Knife & Fork - Spruce Pine, NC

Daylily tempura with daylily tubers.

Back in July I finally had the chance to dine at Knife & Fork in Spruce Pine, NC. My mom and stepfather have been raving about this place ever since it opened and it is definitely the closest destination from our mountain cabin for a fine meal. The best part is that it is not that expensive for what you get and the creativity and freshness of the menu would be remarkable even in a big city. The restaurant is located on Spruce Pine's lower street in an airy, comfortable space with a small bar and two small dining rooms. Reservations are highly recommended. The menu changes frequently and can be found both on a large chalkboard inside and on printed sheets. Vegetables are prominent and most if not all are made without meat products. Local produce, meat and fish is used whenever possible. My favorite dishes included the greens with breadcrumbs, the daylily tempura - definitely different and delicious, the sauteed squash and the seared rabbit. The bread they bring out is also excellent and I enjoyed the bread pudding with homemade nectarine ice cream as well. I look forward to returning to Knife & Fork again soon for dinner and also trying the lunch and brunch menus.

Delicious bread and butter.









Delice de Bourgogne, roasted carrots, rosemary.



Slow cooked greens with breadcrumbs.



Sauteed squash with onions and parmagiano.



Mashed Kinnebec potatoes with shiitake gravy.



Red Quinoa with duck confit, baby basil and green onion.



Seared rabbit loin with blueberries, carrots and baby squash.



Grilled NC Tilefish with fingerling potatoes and fairytale eggplant.



Grilled Cinnamon Spice Bread Pudding with nectarine and vanilla ice creams.



Chocolate Pot de Creme.

Dots Dario - Marion, NC

Dots Dario stand.

On the way to our mountain cabin stands Dots Dario in Marion, NC. Dots serves an impressive variety of soft-serve flavors as well as dipped ice cream, sundaes, banana splits and sorbets. Recently we enjoyed some chocolate dipped soft serve as well as the lemon sorbet. I suggest sticking to the ice cream as the sorbet was sticky sweet. This is a fun place for a treat on the way up the mountain or a way and a nice stop to console yourself on your way back home!

Chocolate dipped soft serve and lemon sorbet.

The Pizza Shop - Spruce Pine, NC

Custom pizza.

Spruce Pine, NC is fast becoming a culinary destination. Now delicious pizza (including gluten free), calzones and salads are available at The Pizza Shop & Dry County Brewing Company on Spruce Pine's upper road. Last time we visited our mountain cabin we ventured over for a pie on Thursday evening. Lucky for us, Thursday is trivia night, which made a fun night even more fun with our multi-generational table. We started with salads. My favorite was the Ceasar with fresh croutons and lots of parmesan with a tasty but not too overwhelming creamy dressing. The beet salad was also good, although for some reason I did not expect it to come with lettuce - I thought it would just be beets! The pizza here is formidable, with a nice char to the crust and lots of toppings available. The kitchen seemed to miss some of the toppings we ordered (and subbed green peppers for the roasted red peppers) but we were quick to forgive once we tasted it! We had the traditional tomato sauce pie but a pesto pizza and a white pie are also available. Next time I definitely want to give one of these a shot! For dessert we tried the brownie, which was delicious but would have been even better with ice cream. Maybe some ice cream could be offered in the future?

As you might imagine from the name, hand-crafted beers are available on tap. We didn't try any so I can't comment but The Pizza Shop and Dry County Brewing is a fun spot that anyone visiting Spruce Pine should visit.

Ceasar salad (top), beet salad (right) and house salad.



Brownie.



Steve out front.

Helen, Georgia - a hike and a look around town

After a morning hike, on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Helen, Georgia.

On Easter Sunday we took a fun day trip up to Helen, in the North Georgia mountains. With perfect weather we hiked to Raven Cliff Falls early in the morning, finishing just in time to walk around Helen a bit and have lunch. Helen is a touristy little town, with inner tubing available in summer and buildings made to look like a German village.

Trout with fries and slaw - note the Ken's tartar sauce!

The dining options looked fairly grim from the start. We finally decided on Troll Tavern because of its nice waterside view. Trust me, that was the best part of the meal! The above fish tasted a little too fishy and the wiener schnitzel was tough. It's a bad sign when the rye bread is the best thing on either plate! Still, it was a really fun day and so enjoyable to be able to hike and eat outside so early in the spring. Next time I'll be researching where to eat!

Wiener Schnitzel with sauerkraut and cabbage.

Weekend in Highlands, NC

Calvin in front of the 4 1/2 Street Inn in Highlands, NC.

In late September we were invited to a wedding in Highlands, NC. Having not been there for many years, I enjoyed researching places to stay. I am so glad that I found and settled on the 4 1/2 Street Inn. Owners and hosts, Helene and Rick, are, in a word, awesome and the inn is within walking distance of downtown Highlands. We enjoyed a quiet, peaceful two nights there, including fabulous breakfasts and fresh-baked cookies each afternoon. In the evenings, wine and nibbles are offered on the back deck. We also took a dip in the hot tub. Our room, #9 on the third floor, was charming - I loved the footed tub! As it rained heavily the day of the wedding, Rick drove us to the wedding site - this really went beyond what we would have expected. If you are going to Highlands, I really recommend this place.

Our first delicious breakfast at the 4 1/2 Street Inn included French toast casserole - so tasty with maple syrup!



Another great breakfast at 4 1/2 Street.



Backyard at 4 1/2 Street.



View from Sunset Rock, a short walk from downtown Highlands.



BBQ from The Rib Shack.

After arriving Friday evening and having our wine and snacks at the inn, we wanted a quick and inexpensive dinner. The Rib Shack hit the spot with great ribs and a brisket sandwich with sweet potato fries. After dinner we watched a local art/antique auction, which was a hoot - Calvin almost got Toni, my co-worker, to bid on something without her knowing it! Then we found Kilwin's Chocolate & Ice Cream on Main St. They get your attention here with free samples, including fresh fudge and warm waffle cones. We ended up with some walnut fudge and homemade ice cream. Luckily there is a Kilwin's in Atlanta, too - at Atlantic Station.

A brave soul climbs up Bridal Veil Falls.



Amy and Cal in front of Dry Falls.

Fun in Celo, NC

The South Toe river - cold but so nice!

Dad and his HOB (hunk of beef).



Diane blows out her birthday candles on the 4th of July.



Burnsville, NC Farmer's Market - nice selection of fresh produce, baked goods, cheeses and meats.



Cute signage.



When pigs fly...

CO&S Retreat

All of the attorneys and staff from my office headed to Highlands, NC over the weekend for a relaxing and productive retreat. We shared some good food and even had a cookie decorating seminar! We all hope this retreat will be an annual event from now on!

Will, Ruth, Amy, Toni, Jim, Marcia & Lori at the firm retreat.



View from the deck.



Marcia's wonderful cookies!



Gingerbread cookies.



Decorating the cookies.



Dinner: Salad, ribeye steak, salmon with teriyaki marinade, roasted potatoes, broccoli & a biscuit!



The finished gingerbread cookies!



Breakfast casserole, fruit & Kringle.