#trilith

Editor’s note: Chris Bartlett contributed to this column.

Trilith Guesthouse in Fayetteville, Ga., is the epicenter and heartbeat of the town. (Stephen Fries)

There’s something sweet about Georgia, beyond the peaches and past the pecan pie, that awakens the senses and soothes the spirit. Perhaps it’s the welcoming, friendly people. Maybe it’s the Southern charm and distinct culture that exude so much celebratory easiness in the simplicity of daily life. Every place we visit tells a story through its diverse culinary culture, and in Georgia, food is its heart and soul.

Upon arrival at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport, we were excited to begin our loop through Fayetteville, Macon and back to Atlanta, stopping for a few nights at each locale to experience the flavorful tapestry of Southern food and hospitality. We secured the rental car and headed toward Fayetteville, and the Trilith Guesthouse, www.trilithguesthouse.com, where we’d settle in, to begin exploring and learning about this thriving area.

One surprise, Trilith Studios is one of the largest television and film production facilities outside of Hollywood. Be sure to schedule a tour, they fill up quickly. This European-inspired community is surrounded by boutiques, parks, picturesque trails and chef- driven restaurants. The hotel is the epicenter and heartbeat of the town.

The artwork on the side of this building truly captures the essence of the town of Trilith, Ga. (Stephen Fries)

We embarked on this culinary journey at the hotel’s Prologue Dining & Drinks. A Southern food standard is fried green tomatoes, which we had to taste. Perfectly poached eggs topped the tomatoes, which were crowned with hollandaise. The chipotle aioli added just the right touch of heat. What a tasty beginning to this week of indulging in Southern food. Chicken and waffles, another standard, is served with house made hot sauce, maple bourbon anglaise and bacon.

Watercress salad, prepared with flavors of the South, peaches, cornbread croutons and candied pecans at Prologue Dining and Drinks at Trilith Guesthouse. (Stephen Fries)

Pretty much everything about Trilith Guesthouse, and the Town of Trilith, surprised and wowed us in way that made us feel like kids in a candy store. From the Trilith Studios tour to walks around town, checking-out fantastic displays of outdoor art, this newly built village within Fayetteville is inviting yet unexpected; purposely crafted and curated to offer an ideal balance of retail therapy and diverse restaurants, wellness and spa spots to complete all that anyone might ever want or need.

Perhaps during your stay, there will be a scheduled workshop in the interactive culinary studio. For example, an upcoming event says, “Craft your own charcuterie board as you munch, mingle and sip on wine.”

Dinner was back at Prologue Dining & Drinks, where we savored bean and sausage soup, incorporating collard greens, a classic Southern vegetable; watercress salad, prepared with flavors of the South; peaches, cornbread croutons and candied pecans; pan seared trout served with pork belly; black eyed peas; and scallops with creamed corn, chimichurri, corn nuts and mushrooms.

The bread service is worth the indulgence; homemade cornbread with Trilith honey butter, perhaps an alternative to a dessert on the menu. Sweet potatoes, a favorite throughout the year, led to the sweet ending, sweet potato cheesecake. The extensive libations menu won’t disappoint.

Breakfast is served at Prologue as well. The smoked salmon avocado toast served on grilled sourdough is a combination of flavors that works well, plus it’s so beautifully plated.

Oliver’s Twist Bar & View is the hotel’s rooftop restaurant. The European-inspired menu serves elevated pub fare with views of town and people strolling. Short rib sliders, fried olives, curried mussels and Shepherd’s pie were our selections from the comforting menu choices.

For a casual breakfast, lunch, snack or decadent doughnuts, walk over to Hero.

In between the walks, there is always great, local shopping, a visit to the studios or a dip in the pool to rejuvenate.

Time now to drive to our next destination, Macon, about an hour and a half away.

Macon is both the fourth-largest city-metro area in the state and about as middle of Georgia geographically as one can be, It is known as a city within a park. That’s obvious between the endless amounts of greenery, wide, tree-lined boulevards and abundance of gardens and parks.

Macon, Ga., is home to Southern rock. Visit museums that honor music legends such as the Allman Brothers’ Big House Museum. (Chris Bartlett)

Rare is a place as welcoming and friendly as Macon. Locals were all smiles, often thanking us for visiting their city. This city, known for its massive contributions to the music world (think Southern rock/the Allman Brothers) and its soul food, has a calm, cool demeanor that simply feels so easy to slip into, even if only, for a few days.

It’s distinctly Georgia in all the best ways, and that’s what’s so great about Macon. And Macon is also known as the Festival Capital of Georgia.

Hotel Forty Five, www.hotelfortyfive.com, is the perfect place to stay to explore historic, downtown Macon. Built in 1941, the building has a storied history, occupying one of the downtown’s few remaining historic hi-rise buildings. The new Hotel Forty Five opened in 2022. It was important in the design to preserve key architectural elements and finishes that can be seen throughout the hotel. The numerical name has a bit of history to it.  It is a nod to Macon’s storied musical past, recorded in countless 45 rpm records.

The word was out about sunset at Hightales Rooftop Bar at the hotel. Enjoy wmall plates and specialty cocktails and check out the schedule for live music. That’s where we began our culinary adventure in Macon. The Gulf grouper sandwich, steak frites and glazed doughnut bread pudding with blueberries were served by the attentive bartender.

Loom Comfort Kitchen & Cocktails, one of the hotel’s restaurants, shines light on Macon’s roots in the textile industry. The first bites were the soft and buttery Parker rolls served in a cast iron skillet and topped with salted creamery butter. The symphony of flavors in the winter salad piqued my interest: shaved carrots, roasted beets, grapefruit, coriander and extra virgin olive oil.

Grouper served bronze style (blackened with less intense spicing) was accompanied with Tasso hash with a citrus sauce, light enough as to not overpower the fresh fish. The salmon’s mellow prep of lemon and tarragon let the salmon’s flavor shine. It is served on a bed of farro dotted with diced vegetables with a side of broccolini. The fried cherry pie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar is worth every calorie.

The Rookery in Macon has been around since 1976 and serves up twists on Southern cuisine. (Chris Bartlett)

Dining at The Rookery, www.rookerymacon.com, is a must while in Macon. They’ve been around since 1976, so they are doing something right and the place is always packed. The Market Sampler is the perfect opening act, with chicken salad, pimento cheese, smoked turkey salad, sweet pickles, grapes and crackers. The onion rings were a pick, hand-battered with bistro dipping sauce.

Collard and artichoke dip with “you can’t eat just one” house-made chips at Rookery’s is a creative take on traditional artichoke dip. The milkshakes are a must. Don’t leave without one!

The house specialty Jimmy Carter Shake is banana pudding ice cream, peanut butter and a slice of bacon. Keeping with the Southern theme, Georgia Peach, featuring peach ice cream, cake batter and peach puree. For an adult version, there’s a Billy Carter, the Jimmy Carter ingredients plus Jack Daniels.

In between all this eating, download the Macon Music Trail mobile app and visit museums that honor music legends such as the Allman Brothers’ Big House Museum. Stroll through historic Rose Hill Cemetery for a glimpse into the city’s past. For more go to www.visitmacon.org.

Our Georgia circle brought us back to Atlanta, with its ever-sophisticated culinary scene that is diverse with so many international choices and influences besides the Southern fare, soul food and fried chicken that at one time defined eating in this wonderful, emerald mecca.

The pool at the Epicurean Hotel Atlanta is an oasis in the middle of the city. (Chris Bartlett)

We’d been eager to experience the Epicurean Atlanta, www.epicureanhotelatlanta.com, an immersive culinary-driven hotel, after a few memorable stays at its Tampa, Fla., (the original) location in Hyde Park Village. And upon arrival, we could sense a great time was awaiting us. We got settled in then began diving into not only the alluring pool, but dining experiences both at The Office Bar and Reverence, two of the three excellent restaurants operated by the hotel.  Aerial, the third food outlet, adjacent to the ninth floor, pool level, wasn’t available, as it was scheduled to reopen for the 2025 spring/summer season in early May.

From shelves of cookbooks in the lobby, the culinary theme is found in subtle ways throughout the hotel both through its artwork and design elements. The Epicurean Theatre is where scheduled curated food events happen. The theatre has a top-notch kitchen in front with tiered seating where guests can watch, learn, taste and create together.

The Office Bar, a contemporary beautifully appointed restaurant, is sophisticated yet approachable. The casual yet creative menu offers an eclectic selection. Their take on hummus features avocado as a key ingredient, surrounded by pita and vegetables for dipping. The pesto flatbread is topped with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and corn, enough for a meal or to share.

The Office Bar chopped salad is a kaleidoscope of colors with its mixed lettuce, tomatoes, pickled onion, avocado, bacon, braised chicken and hardboiled egg. The aromatic and fragrant tarragon vinaigrette melded well with the salad. The renowned Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa (the Epicurean Hotels are a collaboration with the legendary steak house) is a favorite of ours, therefore the Bern’s Steak House Sandwich was a must. Served on a rustic ciabatta, the seared sirloin, Swiss cheese, onion jam and rosemary aioli made us long for a return visit to the famed restaurant.

The red velvet cake, a Southern classic, had the perfect color and texture. The tang of the crown of cream cheese frosting and sweetness of the mango and raspberry sauce is a match made in heaven, a celebration in each bite.

At The Epicurean Hotel Atlanta, Rene Salazar prepares omelets to order at brunch at Reverence, the hotel’s flagship restaurant (Stephen Fries)

The Epicurean’s flagship restaurant, Reverence, serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. The lighting and ambience seemed to change for each. The open kitchen allows guests to watch the culinary artists, which we did as we enjoyed brunch. It is an elevated buffet with beautiful displays of fruit, breakfast fare, an omelet station and pastries. We were amazed at the options.

Dinner at Reverence was a culinary experience to remember. To start, citrus olives with caper berries, sweet peppers herbed with oregano and rosemary. The humble beet is brought to another level with Beet It! (beet gel, roasted beets, beet falafel, Chioggia, a beet known for its distinctive red and white stripes, served with frisee, baby kale).

Hearts of palm, radish, Pecorino, citrus breadcrumbs, Bottarga, a Mediterranean delicacy, drizzled with herbed parmesan dressing made up the Charred Baby Gem menu item. One of the dinner specials was Harissa Glazed Salmon alongside roasted eggplant puree, lemon couscous and pomegranate relish.

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake is a sweet ending to dinner at Reverence.(Stephen Fries)

The other entrée was Peri Peri Chicken Kebab served with fennel and fresh herb salad drizzled with a cilantro sauce. The lemon ricotta cheesecake has a soft texture with subtle citrus flavor without being tart. The blackberry sauce drizzled around the cake and meringue on top made for an eye-appealing and heavenly dessert.

The Georgia Peach Tart is a streusel topped tart sitting on a dulce de leche sauce and topped with vanilla gelato, adorned with mixed berries. The Zero Proof Guava Agave Sour (guava nectar, blue agave, lemon) went well with dessert.

No trip to Atlanta is complete (especially those who enjoy exploring the food culture) without a visit to Ponce City Market, www.poncecitymarket.com, with its food hall, restaurants and rooftop, and Krog Street Market, www.thekrogdistrict.com, with its food stalls. Both of these venues are located in historic buildings.

We think you’ll agree that Georgia is more than peaches. It is a feast for all of our senses celebrating the state’s past and present food cultures.

Framed Dream of Vitrail Pour la facade de la Boutique Fouquet, 2022.

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/109352608

 One of many similarly named artworks. Based on Artwork by Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) and a frame design of mine put through the deep dream generator using a style based on an artwork of mine called Nest (2014).

  #deepdream #artwork #originalcontent #trilith #portrait

#digitalart #nouveau #artist #modernart #contemporary

Czy wiesz, czym jest trylit? To konstrukcja megalityczna złożona z trzech kamieni, dwóch ustawionych pionowo i trzeciego leżącego na nich poziomo.