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In the days after Thanksgiving, the parking lots at the North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville were packed as throngs of bargain shoppers angled for off-price Coach bags and Ralph Lauren sweaters.

But the best bargain was just up the road.

Bob Andres/AJC (ENLARGE)
The roasted duck breast with skin-on mashed potatoes and green beans is a triumph of flavor and texture. The duck, in a smoky-sweet cherry sauce, is velvet on the fork.
Bob Andres/AJC (ENLARGE)
Roasted golden beet with a red beet and truffle oil vinaigrette.
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The Blue Bicycle, a 15-table bistro in a nondescript shopping center not a quarter-mile from the outlet complex, is a stunning value. For the price of a few rounds of blinged-out cocktails in Midtown, diners can enjoy an exquisite meal that showcases both the talents of an experienced chef and the bounty of local farmers.

Guy and Kati Owen, who moved from Chamblee to north Forsyth County 11 years ago, bought the restaurant in 2005. His executive-chef experience includes stints at private clubs including the Ashford Club and Druid Hills Golf Club. Her background is in the catering and hospitality end of fine dining. The menu changes frequently, reflecting what's in season. Guy Owen's creations use herbs he and Kati grow themselves, and they get much of their produce from local farmers.

The blue bicycle on the wall, by the way, is Guy's old bike. He couldn't part with it when he upgraded to new wheels, and it hung in their garage for years. Now it hangs in their restaurant.

The menu

The clubby New American menu ranges from dolled-up comfort food to culinary elegance.

An excellent earthy, robust mushroom soup was on special the night we dined. Another starter, billed as Oysters Rockefeller, was more like a minicasserole, baked in a ramekin, rather than on the half-shell. The soup was the superior choice. The regulars all around us, meanwhile, were diving into mountains of hand-cut potato chips, festooned with bleu cheese crumbles.

Flatiron steak and frites, featuring a tumble of perfectly crisp fries and bleu cheese, is the sort of men's-grill favorite that will reward retail-weary husbands who would have preferred football to outlet shopping. The roasted duck breast with skin-on mashed potatoes and green beans is a triumph of flavor and texture. The duck, in a smoky-sweet cherry sauce, is velvet on the fork. The potatoes are just smooth enough and the haricot verts are perfectly al dente.

The well-balanced wine list features numerous labels from North Georgia's burgeoning wine industry, including reds and whites from Frogtown and Wolf Mountain.

For now, the Blue Bicycle seems to have cornered the market on fine dining in the area immediately orbiting this popular destination for holiday shoppers. As more metro residents head north for vacation or retirement homes, bringing their sophisticated palates with them, it's likely other foodie destinations will arrive. The Blue Bicycle should fit in nicely as a culinary pioneer.

The scene

With its bamboo shades, jazz and bluegrass on the speakers and banquette seating, Blue Bicycle is a soothing respite after the sensory overload of the mall next door. The service, though, was a little uneven. We were welcomed warmly and our waitperson arrived directly. We ordered wine by the glass, yet our server uncorked the bottles at the table. Charming. Strangely, though, only a few tables were presented with bread baskets. Apparently we didn't make the cut. The restaurant was only half-full the night we went, yet a loud and gabby trio was seated right next to us. During the latter part of our visit our meal was accompanied by their rollicking discussion of odd-ball relatives, a recently perfected spaghetti recipe and the joyous news that a friend's infertility crisis was solved by acupuncture. I would have appreciated a little geography between us and our effervescent neighbors, although in fairness, I should note that my husband was thoroughly entertained.