Tim and I were able to escape for the weekend by ourselves. It had been about 2 years since we have been able to do so. The mountains are our usual destination, so we choose Helen, GA. As some of you know, Helen is the Alpine Village of the South. Everything is German - decor, food, beer, music, etc. While I enjoy all the cute shops and tourist things to do, I also enjoy time away from people so I can actually enjoy my lil vacay.
We arrived around lunchtime on Friday. It wasn't time to check into the cabin yet; so of course, we went straight to a restaurant for food and beer. The Troll Tavern was the perfect choice. I had been there years ago, and nothing had really changed. We were seated immediately at a table by the river so we could watch the tubers struggle down the river. We had a good laugh at some of them!! We ordered our giant beer and eventually our grilled chicken wraps (I got buffalo chicken and Tim got BLT chicken). The beer was cold and crisp; the wraps were good - lots of flavor, good portion, and fresh ingredients. But the best part was the service. I've always said, "Great service can make ok food taste great"!! Go early to get a seat outside and enjoy the entertainment.
My Heineken - most of the 32oz gone!!
After we checked into our cabin, we relaxed and freshened up. I had done some research on area restaurants using Tripadvisor. One of the top rated was Spice 55. It's a Thai and Japanese place that received excellent reviews on service and food. Asian food has to be my all-time favorite type of cuisine - Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc - you name it, I'll try it.
Tim and I wanted to sit on the patio, but the impending rain brought us inside to a window seat. Our water glasses were promptly filled and had our drink order taken. We decided on a simple bottle of Shiraz, our fave wine. I had to try the sushi but wanted a Thai dish as well. Tim and I both picked a sushi roll and shared a Thai dish. ***Have I mentioned how much I love sharing food??? That way everyone can sample different dishes!!***
Tim ordered the Black Dragon Roll, while I got the Eruption Roll. We break all the traditional rules by adding wasabi and ginger to our soy sauce; but it's how we roll <<LOL...see what I did there??
The Eruption Roll
We decided on Crispy Duck with Basil Sauce as our shared entree'. I never had duck before so it was a new experience for me. And, no.... it doesn't taste like chicken!!! It's white meat is dark in color but clean. The breading on the duck wasn't heavy or too crispy, and it held up to the thick basil sauce. It was served with fresh, steamed green beans and white rice. It was so good... I mean really good!!!
Crispy Duck with Basil Sauce
As you can see, the meat is dark in color but not greasy at all. The green beans also helped keep it light.
Shiraz is our go-to for red wine. Most varieties of Shiraz are a good choice - goes with most cuisine.
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Now that my food critique is done, I must comment on the service and atmosphere. The food spoke for itself with taste and freshness. But the service was the best part, made better by the relaxing and thoughtful atmosphere. Our waiter always smiled, always kept the wine flowing, never let our water glass get close to empty, and allowed us to just sit and enjoy ourselves. We never felt rushed. The place was simply and tastefully Asian themed with decor but not too "froo-froo". The owner/manager even came to our table to pour our wine and chit chat about our visit. They were all attentive without being overbearing; That's a balancing act which most places, even the fancy schmancy ones, can't achieve!!!
***
The next day we woke up early and started with coffee at the cabin. I prepared a quick fruit salad and bagels with cream cheese. We had planned for an early morning hike at Raven Cliff Falls. I had been there about 2 years ago but didn't do the entire 5 mile round trip hike because KB was with me. I was determined to do it this time. Tim is very much in-shape, and physical activity seems easy for him. I, on the other hand, have always struggled..... although I am in good health. Anyway, the actual hike was, at times, hard for both of us. We climbed down to the river bank at different intervals, which was precarious - there were no easy access at some points. When I made it to the top, I was out of breath, my cheeks rosy, and my legs jello!!! BUT.... I DID IT!!!
A snail along the way....
The first lil waterfall....
The rock alters under one of the falls....
"We started from the bottom, now we here!!!!" (notice my rosy cheeks???)
Plants and dirt in the rocks.... makes me believe in lil forest fairies!!!
After the hike, we decided to relax at the cabin and just have some snackies. Tim had found some Mississippi Mud beer at the grocery in Helen. He raved about this beer... I had never tasted it before, but I trusted Tim's review. I don't know whether I was just that thirsty or it was just that good!!!! With a side of boiled peanuts, I enjoyed my lunch on the patio with Tim.
The Black & Tan.... this bottle made it on the bottle tree at home!!!
After an afternoon of tubing down "the Hooch", we made it back to the cabin to shower. We wanted to go to an authentic German pub and restaurant called The Hofbrauhaus. Although the reviews were mixed, we took a chance on it. We should have walked out in the first 5 minutes!!! There were so many things wrong - no designated host/hostess, disorganized waitstaff, customers walking out, cussing and loud talk from the kitchen, waitresses rolling their eyes at having to work, people waiting extreme times for their food, service, or refills, waitstaff eating their dinner in the dining room when obvious customers needed assistance, and much, much more. I was completely appalled!!! The only, I mean the only, saving grace was our waitress. While it was about 5 minutes after siting that she got to us, it was apparent.... she was the only person actually working. She greeted us with a smile, apologized for our wait, explained their home brewed beer, and took our order. She always checked on us, gave us refills, and did the same for all her tables.
Ok, ok, ok...... enough about that.....
Tim had been to Germany so he's tasted real German food... I have never had sauerkraut, cooked red cabbage, or any of the wursts. We decided on the Schlachteplatte - a German Meat Platter for 2.
**I mentioned I like sharing food, right??*
It consisted of Bratwurst - pork sausage, Weiner -a veal sausage, Kassler Repchen - a pork chop, cooked red cabbage, sauerkraut, and warm potato salad. It was very good. The sausages were spicy and flavorful. The sweet and vinegar of the red cabbage went perfect with the spice. The crunch of the sauerkraut was great for texture.
I was so hungry, I almost forgot to snap a pic of the dish - hence the knife cut in the wurst!!!
We left our waitress a hefty tip and telling her she was by far the hardest working one in the whole place!!
On Sunday, our final day, we checked out of the cabin and headed back into town. There was a shop we wanted to visit, and we wanted to grab lunch. We were gonna go to a restaurant on the river across from The Troll Tavern, but after reading reviews and looking at their menu; we decided "no way".... especially after the horrible experience the evening before. When we were taking our purchased items back to the car, we took notice of a BBQ joint on the river. It smelled so good!!! That was the place for us - Rib Country....
The pulled pork plate came with a hefty portion of pork, homemade potato chips, garlic bread and a choice of a side. The staff was friendly and helpful, the view was beautiful, and the food was great!! I think we made the right choice...
Our view of tubers on the river.
Pulled pork plate - enough for me.... and for Tim to finish!!!
Our last stop of the day was at Frogtown Cellars for a wine tasting. We had been to the Dahlonega location on our last weekend getaway 2 years ago. It is absolutely beautiful there. Although the one in Helen is right in town, the building is new and well appointed. The wine server was friendly and knowledgeable. We did the off-dry white and red tasting. Surprisingly our fave was the 2008 Merlot, made of 90% merlot grapes and 10% cabernet grapes. Most merlots don't suit me or Tim, but this one was mellow, medium bodied, and not at all bitter. All of Frogtown's grape varieties are grown in Georgia at their Dahlonega vineyard. That's about as local as it gets!!!
Beautiful wine bar
Merlot was the fave!!
Ok so maybe this was our last stop of the day!!!! The Nacoochee Indian Mound was used for ceremonies and was visited by De Soto in his search of gold in the area. It was our last chance for a quick selfie!!!
I was able to take the weekend off from my cooking experiments; but Tim and I experienced a better adventure together......
Enjoy!!!
