Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa is a luxurious resort about 2.5 hours north of Atlanta was built nearly twenty years ago through much help of Young Harris resident and former Governer, Zell Miller. Their mascot is the turtle – you’ll see them all over the resort. Ask any of the staff at Brasstown Valley about the legend and they’ll tell the story.

The sprawling resort is kept up extremely well. The attractive wood furniture in guest rooms and common areas is Made in the USA. The rocking chairs that surround the outside areas offer stunning views of the Brasstown area. The entire staff is very attentive and friendly. Heck – They’ll valet your car for you for only $4 for your entire stay!

There are two restaurants on site. The main restaurant is more upscale for dinner and features a breakfast buffet during peak seasons. The house special at dinner is the Georgia Trout, prepared with a pecan crust and finished with an orange sauce. The meal comes with two large pieces of fish and is a deal for only $18. Meat eaters will enjoy the fantastic cuts of steak and crispy duck. Breakfast entrees are around $10. The other restaurant on premise, Brassies, is more casual, serving mostly sandwiches and is a perfect choice for lunch.

Spending a couple nights at Brasstown Valley will give you plenty of time to fully take advantage of all there is to do. There’s golfing, hiking, horseback riding, and of course, the fantastic spa. Alternatively, if you want a less hectic day, you can always lounge in the super comfy lobby area with its breathtaking views.

I don’t usually like to visit spas. I have a weird phobia about massages, but did decide that a facial was in order. I’m so glad I did because the staff at the spa is fabulous. Everyone from Marilynn, the manager, Winona, skin care expert, Michael and George were so helpful. The spa is extremely well kept up.

Go for a girls day – mani pedis, facials, massages, etc or get couples massages, or just treat yourself. But definitely allow yourself some extra time for lounging. They have a relaxation room with complimentary teas (get the White Calypso!) and snacks. As soon as my facial was over I headed to change for my horseback ride. But I came back, husband in tow, to enjoy the outdoor hot tub area and lounge.

Jerry, the resident stable manager, will make your horseback riding experience a pleasure. Whether you’ve ridden many times and are quite comfortable around horses or were quite nervous about it as was I. After a quick lesson, you’ll be on your way of a guided ride on the trails of the resort property. You can book one or two hour rides. If you are not a regular rider, a one hour ride is plenty.

Both evenings we headed down to the pool. It is indoors and heated, so even in cool months, you can take advantage. There’s also a hot tub beside the pool as well.

No visit to are would be complete with a visit to the namesake, Brasstown Bald, the tallest point in Georgia.It is about a twenty minute drive from there to Brasstown Bald. The fee is $5 per person. It was a fantastic couple days away to relax and get away. I can only imaging how spectacular it must in be in the fall with the gorgeous views of foliage. Definitely put Brasstown Resort on your radar when looking for a short respite from the hectic Atlanta life or your next staycation. Disclosure: My stay at Brasstown Valley was complimentary but the opinions expressed here are my own.

6321 Highway 76
Young Harris, Georgia 30582
(706) 379-9900

Deals: With spring in the air, Brasstown Valley Resort has several ways to enjoy this North Georgia Mountain Retreat. May 26th – May 30th, the Resort is offering a General Managers Weekday Special. For only $139 per night, enjoy a Traditional Lodge guestroom, and by-one-get-one-free on a round of Golf or a one-hour Trail ride per day. Or check out the Sneak Peek Package offered Sunday through Thursday nights between now and June 30, 2013. Enjoy a traditional Lodge guestroom, breakfast for two in the Dining room, and choice of two of the following Resort activities: a round of Golf, a one-hour Trail Ride, or 50% off select Spa services at the Equani Spa. For information and reservations visit: www.Brasstownvalley.com or call: 800.201.3205.

The James Beard Foundation is a national organization that promotes the culinary field by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors. They host annual award ceremonies and frequently have dinners featuring various chefs that work alongside members and other industry professionals.

Ever wonder what a dinner at the James Beard House is like? On April 29th there was a Global Collaboration Dinner that featured some fantastic dishes. Chef David Gross of Cook Hall attended the dinner and replicated the menu at Cook Hall and invited us to sample the dishes. So, we’re giving you a peak into what a James Beard dinner is like. These dishes were light, yet flavorful. Here’s the menu with dishes from this auspicious event:

Shaved Tuna with Chili Tapioca, Asian Pears, and Lime

Crispy Poached Egg with Caviar and Crème Fraîche

Grilled Black Pepper Octopus with Sweet Onions and Lime

Roasted Rack of Spring Lamb à la Jardinière

Chocolate Stout Sundae with Pretzel Streusel

Throughout the next several weeks, Cook Hall will be offering several dishes from this dinner on their menu. This week, they are offering the Truffle Fritters (see picture top right) and the Stout Sundae. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to sample this outstanding menu. Get it while you can!

Cook Hall Website
3377 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 523-3600

Making the most out of the weekend, we decided to spend one night in historic Savannah and one night on Tybee Island. To be honest, neither hotel would I recommend staying. We booked the Westin for the first night. While it is a beautiful hotel, it is definitely NOT in the historic district as Hotwire would have you believe. We had to take a ferry across the water to get to the historic district. Waiting twenty minutes for the ferry definitely puts a damper on the fun.

But downtown Savannah is a lot of fun. I’d love to go back and stay at one of the boutique hotels there. Our first night, we dined at a restaurant called B. Matthews Eatery. This is a trendy spot that features live music on the weekends. Start with one of their creative cocktails. I chose the B. Matthews Margarita. It is slightly spicy with habanero infused tequila and refreshing with fresh plum puree. Other highlights are the Lemongrass Pear Martini and the Bootlegger 5 Spice Mule.

Although Gnocchi is a small plate, order it as an appetizer as it comes with broccoli and mushrooms in a red sauce, perfect for sharing. The crab, another hit, is so fresh it tastes like it came out of the ocean minutes before it hits your plate. There’s also a lamb shank, not to be missed.

Our cabbie had suggested a couple places to visit after dinner: Rocks on the Roof (top of the Bohemian Hotel) and Savannah Smiles. These tourist traps were a major disappointment. Rocks on Roof may have a terrific view of the river, but that’s all it has going for it. The drinks were expensive and watered down. As for Savannah Smiles, we were told it was dueling pianos but it sounded horrible before we even got inside and looked like a total dive so we bailed before paying any cover.

We came to the realization that stumbling upon an upscale lounge wasn’t going to happen and settled for The Bar Bar. It has several rooms – one with a large bar, one with pool tables and another for dancing. It was definitely a place I’d have found myself about a decade ago. But on a girls weekend away, being hit on by young guys, it did just fine.

After a night of debauchery, we took is easy the next day, sleeping in and walking along River Street. The one redeeming factor our hotel did offer was late checkout of 3pm and we took full advantage of it before heading to Tybee island. I did some research for lunch spots and had we not slept quite so late we would have had a leisurely lunch at Green Truck Pub or Zunzis. I don’t know quite what I expected at Tybee island, but air brushed t-shirts and tacky souvenir shops weren’t it. I’m not inclined to go back. In fact we went back to Savannah for dinner even though it is a 30 minute drive.

This time, we had a lovely meal at a charming newish restaurant called Maxwell’s. If you are looking for a romantic spot to enjoy dinner in Savannah, this is the place to go. It was packed on this Saturday night with lots of locals, but the tables still are separate enough to provide and intimate dining experience. Also, they have the most fantastic singer there. He knew some great hits from the likes of Billy Joel, Elton John and more.

Like B. Matthews the night before, Maxwells offers their own cocktails. I had their version of a Long Island Tea, the Southern Tea, sweet but not overly sugary. If you like Manhattans, order the Savannhattan. My dinner date had the Ruby Red slipper, with Grapefruit juice and champagne, which she was rather pleased with.

Our server highly touted the avocado eggrolls, so we obliged, plus an order of the crabtini appetizer. The eggrolls, with creamy avocado and sun dried tomatoes, really didn’t need the dipping sauce. And the crabtini with a touch of mayo and onions, was divine.

The menu at Maxwells is pretty small with only a few choices. This is because they like to offer nightly specials as well. I was intrigued by all of the specials – a stuffed quail, double cut Madeira pork chop and lightly fried whole seabass. Being a sucker for seabass, I couldn’t resist. It was a lot of work, working my way around the bones, but definitely worth it. If you visit Savannah, you’ll definitely want to put Maxwell”s on your list of must visits.

It didn’t take much prodding from the friendly proprietor, Catherine, to order two desserts: Key Lime cheesecake and the white chocolate panna cotta (see picture above). Both were sensational and we made short work of cleaning our plates.

Had we not had such a sumptuous dessert, we may have headed to Lulu’s Chocolate Bar for dessert. It was quite busy on Saturday night and looked like a fun spot to hit up. We headed back to Tybee and settled in for an early night. I heard good things about the Breakfast Club, located steps from our hotel, but not in the mood for a long wait, we skipped it. I kind of wish we hadn’t as the parmesan eggs and chorizo breakfast buritto had some excellent reviews. We had a quick stop at the lighthouse (not worth 178 steps of climbing or $9) before beginning our journey home.

Curry Ketchup

Chef Ron has been featuring this curry ketchup on his menu at Rosebud for quite some time. The ketchup is paired with tempura eggplant chips sprinkled with fresh crumbles of feta.

On a recent Tuesday evening, this tour de force gave a demo at The Cook’s Warehouse in Ansley Mall, where they featured Chef Ron’s adored eggplant chips along with several other interesting dishes.

The dishes they created truly allowed the curry ketchup to shine, and really showcased how versatile a product it is. The other recipes featured over the course of the evening were an egg omelet with roasted red peppers and spinach, served alongside, you guessed it, a dollop of curry ketchup; a modern twist on shrimp cocktail served with flash fried capers, and marinated in curry ketchup; and last but certainly not least lamb meatballs served with a curry ketchup tomato sauce. All of these applications were very different from one another and were all complemented just perfectly by the curry ketchup.

When leaving the demo, I walked away with many creative ideas for how I could use the ketchup at home with some of my favorite recipes. That was really the point that Chef Ron and Emily G. drove home. While all of their applications were fantastic, they kept all of their recipes fresh and simple, in hopes that you could modify the dishes to meet your taste preferences. That is a style of cooking that I can really stand behind.

Get over to Cook’s Warehouse or any of the other retailers in town and buy yourself a bottle of Emily G’s curry ketchup. You’ll thank me later!

Lobster Roll with Basil and Lemon Vinaigrette (Recipe courtesy Recipe Secrets)

2 live lobsters; 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound
1/2 pint red cherry tomatoes; halved
1/2 cup fresh corn; removed from cob
1/2 cup celery; sliced diagonally
1 Tbs minced fresh basil leaves
1 Tbs freshly grated lemon zest
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup hazelnut oil
4 lemon wedges, for garnish

In a large stock pot of boiling salted water, plunge the live lobsters and boil them, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the lobsters with tongs to a cutting board and let cool until they can
be handled. Break off the claws at the body, crack them, and remove the meat, cutting it into 3/4 inch pieces. Halve the lobsters lengthwise along the underside, remove the meat from the tails, and
cut it into 3/4 inch pieces. In a large bowl combine the claw meat and the tail meat. Break off the legs carefully at the body, reserving them for another use, remove the meat from the body
cavities near the leg joints, and add it to the bowl.

Add the halved cherry tomatoes, corn, and celery to the lobster meat. Toss in the basil and lemon zest and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the hazelnut oil and season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle over the lobster mixture and toss to coat it well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff inside hoagie roll.

Serves 2