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STEAKS. SHAKES AND TONGUE TACOS
Good Day, Sunshine: Look, Athens, I love you,
but too many of you, when you're thinking, "I
want Mexican tonight," opt for something famil
iar, perhaps with a menu that teaches you how to
pronounce "quesadilla." Might I suggest, instead,
that you check out the new Taqueria El Sol de
Zacatecas (175-B Tallassee Rd.), ir the former
location of Royal Cafe, in the small strip shop
ping center by what is now Bulldawg Wings. The
menu you're handed is pretty tiny, but if you're
observant and speak at least restaurant-quality
Spanish, you can notice a few more items on the
dry-erase board over the counter in a space that
still bears the faint marks of a Huddle House.
Yes, you may have an awkward conversation
with the waitress about what exactly buche is
(either the throat or the stomach or some part
of the intestines, sometimes pork, sometimes
beef, sometimes stewed in lard), but good grub
is worth fighting through your introversion, and
Zacatecas has plenty of that. The place is madly
cheap, with SI.50 tacos (both al pastor and
league—finely chopped and tender tongue—are
recommended, but all the choices look delicious)
bearing a heap of cilantro and green onions and
good-sized tortas that will provide you lunch for
$4. Even the most expensive items, a selection of
various incarnations of fajitas, run under $10.
Much like the tacos at Taqueria La Jalisco,
these can be a little bland when consumed
plain, which is why there are two squirt bottles
of marvelous sauce on the table: one is pale
green, based on green peppers and avocado,
and with a cooling effect; the other is a muted,
opaque orange that hides its heat in creami
ness. Separately, they are strong. Combined, they
are invincible. If you're a purist, you may think
you're covering up the flavor of, say, your torta,
already full of avocado, lettuce, tomato, mayo
and chunks of tender pork, if you douse it with
both of these, but take heed from one inherently
suspicious of sauces and pour 'em on. You even
may end up eating the sauces off your finger by
the time your plate is clean. The sopas, sort of a
smaller version of huaraches, or individual nachos
on thick, fried tortilla rounds, are worth your
time, dollar and sauce efforts as well, as is the
burrito verde.
Nostalgic for Nostalgia?: You know how the
1970s for some reason decided to take up the
cause, trends, fnusic, etc. of the 1950s (e.g.,
Grease) as its own, in a strange example of force
ful nostalgia? Floyd's Grill (64 N. Main St., in
Watkinsville, 706-769-8669, or 76-YUMMY) kind
of fits into that pattern. It's not exactly a '50s
diner, especially with Badfinger and ELO play
ing over the speakers, but it's also not ironic.
Instead, it is the closest thing our area has to
a Steak n Shake, the promised franchise never
having materialized on Epps Bridge Parkway. Step
up to the counter (or, eventually, cruise through
the drive-thru, which isn't open yet) and order
yourself a Floyd's "Special" (an oblong hamburger
served on a sub roll with everything) with fries
and a hand-dipped shake. The burger by itself is
$4.69 (the non-"Special" one is S3.99), and the
combe version gets you a side and a drink for an
extra S3. Is it fabulous? Well, it's fine. It's quick
and inexpensive and very friendly. The onion
rings are good and dark and the shakes thick and
tasty. The fries are of the steak variety and crispy
enough without ceasing to taste of potato. The
burger is kind of uninspired but adequate. The
grilled cheese could use more of both salt and
butter during the grilling process. But at least
the food is cooked to order, the menu not un
varied (there are sandwiches made with chicken,
fish, bacon and steak, salads, fried shrimp,
hamburger steak), the soundtrack good and the
atmosphere family-friendly. Floyd's Grill is closed
on Sundays and takes credit cards.
What Up?: Farm 255's "Ask the Chef" option, in
which you eat whatever Chef Dave decides you
do, is being scaled back slightly, not due to a
lack of popularity so much as to an excess of
it. "Ask the Chef' will now be offered Tuesday
through Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and con
sists of four courses. In case you pick this up
Tuesday evening (Apr. 24) and need a bite to
eat, remember that it's the 13th annual Entree
of Hope, with the following restaurants donating
10 percent of their gross sales to The Ark and
the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank: Broad
Street Bar and Grill, Buffalo's Southwest Cafe,
DePalma's (all three). East West Bistro, Five &
Ten, Five Points Deli, Fresh Air BBQ (Hull Road),
Gautreau's Cajun Cafe, Harry Bissett's (both loca
tions), Hibachi Express Inoko, Hilltop Grille, Last
Resort Grill, Maison Bleu, Mama's Boy, Plantation
Buffet, Roly-Poly, Speakeasy, The Grit, La Fiesta
(Hawthorne), The Sultan, Zim's Bagel Bakery and
Walt Light's Seafood, Steak & Spirits.
Hillary Brown
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