Back Porch Oyster Bar, Dahlonega, Georgia

The lovely Back Porch Oyster Bar. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The first time you see the Back Porch Oyster Bar in quaint little Dahlonega, Georgia, you might think you have been tricked into a time space continuum – and isn’t it always interesting when that happens? – and you have been transported to Key West or some other, equally fabulous coastal town.

But no.

You are still in the mountains of North Georgia; it’s just that the owners, Lee and Trish Creef, are natives of coastal North Carolina and happen to think everyone deserves really, really fresh seafood – even in the mountains of North Georgia. And we are so very, very lucky that they think this because every bite you are going to eat at their kitschy and quite lovely restaurant is going to be delicious.

Located right in Dahlonega’s historic downtown, the restaurant is classy yet comfortable and has a wonderful porch area that would be perfect for dining in the spring and summer. We were lucky enough to be served personally by the owners who were just so sweet, friendly and concerned that we like everything that they proceeded to bring us every single item from the kitchen.

Not that we are complaining.

Trish asked if it was OK for her to choose what to serve us and, not being fools and realizing that Trish would bring us the best they had to offer, we instantly agreed.

Lost in a haze of culinary deliciousness, I’m not exactly sure in what order we had the appetizers. Yes, I said appetizerS. So just let me tell you about each one and how completely wonderful they were. Each one was better than the last and each one was presented in the epitome of graciousness with accompanying garnishes and swirls of sauce that made you want to immediately scarf them down.

Fair warning.

You are probably going to want to eat after you read this. And if you are nowhere near Dahlonega, Georgia so you can eat at the Back Porch Oyster Bar?

I am so sorry for you.

One of the first items Trish brought to us was what appeared to be some sort of chips and dip. Being a huge fan of chips and dip, I proceeded to try this and then I almost expired from the deliciousness. Not only was the dip itself wonderful, the chips were hot, fresh and completely unique. Trish informed us that they were simply tortillas cut into pieces and fried. I vowed to go home and attempt this immediately.

Seriously, Best chips EVAH.

Next, we had Seared Ahi Tuna. Now I am just going to admit that, up to this point in time, I thought tuna was just something you dumped out of a can and mixed with mayonnaise.

I could not have been more wrong.

This seared, rare tuna was absolutely delicious.

Seared Ahi Tuna

I’m not a fan of calamari as I can never get the vision of “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” out of my head – remember the huge squid attacking the ship – and the thought of eating something with suckers squees me right out. However, Tom sampled this and pronounced it delicious. So, calamari fans – order this.

Thai Chili Calamari

There are a few culinary items in which I consider myself to be a bit of a connoisseur, crab cakes being one. Many crab cakes have too many crumbs, the cooks shred their crab until it is a mushy mess, or the crab cakes just have no flavor. That is so not the case at the Back Porch Oyster Bar. Our crab cake was absolutely scrumptious. Luckily, Tom is a not a huge crab cake fan so I had it all to myself.

My precioussssss.

Crab Cake

While one of my favorite seafood choices is crab cakes, Tom is a huge fan of scallops. So he was thrilled when Trish brought out these sea scallops. Served in Cilantro Butter over Lemon Wilted Baby Spinach and Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes, we were enamored with this dish.

Pan Seared Giant Sea Scallops Florentine

We were getting a little full at this point but Trish insisted we had to try this completely delicious seafood stew which had shrimp, bacon and some other ingredients I can’t remember which melded together into a delightful repast.

Seafood Stew

Now, at this point, you might be thinking we were absolutely full to bursting and did not in any way need dessert. This is probably true.

But we had it anyway.

And I am so very glad.

Because apparently when they put sour cream and apples together into a pie at the Back Porch Oyster Bar, it turns into a plate of deliciousness.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Somehow, we managed to extricate ourselves from our chairs and waddle out of the restaurant, marveling the entire time at how wonderful every single bite had tasted. So. If you are ever in Dahlonega, Georgia or even anywhere in the state of Georgia, no matter how far you have to drive, go to the Back Porch Oyster Bar.

And tell Trish we sent you.

Full disclosure: Our dinner was provided by the Back Porch Oyster Bar but as always, I will share my honest opinion about any travel experiences I have.

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