Down at Which Wich

Finally, the long-awaited Which Wich has been tested, and will now be reviewed. For those of you that have never been to Which Wich, I want to explain the unique system they have for ordering your sandwich. When you walk in there will be a large menu on your right, above what looks like cubby holes. The choices of sandwich types on the menu are turkey, ham & pork, beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, italian, comforts, classics, and breakfast. As you can see there is certainly a wide variety of sandwiches to choose from that would suit many different kinds of tastes.

After you have selected what kind of sandwich you want, you will find tons of brown paper bags in the cubby holes with labels above them displaying the different sandwich types. On the bags is where you decide what kind of sandwich you want in one of the 10 types listed above, as well as anything you want put on it. This includes cheese, sauces, dressings, extra meat, vegetables, etc. Now what if you don't have a pen? How will they get your order? Well no worries, they provide you with permanent markers and a table to check off what you want. At the bottom of the bag there is a spot to put your name so that they can call it out when your sandwich is done. When your finished, you give the paper bag to the cashier and they ring you up, along with anything else you want to get, such as chips or a drink. If you want to know what else they have on the menu you can check it out here.

I know it seems complicated, but if you give it a try you will find that it is actually pretty simple! The whole system is so new and refreshing that I find it to be extremely useful. It is especially useful for those of you, like me, that don't like lettuce, tomatoes, or basically anything green, but also don't like complicating your order by saying "no lettuce... oh and no onions."

I went to Which Wich with a few old friends that I haven't seen in awhile; Kelsey, Kristi, and Bree. When we went I ordered the Wicked. The Wicked is a specialty sandwich that is a little more expensive. The Wicked comes with five different kinds of meat, including ham, turkey, bacon, etc., three different choices or cheese, and any other kind of topping or dressing you want on it. I also paid for a bag of Which Wich's home-made potato chips. The chips taste like sour cream & onion chips, but are a bit more crunchy. The whole meal costed me about eight dollars, which isn't bad, but it certainly isn't a money saver. The sandwiches are smaller than the ones you will find at Subway and a little more expensive, but still the sandwiches are filling. All-in-all I had a delicious meal with some old friends I haven't seen in awhile.

Now, I really don't think I should be saying this because my friends and I got the impression that it wasn't really supposed to be made, but there is a secret shake that is not on the menu. It is called the peanut butter and jelly shake, and it tasted delicious! Kristi was offered to buy it by a male cashier who probably thought she was hot and wanted to impress her. Anyway, I challenge someone to ask for it and let me know what happens. I am curious to see if the people will make it, or if it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

Pros:

The ordering system is unique and refreshing, wide variety of sandwich choices, and a great place to meet with friends for lunch.

Cons:

The sandwiches are small for the price, and I can't really think of another bad thing about the place.

Which wich is located on Broad Street between Lumpkin and the arches, operating from 9 A.M to 10 P.M. I really recommend you give it a try the next time your hungry downtown!

Down at Picantes

I know what you're thinking... This will probably be Justin rambling on again because he still hasn't gone to any restaurant downtown. Well if your thinking that then you would one hundred percent wrong. I'm here to write about my experience at the first restaurant I went to in downtown Athens, Picantes Mexican Grill and Bar.

My adventure started out right after I got out of a wonderful and inspiring class taught by Dr. Kohn. Can you tell that he will be reading this b

log? Anyways, my good friend Jack and I walked from the class to the restaurant in a matter or minutes. That is just how close this place is to the good old University of Georgia. Now, let me tell you that my first impression of this place wasn't exactly the best. The first time that I came to this place I didn't really get anything, and I only ate chips and salsa, so I didn't really get the full experience. This time however, I decided to get a steak quesadilla and a soft taco (without lettuce.) The way you order is a little different, since the place is also a bar you don't get waited on in a booth. You order at the bar when you come in, and it is more of a serve yourself kind of deal. Jack ordered the burrito to make sure we had different kinds of food to try. With every meal you get unlimited chips and salsa, so obviously Jack and I took advantage of this.

Before I go on, I have to tell you about their chips. Oh my goodness! The chips were freshly made, hot off the oven, and probably the best batch of chips I have ever had. I mean these things were so thick and crunchy I couldn't stop eating them. There are three different kinds of salsa; mild, hot, and chunky. The hot was a little too spicy for me, which is a challenge since I'm from New Orleans, and I don't really like chunky salsa, but the mild was perfect. (Jack, however, strongly recommends the chunky salsa and showed his enthusiasm for it by going up to get more about ten times. So if you like tomatoes, onions, and cilantro then that is the salsa for you.) However I do have a complaint. You may think I was exaggerating about Jack going up ten times for salsa, but that is the problem. I mean I don't mind serving myself salsa, but the little cups that you put it in are about the size of those little paper ketchup holders at McDonalds. I mean I could hardly get one of my thick chips in there to dip without breaking it apart.

Apart from that, the quesadilla was pretty good. If you get one you don't need to order a taco as well because they are pretty large and quite filling. The soft taco comes on corn tortillas, which is how they do it in Mexico and Costa Rica, but due to a series of unfortunate events, corn tortillas makes me sick to my stomach. My girlfriend told me if was good though! Jack's burrito was huge and was well worth it. After our meal, Jack and I headed off to Mr. Haircut (Jack's favorite place to get a nice clean cut) and then I headed to my next class.

Pros:

Thick crunchy chips, choice in salsa, unlimited chips and salsa, and pretty filling at an affordable price.

Cons:
Salsa bowls too small and you have to serve yourself (although, at least you don't need to tip anyone.)

So just to give a little summary, I would say that Picantes is probably the best mexican restaurant downtown and within walking distance of the Student Learning Center. Of course I do have a few others to try out before I can say that for certain, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone that had a craving for mexican.

Down at Athens

Hey everyone! Welcome to Downtown Discovery! My name is Justin, and I will be your tour guide through these exciting adventures to uncover the great tastes in downtown Athens, Georgia.

Before we get to the good stuff, let me give you a little information on Athens.

The city of Athens is built around the University of Georgia that was named in honor of Athens, Greece, an ancient city known for it pursuit of knowledge and culture. The cultured life surrounding the college attracted wealthy families, and that is why Athens is now one of the largest college towns in all of the United States. Downtown Athens is now a thriving cultural center of businesses, restaurants, and bars. (Fun fact, Athens is in competition with some city in Kentucky for most bars in a college town. I'm pretty sure we are winning now!) Downtown Athens now has 53 restaurants situated in walking distance from the University of Georgia.

My mission: Explore these restaurants undercover as a seemingly handsome yet unpredictable college student and provide an accurate review of the establishment along with any other relevant information in this blog.

Mission accepted!

Oh wait, there is also a few things you should know about me as well.

First off, I like to use exclamation marks! I am not yelling at you it is just my preference. I am horrible at spelling and frequently make up words or put words where they don't really belong. One of my favorite made up words is "Bowchickabowow" or "Bowchicka." Note that it is not "Bowchickawowow" which I find to be offensive.

An important aspect to consider is that I am going to give the everyday persons review of these restaurants. I am not a food critic, I do not usually give reviews, and I will not be corrupted by anyone who would want me to write a good review on a bad restaurant. Not that it is really likely that will happen since I will be deep undercover, but I just wanted to be clear. Also, I am not that crazy about vegetables, but I will give it a try just for you guys. Not promising anything though!

If you think I did not give the restaurant a fair chance or an accurate review then let me know! If you think I should try something that you think I would like at a restaurant that I am going to, then let me know! Basically, if you want to talk to me, then leave a comment.

Now that we are all done with that boring stuff I bet you can't wait to hear about my extravaganzas through the heart of downtown Athens!!!

Well... I hate to say it, but you are going to have to wait until my next post. I know it is a bit disappointing right now, but I assure you that it will be well worth the wait!

Stay tuned!