Scott's on the square
110 Main Street SW
Gainesville, GA 30501
ph: 770-536-1111
info@scottsonthesquare.com
It’s all about the freshest ingredients when it comes to the menu items that Scott Dixon offers at Scott’s on the Square in Gainesville.
“I talk with my food purveyors every day to find the freshest seafood, produce and meats,” says Dixon, who owns Scott’s on the Square. “Also, I’m no stranger to the local farmers’ markets to select seasonal items to include on the menu and in our daily ‘Fresh List’ offerings.”
The Fresh List is the name for the daily specials that Dixon serves at his restaurant, tempting items that aren’t offered on the regular menu, but instead are in response to market availability and Dixon’s passion for cooking. The Fresh List is part of Dixon’s continuing commitment to being creative in the kitchen with new food combinations, special seasonings and traditional favorites.
For instance, his fresh seafood offerings follow the season, with Yellow-Fin tuna and halibut are the fishes of choice in the late summer and early fall, but then the wild salmon and salt-water striped bass are the fish that are served in October and November.
“The fish seasons overlap somewhat and so we’re always offering specials when we have access to different kinds of fish, but some people don’t realize that fish varieties are seasonal if you want the best and freshest,” Dixon says. One of his recent dishes featured Triple Tail African fish, grilled with fresh key lime juice and served with a watermelon vinaigrette. “You wouldn’t ordinarily think of these flavors together but the entrée was a big success.”
Dixon and his wife Kay opened Scott’s on the Square in December 2007 in the former location of another restaurant. They took the large space and created a sense of intimate dining with the décor, casual chic with a custom-made mahogany bar, a large wine display wall and floor-to-ceiling draperies. It has a New York/European feel that’s very inviting.
Tony Driskell is a regular fixture who has been with Scott since the beginning. “Tony’s an excellent mixologist and my bar manager,” Dixon says. “He’s been invaluable.”
Having a restaurant has long been a goal for Dixon, who started out in the restaurant business at age 13 as a busboy. Over the years he has worked in a number of restaurants, but he has also had a successful business career. “I’ve always loved to cook and I knew someday that I would own a restaurant, and now I’m following my dream,” he says. “I’m the guy who went to business school, not chef school. but I’ve always had a passion for cooking.”
Dixon explains that his creativity comes from various places, but that his knowledge of foods. “It could be a taste, a smell or an emotion that sparks my culinary creativity,” he says. “I’m not afraid of putting together unique combinations of seasonings and foods. You just have to have an understanding of your ingredients and their tastes.”
The menu at Scott’s changes seasonally, but some of the items stay the same. He’s known for his grilled bourbon salmon and Chilean sea bass, as well as the USDA prime filet mignon. “I’m the only restaurant within a 40-mile radius that serves prime meat; most serve choice, and it really makes a difference as far as I’m concerned.” His Carpaccio of prime beef appetizer has been popular since day one, as has the traditional iceberg wedge salad, a crispy quarter of a head of lettuce topped with bacon, blue cheese crumbles, copped tomatoes and blue cheese dressing.
Desserts that have remained popular include the crème brulee, the chocolate ganache with three shot glasses of whole milk, and the cinnamon raisin bread pudding with warm bourbon sauce with a hint of chocolate.
Scott’s on the Square is open Tuesdays through Sundays for dinner. The bar opens at 4:30 p.m. and dinner service begins at 5 p.m. Saturday nights from 7 to 9:30 p.m. feature live entertainment and the first Sunday of the month is Open Mike Jazz Jam from 6:30 p.m.
For more information about Scott’s, visit www.scottsonthesquare.com or call 770-536-1111.
