Pick of the Week: Restaurant Review

THE BLUE BICYCLE IN DAWSONVILLE

While most might think Atlanta is the only place to eat well around here, they would be wrong. If you haven’t tried The Blue Bicycle in Dawsonville, you’re missing something special!

Opened on a leap of faith in 2005, Chef Guy Owen and his wife Kati have created a lovely 68 seat bistro with a relaxing atmosphere and farm fresh ingredients. Chef Guy brings all the knowledge he gained by starting at the bottom in Atlanta at a little place called The Abby.

For those who might not remember it, it was the place to go for a good amount of time; opened in a still existing church serving up the finest cuisine with a french twist and harp music in the background. I was a regular and liked it a lot!

FRENCH BASICS AND LOCAL SOURCING

Because they are responsibly sourcing their ingredients they can change up their menus, especially in the daily specials, to reflect what they want to highlight.

It is always a pleasant surprise to arrive for lunch or dinner and sit in the beautiful bar and check out the latest tasty bits on offer. They stay true to their bistro roots by making simple, classic, moderately priced meals in an unpretentious setting.

They do a bustling business at the place for lunch or dinner and the day we were there was no exception. Most of the tables were taken up and stayed full throughout a long lunch period.

WHAT SHOULD WE EAT?

We ordered two lovely glasses of wine, Riesling for him and Cabernet for me while we made our choices. My husband is a liver lover (say that three times fast!) as I have already pointed out in previous posts so he went for the Chicken Liver Mousse. I ordered a special for the day because it was a Cuban Sandwich and I am quite fond of Cuban food in general.

We chatted a bit with Kati, who looked very busy interviewing new staff, because they were short for the latest shift she shared. You couldn’t tell though as the staff she had were very good and covered the floor efficiently and in a friendly manner taking good care of everyone.

The plates arrived in short order. They were simply presented and both at the correct temperatures instead of the almost you might get in other restaurants.

The mousse was delicious! The liver was smooth and creamy and chilled to perfection with a lovely sweet preserve on top adding just the right note with crispy toast.

My sandwich was fantastic with the ham, pork and melting cheese livened up with a good amount of spicy mustard and pickles. The only criticism I could offer was the portion size; too large for me but most likely not bigger eaters. It just meant take home for snacks or dinner for another time!

OTHER CHOICES ON OFFER OF NOTE

Other small plates of note for lunch were the Oyster Stew, Roasted Beets with micro greens and the Pimento Cheese Tartine, giving the menu a decided homage to the South.

There are always quiche and sandwich specials along with salads and larger entrees of Mountain Trout, Shrimp and Grits, Beef Tips and others.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND BITS

You really can’t go wrong with anything you order at The Blue Bicycle; it is simply love on a plate from Chef Guy to you and your belly!

A three course prixe-fixe meal is offered on the dinner menu for a set price of $26 Tuesday-Thursday and $29 on Friday and Saturday giving great value and a chance for trying out more dishes.

If you like reading restaurant reviews you might also want to check out other blog posts under Edible Fare and hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me know what you think about The Blue Bicycle and tell me what you might want to read about here OK? Don’t miss my upcoming Round Up of favorite posts on Ireland for St. Patricks Day! Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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