Cherokee Grill
Location: Gatlinburg, Tn
This is a great place for lunch or dinner, a birthday or even Christmas celebration. Everything is delicious, and the atmosphere is perfect for a casual or classy date. The steaks are incredible and they are paired perfectly with salads, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
This restaurant is located right in downtown Gatlinburg; so, you can enjoy the walk downtown after you fill your tummy with the yumminess. Check out their menu options and location here.
Bourbon Street Grille
Location: Dahlonega, Georgia
We love Bourbon Street! You definitely need to get there early if you’d like a good seat, because the place is rather small, and the good seats are pretty limited. It is located right on the Square in Dahlonega, and on a nice day, you can sit on the balcony and enjoy the sights and sounds of town.
We have eaten here a ton of times, and we’ve never had a bad meal; however, we do have our favorites. I love their shrimp and grits. It is served, in what looks like a small bowl, but let me tell you, it is filling. They serve it with a jalapeño cornbread muffin, and I usually get a salad before hand. The shrimp are cooked just right, and the grits are nice and creamy. There is a little bell pepper “chutney/relish” that is served on top, and honestly, the first time it was served, I wasn’t sure I would like it. However, it is very tasty and a nice addition to the dish.
Their burgers are delicious and so are the fried. You can tell the burgers are hand pattied and not frozen and the fried are fresh cut and fried in clean oil. Some people don’t care about all that, but it sure makes for a more delicious meal.
One time, recently, they had a daily special of blackened swordfish with asparagus and mashed potatoes. The swordfish was incredible! We’re not a fan of asparagus, but that was the only side with the potatoes; so, it sat lonely upon the plate as all the rest was gobbled up. We look for that special now whenever we go!
Next time you’re in the little mountain town of Dahlonega, be sure to stop by Bourbon Street. I don’t honk you’ll be disappointed. You can find their locations and menu items here.
The Blue Otter Restaurant & Sportsbar 
The view here is spectacular! The restaurant is located right on the side of the highway, facing Lake Chatuge. The food is really good, too. I’d have to say it wasn’t awesome, but the view made up for the lack of luster. We had burgers, wings, pizza and a buffalo chicken wrap, all served with fries, onion rings and Tator tots (you choose one)…true Sportsbar type variety. The sweet tea was good Southern style sweet tea, and the cherry cokes were true Roy Rogers, grenadine and all. 😉
The Hiawassee burger is good with bacon, pickle slices and BBQ sauce. It comes with ranch dressing, too, but I had it omitted. The wings were yummy, and my son ordered them with hot sauce; so, they were fire producing! Haha. The pizza was more bread than pepperoni and sauce, but the taste was good. The last time we went, our party got the big “Kitchen sink” pizza, with all the toppings, and it was loaded and yummy! The chicken wrap and ranch dressing was average, not really spectacular.
The atmosphere inside is really cool, but because it was such a beautiful day, we sat outside on the deck with a gorgeous view of the lake and mountains. The waitress seemed a little distracted, which made her a little on the slower side, but she was really nice. Everything was really good, and we will be back, I’m sure.
Here is their website for location and more information. 
Bullfish Grill
Location: Pigeon Forge, Tn
This restaurant is INCREDIBLE! The spicy barbeque shrimp are so amazing, and the smokey pimento cheese appetizer is just as great. It’s been so hard to choose which one to get!
The shrimp and grits are off the chain, and the steaks and burgers are just as yummy. They prepare the shrimp a little different than I’m used to for shrimp and grits, because they lightly get them; however, it’s a really delicious dish. If shrimp and grits just aren’t your thing, they have a pretty diverse menu, too; so, it should be fairly easy to find a few items you will enjoy. 😉
We had two desserts here. The keylime cheesecake was pretty good. As I’ve stated before, I’m a little picker than some when it comes to keylime and cheesecake; so, I wouldn’t say this was incredible. However, it was tasty, and the caramel cheesecake was out of this world! Oh my!
This restaurant is located right on the main strip as you come into Pigeon Forge (from Sevierville); so, it’s really easy to find. The location is great, too, because you can walk from here to the Christmas Inn, the Christmas store, which are some of my favorites, and to MagiQuest, which our boys love! If you need a coffee for that trip, Starbucks is close by, too.
You can check out their website here.
*Please note, the last time we went in, which was back in the summer, they were in the process of adjusting some of their menu items; so, I don’t know what their final decisions were. The waiter had said management was talking about replacing both the pimento cheese plate AND the cheesecake!! 😔 So, maybe you can go in and tell the manager you had read this wonderful review on those two items, and you were really looking forward to them…maybe they’ll reconsider! (‘Cuz, when we heard, we “fussed” about it, too! 😉)
Osaka Hibachi & Sushi
Location: Cumming, Ga
The Rookery
Location: Macon, Ga.
This place has a great atmosphere, and good food. It’s noted as #1 on tripadvisor.com; however, I think I might not rate it that high. Don’t get me wrong, please. We did enjoy it; it just wasn’t a “hit it out of the park” kind of meal. We ordered the spicy pimento cheese appetizer, the bacon cheeseburger and the a chicken sandwich with goat cheese, bacon and a fried green tomato (I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten the name!). The appetizer was amazing. The burger was good, and the chicken sandwich was pretty good, but very messy. My husband didn’t really care for the goat cheese taste on the sandwich. I’ve been told they are known for their milkshakes, and we should’ve gotten one. However, the waiter seemed to be a little slow, or distracted, and the wait time went over the time we had; so, we opted out. I guess, we’ll have to go back and try that and maybe try a different sandwich to see if maybe it was just an off day. The crowd was full during lunch time on a Monday, and the ratings on TA were pretty high; so, yeah, maybe we just didn’t get a good first impression…?
They have several specials each day, as well as, two or three daily soups. The shakes are supposed to be awesome, and the desserts did sound yummy from the descriptions. If you’re in Macon, stop by and give it a try.
Here’s their menu to check it out. By the way, the whole menu doesn’t seem to be listed on line. It’s pretty extensive. 😉
Stonewood Grill
Location: Ormond Beach, Fl
This place is INCREDIBLE!! We went here for our 20th Anniversary dinner, and the only thing we regretted was that we had not found it sooner! We had the lobster bisque and bbq shrimp as an appetizer. They bring out bread before the meal, also. There were two different kinds, and both were scrumptious, but my personal favorite was the cranberry nut bread. It had such a delectable taste. This was followed by crab crusted mahi and the lightly blackened salmon. We finished the meal with a slice of key lime pie and chocolate indulgence. Oh. My. Word. I cannot tell you how incredible everything tasted! This is one of those meals that goes on our all-time “top 20” list. If you are in the Daytona area, or you are planning on vacationing here soon, make sure Stonewood Grill is on your itinerary!
Check out their website here.
Bob’s Victory Grille
Location: Auburn, Al
This is a great restaurant right near the Auburn University. It’s become one of our regular visits when we’re passing through town. It’s got a great atmosphere and wonderful food. 
After you order, they bring you a serving of their famous slaw and sauce. I was hesitant, at first, because I’m not a huge coleslaw fan, but this stuff is really good. The best way I can describe this sauce is “thousand island with a twist.” It’s a great little appetizer.
They have a great variety of burgers, sandwiches, wood fire pizza, “blue plate” specials and more. Everything we’ve tried is delicious, and we will continue to stop by here when we’re in town. They also have key lime pie for dessert. Yum. Honestly, It’s not the ultimate best I’ve ever had, but it is very delicious!)
Check them out here.
Hilltop Grill
Location: Athens, Ga
Hilltop is a great local steakhouse restaurant in Athens that we love to frequent when we can. They have to best bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizer that you’ll put in your mouth! They have incredible burgers, sandwiches and a various assortment of different plates. One of their sides I love is their grits. Oh. My. Yum! Their sweet tea is good ol’ Southern Sweet Tea, and their dinner rolls are the delicious yeast kind that melt in your mouth with a little butter on top.
They have special “lunch plates” Tuesday-Friday for lunch, and the price isn’t bad at all. These are like roasted pork loin, meatloaf and even turkey and dressing. Their salads and soup are great; they usually have a special soup of the day. The “icing on the cake” is their hilltop brownie. Oh. My. Word! It’s to die for!! 😉 They have several other desserts, but that one is my favorite.
The atmosphere is really cool, too. It is nice enough for linens on the table, and you can come dressed “to the nines,” or you can come dressed for game day, and you’ll feel perfectly welcomed. Just know, if you come on game day, you better come early, cuz this place will be packed!!
Here’s their website to get more information.
1907
Location: Ellijay, Ga
I’d have to give this restaurant a solid “B” rating. It’s good, and some things were great. It’s edible, but I’ve definitely had better. This restaurant is loud just off the square in Ellijay. The town is a great place to find quaint antique stores and pottery pieces.
The presentation is awesome. This appetizer, the Firecracker Shrimp, was wonderful!! 
I ordered the shrimp and grits without the sauce, because it being a tomato based, more Lousiana-style sauce, I wasn’t sure I would like it. However, I poured it on top once I tasted it, because it was great! The sauce has sausage and mushrooms in it. A little different than I normally get but still rather tasty. 
My son got the fried chicken sliders with sausage gravy and grits. Again, the presentation was incredible; however, the meal was a little less than desired (just like this picture). You could tell biscuits were frozen biscuits, and the gravy was so-so. The veggies seemed a little oddly placed with the gravy. 
My husband ordered the burger, as did several in our party, and they just weren’t good. I really hate that, too, because my shrimp and grits were great. Now, they’re not the best shrimp and grits I’ve had, and I probably won’t come back here just for that, but they were enjoyable.
So, if you’re in Ellijay, and you need something to eat while you’re downtown, and you don’t mind eating at a more “B rats” restaurant; then, you won’t be disappointed to eat at 1907. Now, if you want a great place to eat, check out my post next week… 😉
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