Finding a Gem in Lilburn

After looking in both Decatur and Lawrenceville, Chef Matthew Murphy chose Lilburn as the spot to open Three Blind Mice Restaurant, Wine Bar & Market.

"We really wanted to be in the area, to have a sense of being in this community," says Murphy, a Mountain Park resident and Le Cordon Bleu graduate. "There seemed to be a lack of options for food done well in this area, but we knew that if we opened here, that we'd have community support."

So far, so good.

The restaurant has only been open six months, but already has a regular following and come close to selling out of some dishes almost any given night.

Tuesday nights, good friends, Jill Griffith of Grayson and Diana DalZotto of Stone Mountain, meet at Three Blind Mice to catch up.

"We love this place," says Griffith. "You can't beat the food or the atmosphere."

Nearby, a group of ladies who call themselves "The Dining Divas" have come in for the first time, sitting at the large farm table that Chef Murphy's sister, who is a designer in Buckhead, found for the restaurant. The group goes out for dinner once a month and tonight, each has ordered something different off the menu, so they could all "taste" each of the entrees.

While Murphy's seasonal menu changes, the 22-year veteran of the restaurant business says that by doing that, it assures him of keeping what's fresh on plates. The current menu boasts dishes like Steak Diane, Shrimp and Grits and Pork Schnitzel, all made in-house with complex flavor.

Appetizers include Lump Crab Cakes with pink grapefruit and a brown butter and mustard hollandaise. There's also a cheese board that varies in its varieties daily, but on a recent visit included Manchego, Stilton Blue and goat cheese, along with almonds, jam and crusty bread; just enough to go with a glass of wine before dinner.

Also in-house is a small market, where you can purchase organic coffees, teas and a wide selection of wines and beer.

The wines come from all over the world: Argentina, Australia, France, Spain, New Zealand, Germany, Greece and the U.S. The beer selection rivals many area liquor stores, with the more familiar names, like: Terrapin, Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head and Highland Brewing Company. But, also included are several beers worth trying, if you have not already: Innis & Ginn, Ommegang, Bell's, Allagash and Weyerbacher.

In the small business strip that the restaurant occupies, where a sports bar called Spike's once was, the décor is upscale, yet casual. There's a high table made from the metal ceiling tiles that were left in the building when the team came in to renovate. The lighting fixtures are old-factory lights found at the Scott's Antique Mart. The chef says that an old champagne bottle drying rack is home to the coffee mugs used for service by the restaurant and bar.

"It took a lot of work to make it look so good," he said, going on to explain that it took two containers of Naval Jelly to clean it up. He and his five partners, who all live in Mountain Park, (with the exception of his mother), did almost all the renovations themselves with the number 3 and different versions of mice punctuating the walls, bookshelves and seating areas.

Chef Murphy says that the restaurant really just wants to become "a good place for food and drink," hoping that its grassroots approach will continue to catch on, helping it become more a part of the community as its grows.

Perhaps one of the most interesting events that the restaurant hosts is its weekly beer and wine tastings. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, wines are paired with food tastings and a little wine education for $15. On Sunday nights, for $6, six beers are paired with food tastings, starting at 6 p.m. And, Tuesday and Saturday nights, the restaurant hosts live music, starting at 7:30 p.m.

 Three Blind Mice

1066 Killian Hill Road, Suite 101, Lilburn
770-696-4139
www.tbmrestaurant.com