Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current, October 17, 2007, Image 15
TRYING A MEAT-AND-THREE IN OCONEE
You Can't Leave Your Hat On: I hate to talk
about the wilds of Watkinsville, but when your
plans change in the middle of an excursion and
you don't have directions to your new destina
tion, sometimes it feels as though there's a
new shopping center on every block. Rachel's
(1021 Jamestown Blvd., off Hog Mountain
Road sort of near the Publix shopping center in
Watkinsville, 706-310-0091) is in just such, a
brand-spanking-new center I've already forgotten
the name of but that also contains Dinner in %
a Snap and a Zero's Subs, and serves Southern
home-cooking-style breakfast (from 7 a.m.),
lunch and, newly, dinner (they just started and
are open until 8 p.m.). The walls are hung with a
selection of signs telling you to remove your hat
or locating you in a rural environment, and the
surprisingly large menu is written on a couple
of whiteboards. The most amazing thing about
the restaurant is its prices. The whole fried cat
fish seems like an okay deal to begin with, as it
comes with two sides for about $8, but when the
plate arrives containing multiple golden-fried
items one remembers that catfish is the plural of
catfish. It's an astonishing deal, even for a meat-
and-three, and it would be easy to eat one plate
for both lunch and dinner.
Vegetarians would be advised to steer clear
of the place, unfortunately, or at least the kind
that prefers not to find hunks of pork fat still
in their veggies. I, on the other hand, sort of
like the pork fat, especially appearing in some
nicely cooked turnip greens. On a recent day,
Rachel's was also offering mashed potatoes and
gravy, coleslaw, creamed onions (pearls), grits,
blueberry cobbler (the sort of dessert that will
knock you out for the rest of the day with its
sugar punch) and a lot more. There are a couple
of other fish options on the menu. If you would
prefer your catfisR grilled or prepared in another,
healthier manner, the kitchen is happy to do it.
The restaurant also serves a weird but oddly
addictive barbecue, chopped extremely fine and
with a thoroughly incorporated sauce that has a
faint tang of canned mandarin oranges. Efforts
at inquiring about the contents of said sauce
were sadly futile (not that it was a state secret;
our waitress just didn't know), but, even though
the 'cue was far from traditional, or even good
in any conventional sense, I kept returning to
it. Prepare yourself for the unusual way in which
Rachel's does beverages. Maybe it's just that
their dishwasher was on the fritz or they'd just
broken their pitcher or they're trying to conserve
water.by wasting less ice, but the refill method is
to fill another glass about halfway with soda, no
ice, then bring it to your table and pour the new
soda into the old glass. Rachel's takes credit
cards at the cash register where you pay for your
meal and is darn friendly.
Submission: How does one even tell the differ
ence among all the sub places now? They seem
to be multiplying with every day that passes,
although they all seem to set themselves up in-
opposition to Subway and talk about the amount
of meat and cheese they contain. Also, a lot of
them are concerned with establishing their New
Yorkish credentials. Jersey Mike's (1850 Epps
Bridge Parkway, in the same shopping center as
Five Points Deli, 706-543-4114) certainly falls
into this category, with large photos evoking
Yankeedom’on the walls and a selection of fresh-
sliced meats and cheeses that concur: cappac-
uolo, proscuittini, pastrami, provolone, etc.
The grilled pastrami Reuben, while a little
strange on a spb roll, is fairly successful, and the
meat has some character, unlike most sub shops'
slices of bland protein. The original Italian, con
taining provolone, ham, proscuittini, cappacuolo,
salami and pepperoni, is nice, too, although the
sheer number of meats makes it a tittle bit of
a flavor fight. You'd be advised, though, to eat
in-store rather than have your sandwiches rolled
in paper to go. The bread is the weakness here,
and, with dressing or even just the meat juices of
the Famous Philly, it turns into mush by the end
of the meal. Jersey Mike's is open for lunch and
dinner daily and takes credit cards. They're also
pretty fast at making a sandwich, though not as
fast as Jimmy John's, and they do wraps, salads,
catering and cookies as well as the main event.
What Up?: The National downtown has added
outdoor seating. J.B. the Polish Sausage Man
just celebrated his 10th anniversary of grilling
deliciousness outside the 40 Watt. Depalma's on
the west side (Jefferson Road location only) is
now offering to bring you a movie from Vision
Video when they deliver your meal. Limited
to the restaurant's delivery area, other restric
tions apply. Call 706-227-2299 with your movie
request, then call DePalma's at 706-552-1237 for
delivery details.
Hillary Brown
Daily Special
by Donna L. Bars tow
Wkw&- m&wvori&s cure* served with ewry
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OCTOBER 17,2007 ■ FLAGPOLE.COM 15