The transformation of the old Arnold Drug Co. in Cornelia is now complete. The historic drugstore reopened to the public on Tuesday as an Italian restaurant. It is the latest venture of local restaurateurs Jay and Melissa Reeder, along with co-owner Chef John Vullo.
Attending a soft opening over the weekend was like stepping out of the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Tuscan Hillside.
The food was fresh, the service intentional, as the wait and kitchen staff, including Vullo, conducted the last of several trial runs in preparation for the official August 27 opening.
Experiential dining
Farmacia Trattoria at 639 Irvin Street is a nod to the experiential dining push in Northeast Georgia. The Reeders own Fender’s and Community Brew and Tap in Cornelia. Anyone fascinated by the gastric offerings of Main Street Clayton – from farm-to-table Fortify to the ‘whisk you away to the Caribbean’ delights of The Hush Cuban Kitchen – will appreciate the diversity of flavors and unique experience Farmacia Trattoria offers.
The owners have achieved impressive results in the former space where flatulence pills and wheelchairs were once sold. From the muted tones, chandeliers, and stemware to the custom-tiled wood-fired pizza ovens from Naples, FarmaciaTrattoria is a passport to an elegant yet accessible fine dining experience in the heart of Habersham.
Still, the space pays homage to its history beyond the cleverly engaging name (Farmacia means ‘pharmacy’ in Italian, and ‘trattoria’ means eating establishment).
LED monitors adorn the walls, scrolling images of old Arnold Drug pill bottles. Above the front door is a large collection of relic bottles the wait staff said were found in the basement during renovations.
Eager to see the results of those renovations and curious about Cornelia’s newest culinary offering, our family of seven gave Farmacia Trattoria a try.
We enjoyed it.
Menu options
Indulging in various dishes, our table spent the evening sharing and sampling each other’s choices from the limited soft launch menu. Main entrees were unavailable the night we attended, but there was plenty to choose from among the antipasti, pizza, and primi selections.
The crispy artichokes were a delightful balance of crunch and flavor. The freshly baked focaccia bread was the perfect edible utensil for the flavorful juices of the Burrata salad with roasted plums. Even the pizza, which, for those accustomed to Americanized cheesed-up, meat-loaded fests, appears a bit underwhelming, was delicious. Our favorite was the D.o.P. Margherita.
Also on our menu was truffle wagyu beef ravioli and hand-rolled cecamariti cacao e pepe. Of course, there is a fine wine selection to pair with any menu choice. The orange wine was interesting, but the chardonnay was sublime.
To top it off, our table indulged in tiramisu and chocolate tart, both pleasant enough but not the main event.
Passport to Italy
FarmaciaTrattoria is not the type of restaurant you want to visit with young children. It has an upper-scale feel and prices to match, but the quality of the food and the ambiance are worth it.
Many were sad when the old Arnold Drug Co. closed: Another community cornerstone gone. But seeing the space revived into a gathering spot where meals and memories are shared peels back some nostalgia, ushering in a new era for this historic space in the heart of downtown Cornelia.
Not everyone in our family was overly impressed—one member said, “It just doesn’t fit.” But that is precisely why I believe FarmaciaTrattoria works. It is more than a restaurant—it is a passport to Italy without leaving home.
