Authors | Flagpole Magazine | Athens, GA News, Music, Arts, Restaurants

Blog posts by Hillary Brown

La Dolce Vita, Hip Pops Are Closing

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: La Dolce Vita via Facebook

Let's just put all the bad news in one post. La Dolce Vita, upstairs from what was its sister restaurant, Etienne Brasserie, is now also closed, announcing its shuttering on Facebook. It's been a bad year for that block of Broad downtown, between Jackson and Wall streets, which now houses only the bar Bourbon Street.

Shiraz, which retails wine and snacks in the Leathers Buiding, on Pulaski, hasn't updated its Facebook page yet but has sent out an email announcing a temporary closing, with no date when it might reopen.

And Hip Pops, in the Tracy Street warehouses, has announced that it will close its retail location for good (although the popsicle cart will still show up at events and can be hired for catering) in the next few weeks.

By Hillary Brown | October 6, 2016
Koyla Sizzling Grill Is Open on South Milledge

Blog: Grub Notes

It took a little while, but Koyla Sizzling Grill & Hookah Lounge is open today, replacing the former Desi Bazaar at 2024 S. Milledge Ave., near the Loop.

By Hillary Brown | September 30, 2016
Thai Cuisine E3 Is Open in the Former Speakeasy Downtown

Blog: Grub Notes

If you've been wondering what might fill the space of the former Speakeasy on Broad Street downtown, upstairs from Einstein Bros. Bagels, here you go: Thai Cuisine E3 is open for business there.

By Hillary Brown | September 29, 2016
Chicken Salad Chick Is Open in Beechwood

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick, an Auburn, AL-based franchise devoted to different varieties of chicken salad, opens today in the Beechwood shopping center, near Fresh Market.

By Hillary Brown | September 20, 2016
Upcoming Food Events: Autumn Harvest, Taco Takedown and More

Blog: Grub Notes

Tomorrow night (Saturday, Sept. 17, starting at 7 p.m.), Hendershots, in the Bottleworks on Prince, is hosting a food/music/drink/fashion thingie called The Experience. The coffee bar/bar bar will provide drinks, Monsoon is playing music, and designer Kristen Stanfill will feature her clothes.

But what we're concerned with here is the food. It's being supplied by an LLC called Springhouse, registered in Augusta, that specializes in these kinds of events, and the menu looks appropriately interesting: sorghum caramel corn, fancy roasted vegetable tacos, chicken satay, a take on banana pudding, things like that. Tickets are $35 including online convenience fee and can be purchased from athensmusic.net.

By Hillary Brown | September 16, 2016
Bone Island Grillhouse Is Open in the O.C.

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Bone Island Grillhouse

Bone Island Grillhouse, which has its original location in Eatonton, at Lake Oconee, opened its Athens restaurant on Monday.

By Hillary Brown | September 15, 2016
UGA Student Starts Pop-Up Waffle Business

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Instagram

Joe Nedza is an undergraduate management student in UGA's Terry College of Business. He's also (like a lot of those students) a budding entrepreneur, but his business of choice isn't an app or an enterprise solution. It's waffles.

By Hillary Brown | September 2, 2016
Hankook Taqueria to Open Downtown and More Restaurant News

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Hankook Taqueria's Facebook page.

Atlanta's Hankook Taqueria—which has a location near Cross Creek on Atlanta's west side, a partnership with the Yumbii food truck and two sister restaurants (both called Takorea, one in midtown Atlanta and one in Buckhead)—will take over the former Etienne Brasserie space at Jackson and Broad in downtown Athens, opening in November. Owner Tomas Lee has a fairly serious pedigree, and his Korean-Mexican fusion has done well in Atlanta.

By Hillary Brown | August 31, 2016
Avid Hosts Canning Book Signing, John Currence

Blog: Grub Notes

If you're all fired up about canning after reading this week's Locavore, you should know that one-time Athenian Liana Krissoff will be signing the new (and expanded) edition of her book"Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry" today at 6:30 p.m. at Avid Bookshop, along with photographer Rinne Allen.

By Hillary Brown | August 25, 2016
Brixx and the Broad Street Dairy Queen Are Closed

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Brixx

After a little more than two years, Brixx, the franchise pizza place at the base of the West Washington Street mixed-use parking deck downtown, has closed. Should you have a gift card, other locations will honor it, and there are two in Atlanta. The Athens location has been for sale for a while now, through the Shumacher Group in Atlanta.

The Broad Street Dairy Queen has also closed and will apparently not be renovated into one of those fancy new DQs.

By Hillary Brown | August 22, 2016
Hungry Howie's Opens Today, Craft Public House Is Open and More Food News

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Hungry Howie's

The Hungry Howie

Pizza chain Hungry Howie's opens for business today on Baxter Street, right by the UGA dorms, with a ribbon-cutting by the Chamber of Commerce and large one-topping pies on sale for $7.99. Its owners, Tisha and Chad Cepuran, will also be making a donation to local 501(c)(3) Children First, Inc. Hungry Howie's will be open from 10 a.m.–2 a.m. Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–3 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.–1 a.m. Sunday.

By Hillary Brown | August 10, 2016
$1 Custard at Freddy's Today, More Food Events Coming Up

Blog: Grub Notes

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, out in the Epps Bridge area next to McDonald's, is offering single-scoop cones and dishes of its vanilla and chocolate "custard" (i.e. ice cream) today. Half of that dollar will go to benefit either Kids in Need Foundation (which distributes school supplies to kids who need them) or Playworks (which provides full-time recess coaches to schools). You can vote for the charity you prefer by texting the word "kids" for Kids in Need or the word "recess" for Playworks to 72727.

By Hillary Brown | August 8, 2016
Watermelon Party, Athens Chefs Dinner and More Upcoming Food Events

Blog: Grub Notes

This Sunday, Jul. 31 at 6 p.m., Little City Diner in Winterville will host a three-course farm-to-table dinner with ingredients by Collective Harvest and Community Meat Co. Tickets are $35. Reservations at 706-742-7590.

By Hillary Brown | July 28, 2016
The Pine Is Expanding, Baxter Is Getting More Pizza and More Restaurant News

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Randy Schafer/file

The Pine.

The Pine, in Five Points, is adding a downstairs bar called The Root, which will open in August. Co-owner Scott Parrish said it will be open seven days a week, until midnight Sunday–Wednesday and until 1 a.m. Thursday–Saturday. Unlike the upstairs, it won't serve food, but it will have "a tap and can list, a handful of wines and craft cocktails and a sizable whiskey selection," said Parrish.

By Hillary Brown | July 22, 2016
The Foundry Is Offering Tuesday Date Nights This Summer

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via The Foundry

Every Tuesday this summer, The Foundry (previously known as The Melting Point, which you probably still call it if you are an Athenian of long standing, habituated to referring to places by their previous names) is offering a pretty good deal for a date night.

By Hillary Brown | July 19, 2016
Fancy Cinnamon Rolls Coming to Downtown Athens

Blog: Grub Notes

Shannon Radke co-founded Cinnaholic in Berkeley, CA with her husband, Florian.

Further fleshing out the ground floor of the Georgia Heights building at Broad and Hull streets downtown, a location of the small franchise Cinnaholic will be opening soon. Promising 100 percent vegan gourmet cinnamon rolls, customizable with a wide variety of toppings, it seems like the counterpart to Zombie Donuts, on the other side of College, pumping out the scent of sugar into the already complex bouquet of downtown's fragrance.

By Hillary Brown | July 18, 2016
Fast-Casual Stir-Fry Coming to Epps Bridge in August

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

After a brief period as a near food-desert, the new Epps Bridge shopping wonderland has been adding eating options aplenty. Just to the left of Groove Burgers, Wok's Up will open in August and is currently hiring for all positions.

By Hillary Brown | July 11, 2016
Craft Public House to Open This Month on Eastside

Blog: Grub Notes

If you've been stuck at the light at Gaines School and Cedar Shoals, you may have noticed a sign that popped up in the old Charlie Nobles space in the Ansonborough development. Craft Public House plans to open there later this month, the project of chef/owner Brandon Kelly and owner/GM Rob Longstreet. Craft is a gastropub, which is certainly something new for the Eastside.

By Hillary Brown | July 8, 2016
Paul's Bar-B-Q in Lexington, Tin Drum in Athens Are Closed

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Marie, Let's Eat

The only appropriate reaction to the news that Paul's Bar-B-Q, in Lexington, served its last meal this Fourth of July is, "Aw, dang."

By Hillary Brown | July 5, 2016
Donna Chang's Chinese Restaurant to Open in Five Points This Fall

Blog: Grub Notes

The new restaurant's namesake.

If you've noticed some activity in the former Suska space in the Henrietta Building on Lumpkin Street in Five Points, that's because it'll soon house a Chinese restaurant: Donna Chang's. But wait, it's no chop suey joint.

By Hillary Brown | June 20, 2016