A Marvelous Experience

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: August 2024 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

We were delighted when we made reservations at Lakeside Restaurant, not simply because this little jewel on the shore of Harris Lake is nothing short of top-tier dining.

Manager Kelly Reeme announced that we’d be seated out on the patio at Golden Hour, a sublime experience that I’ve been waiting 20 years to experience.

(This is probably a good time to mention that if you’re serious about your Plateau Dining Experience, you need to get into the habit of making your reservations as soon as possible. I tried to make reservations a week in advance and was placed on the Wait List. A rare Saturday night cancellation secured our table, otherwise we’d be running this review in our October Issue.)

When we arrived however, we were saddened to learn that the threat of a summer thunderstorm meant that all the patio people were going to be dining indoors, in Lakeside’s soon-to-be-strained-to-capacity dining room.

I mention this easy-to-dismiss detail because it spotlights one of this Highlands Dining Experience’s unsung strengths – its impeccably trained staff, who boosted the room’s seating capacity by a third without missing a beat, without sacrificing the relaxing ambiance, or crimping their relentlessly cheerful façade.

This so-happy-to-serve-you mantra is a hallmark of Lakeside Restaurant.

As evidence, let me submit a tale from 1993 when then-owners Marty Rosenfield and Donna Woods invited Miss Chalker’s Great Beginnings class at Highlands School to their kitchen to learn how to make desserts. My son Alex was one of those pseudo-sous chefs, and the experience left him with a passion for cooking and for indulging in fine food. They were instrumental in founding and managing the Highlands Food Pantry, which has enriched countless local families.

Lakeside, under the aegis of owner Laura Huerta, has continued to support the Plateau’s people and charitable causes.

And that generosity of spirit is felt within the restaurant as well.
When we arrived for our July meal, we were welcomed by Kelly, who remembered us from previous visits and asked about our lives in this busy season.

Our server Sue continued the conversation, apologizing for the “coziness” of the hastily re-arranged dining room. She was bright and composed and heaps of fun as she outlined the specials in a spirit that I can only classify as “Highlands-y.”

And then there was Merrell, who wasn’t assigned to our table, but stopped by to ask about Alex, whom she’d first encountered decades ago. How’s that for a burst of small-town friendliness?

And we were charmed by Laura, who made a point to visit every table and engage in the sort of small talk that’s been keeping people returning to the restaurant for generations.

The servers pinballed around the little dining room with a grace that recalled the complex slide-step motions of a ballet company. It was fun to watch, and it somehow mirrored the wonderful paintings that adorn the walls – warm and silly local animals engaged in human-adjacent occupations. I challenge you not to smile at these whimsical creations.

But of course, all of those high spirits, all of the fun adornments, would be for naught if the kitchen couldn’t deliver, and our table was delighted that Chef Kevin Turner’s high standards paid off in spades.

Among the dishes presented in short order were Hazelnut Encrusted Halibut, Crab Cakes, and Stuffed Rainbow Trout.

It’s an eternal mystery how seafood so fresh could be served in a landlocked mountain town a thousand miles from the Gulf. Laura assures me that the trout wasn’t pulled from Harris Lake an hour before it

ended up on our table.
Well, I’ve squandered my word count by going on and on about the warm service and genuine delights built into this place, and I don’t have room to tell you how much we enjoyed our meal.

I’ve written before in these pages about the culinary treats served up, but I wanted to underline what a marvelous experience it is to visit Lakeside Restaurant.

Be sure to make reservations for this little jewel on the shore of Harris Lake by calling (828) 526-9419. View the menu online at  lakesiderestaurant.info.

by Luke Osteen
photos by Susan Renfro