No money, No problem...

Food Finds is a blog created by four broke journalism students at the University of Georgia. The purpose of this blog is to review local restaurants that wont burn a hole in a college student's already slim wallet.

In addition to reviews of affordable restaurants, Food Finds also recognizes more expensive restaurants that may dwindle your keg party cash stash, but are worth it. We've even spotlighted some unique restaurants outside of the classic city for all of you roadtrippers.

Didn't see your standard Sunday brunch staple on our blog? Let us know your favorite tasty, cheap eats in Athens, Georgia!

Keep eatin' cheap,
Katie McW, Katie W., Mandy, and Allison

Allison's Perfect Athens Meal

  • I love to start out any Athens evening in the spring sitting outside at The Boar’s Head drinking beer with good friends. One of my favorite beers is Terrapin Golden Ale, which is native to Athens. Aside from almost every bar in Athens, this beer can also be enjoyed at the Terrapin Brewery, which gives tours on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons.
  • As an appetizer, I love to munch on Hummus from The Grit or Cheese Dip from Taqueria La Parilla. Both of these restaurants are fun places to have a laid back night out with friends and enjoy inexpensive favorite appetizers.
  • I love the Martha’s Salad Plate from Marti’s at Midday. This salad wouldn’t really fit in my Athens top meal, because it is about two meals in itself, but I couldn’t think of a salad that is as tasty as this one. Although it’s easy to pass on Prince Avenue, Marti’s always attracts a HUGE lunch crowd.
  • I have got to stay true to my roots and so it is only fair to choose The Last Resort Grill’s Chicken Praline as my favorite entrée. It was the first meal that I had when I visited Athens almost five years ago. I have had MANY dishes that could have qualified for this spot, but none compare. The Last Resort Grill is one of the things I will miss the most when I graduate.
  • I am such a dessert fanatic, so this was a no brainer for me. I associate good looking and tasting dessert with one name: Cecilia Villaveces. A case of her cakes receives owwws and awws from all the diners who enter The Last Resort Grill. My favorite is the White Chocolate Cheesecake, but I would honestly settle for anything that comes out of that bakery. Another one of my favorites is a Snicker’s Blizzard from Dairy Queen. This year, my roommate and I have walked to DQ several times so that we wont feel guilty about getting these cool treats.
  • I’m sad to say that I am a late night Athens meal connoisseur. Even if I try to fight it, after a night at the bars I crave a slice of Veggie Pizza with a side of Pesto from Little Italy. I try to stay away from the bars around Little Italy past midnight so my late night craving doesn’t get the best of me. Even though I am never in the area, the Cheese Tots from Clocked! are worth the walk. Thank goodness that Clocked! is only open late a few nights a week!

Katie Mc's Perfect Athens Meal

  • Cocktail: A Georgia Peach Martini from Speakeasy
  • Salad: The House Salad with Feta cheese from Transmetropolitan
  • Appetizer: The Crab Cake from East West or the Spinach Dip from Speakeasy
  • Entree: The Georgia Roll and an order of Mushroom Soup from Shokotini
  • Dessert: Godiva Chocolate Martini from East West
  • Late Night: A Hot Dog from Hot Dog Man (he brings me so much joy) on the corner of College St. and Broad or a Loaded Grilled Cheese with a side of Feta dressing from The Grill

Katie W's Perfect Athens Meal

  • Drinks: On a typical Athens spring afternoon, there is nothing quite as great as sitting outside of Cali-n-Titos with friends and a side of chips and dip. It's BYOB, but it fits the atmosphere and makes you fall in love with those beautiful spring days.
  • Salad: Basil Press has by far the best caesar salad EVER! They make this delicious appetizer right in front of your very eyes. The dressing is the good stuff, not the fake, "wannabe" caesar that comes from a bottle that a lot places seem to resort to using.
  • Appetizer: Speakeasy is all about the small portions, and this is why I would choose any of their dishes as a favorite appetizer. The basil mozzarella is a classic choice for a light portion that wets the pallet for your entree.
  • Entree: I just can't get enough of it, and I am going to severely miss it when I leave, but the salmon and grits from Last Resort makes my mouth water whenever I hear about it. The salmon is cooked to perfection and the grits are thick and creamy. A side of veggies makes it all complete. Now that I think about it, I will probably get that for dinner tonight!
  • Dessert: I am an ice cream fiend. Therefore, I like just about anything that comes with it on the side, or simply by itself! Brownie a la mode is a classic choice, and you can never go wrong with that as your dessert. Even though East West is never my choice for a meal, they carry the most gooey, chocolate-filled brownies with the perfect portion of ice cream to end your night with a smile.
  • Late Night: In my younger college years, I satisfied the late night cravings with a slice of pizza and a side of ranch dressing from Little Italy. It was not until this year that I found out what I had been missing: Five Guys Burger and Fries. The burgers are HUGE and the french fries are plentiful, leaving your belly too full to move and ready for bed.

Mandy's Perfect Athens Meal

  • My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Although not considered the most elaborate meal, I will always be a breakfast girl at heart. Any time of day is breakfast time for me.
  • To begin, I would get fresh squeezed orange juice from The Grit. The fresh taste is unbeatable. No carton can come close to the real thing.
  • For my main meal, I would get blueberry pancakes from The Grille. The cheap price and the fluffy texture make these a great addition to the day. Add a little syrup and I'm good to go.
  • Lastly, even though breakfast is not a meal considered to have dessert, I am all for it. My perfect one would be the "chocolate cake for breakfast" from Mama's Boy. It is a rich cake with espresso drizzle, whipped cream and fresh fruit. Does it get better than that? I don't think so.

4.24.2008

DOC CHEY'S


By Adam Lipper
Doc Chey's
Find Me

Peace. Love. Hit-or-miss noodles. That should be Doc Chey’s new slogan.

The award-winning noodle house chain opened in Atlanta in 1997 and in 2004 expanded to Athens, Ga., as well as two other states. It plans to grow to 20 locations over the next two years, and eventually to 300 units.

Over the weekend, I ate at the downtown Athens’ branch on two separate occasions. I did this for two reasons. The first was to gain a greater understanding of Doc Chey’s pan-Asian cuisine. Yet, the truer answer – cover your eyes Doc Chey’s fanatics - was because the first meal was so terrible, so devoid of any flavor, so inept at any similarity to a decent meal that I felt compelled to return. I couldn’t bear to think that this restaurant, just three short years ago, had been a personal favorite of mine.

The atmosphere is truly a treat. With 25-foot high ceilings, large windows to view the hustle and bustle of college students, and red industrial pipes, which give the restaurant a modern feel, you enjoy, or don’t enjoy, your meal in style.

I began with the Fresh Vietnamese Basil Rolls. They’re filled with vermicelli, a thin rice noodle that gives the rolls a spongy texture, and rounded out with shrimp, lettuce, basil and carrots. The rolls are served with hoison sauce for dipping. While they satisfied my taste buds, I was disappointed at their size. Once upon a time in a land far away, I remember them being plentiful and filling. Now they looked anorexic.

Yet, when our entrées arrived, I longed for my emaciated snack. The Spicy Thai Basil noodle bowl tasted like watered-down water. As much as I tried to hide their imperfection by plopping on Sriracha hot sauce, the noodles remained savorless. Except now the noodle bowl tasted like spicy water, which caused me to drink larger quantities of Coke in order to assuage my burning mouth.

My friend’s meal was no consolation. Although the Sesame Chicken stir fry was infinitely more flavorful than my noodle bowl, it contained only a few scraps of chicken and a whole lot of vegetables. When had Doc Chey’s become so frugal?

I took a day off to ponder the stock market plunge of Doc Chey’s quality, and after hours of meditation, I realized Friday night’s meal must have been an anomaly. I returned on Sunday for round two.

Our appetizers came out steaming. The hand-made steamed Shanghai Dumplings were warm and moist. The combination of sticky dough on the outside and tender pork on the inside gave the dumplings a pleasant texture. Despite being a little too doughy, the pickled ginger gave the dumplings a nice zing.

Ten minutes later the real prize came – our entrees. The Pad Thai noodle bowl was everything the Spicy Thai Basil wasn’t. Filled with onions, bok choy, egg and peanuts, Doc Chey’s Phad Thai is an exemplary creation of the popular Thai staple. I left feeling vindicated.

Despite Doc Chey’s semi-demise, it still manages to offer a good meal. Just make sure to consult your nearest fortune cookie before you go. Maybe it’ll give you some insider information on how the food will be tonight.
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1 comment:

Katie Wolitarsky said...

I have never been completely satisifed with Doc Cheys. Everytime I have ventured in there it's a win-lose situation. I feel like the chefs all try to put there own little spin on a dish and therefore, they NEVER come out the same. But, for some reason, I still go there time after time!

April 30, 2008 at 8:52 PM

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