When someone says they have eaten their way through a town, they generally mean it figuratively – like they’ve dined at most of the best restaurants, or perhaps sampled a large variety of the notable cuisines.
But when we state we’ve eaten our way through downtown Ball Ground, GA, we mean it literally – as in we’ve eaten at every restaurant located in this quaint little historic town. Ball Ground is a small, rural Georgia town located in Cherokee county, with only 1,500 people, one main thoroughfare through the historic area, and five dining establishments. Thus on its face, we admit our claim is not that significant. However, we were sufficiently impressed by both the variety and quality of our dining in each of these locally-owned restaurants in Ball Ground that we wanted to share our experiences and encourage you to stop in if you’re in the area.
Why would you be in Ball Ground, GA? It’s definitely off the beaten path, so you’re likely traveling to or returning from someplace else.
Ball Ground is located on the far North extreme of I-575, just before it turns into Georgia 515 and continues up past Ellijay and into the Chattahoochee National Forest and Blue Ridge Mountains. We found the town passing through on visits to Gibbs Gardens, Amicacola Falls, Ellijay, Blue Ridge and other hiking, waterfall and Georgia Grown farm attractions in and near the Chattahoochee Forest.
Here’s a summary of our experiences:
Les Bon Temps. Growing up in Louisiana, we’ve had a long-held rule that we don’t eat at Cajun restaurants in other states. But our first visit to Ball Ground was on a Lenten Friday, so what’s a good Catholic boy from South Louisiana to do when seafood only is offered in a Georgia Cajun restaurant? That’s how we made our first visit to Les Bon Temps Louisiana Kitchen, and the excellent experience in the first visit led to subsequent visits. We shared a seafood muffaletta, which was loaded with fresh shrimp, crawfish and catfish, all served on a five-inch bun straight from Gambino’s bakery in New Orleans. On our second visit, we enjoyed a delightful jambalaya and a fully-dressed catfish poboy piled high with sweet, flaky fried catfish and smeared with a spicy remoulade sauce. We’re not exactly sure how an authentic Cajun restaurant popped up in Ball Ground, though we heard there was a lottery winner involved several owners ago. Today, Chef Adam Kimball is keeping it real with lots of authentic Louisiana offerings.
Ball Ground Burger Bus. Without doubt, the Burger Bus is the best known of the Ball Ground dining establishments, thanks in part to its dining location inside a restored 1948 trolley from Atlanta. It’s featured on one of our own favorite road trip research sites, RoadsideAmerica.com, and was rated as one of the Top 100 burgers in Georgia by Georgia Eats Magazine. After driving by on several occasions, we stopped in for a late weekday lunch, and sitting in the bus was as much fun as we anticipated. Our tater tot side with chilli and cheese was excellent, with some of the crispiest tots we’ve ever enjoyed, no easy feat when they are buried under a steaming helping of excellent chili. Our burgers were good – but maybe we had dampened our appetites and dulled our taste buds in advance with those tater tots. We’re going to give it another try on a future visit.
Chef Rosario’s Italian Kitchen. When we posted our notes about Les Bon Temps to our Facebook site, one of our Louisiana high school friends – who also lives in the Atlanta ex-burbs, commented that we had to visit Chef Rosario’s. A quick peak in the window and a glance at the menu confirmed his wisdom. The display case of fresh pastries drew us in, but by the time we finished our lunches, we wound up skipping the sweet treats — a major-league bad decision based on discussions with locals and reviews on the various internet dining sites! The dine-in area is small, and dishes are served on disposable plastics, so this ain’t white table-cloth Italian. But judging by the parade of locals taking home large portions, the family-style, take-out optimized concept appeals to the neighbors. As to the food, ours was phenomenal. My eggplant parmigiana featured lightly-fried eggplant slices covered in a sweet tomato sauce. Our spaghetti and meat sauce lived up to its “homemade” billing, as good as any we’ve enjoyed in authentic neighborhood Italian joints.
Frankfurt Doner and Meats. On our first consideration, we assumed Frankfurt Doner and Meats was a butcher shop – which wasn’t correct. Then, we dubbed it a sausage house. And while they do feature a wide variety of fresh, in-store-made sausages that often blend pork, cheeses and fruit, that description also failed. Maybe sandwich shop would be better. In fact, the answer is “All of the Above.” On multiple visits, we’ve sampled a variety of their sausages, and loved them all – especially those that included spicy or garlicky cheese blended with of maple syrup or bits of peaches or apples. We honestly didn’t believe their Montreal-seasoned burger patties wouldn’t shrink, until we cooked four of them on our home grill and enjoyed their unshrunken, full-flavored beefy glory. The thick-cut smoked pork chops were delightful, especially after we slow-warmed them on low-heat or added them to the grill. On our last visit, we left with a dozen to hold us for a few week. Now we can’t wait to place our holiday order in advance for several of their stuffed pork roasts. Also on my pre-Christmas wishlist: one of Elke’s life-changing soups!
Jill’s Bakes and Cakes. Generally, bakeries have tough going in small towns, as there may not be enough demand to support the investment in people, building and equipment required. But we sincerely hope that Jill’s Cakes and Bakes location, the full-range of sweet goodies and some additional lunch and breakfast business overcome that small-town bakery challenge, because this place rocks. Locals order full cakes and other sweets, while us passers-by tend to stop in for a variety of cupcakes, cannolis, turnovers and sugar treats to satisfy our sweet desires. We walked in intending to get an ice cream cone and maybe a cupcake, and walked out with two boxes of treats that made our us, our son and grandsons happy – their parents, not so much. And if our few photos don’t tickle your fancy for sweets, check out Jill’s own photo gallery.
Amos’ BBQ. We started with a Cajun place, so we’ll throw this one is as a bit of lagniappe, a South Louisiana term for a little something extra. Amos’ BBQ isn’t in the historic district, but about 7 miles beyond it just off Ball Ground Road on Highway 369. Folks, Amos’ BBQ is a real barbeque joint, a small wooden building with tiny indoor seating, a larger outdoor porch-like seating area, and its own wood-splitting operation to feed the pit. We enjoyed lunch plates of pulled pork, chicken and sausage, accompanied by beans, cold slaw and sweet tea. And based on local recommendations, we’ve promised ourselves that if we’re passing by during breakfast hours, we’re going to stop in for some of their famous biscuits.
Like we said to start, eating our way through Ball Ground may not have been impressive based on the size of the town or number of establishments. Nor is Ball Ground likely to be a destination for you. But if you’re passing anywhere nearby, we would recommend without any hesitation stopping in for friendly, hearty, delicious meals at any of these locations.
Things to Do Nearby
If you’re looking for a reason the pass through Ball Ground for a meal, here are some of our favorite attractions and activities that cause us to pass through:
Amicalola Falls. One of our favorite scenic and recreational spots, we hike at Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge year round. It’s also the start of the hike-in trail for the Georgia end of the Appalachian Trail. The lodge, perched on a mountain side, is definitely worth a visit. Take a few extra minutes to enjoy a coffee or cold beverage in the restaurant, near the fireplace, or on the terrace, all overlooking the scenic valley below.
Gibbs Gardens. We “discovered” Gibbs Gardens thanks to a Georgia Grown roadside sign and became season pass holders on our first visit. Jim Gibb’s design and caretaking over God’s glorious garden plants create a constantly-changing color palette throughout the year. Our blog includes the reasons we like to visit in all seasons.
Fausett Farms and Horseback Riding. Fausett Farms is small family farm growing sunflowers, and is open only during the fall season. There’s a parking fee to wander around the sunflower field and farm, and also for horse trailers. If you bring your own horse, it’s $10 for each to ride the trails year-round. You can also
Burt’s Pumpkin Farm. A favorite family fall stop for all your pumpkin needs. Grab a wagon, wander the property, and pick your pumpkin, perfect for pies, preserves and carving. Burt’s Farm is open to visitors during specific seasons and times, so check the website for specifics. You also always can order a wide variety of Burt’s products on the website.
Ellijay and Blue Ridge. Keep driving up I-575 and Georgia State Route 515 and you’re on the way to Ellijay and Blue Ridge. These two towns are the roadside end caps to the Chattahoochee National Forest. We love apple picking in Ellijay, and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is always a favorite with kids of all ages.
