I’m baacckkkk!
9.5/10
Sorry it’s been so long y’all. First semester made it really hard to sit down and write, but I’m using self-quarantine as an opportunity to get back in the groove and crank out some blog posts.
I wanted to start my reboot of blogs with one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Athens, GA: The Last Resort. Renovated from an old concert venue, the interior is intimate and homey. They don’t take reservations, just call aheads, and there is always at least an hour wait, with a bussling bar of people getting coctails as they wait. This is definitely one of the most desirable restaurants in Athens for celebrations, nice family meals, date nights, or even just a nice night out with friends. My only con of the entire meal was that my specific seating was super close to another table, which made it challenging to be served. Otherwise, I loved the space, with brick walls and paintings throughout, and it was still an upscale seating area with tablecloths and flowers and candles on each table.
The meal was absolutely amazing. Each course is served with a house salad with dressing of choice, and bread and butter are provided for the table. Not only was it the perfect amount of food, but the salad paired perfectly with both of our entrees. I specifically chose their bacon-ranch dressing (don’t remember the exact name), which is made in-house. It was creamy, yet light, and was tossed perfectly with the arugula and carrots. To say I loved it was an understatement, I literally bought a bottle to take back to my dorm haha.
Next, we had two entrees, the caramelized sea scallops and the firecracker filet:
The scallops had the perfect sear, were super fatty and buttery, and didn’t have a fishy/salty taste that sometimes accompanies scallops. They were served on top of grits, which literally coats your tongue and melts in your mouth, thinking about them right now is making my mouth water. The South knows how to do grits right, but these were next level delicious. on top of the grits was a drizzle of corn bisque, adding to the creaminess of the dish, and it was garnished with a slice of pork belly on top, adding some meaty, fatty flavor… yum… plus a bit of herbs and charred corn to tie in that corn flavor throughout.
The filet was also next level delicious. The filet was perfectly cooked with a nice sear on the outside and had little to no fat but great flavor throughout. It was served over a plate of buttery, fluffy mashed potatoes, with a side of crisp green beans and a balsamic drizzle overtop. Oh, and how could I forget the shrimp cake! It was so tender and perfectly cooked, seasoned perfectly, and made for the perfect pairing with the tender, meaty steak. Lastly, the entire dish was tied together with a tomato butter on top. This dish was so complex with so many delicious flavors that all worked together perfectly.
Had to utilize parent’s weekend and come back for brunch, of course! Brunch is a much different atmosphere from the dinner crowd, with a few groups families or friends eating, and the restaurant as a whole working at a much quietier and slower place, which is common for an upscale brunch atmosphere. I ate on a particular quiet morning and fairly late for brunch, so it might be a bit busier in the morning than what I experienced.
We had the Quiche and Chuck’s Crab Benedict. I can’t speak much for the quiche since I only had a bite, but it’s filled with different garden-fresh ingredients per day, and it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. It was served with their amazing side salad, which I was super happy about because I was already missing that salad I had had the night before.
I absolutely inhaled the benedict though (lol). The crab cake was perfectly cooked, with the right amount of crab, peppers, and herbs, plus not too much breadcrumbs. It was served over grilled challah bread, which was so fresh, thick, and fluffy. It had one poached egg on top and the entire dish was drizzled with red pepper aioli, which helped balance the richness of the egg and bread. I normally can’t eat too much for breakfast, but I ate the entire thing so fast and enjoyed every bite. There were so many delicious flavors and each aspect of the dish was so high quality.
All in all, both meals were so amazing, and being in quarantine, not in Athens, is making me really miss The Last Resort. If you go to UGA or happen to be in Athens, go eat here. Seriously.
Hope y’all enjoyed reading this, and I promise I’ll keep the posts coming 🙂
-Ari
Resting Munch Face 