The Butcher and Bottle — Restaurant in Ellijay

Update 6/30/23

Came out to to celebrate the wife's birthday with her sister and my niece. I have a mushroom allergy as stated below, but the chef agreed to make the sauteed scallop risotto without mushrooms.

What an absolute delight. Rosetta was perfectly seasoned, moist and tender. The scallops were cooked perfectly tender to the touch with a nice sear on the outside.

Although they were out of grapefruit juice for one of the drinks that we're offered on the menu, I asked for it if you made blood orange and it was and it was delicious.

The server was a little over ambitious, and seemed to be hurry. Was a little rude clearing the table while having coffee.

Updated 3/3/23

I was contacted by the owner after my recent review. He was a pleasant fellow who was genuinely concerned about our experience, so we agreed to return to the restaurant.

Our reservation was for 6:45 p.m. and we were sat at our table within 5 minutes of arrival. Our drink order was taken within 5 minutes, and we had our drinks shortly thereafter.

On delivery of our drinks I had the vodka grapefruit splash which I highly recommend, the wife had a Pinot grigio, we placed our order for the St. James River raw oysters on a half shell.

We're oyster snobs and these were delicious. I should have ordered 12. After we finished our appetizer, our entree order was taken. A stark improvement from our previous visit.

I ordered the 30 day dry aged New York strip, smashed potatoes and fresh asparagus, and the wife ordered the millionaire burger, (the burger was made from choice ground beef with sliced frogwa, pickled onions and a fig jam) that came with parmesan garlic fries with truffle oil, and the French cheese cake for dessert. The overall presentation on the food was very nicely done.

The steak was cooked and seasoned perfectly, arriving at the table with a medium cook temperature as ordered, the asparagus was cooked to a nice crisp crunch and the potatoes were seasoned nicely.

I can only describe the look of my wife's face as she devoured her burger, as I couldn't taste it because I have a mushroom allergy but she was definitely enjoying the flavor profile of the sweet and savory burger, with a nice kick of acid with the pickled onions.

" Best burger ever" I was told by her lol.

Our server was very pleasant and checked on us often. She was a real sweetheart.

Overall, our experience this time now that they seem to have their system in order, was what we have come to expect when we come to this restaurant. Kudos to the staff for the redemption of our previous visit.

When we first found this place before it was sold and became the butcher and bottle, we were excited to have such fine dining so close to our mountain home.

On this particular trip we were extremely disappointed in the food and the service was horrible.

I had the halibut and risotto, and I clearly stated that I had a mushroom allergy but was assured that there were no mushrooms in the risotto. Well the plate came out and sure enough mushrooms in the risotto. I opted for a fresh plate with polenta. Probably not the best thing to have ordered.

My wife had a lamb dish and she expected it to be a butcher's cut but it was just bits of lamb over rice that was clumpy and stuck together like it had been sitting around for quite some time. Both dishes as a whole lacked seasoning and flavor. The presentation was not that impressive.

The server that we had seem to have no interest in being at work or for her customers. It took 22 minutes for us to get our drink order in and an additional 15 minutes before we could get our food order in.

We did have the pleasure of sitting next to a couple of ladies that were playing guitar and singing some very good harmony and country songs. That was the highlight of the evening.

I do know that there is a transition time between owners and staff once a place has been bought and takes time, so who knows, maybe they'll get it back up to a different standard.

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UPDATE!!! So after communicating with the owners, (which are very responsive) we coordinated a day for my wife and I to come back for a second chance. I do still stand by the first day we went but they did so much to make up for it. We got there about 30 minutes before our reservation but they were able to seat us early. The starter rolls and sweet butter blew away Texas Roadhouse rolls by a landslide! We ordered the beef empanadas for our appetizer and I must say that they were some of the best I’ve had. The seasoning and perfectly cooked crust/tortilla really set up the well prepared beef stuffing. I had the NY strip dinner special with addictively delicious fries and green beans. My wife had the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans. My steak was seasoned, tender, juicy and cooked to absolute perfection! My wife was also very fond of he meatloaf that she described as delicious with a twist when she tried the chopped tomato and onion topping. She stated that her mashed potatoes were very flavorful and you could tell that they were definitely homemade. Our service was just as excellent as before and the manager made sure we were taken care of and was completely welcoming and thankful for us giving the second chance and I’m glad we did. Thank you B&B for making things right. We will be back. Also, welcome to Ellijay!

Initial review posted below

I’ll start off by saying that I went here weekly when it was Emily’s Bar and Restaurant, I was really bummed when they sold to B&B but still wanted to give it a chance so I waited a while after they opened so they would have everything worked out and going smoothly. Well, after high hopes all week planned on going for a good steak I was highly disappointed. I should have known when going in at dinner time they weren’t even half as packed as Emily’s would be on a Friday evening but I ignored the signs and gave them their shot. Our service was amazing and I can't remember our server but I know she said she was Hawaiian. My wife got her Rockefeller oysters and said the seasoning was overpowering and when our main courses came they looked pretty good. My wife had the Scallop Risotto and I had their prime rib dinner special. After trying to start on our dinner we realized both entrees were topped off with large flakes of salt (why salt seafood that's already salty?) He fought through that and I scraped it off my steak and as I started on it I could barely cut through. At one point I thought my knife was going to break. There was so much fat and grissle that the steak was so tough. It looked horrible but I still tried. Honestly the worst steak of my life. Between the sawing and chewing by the time I made it halfway my jaw and arm were sore from the chewing and hacking not to mention constantly swatting at flies. I let my server know my opinion and that I wasn't trying for a discount so I paid and left. I'll never be back nor refer people to them. Hopefully something better come along soon. Until then I can get a better steak...

In summary, we were left with a measure of disappointment.

We went on a relatively slow Tuesday night, with reservations, and seated right by the front door. The host, waitress and manager were all very friendly and attentive. The service was fine, however, when we were assured the Oysters Rockefeller did not contain any bacon/pork, we assumed that inquiry would inform the other menu items. We assumed incorrectly, as we ordered the "Seared snapper with roasted corn medley, asparagus and garlic herb butter" the waitress would alert us if any bacon or pork was included. Once the dish arrived, we instantly spotted the bacon all through the corn. The waitress was quick to replace the dish without bacon, so I tip my hat to their service. The flavor/taste of the snapper was mediocre. We also ordered the lobster hush puppies, which was a bit overlooked (with burnt portions) and very little lobster (taste or portions of meat). Again, underwhelmed.

I ordered the classic Wine Braised Short ribs over mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. It's one of my favorite dishes that I often order when dining a restaurants known for their steaks. Unfortunately, The Butcher and Bottle's version of this dish was also underwhelming. Typically the braised short ribs are fork tender and oozing with deep beef flavor. My dish there was neither, and gave the impression it was made else where and reheated I don't want to go so far as to say it was pre-packaged, as I know the time it takes to properly braise the beef. Nevertheless, we left the majority of the meat on the plate as it was bland and chewy.

It may have been an off night, no doubt, and judging by the vibe and atmosphere and service why they receive so many positive reviews. If we return, we will order...