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Wednesday, April 20
Jhe 3 a cups
Wednesday, April 27
Rachel O’Neal
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Rachel O’Neal
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706.543.2418
THE ARBOR ON MITCHELL BRIDGE
1155 MITCHELL BRIDGE RD, ATHENS
Restaurant
"The Food is Our Reputation"
For a Limited Time Only
Happy Hour
Alt bay Long!
Domestic Beer S 1
Imported Beer s 2
7 bay Lunch Buffet
OWE IN • 1*KE OUT * DELIVERY
706-549-0274
Major Credit Cards & Checks Accepted
Green Acres Shopping Center • 1935 Barnett Shoals Rd.
EARTH-FRIENDLY • WATER-WISE
ORGANIC GARDENING
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SOME GROW
AS AjHOBBY,
WEDoTlTV F;OR
A LIVINGl
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HYDROPONICS
• GB5J? 2011 Open Pollinated Heirloom Organic Seeds
• Earthboxes and Earthbox stackable planters
Propagation lighting for seeds
• Heatmats and thermostats for seed starting
• Organic fertilizers and amendments for gardens
• Composters and wormbins
• Hobby greenhouses and accessories
www.FloraHydroponics.com • Mon-Sat 10am-6pm
Now Open in Atlanta’
1239 Fowler St
404-532-0001
Athens • 195 Paradise Bivd
Behind Terrapin Brewery
706-353-2223
THANKS FOP
VOTING US (and 9D # s)
ATHENS»
FAVORITE
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TUESDAYS
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5 2 well orwrs • 7 tequ/la shots
(COLLEGE ID REQUIRED FOR THURSDAY DRINK SPECIALS!
120 E. WASHINGTON ST. DOWNTOWN ATHENS
(NEXT TO COPPER CREEK)
AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE PARTIES
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SERVING FINE AUTHENTIC
MEXICAN FOOD
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HOMEWOOD VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER
706-549-4977
WATKSNSVILLE
706-310-9991
CRAB CAKES & CUPCAKES
It Is What It Is, Pt. 1: East West Bistro (351 E. Broad St.) is
the second restaurant at which I ever ate in Athens, after the
now long departed Yudy's, which used to be where Starbucks
is now. After Lamar Thomas, the long-time chef there, parted
ways with the restaurant he helped to shape, I was curious
how much it would change. The answer is: not a ton.
As has been the case for a long time, the formei«divide
between upstairs and downstairs, once reflected in different
menus and price points, no longer exists. The food still mixes
in Asian influences here and there and focuses mostly on the
mildly adventurous—sweet potato fries once indicated some
thing a bit more daring than they do now, but that doesn't
mean they're not worth eating. Plenty of stuff remains the
same. You can still get the basil poblano vinaigrette on your
salad, and the restaurant still does a good burger, served on a
nice onion roll and topped with
cheese, slaw and bacon. There _..mint chimichurri
are also some bright tweaks.
The mint chimichurri sauce that Sauce...
shows up on the side of the
crab cakes is really good stuff, full of flavor and freshness. You
might balk at the size of the dish for $10, especially if you're
hungry, but it's welt executed and nicely presented.
The chicken carbonara, on the other hand, is a plate of
bland. You wouldn't think something that features bacon so
prominently could be that way, but the mound of linguini with
cubes of chicken, bacon and peas stagnates in its cream sauce.
You'd do better to order the Sweet Georgia Brown, which takes
its name and composition from the classic hot brown sandwich
of Louisville but doesn't add anything particularly "Georgia."
Still, it's substantial, and while it doesn't wow, it works.
The descriptions often sound a bit ritzier than what arrives
from the kitchen, as with the fish tacos ("fresh seasonal fish
served on flour tortillas with shredded romaine, sriracha aioli
and a sour orange criollo"), which turn out to be executed with
tilapia. I have no problem with tilapia as a thoroughly sustain
able and economical choice, but it's not exactly what's evoked
by "fresh seasonal fish." I'd like to see East West's new kitchen
team push the envelope a little more with their offerings, but
for the moment it remains where it has been: a fine place for
a slightly upscale experience, marked by generally good and
attentive service and a wide variety of choices on the menu,
friendly to vegetarians, pescatarians and meat-eaters alike.
-fast West ts open for kmeh six days a week, -dinner seven and
brunch on Sundays, has a full bar and takes credit cards.
It Is What It Is, Pt. 2: The reason franchises succeed is predict
ability. You can know what you're going to get every time, and
sometimes that's what you want. There are many restaurants
in Athens that I love and that nonetheless frustrate me with
their mercurial execution of their menus. Gigi's Cupcakes (296
W. Broad St., next to Sweet Peppers Deli) is a thoroughly man
aged experience, but damn if the pictures of the cupcakes on
the website don't match up perfectly to the ones in the store's
case. The cupcakes proffered by the company out of Nashville
are baked fresh daily and are of the humongoid variety, with
a giant swirl of icing and usually something cute poked into
that (a candied lemon slice, a fondant star, chocolate chips).
How anyone is supposed to eat them sans knife and fork is a
mystery, but you do get a lot for your $3. Some seem always
to be available (a devil's food cake called Midnight Magic, a
very pinkly frosted Birthday Surprise, one called Wedding Cake)
while others rotate daily and seasonally.
I found them, on the whole, too sweet, and I don't care fo r
the crystallized sugar that's sprinkled on many, but I was sur
prised by the Kentucky Bourbon Pie, which has a cream cheese
frosting that's better than the more frequently used butter-
cream. The Lemon Dream Supreme may have a lemon filling,
but the idea is better than the implementation, as the frosting
goes sweet rather than tart. Still, your kids will be really into
these, and so may you if your tooth is sweeter than mine. You
can place orders a day in advance through the website, but the
people who run the shop are extremely nice so I can't see why
you wouldn't want to talk to them. Gigi's is open until 7 p.m.
Monday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon
to 6 p.m. Sunday. It accepts credit cards and also has lemon
ade and other beverages for on-premises consumption.
Hillary Brown (ood@flagpole.com
10 FLAGPOLE.COM APRIL 20,2011
