THE GRIT

By Linda Dimond
The Grit
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In a city where the streets are lined with trendy restaurants that offer a slew of different foods, what keeps people talking about the vegetarian spot The Grit? It seems that this is everyone’s favorite place to eat, vegetarian or not. I had to partake in the Athens tradition and visit this hotspot for a taste of their famous weekend brunch.

Formica tabletops, booths upholstered in shiny red vinyl and black ceramic tiled floors. Remind you of Richie and Potsie’s favorite hang out in “Happy Days?” This is the charm of the vintage-inspired restaurant. The Grit makes its home in a historic building, owned by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, on Prince Ave. You might see the mismatched chairs and chipping paint as a lack of an interior decorating budget. Whether you perceive it as cool vintage or just plain shabby, you’ll agree that The Grit serves food so yummy, you’ll forget that there’s no meat.

With the motto, “vegetarian food for carnivores,” The Grit’s menu boasts hearty and delicious meals, sans meat, that anyone can enjoy. There are vegan-friendly dishes as well. The “Texas Toast-wich,” which I found scrawled on a chalkboard as a special, was filling for a breakfast sandwich. The two huge slabs of homemade sourdough bread were toasted and buttered to a golden perfection. A perfectly cooked egg sat between the bread slices with melted smoked Gouda cheese clinging to its side. It was perfect. Just enough cheese to give it that smoky punch of flavor, but not so much that it ran out of the sandwich.

Did I mention it was perfect? It was the most beautiful sandwich I’ve ever eaten, the Ferrari of grill cheeses.

Though the “Texas Toast-wich” stole the show for me, the other dishes were not unremarkable. The side of roasted potatoes had a savory garlic seasoning that gave the potatoes a robust flavor but wasn’t overpowering as garlic tends to be. The biscuits were dense but were still fluffy, not doughy, inside. They came accompanied by yeast gravy which had a salty soy sauce taste to it. The gravy was light, complementing the dense biscuits well.

As a vegetarian eatery, of course the Grit offers tofu as a meat alternative. The tofu and veggies platter was a stir fry of cubed tofu, zucchini, squash, onions, green peppers and mushrooms in yeast and soy sauce. The sauce was similar to the yeast gravy but much more flavorful. The tofu cubes were cooked just right, so they had a golden crust but were soft inside.
The cooking skills are truly outstanding and something to be appreciated. Obviously, each dish was cooked with expertise. Nothing was over or undercooked. The seasonings complemented the food wonderfully. Even the lemonade was delicious and not too sweet as restaurants like to serve it.

The waiting staff was busy, making service a little slow at times. However, they were polite and helpful when they made it to our table, and oh, the food was so worth it! Brunch was affordable, with each meal ranging from $5-10. If you decide you love The Grit’s food, you’ll be happy that over 130 of their recipes are available in “The Grit Restaurant Cookbook.”

Another reason The Grit is so popular is its connections with the music scene. Located near many of the downtown concert venues, it’s a favorite pit-stop for many touring artists and local musicians, such as R.E.M., the B-52s, Widespread Panic and the Counting Crows. Tragically, owner Ted Hafer fell to his death in a likely suicide this past November. Despite this misfortune, The Grit still manages to continue providing the community with friendly service and wonderful meals.

So why are people still raving about The Grit, 22 years after its opening? Because they have reason to – it’s a delicious, healthy and affordable part of the downtown Athens culture.