appetizer (ˈa-pə-ˌtī-zər) noun
1. A small portion of a food or drink served before or at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the desire to eat. (Dictionary.com) 2. The best of a restaurant’s tried-and-true menu items which are either perfected or somehow elevated to a new level. (The DiG)
Start your meal off right! While looking over the menu for your mains, be sure to check out these Favorite in Gwinnett (F.I.G.) shareable plates:
PIMENTO CHEESE
LOCAL REPUBLIC | LAWRENCEVILLE
The kitchen at Local Republic sure knows the way to one’s heart—cheese, carbs, bacon and heat! Their homemade pimento cheese is a must-try option, piled on toasted baguettes and topped with crispy bacon and jalapenos. Sounds simple enough, but if you try to recreate this at home, it just doesn’t have the same decadence as that made by the chefs here at LR!
APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON
UNCLE JACK’S MEAT HOUSE | DULUTH
The theme for Uncle Jack’s is meat and they execute it fully with interesting decor like meat hook bar lighting and a creatively displayed hanging bacon appetizer. Be sure to indulge yourself in Applewood-smoked bacon with a chipotle maple glaze and homemade peanut butter for dipping. So many flavors, so much sticky goodness! Expect to be licking your fingers afterwards.
CHEESE STICKS
JEFFREY’S SPORTS GRILL | BRASELTON
A wise “bar food” lover once said, “the measure of a good cheese appetizer should be the distance it can stretch across the table.” Jeffery’s Sports Grill serves hands down the BEST cheese sticks. Fresh mozzarella is rolled in parmesan breadcrumbs and deep fried to a perfect golden yellow. The chunky marinara isn’t bad either!
BATTERED & FRIED ONION
RINGS BARE BONES STEAKHOUSE | BUFORD
These are EVERYTHING you want in an appetizer. Fried, sweet, spicy and cheesy. The sweet Vidalia onions are wrapped in a crispy batter, then drizzled in Georgia honey and dusted with grana cheese and red pepper flakes. It’s like a plate of surprising donuts and sinfully delicious.
GRIT FRITTERS
GOOD WORD BREWING | DULUTH
The menu description reads “collards, bacon vinaigrette, apple and micro mustards,” but let’s break this down as the rock star here is the fritter! Good Word’s grit fritters are amazing balls of deliciousness that reaffirm why grits are a versatile and necessary Southern staple. Then enter the sideshow—with a delectable combination of bacon vinaigrette, apple and more in every bite, these guys pair with the crispy, melt-in-your-mouth fritters to create a harmony of true culinary brilliance. What’s not in the description might just be the best part, however! This plate of love is topped with thin slices of fried pig ear that is insanely delicious and not nearly as weird as it sounds—although we do dig the weird…