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Tuesday’s Treats #28

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Bare Bones Steakhouse

Location: Buford, Ga.  

For one of the best steaks you’ll put in your mouth, drive on past The Mall of Georgia and head toward the historic town of Buford, Georgia. In the old Bona Allen Tannery Building, the owner of Bare Bones Restaurant is grilling them up right! He has direct connections with a meat company out of Norcross; so, the steaks are cut and delivered fresh everyday.

My husband and I went here for the first time the other night, and we were highly impressed! From what I’ve been told, they have redone the building perfectly. You feel like you’ve walked into an upscale steakhouse yet not so upscale that you can’t show up in jeans and a cute top. The hostess is dressed in jeans and a plaid button up, and I saw the owner bustling around in his suit and tie. They asked if we had reservations, but seated us quickly even though we did not. They have booths and tables and a grand room in the back for really large groups.


We split the 22 oz Chateau Briand Filet with a side of Logan Turnpike Grits with cheese and a salad. Can I just say, “Oh. My. Word. That’s a lot of meat, but, oh, what a good steak!!” The grits were phenomenal and the wedge salad was incredible with the bacon, tomatoes and pecans (We got it with Ranch dressing instead of blue cheese). We were told by the hostess that everything here, except the bread and the cheesecake, is made in house, and you can tell! The grits were creamy and delicious…”Southern style” made just right.

Even though, we were almost full, and we had already had a portion of our steak boxed to go, we ordered the blackberry cobbler with homemade ice cream for dessert. Oh. My. Goodness!! That’s heaven in a bowl! It was served in this cute little white “crock,” and I’m so sorry, I don’t have a pic of this. We dove into it way too quickly, and it disappeared before I thought to take a photo. Just trust me when I say, you’ve got to get you some!!

These guys opened up back in the fall/winter of 2015, and they seem to be going great. I hope they do well. They are a great addition to the cool upgrade of downtown Buford. Here is their website; so, you can find their location and see the menu.

Tuesday’s Treats #27

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Austin’s Cattle Co.

Location: Valdosta, Ga.

This place is a hidden gem in Valdosta. You wouldn’t quite expect the quality, as its location is unassuming and connected to a motel, and usually motel restaurants are, at best, hit and miss. Well, this is a “bullseye hit!”

It seems to be locally owned and cared for by people who care about quality as well as service. It’s hard to tell from appearances, if the owners own the motel, or they may not be affiliated at all with the motel; however, it is evident the restaurant is of top priority. From the front door to the tables to the food, everything is extremely clean and treated with “A+ quality.”

The steaks were cooked to perfection and seemed to melt in your mouth, and the veggies were cooked exactly as they should be, not squishy and soggy, and the taste was scrumptious! The menu is quite extensive with choices not only of steak but chicken, salads, burgers, etc. Our waiter was delightful and helpful with the menu, and she was quick to keep our drinks refilled and assist in any way she could.

If you’re in the Valdosta area, and you want an incredible steak, this is the place to eat! Check out their website here.

Tuesday’s Treats #26

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River Grille on the Tokoma River

Location: Daytona, Fl


We love this place. This has become a “must” when we’re in Daytona. The atmosphere is cool, and you can choose to eat inside or outside on the deck. They have large, gentle ceiling fans; so, the temps are too unbearable on a warmer day (maybe not in the hottest parts of summer, though😉).  

Yes, I know, I’ve started this blog with a picture of dessert, but there’s a reason: Thai key lime pie is TO DIE FOR! Oh. My. Goodness. I can be a little picky about key lime pie, too. 😉

For the main entrees, we ordered the blackened swordfish and blacked mahi mahi, and they were incredible! Honestly, the hush puppies are so so, but the grits are out of this world! 

The atmosphere, and the boardwalk out back is great. The time before last we were there, we got to see an alligator swimming by, but we didn’t see one on this trip. They have fish food you can feed the fish, just be careful, and definitely hold onto little ones, as there are no railings on the dock! 😉

Here’s the website for you to find the location and menu items.

Tuesday’s Treats #25 

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Amicalola Lodge Restaurant

Location: Amicalola Falls State Park, Ga.

This was a pleasant surprise. We ate here several time YEARS ago and got burned BAD each time; so, we have just refused to try it again, until an evening in May, when we were at the Falls, and our boys were about to starve. We contemplated driving back into a town (30 minutes or more) to get them something, but with the recent renovations of the lodge, we decided to give the restaurant another try. We were glad we did.

It was a Friday night, and the restaurant was having a “Surf and Turf” seafood buffet. Everything was really tasty. The salad bar was great. They had fried shrimp, clams and mussels, baked fish, steak and crab cakes as the main entrees. The sides were green beans, roasted new potatoes and grilled veggies (squash and zucchini), and maybe another I didn’t try (?). These all were delicious!

They also had a gourmet chef who would cook your shrimp and pasta dish to order. The fried shrimp and steak weren’t too good, but the crab cakes and baked fish were delightful. The chef took a little too long to cook my shrimp scampi, and the shrimp was, actually, a little overcooked, but the taste was yummy!

They had a pretty good spread of desserts: pecan pie, banana pudding, chocolate cake and an assortment of cookies. The pecan pie was Amazing, and being from the South, I can be pretty picky about pecan pies! It was so chock full of pecans, and it tasted like homemade.

 

sorry for the reflection, but I wanted you to see our view from the table. 😉

The lodge is always beautiful with the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the mountains, and that view is continued throughout the restaurant. So, you get a delicious meal with an incredible view. We will definitely come here again when we’re visiting the falls.

If you’d like to check out this, or other state parks in ga, you can find them here.

Tuesday’s Treats #24

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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. 😉

Tuesday’s Treats #23

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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.

Tuesday’s Treats #22

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Aunt Catfish’s

Location: Port Orange, Fl (Daytona)

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This is this is one of our favorite places to eat in Daytona. The seafood is wonderful, and the huge salad bar and “fixin’s bar” is to die for! It. Is. SOOO. Good!! The salad bar has so many great choices, and the fixin’s bar is full of cheese grits, baked beans, fried cinnamon apples and cornbread. You could simply fill up here, but the seafood is worth ordering. They have tons of choices, from fried shrimp to blackened swordfish.

We have had several different entrees, and the menu is quite extensive. I think our absolute favorite is the blackened swordfish and the bblackened mahi mahi. Oh. My. Word! It is so delicious!! You even get a homemade cinnamon roll served with your meal. Oh, I’m craving these things right now. Yum!!

Check them out here:

http://auntcatfishontheriver.com

Tuesday’s Treats #21

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Uncle Maddio’s

Location: Buford, Ga

This place is great! It has a comfortable atmosphere, and you get to “direct” the making of your own pizza. It’s almost like a Subway for pizzas. You walk in, and the staff is usually very friendly with a shout out, “Welcome to Maddio’s!” You can see the menu at the beginning, but you really don’t need it, as you walk down the line telling the staff what you would like on your pizza. You can choose from white and whole wheat dough, sundried tomatoes, spinach, sauce, pepperoni, grilled chicken, steak, veggies, and even anchovies. You can do the same thing with a salad.

The salads are great. You can choose the toppings, or they can simply make you a garden, Greek or Ceasar salad. Personally, I love the Greek with the dressing. It is delicious. Oh, you also get a little breadstick with this. It is just as good, and, I think, you can order a bunch, too. The prices are pretty good, too. You can order a pizza and salad for $8.99. I can’t remember the cost of the drinks, but the sweet tea is just as it’s supposed to be in the South, and the cookies are maybe $2-3 (a little steep, but oh, so worth it!) So, for about $15, you can fill your tummy to overflowing. When we go, I am usually taking half of my pizza home, cuz I eat my dessert before finishing. Now, let me tell you about that…

You MUST have a cookie for dessert, too! Oh. My. Word!! These things are delicious! Being LOTR fans, our family calls these The Arkenstone, because they have this yummy goodness in the center. You can choose from chocolate chip and oatmeal cranberry. They are both incredible, but you definitely must like oatmeal for the latter. Our boys don’t much care for it, but I love it. It’s always hard for me to decide which one I want; so, usually, I order the oatmeal cranberry and just steal a bite of their chocolate chip! (…best of both worlds. haha!)

 

These drops of yumminess just came out of the oven…

If you haven’t been to Uncle Maddio’s, you must find one soon. You won’t regret it. I’m just so glad they are building so many of these around. You can find them many more places than there used to be. Check out their website for all of the locations, as well as, the menu and other needed information.

Tuesday’s Treats #20

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Sweet Magnolia’s

Location: Gainesville, Ga

Okay, I know I should have had such a better picture to post today, but I promise you, this Hello Dollie will be one of the best things you’ll put in your mouth!

These are rather delicious, too. Homemade coconut pecan cookies, two of my favorite flavors in one bite. Wow.

Okay, excuse me for getting distracted, but it’s yummy desserts. I always get distracted by dessert!  So, now onto the rest of the story. This place is simply delightful. You walk in and feel like you’re entering a little storefront cafe. You order at the counter, take a number and then find a table. There are adjoining shops where you can meaner while you wait or after your meal; it’s probably best after your meal, as you have a number that your waiter has to find once your meal is ready, but I was able to find a table right beside one of the shops; so, I took a quick peak while I waited. It took just a few minutes for them to being my (already mentioned) yummy desserts and my lunch special of chicken salad on croissant with a small cup of chicken noodle soup. (I’m sorry I don’t have a pic. I thought I had, but I can’t find it! 😁) They call this sandwich the Rebecca’s Famous Chicken Salad, chosen by Esquire Magazine as one of the best sandwiches in America, and if you like chicken salad, I can see why. It is delicious. They took that croissant, loaded it with this yummy chicken salad and grilled it just enough to toast the outside without heating up the salad or lettuce. I am really picky with chicken salad, too; so, I was a little hesitant. I don’t like a lot of mayo or celery, the chicken can’t be fatty and the grapes need to be firm and fresh. This one is made perfect!

To be honest, I probably won’t order the chicken soup again. It was more like Campbell’s condensed soup with larger noodles, which isn’t too bad, but I just didn’t care too much for it. I’ll try the chili next time. They offer that everyday, and I think that might be one of their better ones.

Everything else was wonderful, and I will definitely be back again. I knew I’ve included the menus in the photos, but you may need some more info, like their location. 😉 Here ya go.

Tuesday’s Treats #19

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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.