A trip to a Log Cabin in the North Georgia Mountains

A few months back Debarshi and I went to a log cabin in the North Georgia Mountains. It was beautiful, serene and relaxing. We could hear different types of birds and see the mountains from our cabin. The night sky was so clear we could count the stars. If you are a nature lover, you will love to go on a log cabin trip.

Although Debarshi and I love to cook, this time we decided not to cook anything. The log cabins are usually away from the cities and cooking means taking all the groceries with us so we thought this time we will just order take outs from our favorite restaurants. The idea was to do stuffs which we don’t usually do, like play cards and board games and spend some quality time with each other.

Our first stop was the Cheesecake Factory where we had a hearty lunch and ordered a take away Pizza and Cheesecakes for our trip.

I ordered my favorite lunch item – Club Sandwich and it came with crispy French fries. What I loved about the sandwich was the toasted breads and fresh ingredients. Debarshi was impressed by their pasta menu and ordered a Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta which had Shrimps sautéed with tomatoes, lemon, garlic and basil served with al dente pasta.

I know I have written about the Cheesecake Factory in my article – A Special Day! But their menu has so many exciting items to try that I couldn’t stop myself from writing about it again.

Now let me tell you about our take out orders which we enjoyed at the log cabin. We ordered the Everything Pizza which has Pepperoni, Sausage, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Mozzarella cheese and Tomato Sauce. Now although the pizza was really good, I was not very impressed with it and it may have been due to the fact that we have had some really good pizza from the local restaurants of all the cities we have been travelling and they have set the Pizza Taste level bar pretty high!

We also ordered two cheesecakes and they were awesome! We specially loved the Mango flavor in the Mango Key Lime Cheesecake. This cheesecake is just full of sweet surprises. It has a crust of Vanilla Coconut Macaroon and the cheesecake is topped with Mango Mousse. Absolutely delectable!

Our second cheesecake was a Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake and its specialty is a cream cheese frosting. It’s a delightful treat for the red velvet lovers.

Believe me when I say that if we were a tad disappointed with the Pizza, these Cheesecakes scored all the points, they were creamy, buttery and sweet pieces of happiness.

Now after we ordered our lunch we started talking about the quantity of food as we were going to stay at the cabin for two nights and three days. We decided to get some Indian food as well because for us, a vacation is incomplete without some Naan and Biryani so we looked around and luckily there is a very good Indian restaurant near the Cheesecake Factory in Atlanta – Swapna. So we ordered a second round of take outs from Swapna which included Goat Biryani, Garlic Naans, Lamb Pasanda and Goat Masala.

If you like Indian cuisine, you must have had Biryani. Here at Swapna, Goat Biryani is prepared in its traditional gourmet style. You can see layers of colored and white rice with succulent pieces of meat. The spices are just right with the wonderful aroma of nutmeg and mace. It was an absolute delight eating such a flavorful Biryani while resting in the log cabin.

Although all the dishes were delicious, I really liked the Lamb Pasanda, it is prepared by marinating Lamb in Yoghurt, Ground Almonds, Onion, Ginger and Garlic. It is creamy and mild in taste and is flavored with cardamoms, cinnamon and other Indian spices. This dish is not too hot which makes it my favorite. Pair it with a Garlic Naan – Yum!

Debarshi loves Garlic Naans. They have a garlicky buttery taste and go very well with all types of curries. They are prepared like regular Naans but once they have been taken out of the Tandoor (Clay Oven), they are brushed generously with Butter and minced Garlic. They are flavorful and aromatic and at Swapna they are baked fresh and you can tell that by just eating one bite. We kept all the food in the fridge and they were still fresh and soft when we ate them after one day hence proving my point.

The photo below features Goat Masala and this is one of those delicious curries which have been slow cooked with aromatic spices. The result - tender meat with bold flavors. We were really glad that we ordered all this delectable food as it made our stay in the log cabin all the more special and I know you must be thinking, that this is a lot of food for two nights and three days but believe me when you are going on a vacation and not planning to cook, you should order extra so that at the end of the day you don’t have to worry about going out and getting food.

So the next time you are in Atlanta and looking for some authentic Indian food, do go to Swapna. This restaurant always delivers tasty food with quality. I am really looking forward to our next log cabin trip when we will once again explore some more food places.

North Georgia Mountains are an absolute treat to the eyes. I loved our road trip, there were green trees all around with clear blue sky. On our way back from the log cabin, we went to an apple orchard - Mercier Orchard. This was recommended by one of our friends who told us that we can find not only fresh fruits from the orchard but also other products made with farm fresh ingredients. So, we went there and although we didn’t have an orchard tour, we bought a lot of stuffs.

Mercier Orchard has a big bakery with all sorts of breads, pies and even ice creams. I had a few samples and bought a lot of fruits, cakes and pies. Debarshi bought a few varieties of their gourmet coffee.

They also have a wide variety of dressings, ciders, jellies and preserves. Everything has been decorated in a unique farm style pattern. You can also find other products like body wash, lotions and creams as well as home fragrances, candles etc. made with honey or flower extracts.

On our way back from the Orchard, we went to a local coffee place - The Martyn House in Towne. The café was decorated with different types of quotes and had a character of its own.

I had a Parfait (It had yogurt layered with granola, some nuts with strawberries which I loved) and Debarshi had a Coffee. The café also had a personal book collection. There was a big room adjoining the café for people to sit and read while sipping a beverage or enjoying a snack. I wish we had some more time before heading back for home, I would have loved to sit there and read a book with a cup of hot tea and a muffin.

This whole trip was simply delightful and we drove back home refreshed and relaxed. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who likes spending some time away from the hustle and bustle of city lights and noise.

Recommend Reading:

• A Special Day