Author: ArtsyChowRoamer

Pick of the Month

FORTIFY KITCHEN & BAR IN CLAYTON, GEORGIA

One of the main reasons we decided on a road trip to Clayton, Georgia recently was all the noise we had been hearing about the Fortify boys. The friends from days at Lake Rabun together that led them to open their own place down the road a piece. This post will give you all the info on why they are my pick of the month.

Owners Jack Nolan and Chef Jamie Allred have put together a stellar farm to table concept which these days seems to be the mantra of every restaurant. But they really mean it; putting together a video on their website and naming over 20 different local farms they are sourcing from to prove it.

This kind of resources allows Chef Jamie to change up his offerings seasonally. Having just released the fall menu you might think the usual suspects would be on there but there are more than a few surprises and his own take on some oldies but goodies.

RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED

It was suggested to us before that reservations were a good idea even before Covid restrictions limited seating to get the social distancing right. Even though we were visiting mid week 6:30 was the earliest available the week before.

I sent a message that we would like to get in earlier if they had a cancellation at opening time of 5. Don’t roll your eyes at that. We just have found that getting in at opening time insures the least number of people, the speediest service for shorter stays and the best sanitized situation for the evening.

Happy was I to receive a call that day around 2 that they would be able to take us at the earlier time as requested. We left our hotel up the street and walked the few blocks where crowds were already gathering at the door; some with reservations and some without hoping the earlier time would net them a sneak in.

CASUAL COZY ATMOSPHERE

The host and hostess were wearing masks along with our server I was glad to see. The bartender was also masked up and busy with social distanced diners being seated at the bar. This reassured me feeling like they were putting safety front and center for their customers.

The restaurant had a nice casual atmosphere with a coziness from metal details, old brick and traditional light fixtures with a modern twist. I noticed a sign with an arrow that said Local Art and realized that everything on view was most likely for sale by artists living in the community.

I took the opportunity to snap a few photos for this post to give you an idea of what to expect and some of the art the restaurant sports on it’s walls. The waiter dropped by to give us our menus and tell us about the specials for the day while we decided what kind of wine to order.

They have a very nice selection so I tried the William Hill Estate cabernet while my husband decided on a German white Riesling. Both selections were excellent and were terrific with the different breads offered in our bucket along with flavored butters.

FIRST COURSE

Since fall was in the air I decided that a good soup was going to be my first course and went with the Butternut Squash with pumpkin seed pesto, fried sage and a maple drizzle. My husband went for the Short Rib soup on the specials list.

Soups, salads and snacks ranged in price from $6-13. Choices included usual suspects like a Spinach or Caesar salad and fried green tomatoes but Chef’s take and local sourcing added ingredients like pickled red onion, candied bacon, roasted sweet potatoes, poached apples, goat cheese and house made dressings.

Not the usual suspects would be coca cola braised pork cheeks, fried gouda fritters or clams done in a Mexican style. Let me just say those fritters are addictive. One arrived in the middle of my husbands short rib soup and it was heaven in of itself.

The meat was fork tender and tasty like eating barbecue with this crispy melty thingy going on! Hard to describe but most definitely delicious. My soup was luscious, thick and rich with cream. The pesto and sage provided background flavors and texture with added sweetness from the maple drizzle; a perfect cold night Southern dish that will please throughout the fall season.

HARD TO CHOOSE AN ENTREE

We looked over the menu again to pick an entree and it wasn’t easy. He went with the duck breast in a roasted red pepper sauce and I wanted to try seafood and waffled back and forth between the trout and fried shrimp platter ending up with the shrimp. Pricing ranged from $18-35.

Both dishes arrived in a timely fashion as I snapped my pics with nicely composed plates. The only criticism I would offer in this area would be wiped plate rims to meet a more perfect expectation of this level of dining.

I tried the duck first. We were asked if we wanted it medium rare or more. We ordered it medium rare which is the way I think duck breast should be cooked giving you a crispy skin hopefully with a texture on the meat similar to a medium rare steak.

A word about duck expectations. My husband is from Eastern Europe where the duck is most often offered with the bone thereby allowing them to render that duck into fall of the bone capacity. My husband is always expecting that even when it isn’t possible!

I reminded him you can’t do that with no bones-it will only dry it out and make it tough. I loved the dish both texturally and taste wise with a polenta cake and crispy relish of shallots, mushrooms and grapes. Having said that if there were anything to wonder about it was the red pepper sauce.

Lovely in conception but not quite sweet enough for duck I think but I could be wrong. My husband loved the sauce. My dish felt like a homegoing homage to the South with the fried shrimp set off with collard greens, coleslaw and hushpuppies.

Chef’s version of cocktail sauce was a miss for me without the horseradish zing you want. I asked for the Remoulade which was much better and seemed to work well with the other flavors overall. Something called comeback sauce was offered as well.

I’m thinking my next trip will include the trout with lemon scented rice pilaf, pecan roasted brown butter and fresh dill. You probably would be happy with the beef, chicken or pork dishes on offer as well. Sides like fried rice, Napa slaw, beer battered onion rings and buttermilk mashed potatoes all speak to seasonal freshness with a wink to Southern preparation.

DESSERT AND SPECIALTY COCKTAILS

While we were too full to try dessert the choices were tempting and several included chocolate. The photo below will give you a good idea what to expect if you have a sweet tooth.

Besides having nice wine selections Fortify is pretty proud of their signature specialty drinks. There are 8 on the menu for $10 that range from a sour, to an old fashioned along with a Pink Panther and a Smoking Jacket. There is a pleaser for any taste here. The video below will give you a better idea.

A WORD ABOUT PI

Fortify became such an instant hit that they decided to branch out and add the location next door known as Fortify Pi and it’s all about the pizza. You can have one of their designs with the latest and freshest ingredients or you can make your own with different price levels of choices.

They are making some good pie in that restaurant. Sitting at the bar, outside or at a socially distanced table this more casual atmosphere makes for a lively entertaining lunch or dinner choice especially if you can’t get in to the other location. They were crowded as we were leaving from dinner.

CONCLUSION

All in all we enjoyed our road trip to this little gem of an artsy community. You don’t normally find this level of dining and commitment to ingredients in the North Georgia mountains. I can highly recommend you visit the area and don’t miss either of their locations. You won’t be disappointed.

If you enjoyed what you read you might also like other posts under Edible Fare and on Clayton, GA too. Hey, don’t be a stranger! If you visit, let me know what you ate and what you thought. Look for more upcoming posts on this area soon. Until next time…

Cheers!

ArtsyChowRoamer

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