Pauley’s is a new restaurant and bar that opened up on West Clayton across the street from Transmet and between General’s and Cutter’s.

I was really excited about a new, creative restaurant that wasn’t too big to handle and had a lot of personality. In case you didn’t know, Pauley’s specialty is crêpe-making (pronounced KREHP…with the “e” like “egg”). Now, as a wannabe Parisian and self-proclaimed crêpe connoisseur, I was ready to taste a crêpe Athens-style.

During my first visit, I went there with Anna for dessert. My assumption is when most people think of crêpes, they think about dessert crêpes. I may be wrong, but that’s what we went for.

It’s a very long and narrow restaurant, but it has a lot of personality and intimacy. Anna was waiting on my at the second table on the right. I plopped myself up on the tall barstool and began to look at the menu.

There were a lot of options, but the two of us decided to get a S’Mores crêpe (Anna) and the Nutella with strawberries crêpe (me). When I studied abroad in Paris, I think me and my friends ate at least two crepes per week, and I don’t think I had had one since I came back to the U.S. almost two years ago.

Needless to say, my date with this crêpe was long overdue.

We also ordered some wine (Hey! It’s Thursday night…) and sat and talked about all things girlie until our dessert came. Anna, too, had studied in Paris (the same trip I did but a year after me), so we were equally excited about our “leetle French treet.”

I’d say the crêpes were about the size of a medium-sized piece of pizza. They were definitely thicker though (unless you go the meat lovers, I guess), and the Nutella and strawberries were oozing out of mine. I could see the back of Anna’s, and the crêpe looked perfectly folded in a triangle with pieces of graham cracker and globs of marshmallow creme drizzling onto her plate.

Hungry yet?

I don’t think there’s any sense in trying to hide the fact that we both ate our crêpes in their entirety. They were wonderful, delicious, and hot. That’s the key.

The only thing we thought was different was they’re a little thicker than we were used to. In Paris (probably b/c a lot of the street vendors are cheap and don’t want to use a lot of crêpe batter on you), the crêpes are very thin- about 1/4 the size of a pancake. These were about half as thick, but they were still good. Since it didn’t hinder our eating, though, I’d say they were pretty good.

A week later, I went back with another friend of mine, Sarah, to catch up over lunch. Neither of us had been there for lunch, and we were excited about the menu. Sarah is a vegetarian, but she had no problem deciding what to get. There are a lot of vegetarian options, which made her happy.

I ended up ordering the chicken pizza crêpe, and she ordered the house salad. We waited a while but were thrilled when they came.

My crêpe was even thicker than the dessert one because of the chicken. It tasted just like a chicken pizza, except softer because it was a crêpe, not pizza dough. There was tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spices, and chicken inside, and they drizzled the top of it with some tomato sauce. Nice presentation.

Sarah’s salad came in a huge, flat bowl with a crêpe on the bottom. She didn’t know what one was, so I explained it to her. After eating her romaine lettuce, red onions, croutons, and dressing, she ate some of her crêpe and took the rest home.

Overall, I think Pauley’s is a fun, semi-cheap, unique place to go for any small occasion. They have a full bar, and 78 beers on tap (I think that’s right.). Try it, and I think you’ll like it. This also isn’t just a “chick place.” When I went with Sarah, I ran into my friend, Eric Tonn, who was there with one of his dude buddies.

Pauley’s- not quite Paris, but good enough for girls and guys.

I know this post isn’t exactly breaking news, but I thought I’d write about Two Stories Coffee House anyway.

Located on Lumpkin, right across the street from Earth Fare, Two Stories Coffee House is a lot like your home away from home.

I’m not sure what the owners did to the house, but it has been redone, and each bedroom is a cozy study room, equipped with lamps, chairs, stools, desks, and electrical outlets for you and your friends.

In addition, they also brew some amazing coffee.  Two Stories serves Fair Trade coffee, and they brew it a couple of different ways:

1. Through a ceramic filter that drips right into your cup. That’s right! I don’t know if I described it well, but you pick the type of bean you want, they scoop it, grind it, put it in the filter, and pour hot water over it that drips directly into your cup. Pretty cool!

2. With a French press. I don’t know if you’ve ever had French press coffee, but it so much fun to drink! I’m not sure exactly how it works, but you can either have an individual press or one to share with a friend- that way it doesn’t get as cold as easily! It doesn’t cost extra, either.

3. Through the kind of coffee holder you see in hotels. I don’t know the fancy word for this kind of coffee keeper-warmer, but it’s the kind that you press down on the top- kind of like a pump. You know what I mean?

Either way, the people at Two Stories are more concerned with community than they are about coffee. Each chair, table, stool, dry erase board, light, carpeted step, lamp and all the other unique objects inside were put in there for a purpose- to foster a sense of community and belonging with its customers.

The people who work at Two Stories are super friendly, and they want to talk to you!

I think my favorite part about Two Stories, however, is how CHEAP it is.

Seriously.

One morning, I got a cup of coffee and a bagel (fresh from Zim’s) for a little over $3.  At Starbucks, it would cost you at least $5.

Either way, I love Two Stories and will continue to go back there. There is a neat little study room upstairs you can reserve, so give it a try! In the spring, I’ll be eager to sit out on the back porch.

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.

Let me preface by saying I NEVER get food when I go into Target, Wal-Mart or any other stores with food places inside them.

However, on Friday, I was particularly craving some mint chocolate chip ice cream at Target, so I went and “scooped” out the situation. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see Edy’s Ice Cream containers in the freezer, so I asked the guy behind the counter what the smallest cup looked like.  He said, “We only have one cup size, but a small is two scoops and a large is three scoops.”

I told him I wanted a small and proceeded to the register.  When I looked back about 30 seconds later, no joke, he had scooped (I don’t even know how to describe it) a mound of ice cream that was about six inches tall and four wide- maybe the size of a softball and a baseball.  Either way, it was HUGE!

I walked back over there and said, “Um, can you take about half of that off?”  Guys, it was SO much ice cream.  He seemed a little startled but obliged to my request.

Guess what the grand total was at the cash register?  $1.38.  The ice cream in the cup was still more than I could eat.  I think three people could have split the original amount.

Moral of the story: if you want some good, cheap ice cream, head to Target (tar-JHAY).  I wouldn’t take your boo on a date there, but it definitely satisfies an ice cream fix.  Sheesh.

This is a short post, but at least I have one up (for all my friends who have been complaining…).

I quickly ran to the Black Forest Bakery for lunch after my doctors appointment today before going back to work. I had never been there before, but I had heard raving reviews about the donuts they make.

No, I didn’t get a donut for lunch, so don’t hold your breath.

I did, however, order a turkey and swiss sandwich on wheat with spicy mustard, lettuce and tomato. It came with regular Lay’s potato chips and a pickle, but I decided to skip the chips and order a brownie.

I mean, what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn’t get something baked from the bakery?

Black Forest Bakery is on Prince Avenue, past Athens Regional Medical Center and before the Navy School- right across the street from Aqua Linda. It’s in a tiny building, so you have to watch out for it.

Now, my turkey sandwich wasn’t gourmet by any means, but I really liked how the woman said, “OK, honey, let me go right back here and make it for you,” right after I ordered.

Sure enough, I had my “sammich” in less than five minutes.

While I was waiting, however, I did take detailed observations of what was in the bakery case.

• Oatmeal raisin cookies
• Chocolate chip cookies
• Apple strudel
• Oatmeal cream pies
• Gingerbread cookies
• Iced gingerbread cookies
• Wedding cookies
• Honkin’ big blueberry muffins
• Glazed donuts
• Chocolate covered donuts
• Donut holes

That’s all I can remember, but it’s all due to my photographic memory. Needless to say, there was QUITE an assortment.

My brownie was FANTASTIC. It was about as big as my hand, and it had chocolate icing on top. It almost tasted like a really moist, dense, thin chocolate cake. Maybe that’s the batter they use. Whatever it was, they should keep using it.

There were also a couple of cakes in the display case, and I noticed a book of cake designs on the counter. If you wanted to have a cake made for a birthday party or other occasion, I bet they could whip one up for you.

I’ve been wanting to write about Black Forest Bakery for a long time, and now I’ve done it. I’m definitely going to go back for breakfast so I can experience the wonderful donut goodness for myself.

Just for your enjoyment, here are the lyrics to a donut song my grandmother used to sing to me:

Well, I walked to the corner and I walked around the block
and I walked right in to the donut shop.
I picked a donut right out of the grease
and I handed the lady a 5 cent piece.
She looked at the nickel and she looked at me
and she said, “This nickel is no good to me.
There’s a hole in the nickel.  You can see right through.”
And I said, “There’s a hole in the donut, too!
Thanks for the donut, good bye.”

In the midst of my posting madness this week, I almost forgot to write about my lunch on Saturday at Peppino’s with the Arch Society.

We had to work both graduation ceremonies on Saturday, and apparently it’s tradition to venture to Pepppino’s for lunch in between the two.

In case you don’t know about Peppino’s, here’s some info:

Location: Follow South Milledge all the way until it dead ends into Whitehall Road.  Peppino’s is directly on your left.

Phone Number: 706-613-1616

Best meal: Whenever you’re in the mood for Italian.

Open and Close: Not sure, but I’ll come back to it.

Group friendly: Yes.

T.W., our Arch advisor, went ahead and ordered a couple of pizzas for all of us to split.  I think the assortment included cheese, pepperoni, veggie, sausage and maybe one other.

I had 1 1/2 pieces of the veggie, and it was really good.  The pizza was mostly vegetables, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes, and there wasn’t that much cheese on top.  The plethora (yes, I said plethora) of vegetables made the crust a little soggy, but I was willing to make the sacrifice.

The pizzas came out in a timely manner, and, as far I I could tell, other people in the restaurant got their food pretty quickly, too.

I took a peek at the menu, and the prices were very reasonable.  Peppino’s has subs, pizza, calzones, pasta and salad, so there’s definitely something there for everyone.

You need to go to Peppino’s hungry because their pieces are HUGE!  I’m pretty sure we worked up an appetite after working the undergraduate ceremony, so it was well deserved.

All of us sat at two long tables they had set up for us, and it was perfect.  I also noticed they have a pasta and salad bar up front, so that might be a fun choice for next time.

Peppino’s definitely seems like a place where the locals go, and its location gets you out of the hustle-bustle that is downtown.  Try it!

I went to the best sushi place in Athens, Utage, with my Jackson Spalding mentor, Ashley, on Friday for lunch.

We thought it would be a relaxing, low-key Friday in downtown Athens, but we were definitely mistaken.  UGA graduation was this past Saturday, so it was packed- even in the sushi joint.

Ashley and I sat at the sushi bar, and we both decided to go with the super duper lunch special.  You can order two choices from their lunch menu, soup and a salad for $7.95- a total steal.

I ordered the daily nigiri and the shrimp cucumber roll.  Ashley got the shrimp cucumber roll and the shrimp tempura roll.

Our soup and salads came out first and very promptly.  I’ve had the same waitress there the past couple of times, and she is fabulous.  My soup had a lot more seaweed in it than usual, but I like it that way.  It was piping hot and definitely a nice little start to the meal.  The salad was fresh, and I love the cucumbers they put on it.

Because it was busy, it took a little while to get our food.  I kept having to remind myself that it takes a little longer to put together a sushi roll than slap some chicken salad on a sandwich.  Ashley and I had some nice convos, though, so it wasn’t too bad.

When it came, my nigiri (tuna and salmon) was very fresh and cold.  Unlike grocery store nigiri, my fish did not come with a pile of rice under it.  It was just plain fish.  I didn’t mind it because it had a fresh, non-fishy taste.  It might freak some people out, though.

My eight-piece shrimp and cucumber roll was perfect.  I managed to eat my entire meal with chopsticks- a huge feat for me.  I’m terrible with chopsticks.

Ashley and I cleaned our plates, so I think our meal was pretty good.  The staff at Utage is always friendly and willing to get you whatever you want.  Utage is a little hidden in between Molly O’Shea’s and Junkman’s, but it’s a wonderful little nook when you find it.

Think Andy Griffith. Think Mayberry. Think townies. Think local gossip. Think chocolate milkshakes. Think pimento cheese hamburger.

Now, go to Add Drug.

If you remember those old lunch counter places where locals come to grab a cup of coffee, visit and eat

some good food, you will appreciate the nostalgia that arises when you visit a place like Add Drug.

Tucked back in the little corner of the same building as Earth Fare on Lumpkin Street, Add Drug is most certainly a well-kept secret.

The funny thing about these kinds of places is that the people who know about them go at least once a

week. My friend, Barrett Grant, frequents Add Drug every Friday for lunch. He is on a first name basis with the waitresses Samantha (Sam) and Susan. They know his name, too.

Being a student stuck in “college world” all the time, Add Drug is a wonderful escape. Everything inside probably looks the same as it did in the 60s. Knick-knacks, dolls, puzzles, dryer sheets, household items, chocolate, baby dolls and other paraphernalia line the walls and shelves of the long and narrow property. I think I could spend hours in there.

OK, focus. Didn’t I come there for food in the first place? To the point:

My friend, Stephanie, went there for lunch on Friday and ran into my friends Barrett and Phillip. They had just gotten their lunch of a grilled pimento cheese sandwich and fries (Barrett) and a pimento cheese hamburger and chips (Phillip).

Stephanie, after actually discovering what pimento cheese was (we were shocked!), decided to copy Phillip and go for the pimento cheese hamburger. I thought a grilled tomato sandwich and chips sounded good, so we gave Sam our order.

While we were waiting, this is what I observed: all kinds of people, moms, kids, old men and middle-aged women came in. Many of them came to eat, and they hopped up on the lunch counter with us. A mother and her two daughters, ages two and five, came in for lunch. The mom had a grilled chicken salad, and, of course, the girls got grilled cheeses.

Now, I have a different attitude when I go into somewhere like Add Drug as opposed to The Five and Ten or The Last Resort. I’m not expecting a Five-Star meal. Mostly, I look for nice people who enjoy their job and can carry on a fun conversation. That’s exactly what we got at Add Drug.

It was a blast talking to Sam, Susan, Stephanie, Barrett and Phillip about the week. My tomato sandwich was wonderfully toasted, and the extra tomato I requested was ripe and juicy. Stephanie thoroughly enjoyed her burger, too.

I was stuffed after my sandwich, but Barrett and Phillip decided they wanted to top off their meal with a chocolate milkshake. Gotta love those mustaches.

In the end, Add Drug was a perfect way to wrap up the week. From grilled cheese to chicken salad to milkshakes to Coke floats to egg sandwiches, Add Drug offers it all. They’re open every day except Sundays, so go by and give it a try. Sam and Susan will take care of you.

If you leave and find yourself whistling the Andy Griffith theme song and imagine a little boy with a fishing pole beside you, I wouldn’t be surprised.

If you want to see more pictures from the day, click here.

After months of waiting and many comments saying, “I don’t really like Five Star Day. Clocked is my favorite!!” Dr. Sweetser and I finally made it to Clocked.

If you want either a good sandwich or some rockin’ tater tots, Clocked is the place to go.

Here’s some basic info:

Location: 259 Washington St., right beside the 40 Watt

Phone Number: (706) 548-9175

No Web site and no reservations.

Price: Pretty cheap and reasonable- maybe $7 for lunch.

Best Meal: Lunch. It’s more fun to chat around then.

Open and Close:

Group friendly: It’s kind of small, so I wouldn’t suggest going with a big group.

Let’s get “strate” to the food. After all, that’s what Dr. Sweetser and I had been waiting on for forever!

I decided to order the Friendship Grilled Cheese- two pieces of sourdough bread with cheddar, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms grilled in the middle to perfection. Dr. Sweetser decided she’d order the Allison Turkey Sandwich and their oh-so-famous tater tots. I think it had turkey, cheese, a fried egg and something else squeezed in between two pieces of sourdough. Hopefully she’ll make a comment on this post, and she can give you more detail.

It was such a pretty day to walk to (and from!) lunch. While we were patiently waiting on our sandwiches amidst retro rooster napkin holders and other 60s-esque furniture, we talked about Dawg Food, her summer plans, her classes for next semester, my family and other fun things girls talk about.

When our sandwiches came, they were steamin’ hot, and the cheese was perfectly melted. The top of my mouth took a second to get used to the hard crust on the sourdough, but it gave in eventually.

At the end of our meal, after the check, our waitress brought us some Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum. I’ll let you watch the video so you can see what happened next.

Click here to view the embedded video.