MACON, Ga. — No matter how you pronounce the word pecan, you can find some delicious dishes featuring the nut in Macon next week for Georgia Pecan Restaurant Week.
Chef Matt Schleis at Loom, the restaurant in Hotel Forty Five, has been selected to showcase his skills during this year's pecan week. He's created a three course meal with ingredients like pecan flour, pecan oil, and more.
The meal features a Pecan Mushroom Galette appetizer, Pecan-Crusted Rainbow Trout over Creamy Grits with Greens entrée, and a Dark Chocolate Cherry Yuzu Pecan Tart for dessert.
Hotel Forty Five's bar, Hightales, will also have specialty pecan cocktails to pair with your dinner.
They are offering a Pecan-Maple Old Fashioned and a Georgia Brandy cocktail. Both drinks are made with Pecan Liqueur, and the cocktail is served with a wood board of spicy candied pecans and apricot.
For a full menu of both Loom and Hightails pecan specials, you can visit here.
Schleis said he was excited to be chosen for the event, and wanted to push the envelope and make southern dishes that were different than the classics.
"I wanna be able to showcase new, classic, southern, American cuisines, especially Georgia, with Georgia being known for their pecan crops. I just wanna be able to showcase that. I wanna be able to showcase the versatility of the pecan with both savory and dessert, and like I said, just something besides the classic old pecan pie," he said.
Georgia is the nations top producer of pecan crops, and the nut is so versatile in dishes it is a favorite among many Georgia chefs.
Georgia Pecan Restaurant Week starts on Sunday April 8-16. It is sponsored by the Georgia Restaurant Association, as well as the Georgia Pecan Growers Association.
Loom will have pecans on their menu for the full duration of Pecan Week. To make reservations for the event, you can visit Loom's event page here.