Part Two of my trip to Athens, included a restaurant called The Last Resort Grill. The restaurant got rave reviews, so perhaps my expectations were set too high. The food was just ok. It wasn't some forbidden experience. Everything was fairly run of the mill and in short, exactly what I would expect from a college town restaurant. Perfect to student who need a "nice" place for the their parents to drop a little cash taking them out while in town visiting. The best perk is the location and the lovely open air patio. I tried the pecan encrusted trout followed by a blueberry cheesecake.
My next adventure was a place called NONA, or New Orleans N' Athens. I was hesitant to go somewhere that was clearly advertising itself as a different (non-local) food culture. However, lunch was delightful. I didn't really to get explore much as I sat in the bar, but my Croche Madame was wonderful! It actually reminded me of a dish I'd sampled in France.
My last adventure in Athens started at a bar called the Mad Hatter. A junky college bar that reminds you of how much fun college was and how glad you are past that point in your life. This particular bar came with a quirky overalls wearing bartender, and a (I'm assuming) owner stuck in the throws of college life. We witnessed the owner smack the butt of the bartender, who at the very least was decades under than him. We turned a blind eye, as the bartender didn't seem to mind and carried on about her way. J turned to me and asked if that was acceptable in these big college towns. I shook my head, but understood the concern. We reveled too much at the $2 beers to cause a scene over 2 consenting individuals in a college bar.
Our last stop was Farm 255. To my dismay, it was owned by Farm Burger, but was not a chain. I was disappointed to hear it was owned by Farm Burger, but quickly lifted my spirits when we were told the large table next to us were a group of farmers and their friends. The restaurant allowed the farmers to bring in their crops and then prepared a gourmet meal for them as a thank you for supplying the restaurant with all the fresh produce, meat and cheeses.
The restaurant was large and open, with a bar. If I was a fraternity boy and wanted to impress a date, I'd take them there! We ordered a cheese board and a bottle of wine. I picked three cheeses I'd never heard of. They were all interesting and unique with strange pairings to bring out their flavors like nuts, honey or figs. As you can see from our picture, I didn't snap one in time. This is the aftermath of our sampling.
The service was slow, but friendly. Since moving to Georgia I feel always remain J that the South has a slower pace of life than most places. We need to sip and enjoy our wine and be patient. I'm sure slow service is never deliberate.I would return to Farm 255 without a doubt. This was the best, and also most expensive of my nights in Athens. There were no college pricing reprieves here.
For dinner I ordered the steak on the menu and J ordered the pork chop. I thought my steak was good, until I tried J's pork chop. It was without a doubt a best pork chop I'd ever had. It was melt in your mouth delicious. I know that my next order will be. We also shared a small dessert. J isn't really big on desserts, but is a sucker for creme brulee.
After leaving Farm 255 we had night cap at The Georgia Bar and then Whiskey Bent. The Georgia Bar was a sleepy dive bar. We hung out there and made friends with the bartenders for a bit. We went in search of something more lively and hit up Whiskey Bent. A fraternity bar with 2 underage bouncers playing on their cell phones in the entrance. A mosh pit of collared shirts, with out any females in sight. Ladies, I'd hit up this place. Again, as I've said repeatedly, it was so interesting to be an outsider observing these young men. I couldn't help but think, that used to be me. In college we stuck to the Greek bars and even some of the dive bars turned into Greek bars for when my preppy little friends and I wanted an adventure. J and I smiled at each and started our walk home. It was, after all, getting pretty close to midnight.
