The Mill Kitchen & Bar

The Mill Kitchen & Bar Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Calling their cooking at The Mill "modernized" Southern comfort food, co-owners and siblings Scott and Randy McCray created a comfortable establishment whose visual appeal depends on lots of rustic finishes, such as stone and wood, and generous fenestration admitting natural light.

Food & Drinks: The menu emphasizes locally sourced ingredients. North Georgia's Riverview Farms supplies not only certified organic produce but also grass-fed beef raised on certified organic pastures, heritage-breed pork and corn products such as grits and polenta from non-GMO heirloom varieties. Chef Daniel Marteny makes a substantial version of Brunswick stew, a single serving of which satisfies as a main dish for lunch. Sandwiches, such as the Southern Reuben, are huge and shareable. The Cobb salad offers such a variety of ingredients that it, too, makes a substantial meal. A steak at dinner is a good way to go, although we also liked the braised short rib. Trout comes from a North Georgia producer. Dessert continues the Southern theme with pecan pie, bread pudding and layer cakes, some supported by local ice cream maker Jake Rothschild's fine flavors. A raft of fine bourbons, craft brews and handcrafted cocktails supplements the mostly New World-derived wine list. A glass-and-a-half option is available.