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Pesto Crusted Atlantic Salmon with a Grilled Cherry Tomato, Red Onion and Black Olive Salad
Cherry tomatoes tend to ripen earlier than other larger tomatoes and they add a lot of nice color and pop to a quick summer meal. Try a grilled cherry tomato, red onion and black olive salad with pesto-crusted Atlantic salmon .
Logic is the vital ingredient
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I'd combine two of my favorite foods: grilled shark and strawberries. I reasoned that the tartness of the berries would work well against the tender and moist shark.
Foods Calendar
July 19 - "Easy & Elegant: Wildly Tasty Wild Salmon ," 6:30 p.m., Good Food Store, $30. Teachers: wine buyer/chef Doug Smith; seafood department manager Eric Hart. Recipes: Chard-Wrapped Salmon with Onion Confit & Lentils; Gravlax with Cognac Caper Sauce; Salmon Ceviche with Cilantro Creme & Hominy Salsa; Cedar Planked Salmon with Pinot Noir Gelatine; Grilled Salmon & Rhubarb with Fresh Arugula &
Tried and true favorite Mild marinate, bread-crumb coating makes succulent halibut fillets every time
Summertime is not only for salmon . It's an abundant time for many varieties of fish, and halibut is but one of them.
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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!
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