Glen Ella Springs - Turnerville, Georgia

2/10/08
My Slightly Older Sister (SOS) was visiting me for the weekend and, it being Sunday in Habersham County, just about the only place to get dinner with wine would be Glen Ella Springs. It was also my birthday celebration so we were not going to do without our favorite beverage! As of now, you must bring your own wine to Glen Ella but all that is about to change. They will soon be opening a tasting room for Habersham Winery and will be able to sell wine from not only that winery but also from other local wineries in northeast Georgia. This also brings brown-bagging to an end soon at Glen Ella which is great news for them and partially great news for those of us who live in the northern end of the county. Although our dinner tabs will be higher, we will be able to purchase a bottle of wine without having to trek 20-30 minutes to the Super Ingles or convenience store.
Now, back to my story....we were escorted by Ann, Chef David's wife, to our table in the dining room filled with the usual Sunday night suspects. Seated next to us were neighbors of mine and at the other end of the dining room were former neighbors who had moved away but missed this place so badly that they had come back!
Chef David came out of the kitchen to greet us and tell us about the specials. My SOS informed him that this was a birthday dinner and he immediately said he was going to prepare us a special dessert. The specials that evening were tomato basil soup and sauteed mahi-mahi. I don't know about most people, but the term "mahi-mahi" automatically conjures up an image of a big ol' piece of dried-up fish. I know the menu quite well and generally enjoy trying the specials so I asked my sister if she would care to split the fish. Giving me a big sideways glance (she obviously had channeled my image) she reluctantly agreed. We each ordered salads- hers was the spinach with dried cranberries, walnuts, and feta, and mine was a basic caesar. I sat there with salad-envy for a few minutes until our entrees arrived. Served on separate plates were perfect portions of our half-entrees. One bite into the perfectly cooked, juicy, flaky mahi-mahi and I knew we hit it right. On the side were garlicky mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli and zucchini. We enjoyed our chardonnay and chit-chatted with fellow diners. There is a comfort level to this place so that you almost feel as if you are eating in someone's home. And then out came David with a custom-made Strawberries Romanoff complete with candle for me! Their ice cream is homemade and chef made a delicious sauce with the strawberries, Cointreau, and a hint of cinnamon. Perfect ending to a perfect meal! Even better, my SOS picked up the tab! Did I say I love birthdays?
FB