My last stop on my restaraunt food finding quest was at Jot em’ Downs on Barnett Shoals Rd.  This hot spot features classic bar-b-que at it’s finest!  This place is different from all of the other restaraunts in that it doubles as a convenient store for passer byers and eatery.  I know how this sounds..convienent store/restaraunt, but you would be shocked at the amazing food that comes out of this place.  Jot em’ Downs feature a plethera of barbeque plates from pulled pork, chicken, and beef that they smoke and grill right in the back of the store.   They also have porkribs, beef ribs, and delectable sides to top it all of (Mac n’ cheese, cabbage, green beans,pork and beans, etc).  The technique they use to cook the meat is unlike anything I have ever seen.  You won’t catch a little charcoal grill or gas grill here. Instead, they use a huge smoke house in the back that slow cooks and smokes the meat to perfection!  If this place doesn’t qunech your southern taste buds then I don’t know what will.  The meals range from $6-$9 and the individual sides range in price from $3-$5.   If barbeque is not your thing then step inside the convenient store for something that suits your tastebuds a bit more.  Jot em’ Downs was the ultimate hometown country bar-be-que experience I have been looking for.  Paper plates, messy fingers, and a huge smile are what you can expect after eating at Jot em’ Downs!

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Want to be the chef and the guest at a restaraunt all at the same time?  Well listen here to find out what trendy eatery is buzzing in Atlanta!

Moving along through my journey through food heaven I stumbled upon this ridicuously fun restaraunt on Friday night called East West Bistro.  It’s a fusion restaraunt that plays upon Asian inspired foods combined with good ol’ classic American dining.  Not only that, but they’ve got a tapas menu that is out of this world! Here’s a brief run-down of what had to eat Friday night.  My friends and I started with two tapas- the sweet potato chips that were cooked so perfectly and served with a side of cool blue cheese truffle dressing.  Can you say yum! Along side the chips we had a delectible Bruschetta (about 6 pieces) that were topped off perfectly with tomatoes,fetta cheese,and a piece of basil. Once I finished devouring my tapas we moved our attention towards the dinner menu which has so many options to choose from.  If you are a seafood lover than this place has got more options than you can imagine.  For my choice though I chose the grilled Porterhouse porkchop that came slightly infused with lime juice,cilantro, and a sweet chili sauce.  Ok is your mouth watering yet?  As a side dish I got some crispy green beans and purple potato cake.  This place was hands down one of my absolute favorite places to go.  Everything from the atmosphere to the service made my trip to East West Bistro unforgettable.  Although the actual dinner menu may be intimidating it is posible to eat there on a low budget.  Just grab a few good friends and order 5-6 tapas and you’ve instantly created a meal for yourself! 

Continuing my journey through the plethera of eateries Athens has to offer I have to stop and tell everyone about this cozy little nook called “Uncle Otto’s European Eatery” nesstled in the busy yet exciting downtown Athens area. Uncle Otto’s is not your average run of the mill sandwich shop it specializes in Kebaps, which is a distant cousin to the Greek’s gyro.  The warm and “towney” atmosphere reminds you that while the food is not familiar you are still in wonderful Athens.  The menu features a sandwich with either grilled beef or chicken( or tofu for the veggie lovers), a side of fries, and either a soft drink or draft Belgian beers! The sandwich is delightfulyy stuffed with  cool cucumbers, sweet tomatoes,crispy lettuce, tasty onions and your choice of feta cheese! All of these ingredients are fresh and prepared upon order. Not only that but the fries are to die for.  They are also made fresh with non-frozen potatos.  Did I forget to mention the bread? That is the absolute best part of all! The bread is a round Eurpoean style bread that is crusty and toasted on the outside and flaky on the inside.  The combination of the fresh veggies, grilled meat, delicious bread make this one of my new favorite sandwich shops!

My boyfriend and I stopped to take a picture near these beautiful rocks near the edge of Hawaii’s famous North shore in Oahu.  The waves were really high that day so we had to take our pictures quickly so we didn’t get carried off into the water.  Something interesting about the rock behind us is that there’s a little space in between the rocks that the water gets trapped under and with enough pressure the water gets pushed out through the whole creating a water show for people passing by.  Our friend who brought us here told us that the pressure is so strong that it could push a person out of the whole and into the air if they were to get stuck underneath the rock…Idon’t advise anyone trying it though!  This place is so special to me and I’m looking foward to moving there after I graduate from college.  Everything about Hawaii is perfect.  The weather is always nice, there’s alwasy a cool breeze, and the people treat strangers like family.  This place is my home and I can’t wait to go back.

This video sums up all the greatest dance moves throughout history! If you don’t know how to dance check this guy out and he’ll teach you every style you’ve ever heard of! If you’re not convinced by the end that dancing is for you then it’s still awesome to watch this comedian take dancing to a new level.  Although it is clear he may not have had proper training as a dancer I can definitely say that I appreciate his moves and the dedication he puts into each style of dance he presents! He gets an A+ in my book!

Over the weekend I decided to venture off into another restaraunt hunt so I could contribute more thoughts about good places to eat in Athens.  I went to a little tiny restaraunt called ‘eat hibachi’ in the downtown area which specializes in Korean and Japanese food.  It’s kind of a fast food restaraunt except the food is made fresh and not prepackaged.  I decided to try some Korean beef ribs (galbi) with a side of white rice and steamed veggies.  All I have to say is that they were delicious! The beef was infused with garlic, onion, soysauce, and other herbs then grilled to perfection.  It was such a simple dish, but packed with outrageous flavor.  The tiny restaraunt has a wide variety of authentic korean and Japanese dishes.  It’s very affordable to eat there and the atmosphere is quaint and cozy.  I will definitley be heading back over  there in the near future!

This past saturday I participated in a social media boot camp with my WOM class.  I have to say that I had social media anxiety prior to attending the event.  As soon as I got there I was assigned the task of taking videos of educators, students, and Edelman faculty.  Doing this wasn’t so bad.  It wasn’t unitl I was notified that I would have to upload the videos onto Youtube that I started feeling my heart race.  Once I got some instructions on exactly what to do I felt like I could sit there and do it all day.  Not only did I have a chance to upload videos, but I also got to post the links onto twitter.  Attending the bootcamp was an awesome experince for a person like me who doesn’t really get into technology.  I found that getting my hands dirty and jumping right into it is the best form of education.  I really enjoy social media now and don’t mind throwing out a few tweets every now and then.  Who knows maybe one day i’ll turn into a social media junkie…

I’ve been in Athens for almost four years and am embarassed to say that I’ve never been to Five star day until yesterday.  Last week I ventured off into a Latin restaraunt and this week I wanted to try something new, but popular among the people who live in Athens.  I went to Five Star Day not knowing what to expect out of a place called “five star”, but was really anxious to get over there once I heard it was a southern inspired restaraunt.  My first impression of the place was that it was very “Athens.”  Kind of country and kind of city all wrapped into one tiny little nook.  The food there is out of this world! I got a half-baked chicken with hop and johns(black eyed peas and rice combo) , fried green tomatoes, and mac and cheese.  If that’s not southern I don’t know what is.  The food was prepared fresh and tasted delicious.  As far as price goes it’s fairly reasonable.  Meals range from $5-$10.  For the price you get a lot of food which is totally ok with me  .I absolutely recommend this place to anyone who hasn’t ecperienced the joys of good southern food.

Instead of randomly posting on this blog everyweek I’ve decided to try out a new restaraunt every week and blog about it.  Last night a friend of mine asked me to go out for dinner to a restaraunt that I had never been to before.  As hesitant as I was at first I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons and create a new topic to blog about.  Last night we decided to go to this amazing Latin tapas restaraunt in town called “Casa Mia”.  They’ve got everything from empinadas, seviche, and sirloin kababs.  It was a tasty experience that I recommend to anyone and everyone.  The tapas are all affordable ranging from $5-$10 and the portions are more than enough.  The service was great and the atmosphere is really cozy.  I had a blast going to this exotic and beautiful restaraunt I can’t wait to see where I go next week.