Dinner at Glen-Ella Springs in North Georgia

Rack of New Zealand Lamb.

Our family has dined at Glen-Ella Springs several times over the years since we have a relative who lives nearby. There are few choices for a high end meal in this area of Georgia and Glen-Ella's location gives it a special charm. Located in Clarkesville, Georgia in the north Georgia hills, Glen-Ella is a bed & breakfast in addition to offering dinner to the public. The historic property boasts more than 12 acres, a swimming pool, a fire pit, an herb/flower garden and wonderful views. I have never stayed at Glen-Ella but from what I have observed it would make for a very refreshing weekend, with the option of hiking nearby or relaxing and playing games on site.

Lump Crab Cakes.

Most recently I dined at Glen-Ella for dinner in April 2012. Unfortunately, the food seemed to have taken a downward turn as compared to my previous visits - we heard that they have gone through several chefs in recent years which might explain the drop-off.

First the highlights - the crab cakes and spinach salad were both good. If I find myself dining here again I might ask to have the crab cakes on the spinach salad or order one as appetizer and one as main dish. The trout, previously a favorite of my grandmother's was practically inedible. Poor grandma pushed it around on her plate but was not able to enjoy it. The lamb chops and ribeye were passable but really nothing special and the vegetarian wellington tasted quite odd - kind of a mess of cheese and doughy pastry, not at all what I expected. The ravioli special was also fine but nothing memorable. Service was mostly good but seemed a bit amateurish for the level of restaurant it appears the owners are going for; still, anyone who can handle a large group (we had 6) should be commended for getting mostly everything right.

I was really excited about going to Glen-Ella this last time but unfortunately it did not live up to years past for me. Still, with such a beautiful view and location, it is a worthy destination especially if you can stay overnight. Perhaps they will change chefs again in the near future - hopefully this time it will be for the better and we can return for a nostalgic dinner that lives up to our earlier visits.

Sorbet intermezzo.

Spinach salad.

Mushroom ravioli special.

Rainbow Trout.

Grilled ribeye.

Vegetarian Wellington.

Molten Chocolate Cake - a sweet end to the meal - who can resist warm chocolate cake?

R. Rice Wok Grill Sushi in Atlanta

Massaman curry with scallops.

While I was still in Atlanta I was invited to a special tasting at R Rice in Dunwoody. This pan-Asian restaurant's byline: "wok, grill and sushi" understates how huge its menu is - and there truly is something for everyone! The menu contains a variety of traditional and innovative sushi combinations, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai cuisines and even tacos. The location off Hammond Dr. is easy to miss although it's near the corner of Peachtree Dunwoody and Hammond and there is ample parking once you find the right lot.

My overall favorite dishes include the massaman curry (above): a huge portion with good spice and flavor; and the salt and pepper soft shell crab. Get the crab over the calamari - it's something different and it's better. The special sushi rolls we tried were also tasty. R Rice uses some unique sushi wrappers including soybean paper and cucumber, although I love the traditional seaweed wrappers personally. Several in our party tried the cocktails, which came in an array of rainbow colors and were determined to be on sweet end of the spectrum - good for those who enjoy fruity drinks. The fried green tea ice cream was a nice end to the meal - I'm a sucker for green tea ice cream so I knew this would not be a bad choice! If you are in the area, you should give R Rice a try - you will definitely find something you enjoy!

Agedashi tofu.



Salt and Pepper Calamari.



Salt and pepper soft shell crab.



Shumai: steamed shrimp dumplings.



The King and Queens' Crown - king crab with house seasoning and crunchies wrapped in avocado.



Sushi Dinner.



Hawaiian roll.



Tuna Pizza.



Lollipop roll.



Fish Katsu.



Fried green tea ice cream - deliciously sinful!



Bar, dining and kitchen areas in the open restaurant.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Uncle Julio's New Guacamoles

Pineapple Bacon Guacamole.

I was recently invited to come in and try three new flavors of guacamole at Uncle Julio's. The pineapple bacon guacamole pictured above was my favorite of the innovative new varieties. It has an intense flavor with the smoky bacon playing nicely with the fruit. The other two: roasted corn and lump crab guacamole and spicy three pepper with diced jalepeno, habenero and red bell peppers were fun to try as well. The spicy three pepper is actually really spicy - I was impressed they did not hold back! But that pineapple bacon - definitely the one I recommend most! As a bonus we were offered sopapillas - hot, sweet and tasty.

Crabmeat Guacamole.



Spicy Three Pepper Guacamole.



Sopapillas.

Disclosure: The meal reviewed in this post was complimentary.