Hot Dish Review

Lake Lanier Islands has a reputation for family fun….nothing fancy. There is a water park, and a casual restaurant at Sunset Cove, where all the houseboats pull up to party.

But there’s another side to Lake Lanier, its resort called Legacy Lodge. Gorgeous views, golf, a spa, and fine dining are making this resort the next hot destination for weddings, corporate meetings, and weekend getaways.

LC and I spent a night at one of the lake cottages recently, a sweet two bed, two bath with a huge balcony complete with a jacuzzi and a grill.

A Mardis Gras party was planned but since the weather didn’t cooperate, it was cancelled, so we ended up having some dinner at Bullfrogs Bar & Grille. We chose a booth in the nearly empty dining room and ordered a couple of drinks.

This restaurant serves guests at the pool in the warmer months, offering a variety of healthy menu choices. Lighter items include the nutritional information, although I question the accuracy on some like the island chicken salad with sliced melon, for instance. It is described as chicken salad tossed with cashew pieces, crushed pineapple, and raisins, and having 182 calories. Either the serving is tiny or the calorie count is grossly underestimated. Nevertheless, I applaud their effort.

LC was ravenous so we tried the bruschetta to start. This is a dish that can suffer from numerous issues including soggy toast and a heavy hand with garlic. Not to mention, its inclusion on practically every menu in the ’90′s made it as predictable as fried calamari. Bullfrogs served four large, crisp toasts topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, diced pepper jack cheese, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It was fresh and bright….I was pleasantly surprised. If you are not in the mood for bruschetta, you can order….you guess it….the fried calamari.

I rarely crave red meat, but on this occasion I had a hankerin’ for a steak….medium rare. There were several choices but I went with the pan seared filet mignon, a 4-5 oz medallion topped with artichoke heart pesto and served over sweet potato puree and steamed broccoli. The nutritional content of the dish was listed below its menu description…..182 calories, 6 grams of fat, 448 mg. of sodium. Strangely, there was no carbohydrate or protein information.

It sounded amazing, but to be honest, I didn’t expect gourmet fare at Lake Lanier. When my filet arrived, I took its temperature….perfect. Seriously tender, the pesto added crazy good flavor to the already fantastic cut of meat. And with sweet potatoes? That’s right, it kicked ass.

There are also plenty of unhealthy menu options. LC went with one of those….their signature “Firehouse” baby back ribs. He chose a salad as one of his sides, onion rings as the other. The salad was nothing special, unless you really like croutons.

Described as “fall-off-the-bone goodness”, his half rack was coated with a sweet and spicy sauce. The succulent meat really did fall off the bones, as promised. LC’s onion rings were perfectly crispy, but not greasy. We had to take half of his entree back to our cottage where it made an awesome midnight snack after we tried out the hot tub in the rain. We were determined to enjoy our stay, damn it!

And we did. I’m looking forward to many return visits, perhaps lounging by the pool and sampling some of Bullfrogs’ light salads or sandwiches. Or spending a day at the spa while LC plays a round of golf.