Yonah Burger

 

Right off Helen Hwy in Cleveland, GA sits a little gem of a burger joint. Yonah Burger, small, nothing fancy, over looking a horse farm, walk up counter, food served in baskets, and drinks served in styrofoam kind of gem. 

I will start with something I typically hate....fried pickles. I HATE pickles. Dill, sweet, bread and butter, spicy, I hate them all. I have tried fried pickles at many different places and it was not a good experience. I figured if you fry it has to improve it, but so far no luck. That is until my visit to Yonah Burger last weekend. The pickles are sliced thin so you don't get that overpowering taste of the pickle. Then there is the breading. Oh my gosh this breading. I have no idea what it is, but it's heaven on earth. I couldn't stop eating them. Of course they are served with ranch and that makes anything fried just a little better. My husband agreed with me on this subject, their fried pickles are the best we have ever had. 

Now I will move on to their shake. I didn't order a shake, but of course I couldn't talk about it on here if I didn't take a little taste of my husband's. Um, it was good. When he ordered it the lady behind the counter told us a little boy mentioned to her recently that she made the best shakes. He was telling the truth. My husband got chocolate and the consistency and sweetness was just spot on.

And finally the most important thing, the burger. It wasn't what I expected. I expected something very small, kind of like what you would get The Varsity in Atlanta. It wasn't a huge burger by any means, but it certainly wasn't small. The meat they serve you is fresh, never frozen which is pretty cool for a fast food joint. I opted for the plain cheeseburger, but they offer a bacon cheeseburger, mushroom and swiss, and a chili cheese burger. They also offer a turkey and garden burger if you are trying to watch your weight as well as a variety of sandwiches.

I have passed by this place many times on the way to Helen and never stopped because I wanted to eat in downtown Helen. Not anymore. Do yourself a favor, when you drive by it, STOP!!

Madison, GA

My husband and I were supposed to spend this weekend in Charleston, SC, but when he woke up the day before our trip with a fever of 103.6, our trip was canceled. Since we were off work on Friday and he had been on antibiotics for almost 48 hours we decided to head down to Madison, GA. 

I have lived in Georgia for almost 11 years and have always wanted to check this quaint little town out. The main square is dotted with antique stores, gift shops, restaurants, and ice cream shops surrounded on all sides by beautiful homes dating back to the 1800's. 

We started out with lunch at Perk Avenue. Their menu consists of gourmet sandwiches, salads, and soup. They also have a case with beautiful cakes, brownies, quiche, and muffins. The atmosphere is even better with original tin ceilings and beautiful old wood floors. We decided to go with something simple: ham and cheese croissant with a cup of lobster bisque. It totally hit the spot. The temps were in the low 70's that day with a light breeze and overcast skies. It was the perfect fall day for soup and a sandwich.  Although the soup was a bit on the salty side, I would for sure go back for more. 

After lunch we walked around the outskirts of the main square to look at the old homes. On our way back we stopped in The Madison Produce Company for some local honey. Their produce display was beautiful and they also carried local grass-fed beef. 

We ended our trip to Madison with a scoop of homemade cinnamon ice cream from Antique Sweets. 

Madison was definitely worth the 2.5 hour day trip.