Georgia Gorges

Georgia. Home of peaches and apples and pecans. The rivers and lakes are full of trout, the mountains with wild game. Whatever they lack in food they make up for in service. I’m glad Georgia was on my mind.

To escape the world of college, applications, interviews, exams and papers, my mom and I drove to peachy Georgia – some six-plus hours from my place in Gainesville – after my last final exam of the semester. With no Internet and no cable, reading and eating were the only two activities possible. No complaints here.

Downtown Blue Ridge’s 30-some-odd shops sold knick-knacks and log cabin trinkets, glitzy, fake jewelry, antique books and fine wines. Homemade fudge and ice-cream rounded out the hodge-podge of shops - perfectly quaint for a girls’ vacation. Out of the Blue wine shop, serving tastes of Dutch chocolate wine, was the favorite.

As a Sunshine-state native, the 20-degree weather had me bundled up in scarves and mittens. To-go coffee cups filled with café mochas and crème-brulee lattes followed me in and out of shops.

Mercier Orchards, a woody, local market where all things apple are sold, was like a traditional general store. Sugary apple cider warmed my insides. Chicken salad with pecans and apples, and a cup of rosemary chicken soup made it easier to weather the weather. After completing my lunch in a small room by the fireplace, I walked through the rooms of the market, ogling the homemade jams and jellies, the fresh meats, the old-fashioned candy, the chocolate-covered nuts, the holiday decorations. Most impressive (and delicious) were all things apple - apple bread, apple dumplings, apple pies and apple teas. The fried apple turnovers were too much to resist. I selected a warm one from the case with drizzled frosting on top. I took a chocolate-fudge-covered apple (my greatest obsession ever) to go.

Dinner decisions were surprisingly difficult for a tiny town. Reservations were a must. The Blue Ridge Brewery, the newest upscale establishment, with only about 9 tables, was well worth driving the windy, mountainous roads in the pitch-black night for a 7:30 mealtime. Though there was no brewery or homemade beer in sight, the bar had an extensive wine by the glass and wine by the bottle list.

The meal: spinach salads with candied pecans and goat cheese, topped with a pancetta and champagne vinaigrette to start. Roasted squash soup, drizzled with crème fraice, to taste. Trout almandine served with fingerling potatoes and green beans for my mother and her girl friend. Pan seared duck with a fig reduction for me.

Every item on the one-sided menu called to me. Not only main courses, but side dishes made my stomach growl and my mouth salivate. The wilted spinach, the roasted beats and the sweet potato confetti sold me on the duck. Sweet and tender, it certainly lived up to our attentive waitress’s raves. Quite a Hanukkah treat!

Lunch at L & L Beanery meant more chicken salad, a Blue Ridge specialty. Walnuts, grapes and apples tended the chicken and the thickly cut slices of wheat bread. Lunch on the Toccoa River at the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant consisted of crinkle-cut sweet potato fries and scallops in a sweet and sticky coconut sauce. The top-notch view took second to the food.

In true Southern tradition, all meals were plentiful dishes loaded with tasty ingredients and a Georgian flair – a perfect way to relax and celebrate the first few nights of the holiday. I felt just peachy after all my Georgia gorges.

My end of the date rate the plate(s): Georgia has some of the best food I have ever eaten. Some Southern food may be only fried and greasy, but the quaint establishments in Blue Ridge offer first-rate food, service and quality.

Mercier Orchards, 8660 Blue Ridge Drive, Blue Ridge, GA

Blue Ridge Brewery, 187 Depot Street, Blue Ridge, GA

L & L Beanery Cafe and Bakery, 260 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA

Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, 8055 Aska Road, Blue Ridge, GA