). The we watched in the 37 degrees, terrible wind, and sleet on Brasstown Bald. Weather sucked, racing was great.

I actually had a "Hi, how are you" conversation with Lance...and photos of same. I can't stop grinning.

You may have noticed, Brasstown also has cabins available on the resort grounds. I can't remember how expensive they were, but that might be an opportunity to bring your dog (don't ask don't tell) and enjoy a little luxury. The lodge has a decent workout room and an indoor/outdoor heated pool and jacuzzi. I'm not a big hot-tub girl, but it was a wonderful way to thaw out after spending 5 hours freezing to death on that mountain.