I love Cajun food. I don’t know if it’s because of my Louisiana heritage, or because it’s a rare commodity in this part of the country. Either way, my friends and I were itching for a low country boil this past weekend, and we got one!

When my friend, Sarah, first mentioned having a low country boil, I was stumped. I hadn’t heard of any place around town that offers that menu option, so I e-mailed my ever knowing former boss, Brian Brodrick at Jackson Spalding, to see if he knew of anyone.

Like always, Brian came to the rescue, and recommended the Big Easy Cafe in Watkinsville. Wat-ville represent!

The Big Easy Cafe

Phone: 706-769-3030

E-mail: itsmillrtime@att.net

Hours: Monday, 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8-11 a.m. (breakfast only)

Owners: Tammy and Scott Miller

I called the Big Easy Cafe and talked to Tammy, one of the restaurant owners, who is actually from Louisiana. I told her we wanted to have a low country boil for a tailgate before the baseball game on Friday, and put the plans in place.

We met Tammy and her husband, Scott, and their two children at the parking lot below the baseball field on Saturday afternoon, and they already had the water boiling and the potatoes cooking. Woo hoo!

There were about 15 of my friends, my dad and me included, but I was nervous because there were a few low country boil connoisseurs in the midst. My friend, Rachael Sharpe and her daddy (pictured in the post) are from South Carolina, and they are shrimp experts! After we ate, though, Mr. Sharpe said the LCB passed his test, and that made me happy.

If you’re looking for an easy catered meal, try this! It was only $13.50 a person, and we had shrimp, andouille sausage, potatoes, and onions (they forgot the corn). Once the food was done, they put it in some big alumninum pans, dumped out the water, and headed out. It’s so easy, and the clean up is even better. The $13.50 included cocktail sauce and crackers, so that was nice. We decided to go BYOB, and it was so perfect. A good beer and some good shrimp? You can’t get much better than that.

My only wish was for more sausage. The people who came in line last didn’t get any, so maybe make sure to ask them to make a bigger shrimp::sausage ratio. Other than that, the taste was great! It wasn’t too spicy, and everything was cooked perfectly. The shrimp didn’t taste tough, so that was nice.

I’d encourage you to drive out to Watkinsville and check out the Big Easy Cafe. It’s been open for about four years, but Tammy and Scott have been in the restaurant business for a while. Tammy went to culinary school, and Scott has a degree in restaurant management.

Put April 24 on your calendars because the Big Easy Cafe is having its annual crawfish boil in front of the restaurant. They’re having 1,000 pounds of crawfish driven up from the Louisiana coast just for us! It should be a good time.

Verdict? Yummy.

Going back? You betcha.

I am constantly amazed by the wide variety of restaurants that exist within Athens.

Since I heard about The Sultan last semester, I have been dying to try it. The Sultan is a local Lebanese restaurant that is located out on Atlanta Highway, right beside Best Buy. It’s almost to Bogart on your right.

My first experience with Lebanese/Middle Eastern food was when I studied abroad in Paris two summers ago. If these next few sentences come off seeming stupid, please forgive me.

In case you didn’t know, Lebanon is located on basically the other side of the world in a climate that is extremely different than ours. In fact, most of the crops they grow in the Middle East cannot be grown in America and vice-versa. What I found most fascinating about the Lebanese restaurant was what their food was made of- the crops in their backyard.

Does this make sense to you? It was sooo different than anything I had ever had, but, when you think about it, the eggplant, lamb, beef, chickpeas, nuts, rice, and vegetables are just what grow. It’s a simple concept, but it made me so excited to try everything.

I hadn’t had Lebanese food since Paris, and last Tuesday I got to have it again. Fist pump!!

I went to The Sultan on a whim, and decided I’d go in for a to-go plate. I was by myself, so I was a little apprehensive about going into a new restaurant alone. However, I walked in the door, and I was greeted by the owner and a nice family who looked like regulars. They were just hanging out and cutting up. I knew right then it was going to be a good experience.

After looking at the menu, I decided to go with the ground beef skewers with a side of hummus. The ground beef was mixed with onions and spices, and they came with a vegetable skewer. They were on top of some yummy basmati rice and came with a side salad.

I paid my $12 and went to the car. Oh my gosh…my car smelled so good. I was so excited about my Lebanese meal that I seriously had to stop myself from running in my house.

Once I got settled and ready, I decided the plate was too big to eat in one sitting. So, I took one beef skewer, the vegetable skewer, half the rice, the salad, and the hummus on a plate. The inaguration balls were on, so I plopped in front of the TV to watch all the festivities.

The ground beef skewer was fabulous. It wasn’t tough, but you could definitely taste the Middle Eastern spices and onions mixed in. It wasn’t a super strong flavor, and it was very tasty. The vegetables tasted grilled, and they definitely were a nice complement to the beef.

I loved the rice. I don’t know what they boil it in, but it tasted like there was a little chicken broth or something. I could be totally wrong, but I’m just trying to describe it to you.

The hummus was AMAZING. There’s nothing like good, authentic hummus, and it was so beautifully displayed even if it was in a styrofoam dessert tray. He topped it with paprika and olive oil. I made that stuff last for three more days. The pita he sent with it was awesome, too. It had been toasted a little and was hot.

All I have to say is TRY IT. If you’ve never had the traditional dishes like falafel, tabouli, or baba ghanoush, that’s where you need to start. I’m sure the people at The Sultan will explain everything to you. For all you picky eaters, it’s not WEIRD. It’s just different. Step out of the box, and go to The Sultan!

Last Wednesday, most of the Executive Board from PRSSA went to Casa Mia to celebrate two birthdays, our friends Leslie and Kelli.

We originally went because of an e-newsletter I received from Casa Mia about a “15 for 15″ deal where you could taste 15 wines for $15. Seeing that as a good enough incentive, we headed over in the cold to check it out.

We ended up just ordering tapas like usual, but it was fun seeing everyone tasting the wines “over yonder” by the bar. There were some finger foods up there, but we decided (1) because it was a school night and (2) we were ligitimately hungry for more than just wine, we should eat something of substance.

Here’s something for ya: It took all of us about 20 minutes to find a parking spot. What was it about that Wednesday night that made it IMPOSSIBLE to park? In all of our years at UGA, we’ve always been able to find a spot. A couple of us snuck into some lots illegally (oops), and some of us parked out in the sketchy areas. Either way, we all made it, but I decided to share that rare experience.

Since it was a birthday party of sorts, we decided to start off with drinks. Kaitlyn got one of Casa Mia’s famous margaritas; Aaron and Kelli got Sangria, and the rest of us went with the vino. They all tasted great especially with the plantains that were brought at the beginning.

Alright, let me see if I can remember what everyone ordered:

Lauren and Kelli split a quesadilla and some fried calamari. Both were on special that night, and they seemed to be a hit! One complaint was the quesadilla was about as big as your hand, aka small. The pieces were probably about three bites worth, and we all agreed that wasn’t big enough to be on special. If you’re paying for something that’s on special, it needs to be a little bigger. But that’s just our opinion.

If you’ve ever eaten calamari, you probably know the wide array of textures and tastes that can come from it. However, the calamari they ordered that night was fantastic. It wasn’t rubbery, and the breading on it was very unique. It was almost Southern style we thought. Like fried chicken, you could peel off the breading if you want, so it was very light. Some calamari has the breading just glued to it, and I think that contributes to the rubberiness.

Kaitlyn ordered the Cuban sandwich with a side of mashers. She was starving, and there defintely wasn’t anything left on her plate. Kaitlyn will tell you she’s a proud member of the clean plate club (as are a lot of us), and her Cuban looked fabulous. It was a great size, and, if you weren’t that hungry, you could probably save one half of it for the next day. I also had a little fork full of her mashed potatoes, and they were yummy, too. They weren’t buttery, Southern mashers; they were flavorful and light.

I got the Latin sushi roll which was fabulous. It was a plantain stuffed with either chicken, steak, fish, or veggies (I chose chicken), and it’s drizzled with an avocado sauce. I had gotten this once before when my dad was in town, and I couldn’t help but get it again. I hope you can see from the picture how fun it is. They even serve it on a sushi plate. When you bite into the pieces, you can taste the plantain, and it has a very soft texture. It’s not very banana-y, even though you might think so. The chicken and the citrus flavors mixed in are a perfect complement to the plantain, and it all tastes better once you dunk it in some of the homemade guacamole.

I also ordered a side of Yucca. I can’t come to Casa Mia without having it, and it totally made my day. I’ve described Yucca in some of my earlier posts, but it’s like a thick, healthier, better French fry. They also bring it with some kind of pink sauce (no doubt mayonnaise based, dangit), but a little bit of that stuff goes a long way.

Leslie ordered a side of fritatas. I can’t exactly tell you what those are, so she’ll have to comment on them and tell you how they were.

Jenny ordered grilled shrimp with a side of veggies. They came on a skewer, and they looked pretty good! I could tell they had definitely been put on the grill, and they smelled great! Her side of veggies were all eaten. If you’re hesitant about ordering fresh veggies from here, don’t fret. They’re well cooked and very flavorful.

Aaron ordered the black beans with a side of veggies and…I think there was something else. He’ll have to comment on how it was. Aaron is our only vegan, and I think he was pretty satisfied with his meal. He didn’t get much on his plate, so next time he’ll have to order something extra. I do think he loved his side of veggies, though. Everyone raves about the sides of veggies.

Anna ordered…(coming soon…I’ve texted her, and I’ll fill it in later)

It can’t be a birthday party without some cake. I snuck away to the waitress while people were taking bathroom breaks to set up the surprise. They brought both girls a piece of chocolate cake (they know better than to give a girl a birthday cake that’s not chocolate.), and it was delish. Leslie and Kelli both shared, and that made everyone happy.

I think we were there for about 2 1/2 hours. What do we have to lose? We’re all seniors and heck, what’s one less hour of studying, right? Of course we all know this is completely false because all of us are super-insano Type A personalities, so I’m sure all of us were thinking in the back of our minds “Crap, I have a lot to do when I get home.”

Oh well. If it wasn’t for nights like these, I think we’d all go crazy.

So, here’s to good food, tapas, friends, and chocolate cake.

It’s been a while since my last post, but I promise this one will make up for everything.

Last night, I went with my dear friend, Anna Sexton, for a night of merryment. We started at Mirko Pasta (the Athens east side location) for dinner, and it totally made my day.

I always get nervous going into Mirko because I’m afraid I won’t get a table. They are always packed, but I am continually comforted by the quick table turnaround. Problem solved.

As Anna and I were waiting in line, we decided what we wanted to order. I also spyed on everyone else eating. It’s kind of fun to watch other people converse. Come on, you know you do it, too.

I decided to order the tagliolini pasta and the Caprino e Pinoli sauce. The tagliolini is a skinny fettucini noodle that either comes in the regular or spinach version. I opted for spinach with the thought it would go better with my goat cheese, tomato, and roasted pine nut sauce. Are you drooling yet?

Anna ordered the whole wheat penne pasta with the Sorrentina sauce (diced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, basil, and garlic), and we both used the bread they brought us to sop up the sauce that was left on our plates.

Believe it or not, my dinner was only $9.34. I think that’s pretty good for an awesome meal. My pasta was amazing. The noodles were tender; the sauce wasn’t too strong (because I think goat cheese can be overpowering sometimes); it was hot (temperature wise), and it came out quick.

I think Anna enjoyed hers, too. Our plates were clean, and our tummies were stuffed.

Gratzi!

After dinner, we headed downtown to Cine to catch the 9:30 showing of “I’ve loved you so long.” We saved some room in our bellies for the famous pumpkin chocolate chip cookies they have at the bar. If you’ve never been to Cine, you need to go. Not only is it fun, cultural, and cheap, it’s also chill, different, and very reflective of the Athens community. “I’ve loved you so long” is a French movie (with English subtitles, of course) that is playing at Cine until January 22. Here’s the synopsis if you’d like to go. I definitely recommend it!

The pumpkin chocolate chip cookies were, as usual, amazing. If you’d like to have some of your own, you can order them from Dondero’s Kitchen.

So, go to Mirko’s if you haven’t been, and go to Cine if you haven’t been. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

This past Friday, I ventured to Harry Bissett’s with about 26 of my closest friends.

Yes, it was a large crowd, but I think our experience at Bissett’s was one of the best I’ve had.

Our reservations were for 8 p.m., but we didn’t get seated until around 8:30.  It didn’t really matter because all 8 million of us hung out in the front by the bar and chatted until it was time to follow the hostess into the dining area.

We had two tables: one that sat about 20 people and the other that sat around 12.  OK, so I guess there were around 30 of us, but that’s a minor detail.

All of us were dressed up for a formal that night, and we wanted to eat at fun, easy-going Harry Bissett’s before boogie-ing the night away at The Classic Center to the band Super T.

My date, Tommy, and I sat at the smaller table which actually worked out really well.  I liked being able to talk to everyone at the table without having to scream or pass a note.  Our waitress, Jennifer, was AWESOME.  She was in for a good time, and she treated us just like adults.  Sometimes I get annoyed when waiters and waitresses treat me like I’m a 13-year-old on an ice cream date, but I can understand the horror stories from bad clients.

Either way, Jennifer was awesome.  She came and got our drink orders and came back a little later to get our food order.  I had the blackened fresh catch, mahi-mahi, with green beans and collards.  Tommy ordered the trout with a side salad and…shoot…I can’t remember what his other side was.

I’m a nosy person, so I saw some other plates on our table: shrimp scampi, fried oysters, another pasta, the surf and turf, creole egg rolls, and cedar plank salmon.  Needless to say, it all looked REALLY good.

I also ordered a bottle of chardonnay to go with our fish, and it was very good.  We all had one of those “just over 21″ discussions about wine and how we really don’t know what we’re doing most of the time when we order.  I think it would be cool to go to some sort of wine tasting/school here with some friends so we can all learn together.

I guess we got out of there around 10:15 or so.  Our meal didn’t take too long to come out, and everything I had was good.  Warning!  The collards are spicy, so watch out!

This past weekend, my Dad came in for UGA’s homecoming, so we decided to sample a good assortment of Athens delights.

Friday night, we were scheduled to have reservations at The National at 7:30 p.m. at a table outside.  It was raining, but we walked to the restaurant anyway to eat dinner.  When we got there, the hostess said, “well, it’s raining. Do you still want to eat outside?”

Of course we said no.  Then, she said they wouldn’t be able to fit us in until 9:30.  We asked where all the other people were who had reservations outside, and she said they called and cancelled because it was raining.

There are two sides to this argument.  One one side, the restaurant’s side, they thought it was my job to notice it was raining and call to cancel our dinner.  On my side, I thought it was their job to call ME and say, “Ms. Strate, it is raining outside, and your table is out there. We won’t be able to fit you in the inside dining room until 9:30. Would you like to wait longer, or would you like to cancel your reservation?”

I think The National should have called me and asked.  Good thing we were able to go to Casa Mia and get a table right away.

What do you think they should have done?

[polldaddy poll=1029588]

This weekend, is the summer weekend for movies.  The Dark Knight, Mamma Mia!, and Space Chimps are all coming out.  Like many people, you might want to go out to eat before or after the flick.  So, dear readers, I’ve decided to make some restaurant suggestions depending on the movie you’re going to see.

The Dark Knight

I talked to my friend, Lindsey, who saw it last night at midnight, and she said it was “dark and creepy.”  I expected it to be that way, so that’s why I’m suggesting Chuck E. Cheese as your restaurant of choice.  The Athens location is on 78, right before the mall in the same shopping center as Bed, Bath and Beyond and Old Navy.

Either you’ll get a “happy high” before you go or a pick-me-up after the movie.  I have to admit; I haven’t reviewed Chuck E. Cheese on Dawg Food, but I’m going to go on a limb and say you’d be safe with the pizza and a Coke.  I mean, who wants to even think about food when you’re listening to the sweet seranades of robot animals going, “Cel-e-bray-shun…COME ON!”

Mamma Mia!

I want to see this movie SO BADLY!  The songs have been in my head and playing on my iPod for the past month.  Since the movie is set on a Greek Island, I thought a good seafood and/or pasta place would help you get pumped up!  My top choice for seafood would be Harry Bisset’s.  Although its roots are cajun, the fish is yummy and fresh.

My choice for pasta would be Mirko Pasta.  I have a horrible confession.  I actually ate there one night and never blogged about it.  Shun me if you must, but I will say now that it was exceptionally yummy.  It’s quick, too, so you could make it in time for the 7:30 showing.

Space Chimps

If you’re going to see Space Chimps, Casa Mia is my recommendation.  Yes, it seems strange.  Let’s see if you can figure out my reasoning.

Question: What is a monkey’s favorite food? (This isn’t a trick question.)

Answer: Bananas!

Question #2: What does your waiter bring at Casa Mia when he comes to introduce himself?

Answer: Plantain chips!

In case you didn’t know, plantains and bananas are very similar.  They are not the same, but they’re in the same family.  To read about their real differences, go here.

So, you can go to Casa Mia and eat like a monkey before you go see a movie about monkeys.  YES.

I hope this post helps you pick your choice for pre or post-movie dining this weekend.  If you have any other suggestions, holler!

I thought this post might spice up the life of Dawg Food- you know, expanding my boundaries a bit.

Here’s a little background:

My PRSSA advisor and PR Graphics teacher, Dr. Betty Jones introduced me to her husband last year. Since he is a professor, too, I call him Mr. Dr. Jones.

Mr. Dr. Jones and I became big buddies this past spring during our graphics class. That’s right. I said “our.” He decided to take the class so he could learn more about graphic design and the programs associated with it. We spent two days a week cutting up and having a good ‘ole time.

One day, he told me about an activity he does with the men at his church. The third Tuesday of every month, the Bread Burners, as they’ve come to be called, cook and serve a spaghetti lunch at Oconee Street Methodist Church. Apparently, their recipe is pretty famous, and I decided I wanted to go with him one day.

So, on Tuesday, July 15, I ventured to Oconee Street Methodist to help feed the homeless, the grad students and the underserved.

When I stepped out of my car (in my work clothes, heels, nice shorts and a shirt), I spotted Mr. Dr. Jones getting out of a truck with his friend, Mr. Duncan. Boy, was he ready for me! Faster than you could say meatballs, he plopped a cap on my head and gave me an apron to wear, complete with the Bread Burner logo.

We ventured into the kitchen, and I immediately thought I should be at camp eating chicken patties and drinking KoolAid. Two other men came to help Mr. Dr. Jones and Mr. Duncan, and they were “cuttin’ up” with each other. We had the best time getting ready for the crowd to come, and I became “bread girl.”

My job was to ask the people how much bread they wanted, one or two pieces, and then to put the bread on their plate and give it to them. It was VERY important.

The complete menu included: sliced peaches, tossed salad with Light Ranch Dressing, spaghetti and bread. That’s my kind of lunch.

I asked Mr. Duncan what their secret recipe was. After two hours of intense interrogation, he finally gave in (not really). They cook 15 pounds of ground beef and combine it with four industrial sized cans of Ragu. That’s it! Of course, I forgot to add all the TLC that goes into the recipe, too. Maybe that’s what makes it so good.

I loved serving the people who came through. Everyone was different, but they all appreciated the meal. As it turns out, I’ve been reading a book about homelessness called Same Kind of Different as Me. Some of you may have read it. If you haven’t here’s an easy way to order it.

I have to admit; I never got to try the spaghetti. I had to get back to work, and they didn’t have any to-go plates to load up. Oh well. I’m hoping to go back again and try it.

Hopefully this was a fun Dawg Food post for you to read. There are countless ways to serve people in the Athens community, and it’s not as scary as some people think. I encourage you to give it a try.

Good news, everyone.

If you have the Internet on your phone (Blackberry, iPhone, whatever), you no longer have to wait for the big Dawg Food site to load.

I registered my blog with MoFuse, a site that lets you create mobile versions of blogs.  So, whenever you’re going to Dawg Food on your phone, just type this in instead http://dawgfood.mofuse.mobi/.

There should be an RSS feed on there, so either favorite the site or subscribe to the feed.  There is a really cool version for iPhones, too.

I’m interested to see if people use it, so let me know what you think!

Many of you will be delighted to know I finally made it to The Last Resort Grill.  I have eaten there many times before, but I hadn’t been back since the conception of Dawg Food.  I think I may go back again soon, though.

Yesterday, my friend Camille, another JS intern in Atlanta, came to visit our Athens office.  She wanted to see the town, so we went to lunch together (and then proceeded to shop afterwards ).  I was trying to brainstorm good lunch places, and I randomly thought about The Last Resort.

I had thought about eating lunch there many times before, but I never felt like waiting for 45 minutes when my lunch break is an hour.  However, there wasn’t a wait on Wednesday, so we ventured in.

To spice things up a little, Camille and I sat at the bar.  No, we didn’t get sloshed before going back to work, so don’t even let that creep into your minds.

The bartenders are very attentive and personable.  I like how they’re a little rough around the edges with their speeches on the specials of the day.  Their sincerity for the quality of our meal made up for not really knowing if the ravioli had a cream sauce or tomato sauce on top.

I ended up ordering the Southwestern Grazer.  It was a wonderfully HUGE salad with cherry tomatoes, pepperjack cheese, black beans, corn, avocado, cucumber and carrots.  It was tossed in their jalapeño honey mustard which was fabulous.  Don’t worry.  The jalapeño wasn’t too spicy.  Very mild.

The lettuce was crisp, and the veggies were fresh.  My favorite part about the salad was its pre-tossed presentation.  They put together the salad; added the dressing, and then tossed it all together.  No dressing clumps in my salad!

Camille decided to go with the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich.  One aspect of The Last Resort that I love is how healthy they want their meals to be.  Instead of partnering Camille’s sandwich with French fries or chips, all the lunch sandwiches come with a mixed green salad.  Genius, huh?

Camille got the vidalia bacon (their house special) dressing on her salad, and it also comes on the sandwich.  I’m a sauce person, so this would have been heaven for me.

Our waiters/bartenders were especially attentive and made sure we were happy customers.  That’s all I could ask for.

Unfortunately, we didn’t go for the cake, but the salad was more than enough for me.  I even put some of it in a to-go box and ate it for dinner.

Both of our meals were about $8 including the teas we got to drink.  I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a steal!  It was so yummy, and it was cheap.  The perfect combo.

Moral of the story: if you go to a restaurant with a friend, eat at the bar.  You get special treatment.