The Deliberate Detour
There are some Sunday afternoons that ask absolutely nothing of you except to enjoy them.
This was one of those.
On a beautiful early fall afternoon in Blue Ridge, Georgia, Tom and I found ourselves at Ferraro’s Kitchen — and somewhere between the second-floor patio, the Italian music drifting softly through the background, and the first sip of my apple cocktail, Blue Ridge began to feel a little less like North Georgia and a little more like Italy.
The weather could not have cooperated more beautifully. It wasn’t too hot, there was just enough of a breeze, and our table outside felt peaceful, romantic and wonderfully unhurried.
Exactly the sort of setting that makes you decide there is absolutely no reason to rush lunch.
A Little Something Different
We began by sharing the Caesar salad, which was more than generous enough for two.
And while a Caesar salad may not normally be the thing you remember from an Italian meal, this one had a lovely little twist: crispy prosciutto. It was unexpected, just different enough, and such a good addition to something familiar.
Then came the main event.
Tom chose the Fiocchi di Pere e Gorgonzola — delicate pear-filled pasta pillows with a creamy Gorgonzola sauce and white truffle oil. Sweet pear, rich cheese and tender pasta made for one of those combinations that sounds intriguing on the menu and tastes even better once it arrives at the table.
His verdict? Amazing.
I opted for the homemade soup of the day, a beautiful minestrone. It was comforting, flavorful and delicious — and a few extra spoonfuls of grated cheese over the top somehow made it even better. Because, really, everyone knows cheese makes everything taste better. Ha!
It was the kind of simple Italian food that doesn’t need to show off. It just needs to be good.
And it was.
The People Matter, Too
But as much as we enjoyed the food, part of what made the afternoon so memorable was our server, Mattia.
Mattia is the owner’s son, and he was simply wonderful — personable, attentive and easy to talk with from the moment we sat down.
He told us that he had previously worked at the family’s Miami restaurant before moving to Blue Ridge about two years ago to work here.
As we chatted, we also learned that the family’s presence in Blue Ridge extends beyond Ferraro’s Kitchen. Right next door is Bites by Ferraro, along with their sushi concept nearby.
There was something particularly nice about hearing that story directly from Mattia. It made the restaurant feel less like a business we happened to visit and more like a family endeavor we had been invited to experience for the afternoon.
Good service can make a meal pleasant. Personal service makes it memorable.
And, Naturally… Cannoli
There was really only one appropriate way to finish.
Cannoli.
Crisp shells, creamy ricotta filling and exactly the sort of ending an afternoon pretending you are in Italy deserves.
By then, the wine glasses had emptied, the breeze was still moving gently across the patio, and the Italian music continued in the background.
We were in absolutely no hurry to leave.
And maybe that was my favorite part.
Not one grand moment. Not one extravagant dish.
Just the combination of beautiful weather, delicious food, wonderful service, a handsome man sitting across from me and an afternoon that invited us to linger.
The Deliberate Detour Verdict
Would we go back? Absolutely.
Ferraro’s Kitchen gave us something I always hope to find on a Deliberate Detour: not simply a good meal, but a sense of place.
For a couple of hours on an early fall Sunday afternoon, we stepped away from ordinary life, sat above the streets of Blue Ridge with Italian music playing and let ourselves be transported.
We went to Blue Ridge for the afternoon.
Somehow, we ended up in Italy.
And that was a detour worth taking.
Travel discerningly. Love deeply. Live deliberately.
