Aldi is open!

Aldi has opened a new location here in Athens, on Atlanta Highway.

I was a bit concerned that Publix might suffer, but considering their very full parking lot last week, that concern is not too strong.

Aldi fills in a niche that was missing - they offer incredibly inexpensive fruits and vegetables that are adequately fresh. They are not, however, a full service grocery store. They do not have organic options (that's what Earth Fare is for.) They don't have a pharmacy. They don't have an in-house bakery. They don't have a butcher. They don't have fresh seafood. They don't have a large selection; your choices are all Aldi's house versions of name brand foods, and that's it.

What they do have is staples for your fridge, freezer, and pantry at a very reasonable price. Our weekly grocery bill has already plummeted by $15-$20.

Coming up later today: Taste of Athens 2012!

On the Road Review: Giordano's Pizza

I was in Chicago a few weeks ago, and one of the biggest treats I have there is a true Chicago style deep dish pizza.

Many years ago, DaVinci's pizza on Baxter had delicious Chicago style pizza, but since they closed, the closest place you can get a some-what similar pizza is Nancy's in Atlanta, and those who have had real Chicago style know it's not quite the same.

If you ever find yourself in Chicago, treat yourself to a true Chicago style deep dish. $30 will feet a family of six - yes, one slice will fill you up!

We ordered our pizza on Friday and we were still munching on it Sunday morning. So delicious, its even great two days old.

Review: Casa Mia

We hadn't been to Casa Mia since it had its latest change in name/cuisine/management. Actually, we missed out on Rouge entirely, something I regret keenly. With our Fabulous Savings coupons due to expire soon, we opted to use up the last few of our downtown coupons and stopped by for BoGo tapas. The interior hasn't changed much since the last time I was there - still the same stained cement floors and well-rennovated charm. Parking is a problem (it's downtown) so if you've got bus access, use that instead. We were seated immediately and brought table water and chips and salsa. The chip plate was really tiny (seriously) and the chips were a bit stale. The salsa was also weak and bland. No kick. Since it's a free courtesy expected of Mexican restaurants in the south, I won't complain too much, but you can get better chips and salsa at most other restaurants in town. I ordered the Latin sushi roll and my husband ordered empanadas. We also got a side of fried yuccas. The Latin sushi roll turned out to be a fried plantain stuffed with seasoned chicken. I had a bite of my husband's beef empanada , and we split the fried yucca. Portion sizes were a bit on the small side, but these were tapas and not real entrees, so that was to be expected. Still, getting a whole three yucca fries for two dollars felt a bit stingy. The meat was well seasoned, however, and everything was delicious, a far cry from the stale chips of moments before. We left a little hungry, and opted for dessert at Suno to fill up. Location: B - Downtown means parking is going to be difficult to find and probably cost money. Take a bus if you can. Atmosphere: A - Clean bathrooms are always a winner with me, and I like the heavy atmosphere of the interior. It's survived several incarnations of the restaraunt, but it was well done the first time and it shows. Food: B - Chips and salsa were stale and bland. The rest of the dishes were much tastier, but came in pretty small portions. Service: A - Quick and attentive wait staff, but then again it was a rainy Tuesday afternoon before the dinner crowd really hit. Price: B - Not the cheapest Mexican in town. Not the largest portion sizes for the price. Overall, the experience wasn't bad, but I get the impression Casa Mia doesn't know what it wants to be. Latin fusion? Gourmet? Offering cheap prices but providing stingy serving sizes in exchange is something that just rubs me the wrong way. I love yucca fritas and only giving me three of them was a tragedy. Grade: B - Eat there, but bring a coupon.

Review: Your Pie, Watkinsville

We took advantage of a 50% coupon promoting this location of Your Pie for our weekly dinner last Friday. A friend warned us that he was not happy with the service there, but we are never one to take someone's word as the final authority when it comes to a restaurant, so we went anyway.

Our first problem was parking. Holy moly. Whoever designed that shopping center's parking lot should be fired. We had to parallel park in a driveway, far away from the actual buildings, with muddy undeveloped lots on either side. The facility really needs double the parking spaces they have.

Once we got inside, the line was very long, and there was no seating. We realized that it was Friday night in a sleepy small town with nothing better to do, but like our experience at Marty's at Midday earlier in the year, not having any available seating is a definite turn off. It was too cold outside to take advantage of any outdoor seating, and we were not offered the option anyway.

So we resigned ourselves to To Go. The long line slowly moved up. After about fifteen minutes of standing there hungry, we were finally able to place our orders. Things brightened up as we selected our pies - my husband went for a standard BBQ chicken, while I opted for a veggie-laden custom chicken pizza. Your Pie gets a big gold star for having the full nutritional information of their food right there where you can order. I was able to build my own diet pie and know the Weight Watcher's points for it within a few minutes.

Once our order was placed and paid for, there was another hungry, interminable wait while they baked the pizzas. Deli style pizza sure isn't instant. Since we had no table, we had to stand by the soda fountains in everyone's way. A few "to go waiting area" chairs would have made a world of difference.

We didn't actually get to eat our pizza until we arrived home, about an hour after we left. And the pizzeria is only 10 minutes away from our Bogart home. It took 40 minutes to be able to order and then wait for the pizza to be cooked, all while we were standing up. The pizza was delicious, but I wish I could have enjoyed it sooner.

Location: C - Inadequate parking. Right on highway 53 so convenient for folks in Watkinsville proper, but those in Athens itself should probably hit the Alps location.

Atmosphere: C - Inadequate seating. No exterior lighting for outdoor seating that I could see, nor any space heaters to even make the outdoor seating an option. No seating for to-go orders. The entire place was noisy and filled with kids, and the impression I got was of a very cramped building that was trying to do more than it was capable of handling. I guess since the location is still relatively new, the novelty hasn't worn off, but I would definitely suggest avoiding them on Friday nights.

Service: A+ - Better than we had been led to believe. Everyone was friendly and make sure our orders were done exactly right. Having the nutrition information available at the ordering bar made it a definite win.

Price: A - Even without the 50% coupon, it's pretty reasonable for mid-scale deli style fast food. Well, slow food.

Food: A - I scarfed down my pizza which was still nice and hot in its to-go box.

Overall grade: B - Add more parking and double the dining room size, and I think this place can still be salvaged. Otherwise, try to aim for happy hour at 5PM to avoid the crowds and actually get a table.

Beer Review: Lord Chesterfield Ale

Time for another new from the Yuengling family. I had the Lord Chesterfield ale with dinner on Sunday evening.

I'm a hops girl and this was not my normal variety of beer. That said, this was a decent showing for the pale ale category, but there wasn't anything special about it. That seems to be the case with a lot of Yuengling beers. They're good, but not outstanding. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

A good beer should roll accross the tongue like a fine wine. The flavors should evolve and change over time on the palette. The lack of this makes a beer taste flat and unimaginative.

My score: C

Drinkable, but not anything to write home about. If given the choice between a Lord Chesterfield and a non craft beer, take the Chesterfied, but if given the choice between this beer and a real craft beer, take the real craft beer instead.

Review: Shoki Steakhouse and Sushi

Valentine's Day means a fancy dinner out, outside of our usual restaurant budget. (Special occasions don't count.) Because my husband is stuck at classes on Monday evenings, we initially set our reservations for 9PM, but he dismissed his class early (lucky them) and came home a half hour ahead of schedule. So we headed there early.

Shoki is one of the "newer" steakhouses in town, compared with the venerable Inoko Steakhouse in Alps. I remember when it opened a few years ago. We had an unfortunate Valentine's Day experience at the hibachi a back in 2007, in which a couple mistakenly brought their toddler. That was not the restaurant's fault, although they should probably include a disclaimer that 2-year-olds and 3 foot high grill flames don't mix well.

We decided to try again, only to go with sushi this time. We're sushi lovers through and through and nothing makes us happier than tearing into a double boat while knocking back sake shots.

A note on the door was the first sign of trouble - they are on a "BYOB" policy. It turns out their liquor license expired. So no sake for us.

We explained that we had 9PM reservations but wanted sushi now. They seem to be severely understaffed, as the hostess lied and said they needed to "clean up" the sushi area. It looked pretty clean to us, but we agreed to wait until it was "ready." We sat at the bar, staring longingly at the bottles of alcohol they weren't allowed to serve. We were not offered water.

The wait wasn't long until the already clean sushi bar became "ready" - in this case, they had kidnapped one of the hibachi chefs and asked him to run the sushi bar. He mentioned he hadn't done that in a while. He was Japanese, and he complimented us on our pronunciation. We had a nice conversation about Japan while he slowly made our sushi.

The sushi fish was fresh and tasty, although the rice was a little dry and not well seasoned. A few of my pieces fell apart when I was trying to consume them - and I'm pretty skilled with chopsticks, so this wasn't user error.

Our boat came in two sections, probably because the poor sushi chef was suddenly inundated with orders from other customers as well.

We left full, but disatisfied. I don't think we're going to give them a third chance at impressing us on V-day.

Location: A - Right off Atlanta Highway. Parking lot is large and very adequate. No troubles getting in and out. Actually, the best thing they have going for them these days.
Atmosphere: B - Sitting two lushes at a bar that can't serve alcohol is a bad move. The decor is nothing special, although I do like the shoji screens that line the front wall. Partitioned rooms for the hibachi for private parties.
Service: F - Letting your liquor license expire in Athens is a recipe for disaster. My guess is they are facing serious budget troubles and couldn't afford to renew. They were also critically understaffed and while our sushi chef was polite and friendly, our hostess was rushed and the other waitresses couldn't keep up. My glass went empty twice, something I'm not accustomed to.
Price: A - A bit pricey but within the reasonable range for sushi and steak. I've paid upwards of $75 for a sushi boat, so getting one for $50 is a fair deal.
Food: B - Fresh fish, but improperly prepared sushi rice. It was dry and not seasoned correctly, and as a result, didn't have the proper level of stickiness. If I had to make a guess, they skimped on the sushi vinegar and sugar. Food was presented on two wooden platters instead of one big boat, but that's a very minor nitpick from a sushi boat lover.

Overall grade: C - Oh Shoki, I really hoped for more from you. You're the closest sushi restaurant to us and if you had knocked our socks off, you would have been seeing a lot more of us. As it is, we're desperate to go back to Inoko or to try the new Sakura that just opened up near Academy Sports. Heck, we've had better sushi and service from Inoko Sushi Express, and they're fast food!

Review: Mirko Pasta on Baxter

Friday night means dinner out, and due to our policy of not eating out without a coupon aside from special occasions, we flipped through Fantastic Savings and decided to use the Mirko coupon.

I've eaten at all three local Mirko locations, and enjoy them all. The East Side location used to be within walking distance of our apartment, so for us Mirko meant ordering a bottle of wine and stumbling home on foot.

When we moved to the west side, Baxter became our closest location, so it was to this one we returned.

For those unfamiliar, Mirko is a hybrid restaurant cafe where you order at the counter and are served at the table. You can order a dinner plate, or mix and match pasta and sauce as desired. I opted for the lighter fare of whole wheat penne with pomodoro sauce, and my husband chose carbanara with fusilli.

All patrons are served biscuits with a hummus and rosemary sauce-like substance. It's tasty, and loads healthier than the traditional olive oil and vinegar you receive at most places. The bread is freshly baked and sliced for dipping.

They forgot to remind me to pick up a glass for my tea, but the waiter corrected that quickly. It was busy, but our food was still served in a very reasonable amount of time.

Location: A - Three locations in Athens, one in Watkinsville, and more opening up. All three serve the same food. Parking for all three locations can be a bit awkward, because they tend to be in mixed use developments, but you figure it out after a few moments.
Atmosphere: A - A little traditional, a little trendy. I really like the Baxter street wine rack and want one of my very own.
Service: B+ - Counter person didn't give me a glass for my tea, or tell me to go serve myself. Redeemed by the waiter going and fetching one for me when I mentioned it. Food came pretty fast considering the place was packed.
Price: A+ - Dinner out for under ten bucks a person is quite doable, and frequent participation in deal mobs and other promotional coupon systems means you can easily eat out for under twenty for two including tip.
Food: A+ - Fresh pasta, freshly made sauces, and a seasonal menu mean you can be adventurous and try different things every time you come back.

Total score: A - Mirko is a great place for a casual dinner when you want food to be the focus. And since options range from lean to sumptious, you can still enjoy dinner on a diet. This falls under "don't need a coupon to eat at" for me because of the reasonable prices as well.