Tucked onto one of the shores of Lake Toxaway is a dining experience – not just a place to dine.
Sometimes just good food is enough. However, The Restaurant at Greystone Inn delivers so much more. Mostly an elevated dining restaurant, the establishment that is in-site of the iconic Greystone Inn also serves up history, exceptional wines, beautiful views, and extraordinary service.
For individuals visiting or living on the Plateau who are not familiar with this restaurant, it is an offering of the Greystone Inn. It all grew out of a vacation home established at Lake Toxaway by Lucy and her husband, George Armstrong, a prominent Savannah, Georgia, businessman at the turn of the 20th century. Affluent socialites, the Armstrongs entertained at their home the likes of such historically recognizable families as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Firestones. For many years the couple enjoyed the property, and Lucy continued to live there, remarrying after George died.
She died in 1970, but the home was eventually purchased by an Atlanta family and developed into what it is today: an offering of relaxing accommodations, spa services, and – of course – The Restaurant, with its seasonal cuisine consisting of much locally raised fare.
Steeped in history and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is no wonder that the inn is replete with Armstrong antiques, books, and accessories.
However, the restaurant is as well – giving the interior an ambiance of a cozy, but sophisticated, mountain home. The stone fireplace is often lit and features a hand-hewn beam mantel decorated with antique baskets, dried flowers, and vintage bottles.
Sumptuous leather seating vignettes add to the home-like feel, as does the ceiling punctuated with beams and real deer antler chandeliers.
But contrasting the lodge decor is the vast wine selection – around 150 varieties – which decorates paneled walls via horizontal wine displays. Wine bottles are also arranged on room-dividing bar carts.
Most all of the upholstered dining chairs pulled up to polished wood tables are within view of Lake Toxaway.
Yet, as lovely as the lake is – and as sensory-focused is the interior and exterior experience overall – the main attention at The Restaurant is on the food. The menu is not extensive, but the delicious descriptions of the seasonally changing items make choosing difficult.
Manager Jack Johnson explained that the menu typically presents variations on a crab cake starter and a trout entrée. When I visited The Restaurant in the spring, the crabcake was creatively wrapped around a small pimento cheese souffle and topped with a tarragon aioli. Polenta and an apple cider coulis accompanied the pecan-crusted trout. The Angus beef tenderloin was cooked to perfection – medium rare to my liking.
While the menu theme is decidedly American overall, influences abound. A tuna poke included kimchi, avocado, pickled ginger, unagi sauce, and wasabi potato chips. Carolina Gold rice from South Carolina was paired with the pork tenderloin dish, and chimichurri flavored the crab-stuffed salmon.
The Restaurant caters to vegans and gluten-free diners as well. Plus, fun for kids is the popular and distinct Fairy Bread topped with butter and sprinkles.
A Sunday brunch has everything from yummy buttermilk biscuits with locally made jam to avocado toast on locally made sourdough bread to poached eggs with prosciutto and asparagus.
Desserts are delightfully arranged and must-tries. An almond crème Brule with swirls of caramelized turbinado sugar and a cobbler packed with fresh mountain berries and topped with a streusel are just a few options.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention the stellar service. Of all the countless establishments all over the globe at which I have dined (including the top-rated Plaza in New York City or an exclusive restaurant in Finland), The Restaurant is the first to pull up a folded, cloth stool next to my chair on which to set my purse so that it was not on the floor. That’s service!
I ended my time at The Restaurant at Greystone Inn satiated on so many levels – fine food and wine, interesting history and natural beauty, and an atmosphere beckoning me to return.
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