Hot Dish Review

It was a muggy morning on Lake Burton. Standing on the balcony overlooking the north Georgia mountains, I swear the humidity was 150%.

LC and I made our third visit to The Chophouse at LaPrades Marina, and despite the humidity, chose a tables on their expansive balcony overlooking the lake. A gentle breeze made it rather comfortable.

Service was unhurried, however, I would have preferred my coffee delivered with speed. Their abbreviated brunch menu was hand-written on a piece of notebook paper, but offered something for everyone….a sweet option of pecan pancakes, a hearty steak and eggs plate, a simple scramble with veggies that LC ordered, and the perennial brunch favorite of eggs benedict, a rich dish I cannot resist.

Their benedict was made the traditional way, with ham and poached eggs on toasted English muffins, topped with hollandaise sauce. Its simplicity belies the multitude of things that can go horribly wrong with this dish, from overcooked eggs to watery sauce.

The Chophouse delivered a solid rendition of this classic, served with mixed fruit on the side. Cantaloupe and strawberries are the norm, and what the table next to us had, but my mix contained only watermelon and cantaloupe. I love watermelon, but I’m allergic to cantaloupe, so I requested some strawberries, which our server cheerfully brought out. I had also added a side of chewy bacon and extra hollandaise to my order, doubling the cholesterol content and doubling the yummy goodness!

LC’s egg dish was far less exciting, a scramble of eggs, peppers, mushrooms, onions, ham, and cheese. I couldn’t detect any cheese, either visually or by taking a bite. It came with breakfast potatoes and a dry, dense biscuit. Our server didn’t bring any butter or jam, so he dipped the biscuit in my hollandaise.

Three cups of luke-warm coffee later, we were ready to hit the winding road back to the condo for a strenuous day of watching golf on TV.

1488 Highway 197, North Clarkesville 706-947-0010

LC and I got a late start on Friday, driving to Lake Burton in the North Georgia mountains for a weekend get-away. Rather than making the trek all the way up to the condo only to have to drive back down for dinner, we stopped at the restaurant at LaPrades Marina where LC’s uncle’s boat is stored.

It’s called The Chophouse, an upscale open-air restaurant and bar made of rough-hewn timbers and huge log supports. The place barely escaped the F4 tornado that swooped down the valleys and up the mountains in the area, cutting a path of destruction that visible on land and from the lake.

We chose a couple of seats at the bar, taking in the tranquil scenery and chilling out with a nice cold beer. The weather was perfect, just prior to sunset. Although we had snacked on veggie chips on the drive, we were both famished, so we started off with an appetizer special. Described as BBQ chicken flatbread, it was also topped with smoked gouda, caramelized onions, and basil. Sounds sorta like California Pizza Kitchen’s infamous concoction. However, there was no hint of BBQ (thankfully), but the pizza was sauced with a rather garlicky pesto. I know my smoked gouda and I dare say it was not smoked. Despite these issues, it was a tasty starter.

Moving on we decided to split the double cut pork chop with a sweet potato on the side. I ordered a glass of red wine, a rare choice in the Summer. A simple salad came with the meal. The chop was dressed with blackberry fig sauce and crumbles of blue cheese, a winning combination. Accompanying veggies, cauliflower and corn, were entirely flavorless, but the 1 3/4″ thick chop was surprisingly juicy and tender, with a subtle smokiness. And as it should be, after all, this is a chophouse!

We would end up at The Chophouse every day, stopping in for an appetizer and drink after our boat excursion on Saturday and for brunch on Sunday. Steak and cheddar spring rolls came with a remoulade and BBQ sauce, neither of which I liked, but the snack gave us enough energy to make it back up the mountain to get ready for dinner.

More on brunch later….

1488 Highway 197, North Clarkesville 706-947-0010

How do hotel restaurants do it? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, room service…..they constantly crank it out. Getting it done and doing it right, however, are two different things.

It is rare that I get the opportunity to have breakfast at a hotel in Atlanta. More often than not, hotel breakfasts find me in a foreign country like Spain, Mexico, or Brazil. However, after L and P’s wedding, the party continued until the wee hours at AltoRex, the rooftop lounge at the Palomar, after which everyone stumbled to their rooms. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the modern decor since most of my time there was spent asleep, wrapped up in the cloudlike duvet.

But not for long. My lucky ass had to get up early to go to work. But before I took off, LC joined me at Pacci for breakfast. It was 9:00am on a Sunday. Only two other tables were occupied. Handsome young servers greeted us with smiles. The coffee was smooth, and so was the service.

Pacci has a fun “Flip For Your Breakfast” menu. Guests that order off this only slightly abbreviated list get to call a coin toss after their meal by none other than Keira Moritz’ sous chef Aaron Love. Not only that, a portion of the cost of your meal goes to charity, regardless who pays. Classy.

One of my all-time favorite brunch items is eggs benedict. Pacci’s version is made with proscuitto, spinach, tomato slices, with the traditional Hollandaise on top of toasted English muffins. It didn’t come with anything on the side, which is fine with me. I’m not a fan of breakfast potatoes.

LC ordered two fried eggs with wheat toast. His meal did come with potatoes, but no bacon. We ordered a side to split….thick and chewy just the way I like it. If you are not lucky enough to be staying at the Palomar overnight, the bacon alone is worth the short drive for brunch!

My benedict was a solid rendition of the popular classic. I liked the slightly Italian touch with the substitution of prosciutto for the standard Canadian bacon.

It was time to try our luck with the toss of the coin. LC’s a gambler by nature so it was all or nothing. He called heads and our breakfast entrees were free! By this time several other members of the wedding party had made it downstairs to Pacci, just in time to witness LC’s lucky streak continue.

We both cleaned our plates before I sped off in the HotDish mobile. Pacci is in my Top Ten for a reason…..whatever time of day or night, they do it right!

866 W. Peachtree Street NW 678-412-2402