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A banner celebrating Executive Chef Marc Suennemann's recent win at an international competition is easy to spot as we pull into Château Élan Winery and Resort, indicating that this I-85 landmark is about more than wine.

Le Clos is the most upscale of the resort's seven restaurants, wowing diners with a splurge-worthy five-course meal, priced at $74 per person. Suennemann and his team showcase their unique creations, with the chef describing it as a place where the group likes to "show off our creativeness."

Kimberly Smith/AJC (ENLARGE)
Le Clos' gulf red snapper, the main dish in its five-course meal, is accompanied by a crispy potato crust, red wine sauce, caramelized shallots and a sweet pea coulis.
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Suennemann has much to display. He beat chefs from around the world in April to win the fifth annual Copper Skillet Championship near Park City, Utah. Another goal: to appear on "Iron Chef," which might happen next year.

Luxurious ingredients, including caviar and black truffles, contribute to an extravagant dining experience at this restaurant near the Gwinnett County line. The menu combines French cuisine with American, and even has hints of Asian influences. The service has a few missteps, but the chance to savor one-of-a-kind dishes in an intimate setting makes Le Clos worthy of major celebrations of your own.

SEASONAL OFFERINGS

The menu is centered around what Suennemann describes as the freshest seasonal ingredients he and his staff can find. Those include giant fava beans, which appear in the lobster ravioli, and gulf red snapper. But that also means the menu changes often, with Suennemann saying the dishes we tried probably will remain on the menu for another month. Diners can choose from four choices for each course, which consist of the entrée, deuxième plat, plat principal and dessert, called sweet endings. The only unexpected item is the champagne sorbet, created for the intermezzo course.

CREATIVE CRUSTACEANS

The chef's amuse bouche, tuna tartare on a cucumber round, topped with caviar, starts the meal. The small teaser sets the tone, balancing out the dry rolls that we layer with butter to make more appealing (the bread is not made on-site). Our entrée, the crusted prawn (other options include a salmon trio, petite niçoise and venison tataki), has a thin breading that sticks well. The prawn is placed on top of sweet seaweed salad, whose flavor mixes well with it.

The must-have dish in the deuxième plat course is the open-faced lobster ravioli. It's recommended by our waitress, although she sounded too mechanical in describing top choices in each course as she went from table to table. Nevertheless, the deconstructed dish is unlike anything we've seen. Perfectly cooked pieces of lobster are placed on top of a piece of fresh pasta and covered with a rich sauce, fava and lima beans and sliced black truffles. Another choice, the crab and mango salad, is a refreshing bite, but pales in comparison to the lobster dish. Other selections include a wild boar chop and a warm tomato tart.

OOHHS AND AAHHS

While eating the champagne sorbet, a nearby couple celebrating their 30th anniversary also gobbled up the small goblet of the chilly course. The husband remarked that it was the first time in their marriage they had a palate cleanser between courses. It paves the way for the largest course. The gulf red snapper is expertly prepared and topped with a crispy potato crust and a red wine sauce. Two wonderfully seared sea scallops demonstrate that fine dining doesn't have to be fussy. Their counterpart on the plate, a braised veal cheek, is accompanied by au jus that also works well on the pureed celeriac that tastes like an upscale version of mashed potatoes. Roasted quail and rib-eye also are options.

BEFORE YOU GO

The portions are sized just right, allowing room for dessert. Three choices are on the menu: banana tarte tartin, fruit napoleon and chocolate lava cake. The cake is the ultimate indulgence. A lighter option, the fruit napoleon, also excels, with raspberry mousse and a lemony vanilla mousse layered among phyllo dough baked in a circle. The taste of the crust is reminiscent of sweetened corn flakes.

SETTING THE SCENE

Le Clos is defined in resort material as a name given to a specific vineyard that would be bordered by a stone wall so everyone would know its boundaries. But the location of Le Clos doesn't completely fit that definition. It has a separate canopied entrance at the winery, but once seated, we were frequently distracted by the wait staff passing through noisy swinging doors that open to the adjacent Café Elan. Resort officials say they plan to replace the doors this month.

Diners are advised that the meal will last 2-2 1/2 hours, and while ours fell into that time period, the first and second courses took longer than expected. Suennemann says the timing issues are among the challenges. The kitchen isn't inside the restaurant and the wait staff has to travel through Café Elan to reach Le Clos. On a trip back from the bathroom, we noticed some dishes being assembled near a hostess stand for both restaurants.

Inside the 28-seat Le Clos, a center fountain trickles as diners eat in hushed tones. Décor don'ts include two walls of mirrors that date the restaurant. A large wine rack anchors one end of the restaurant.

As the sun set, the faux finish on the walls took on a glowing tone, adding to the romantic setting.