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

Blog posts by Hillary Brown

Big Daddy Mike's and JB's Smokin' Pig to Add More BBQ to the Athens Area

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Big Daddy Mike's

Big Daddy Mike's Barbecue Bar and Grill, the restaurant evolution of a BBQ sauce company that also does catering, will open soon in what was most recently Dickey's Barbecue Pit, on Hawthorne, near its intersection with Oglethorpe/Tallassee.

By Hillary Brown | February 26, 2016
Wing Zone Is Open Downtown

Blog: Grub Notes

Someone was just telling me that Athens needed a dedicated wings place, so, boom. Here you go. Wing Zone is open in the former Yoforia on the ground floor (Clayton Street side) of the West Washington Street parking deck/mixed-use development.

By Hillary Brown | February 25, 2016
Two New Burger Restaurants Coming to Athens

Blog: Grub Notes

Burger 21.

Groove Burgers, a brand-new burger joint from Bridger Loftin (of Loco's), could have a soft opening this weekend, in the new Epps Bridge shopping center, by Kinnucans. The concept seems potentially franchisable, which wouldn't be a surprise, but for now it's a rare independent business in the Epps Bridge area.

Yet to determine a location is Burger 21, which is a franchise, with locations in Buckhead, Johns Creek and the Mall of Georgia, as well as in many other states. Its menu is a little more voluminous, and it offers seafood burgers, sliders, chicken tenders, hot dogs, turkey chili and an array of shakes and floats.

By Hillary Brown | February 25, 2016
Mama Jewel's Kitchen Is Open on Baxter; Mother Pho Is Open Downtown

Blog: Grub Notes

As of Feb. 3, the space on Baxter Street that once housed Mirko Pasta is now home to Mama Jewel's Kitchen, an independent business that does Southern cooking and healthier options.

By Hillary Brown | February 19, 2016
Five & Ten Nominated for James Beard Award

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Five & Ten

The James Beard Awards released its long list of 2016 nominees for restaurants and chefs of the year yesteday, and Five & Ten is among the "Outstanding Restaurant" semifinalists.

The James Beard Foundation describes its outstanding restaurant winner as the best restaurant "in the United States that serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere and service. Eligible restaurants must have been in operation 10 or more consecutive years."

By Hillary Brown | February 18, 2016
Wings-Eating Contest, Valentine's Food Options and More Food Events

Blog: Grub Notes

Beef O'Brady's will hold its annual wings-eating contest during the halftime of the Super Bowl, on Sunday, if you're more interested in chicken than in Beyonce. Wings are "nuclear"-flavored, the charge is $12 (except for the first three entrants, who get to compete for free) and the winner gets free wings for a year.

By Hillary Brown | February 5, 2016
Big Family Cafe Adds Dinner Hours; White Tiger to Open Mondays

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

Big Family Cafe

Since it opened almost two years ago, Big Family Cafe has built a following in Homewood Hills by serving reliably delicious, fresh food off a large menu. You can bring your kids. You can bring your parents. You can get an omelet for breakfast or lunch, and avocado comes with tons of entrees. Once before, it tried expanding its hours to include dinner, but couldn't make a go of it. Now it's trying again. The new hours are 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday (closed Monday).

By Hillary Brown | February 4, 2016
The Calzone War Rages On in Athens

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Eddie's Calzones

So, apparently Eddie's Calzones isn't just going to sit there and take D.P. Dough's press-release smack talk.

By Hillary Brown | February 3, 2016
Zombie Coffee and Donuts to Open Downtown

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

The space downtown that most recently housed a branch of local franchise Your Pie will soon be home to Zombie Coffee and Donuts. Owner Tony Raffa, who won't graduate with his undergraduate degree from UGA until the end of this semester, owns another branch of the store in Washington, D.C., but says he's excited to open one in Athens.

By Hillary Brown | February 3, 2016
Dollar Slices Today for Automatic Pizza's Birthday

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

I'd buy 1/8 of that for a dollar.

In some ways it's hard to believe Automatic Pizza hasn't been around any longer than a year, so quickly did it attract an audience and become a regular stop for many in its neighborhood. But it's one year old today, so it's offering dollar slices and dollar PBRs all day. It closes at 11 p.m. Go get some.

By Hillary Brown | January 28, 2016
D.P. Dough to Give Away Free Calzones

Blog: Grub Notes

D.P. Dough, downtown's second late-night-oriented quick-service calzone eatery that also delivers is now open, in the Georgia Heights building, on the Broad Street side. To celebrate, it will be giving away free calzones next Thursday (Feb. 4) from 5–8 p.m. It will not operate regular hours that day and will not accept orders over the phone or in store. As long as you are in line by 8 p.m. and you check in via social media (on-site) in one of the following ways, you will receive a free calzone:

By Hillary Brown | January 28, 2016
Downtown Zaxby's Opens Monday

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Behold, chicken fans: Valhalla.

The new downtown location of Zaxby's, which may be a chicken franchise but at least is ourchicken franchise, with headquarters in Oconee County, will celebrate its grand opening Monday, Jan. 25 with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.

By Hillary Brown | January 22, 2016
Goodie Two Shoes to Stop Serving Lunch, Stay Open for Events

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Goodie Two Shoes, the offshoot of Mama's Boy that opened in the 909 Broad building in December 2014, will stop serving lunch after next Friday, Jan. 29. It will remain in business as a space for event rental and in which Mama's Boy can do catering prep.

By Hillary Brown | January 19, 2016
Seed Life Skills Dinner Sunday and More January Food Events

Blog: Grub Notes

Interested in supporting Hugh Acheson's home-ec reboot, Seed Life Skills? There's a benefit dinner this Sunday at 5 p.m. at The Foundry, with the chef lending his culinary presence, plusmusic by 6 String Drag. The menu consists of: a salad of little gem lettuces, pistachio, mint, lemon and olive; a family-style main course with trout, rack of lamb, leeks, farro with Brussels sprouts and pumpkin seeds, and the roasted carrot and beet salad with cumin dressing that is a personal favorite of mine from Acheson's first cookbook; and a butternut squash panna cotta for dessert.

By Hillary Brown | January 8, 2016
Speakeasy to Close at End of Year

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file

And so it continues... Speakeasy, which found new life early in 2015 with a beautifully revised menu and a new sense of refinement in the kitchen, will close December 31. Owner/chef Patrick Anderson wrote, on its Facebook page:

By Hillary Brown | December 23, 2015
Lumpkin Cafe Is Closed

Blog: Grub Notes

After 21 years in business, Lumpkin Cafe had its last one Saturday. Owner Lisa Tangren said:

By Hillary Brown | December 19, 2015
home.made is Expanding; East West, Porkhouse and Others are Closed

Blog: Grub Notes

home.made

If you've driven down Baxter lately, you may have noticed the paper in the windows of the space next door to home.made, Mimi Maumus's catering business that currently does weekday lunch and a monthly supper club. The florist that was in the adjoining space has moved out, and home.made is moving in.

By Hillary Brown | December 3, 2015
Jason Zygmont to Leave Five & Ten

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Five & Ten/Facebook

Jason Zygmont, who has been the chef at Five & Ten, Hugh Acheson's flagship restaurant, for almost two years, will have his last day there Dec. 31. Zygmont is moving on to The Treehouse, in Nashville.

By Hillary Brown | November 11, 2015
Cafe Istanbul to Open Downtown

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Hot on the heels of Mediterranean Grill expanding to Athens, another small Atlanta-area chain is opening a location here. Cafe Istanbul has hung out a banner for the space between Utage and Jerzees, on Clayton Street downtown.

By Hillary Brown | October 28, 2015
Square One Is Closing; 180°F Cafe Is Open; More Food News

Blog: Grub Notes

Photo Credit: Blake Aued

Open since 2009, Square One Fish Co. will do its last day of business in its current location on Sunday. Owners Erica and Joe Cascio have sold the building to a hotel that will open next to the Classic Center, something meeting planners have desired for a long time.

Also closed are the Hawthorne Avenue location of Dickey's Barbecue Pit (the Oconee location remains open) and Always Baked on Baxter Street.

By Hillary Brown | October 20, 2015