The Best Georgia Restaurant!

By Author: Ed Williams
Total Articles: 42
Comment this article

Folks, I've discovered the best restaurant in Georgia!

I kid y'all not, I've found a place that's worth investing a weekend in order to eat a few meals there. A place that combines formal and casual dining in the best ways imaginable. A place where the food is so good that each bite is a veritable Elvis concert of the palate. So, are y'all a little curious as to where this place is located?

Good! It's in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Wanna know its name?

It's called the Corkscrew Cafe.

I kid y'all not, the Corkscrew Cafe. I discovered it just this past February when I spent a delightful weekend up in Dahlonega as an attendee/participant in their second annual literary festival. I was up there with Dedra and Deborah doing our first ever performance of GRITS, Georgia, and Grizzard, and we all decided on the spur of the moment to have dinner there on a Saturday night. Folks, it was one of the best decisions we've ever made. When I walked in and looked over the place, I sensed it was a winner. And what occurred over the next hour-and-a-half confirmed it, it was sheer, pure, unadulterated ...
... dining pleasure. It was so good that I came back for lunch when the doors opened on Sunday, and Sunday's food was even better than Saturday's. Let me give y'all a brief description of what all I tried:

French Onion and Portabella Mushroom Soup - If you like French Onion soup, you'll never do any better than this. Great cheese and toast floatin' up on top, and a very well-seasoned soup underneath. The mushrooms make it even better, I damn near cancelled what I ordered for dinner just to eat another bowl of this liquid heaven. I'm glad I didn't though, because my entree was outstanding. It was:

Sesame Crusted Salmon - Simply put, this is the best grilled salmon I've ever had. Whatever they used to season it with was great, and I even loved the rice that went along with it. The rice! Let me tell y'all, any restaurant that makes rice that you want second helpings of is a place to remember. The Corkscrew Cafe makes the best rice in the history of modern civilization.

Italian Reuben - This was my lunch choice on Sunday. There are few sandwiches that I love more than a Reuben, and I've eaten some wonderful versions during my lifetime, but I can tell you y'all that the Reuben they make at the Corkscrew is the best I‘ve ever had. They use salami, mozzarella cheese, grilled onions, and honey mustard slipped between some heavenly sour dough bread to create this masterpiece. It was so good that I even told the people in the audience at our show to go over and try one. To my amazement, some did.

Eggplant Mascapone - Even if you hate eggplant, you'll love this. Just trust me and order it.

Folks, it's not just the food that makes this place great. Rob and Coleen Rotunno run it, and they damn well know what they're doing. They're sort of like the Ric Flair of restaurateurs, they're on top of the mountain with the Georgia restaurant championship firmly in hand. The dining experience they've created at the Corkscrew is great, although I would caution y'all to be ready to wait awhile to be seated if you don't phone ahead for reservations. It's small, intimate, and blends just the right combination of a formal and casual dining experience together. You might very well see someone dressed up in a suit sitting right next to someone dressed in a Jimmy Buffet t-shirt and shorts over at the Corkscrew, but, however they're dressed, they're enjoying themselves. Lots of locals eat at the Corkscrew, which is always a tell tale sign of an outstanding restaurant.

In conclusion, I'll simply say this - it's worth the trip. Dahlonega is a beautiful little mining town, lots to do, just go book a cabin up at Cavender Creek Cabins and have a great time, Paul and Mary Hanson are the proprietors, and their cabins are excellent. You'll enjoy the mountains, the scenery, and god will you ever enjoy the Corkscrew! Eat there just as often as you can, you won‘t be sorry. Just don't forget to tip the chef, it's a new dining trend that needs to be established there!


About the Author Ed's latest book, Rough As A Cob, can be ordered by calling River City Publishing toll-free at: 877-408-7078. He's also a popular after dinner speaker, and his column runs in a number of Southeastern publications. You can contact him via email at: ed3@ed-williams.com, or through his web site address at: www.ed-williams.com.