Our Second Serenbe Visit Continued

The Hil Restaurant at Serenbe (from Wikipedia)

After we took pictures of the Green Home on Saturday, my husband and I went on to Selborne Lane and Serenbe's business district to have lunch at The Hil, one of Serenbe's three restaurants.  The first time we visited we had an excellent casual lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop, so we decided to try something a little more elegant on our second visit.  We were not disappointed!  Chef Hilary White focuses on creating meals with fresh farm products raised at Serenbe.  Brunch is served on both Saturday and Sunday, so eggs were prominently featured on the menu when we were there.  I had their chicken salad melt with fried egg and a baby greens salad while my husband had a smoked salmon, pimiento cheese, and egg sandwich with the salad as well.  Both were delicious and we enthusiastically recommend this restaurant to anyone who visits Serenbe.  Just remember that the restaurants here have limited hours, so make sure you check the Serenbe Events Calendar before heading there for a meal.

After lunch we did a little shopping.  We revisited The Bilt-House and me... jane, and then went on to check out Serenbe's newest store called Twig.  It is a captivating little shop filled with mostly nature-inspired objects for the home.  Thomas Paul creations are featured at Twig, as are fragrant scented candles.  I found a cute Fishs Eddy blue cow creamer to add to my collection of animal-inspired creamers,

as well as a beautiful silver necklace from Roost:

Some of the shops at Serenbe may also have limited hours (check the events calendar link above), so if you want to shop there plan accordingly.

The owner of Twig is a relatively new resident of the community, and he had lots of interesting information to share.  He told us that construction of a planned Grange shopping area will soon start near the area where the Green Home is located, and a barbecue restaurant is scheduled for completion by the end of the year (my St. Louis-born hubby was happy to hear that!).  So far the site for this business district has been marked but not cleared, so when we return for the Green Home guided tours we may see more progress on this.

The proprietor of Twig also mentioned that the German company Bosch (probably best known to most people for their super-quiet dishwashers) is building two model homes in the Grange not far from the Green Home which will feature their solar and geothermal energy products.  Take another look at the upper left corner of this picture I posted yesterday:

That construction you see in the background includes the foundations and initial framing for these Bosch houses.  This information has not been officially released yet, so we are now some of the first outside of the Serenbe community to know about it!  I expect that by the time the Green Home guided tours start there will be a lot more progress on these houses, and I can't wait to see them.  I am not very familiar with geothermal energy but it sounds intriguing and I would like to learn more.

If you are a true foodie, you might be interested in the Serenbe Southern Chef Series hosted by Serenbe co-founder Marie Nygren (the brochure calls it "A sleepover for Southern foodies"!).  The series started in January and will continue through the year.  The next featured chef is Kevin Gillespie, who was a contestant on "Top Chef".  Hugh Acheson, chef and co-owner of the popular Five & Ten restaurant in our very own Athens, Georgia, and a contestant on "Top Chef Masters", is the featured chef in May, which should be about the time the HGTV Green Home tours are in full swing.  If you plan well, you might be able to tour the Green Home and participate in a hands-on cooking class with this well-known chef in Marie Nygren's home kitchen all in one trip!

I think I've probably overwhelmed you with enough information for now!  My husband and I were really struck by the fact that the Serenbe community still seems to be thriving in spite of a slower economy.  The building of homes continues, especially on the opposite side of the lake from the Green Home in the Grange, and businesses are still moving in.  A new public charter school has been approved for the area and will open this fall.  And according to Serenbe's Facebook page, the Inn at Serenbe is now offering trail rides seven days a week so visitors can explore Serenbe on horseback!  Life seems to be good at Serenbe, so if you get a chance to visit this eco-friendly little community don't pass it up -- I think you will be impressed!