"Fast Food" in Athens

Athens, Ohio has some great restaurants--and over the last week, I've been returning to many of my favorites.

But, first, a new restaurant for me, Miller's Chicken.

Eating at Miller's Chicken is not about eating healthy food. Rather, it's about eating comfort food, the kind of food that mom used to make when you were a kid. The kind of food that you'd eat now if only you weren't so worried about your darn cholesterol. Although I don't have to worry about high blood pressure and other health problems (knock on wood), after eating a piece of Miller's Chicken, I felt like perhaps I should get a blood test in order to convince myself never to have another piece again. Don't get me wrong, fried chicken can be delicious (and this was crunchy, a little spicy/nutty, and flavorful). Still, I think I prefer the kind of fried chicken that one makes at home--shake the chicken in a paper bag with flour, salt, and paprika. Fry in a little bit of oil, and voila . . . a delicious piece of fried chicken. You know, the kind of chicken that doesn't necessarily settle like a brick in the bottom of your stomach. Glad I tried Miller's once, but I don't feel a need to ever, ever go back.

I have a different relationship to Burrito Buggy, the trailer that parks just off Court Street in Athens near the university. I always love talking with Cindy (the kind of woman I'd want to hang out with if I lived in Athens), and the food is tasty. One of the most interesting things about Burrito Buggy is that they serve burritos with their own marinated (and frozen, then cooked) tofu. I tried a couple of different types of burritos this week. My favorite was the black bean burrito (with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and a mild sauce). The black beans were so yummy and I liked the crunchy lettuce that was included. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture, so here's a pic instead of the black bean, rice, tofu, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and mild sauce version.

This may not be the most appetizing picture, but, believe me, this is good food. It also lasts for hours on end . . . which is a good thing when one is going to the library to read/study/write.

Tonight, I went to O Betty's with Paul, Jeremy, Ayesha, Michael, and Johnnie. I had the gypsy made with a tofu dog and the chili cheese fries with tofu.

Although I've loved O Betty's in the past, tonight it was just so-so. My hot dog needed more zip (more mustard, more something) and the fries were just a touch undercooked. I didn't mind, though, because I really enjoyed the company. It was fun to talk about our hobbies (reading Star Wars books and romance novels) and to get to know each other better.

Since I know Paul and Jeremy actually read my blog, I thought I'd include a picture with them (and Johnnie). They might not be crazy about being featured here, so look instead at the paraphernalia in the background. Lots of kitsch, lots of fun. After dinner tonight, we saw a scary movie, El Orfanato. It led to lots of good discussion afterwards.

One last Athens restaurant that I love to visit: Village Bakery. I've blogged about Village Bakery before, so here's a picture of the breakfast pizza, a dish I haven't included a picture of in previous posts.

This version of the breakfast pizza included spinach, tomato, egg, kalamata olives, and a little cream cheese. It was quite tasty . . . I saved the bits with olive for the last since they added a nice twist to the mostly mild pizza. The crust was quite yummy, too.

I still want to blog about Casa Nueva--it's perhaps my favorite restaurant in Athens. No pics yet, so I hope you'll see an entry soon (because that will mean that I've been able to go back there to eat!).

Still, I think that Athens has a great quota of good places to eat. In comparison, Fresno food seems a little less interesting.