Bites Nearby: Grayson Restaurant Brings Nature, Touch of Class

After more than eight months of preparation, Graft, the new farm-to-table restaurant in , opened its doors on Wednesday for a soft opening. It has been going strong ever since.

"We were going to have a grand opening, but really don't think we will have to," said Ashley Clemence, who co-owns Graft with her husband, Seth. "We might have an official ribbon cutting, but I don't think we will have a big grand opening. We have been doing well with just word of mouth. We already have our regulars."

For Clemence and her husband, restoring the old Grayson House to its original historical splendor has been a labor of love. As they labored on gutting and restoring the inside of the 100 year-old building, the herbs and vegetables were planted and lovingly cultivated in the front and back of the property.

“I grew up in this area, and therefore have many, many connections and influences,” Clemence wrote in an explanation of the motivation behind Graft. “Grayson is a very promising city as there are many people who truly enjoy dining out and have expendable incomes, but get wary of traveling back into the city for a decent meal and nice glass of wine.” 

Clemence considers Graft a community restaurant. She said they want everyone to feel comfortable and welcomed. The goal is to provide a warm, friendly atmosphere, professional service and fresh, local food and beverages at a great value. The fresh produce is either grown in their own garden or purchased from local farmers.

Graft's menu also offers fine wine pairings with the meals. These meals will be seasonally adjusted. An example of what you will find on the pairing menu at the moment would be sautéed calamari, cilantro, lime, red onion and jalapeno, served with a Rose`-Domaine Houchart, cotes De Provence.

On the regular menu, you could order double cut pork - from local stock - served with white bean puree, snow peas and seared grape tomatoes from the Graft gardens.

Graft is located at 516 Grayson Highway. Hours of operation are Sunday – Thursdays from 4:30 – 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 – 11 p.m.

"We hope to begin offering our brunch menu soon too, on a Saturday and Sunday," Clemence said.

More information on Graft can found on the web at http://graftrestaurant.blogspot.com/