Great places to eat in Athens for $5 and under

The majority of students at Ohio University are on tight budgets. I'm one of them. Food, however, is a necessity for all of us. Let's face it, sometimes we simply don't have the time to go to WalMart and buy food, or have the time to cook up a meal in between classes.

(Photo credit: krad77, www.panoramio.com, Court St.)

Athens, OH prides itself on local business. While national franchises like McDonald's and Burger King may have dollar menus, they're not always the healthiest choice. You can still get an assortment of great meals for $5 and under at many of the fantastic local establishments in Athens. For example, next time you've got a craving for one of those disgusting Double Down sandwiches from KFC, go to Miller's Chicken instead. It doesn't hurt to once in a while give your business to the many amazing people that make Athens such a great place. The goal of the map below is to show you all of the great places that you can pick up a quick, affordable meal at Ohio University.

View Good meals at OU for $5 and under in a larger map

Get uptown for Uptown Grill

Uptown Grill, Athens' newest food establishment, opened a week and a half ago in the building that was formerly occupied by Grade A Notes. The walk-up window restaurant, which is right next to Buffalo Wild Wings, offers fantastic grilled items at affordable prices. According to an article in The Post, the restaurant was started by Stacy McClain, the owner of Copy Catz. The article notes that McClain and his girlfriend raise Angus cattle and he saw the vacancy next door as an opportunity to expand his business. Being that it's brand new and relatively unknown, I thought I'd check it out and give you guys a heads up.

(Photo credit: Stacy McClain, Uptown Grill)

My roommate, Ronnie Corey, had originally told me about it last week. Ronnie's from Philadelphia, and on his way to work one day, he noticed the place and saw that they had Philly cheesesteaks on the menu. Being from Philadelphia, Ronnie is as fanatical about Philly cheesesteaks as I am with my Chicago-style pizza. Ronnie, who hadn't had a Philly cheesesteak since he went home for winter break, was dying to get one so he, our buddy Greg Wilhelm, and I went earlier today for lunch to check it out.

As I mentioned earlier, it's only a walk-up window, like O'Betty's but without the inside portion. Immediately, we noticed how relatively inexpensive it was. The menu includes Angus burgers, Italian sausage, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken fajitas, grilled chicken breast sandwiches, veggie-burgers, and a banger, which is a type of bratwurst. All of these items are between $4.50 and $5. The only item that is over $5 is the Rancher's Delight, which is $8. The Rancher's Delight is a half-pound Angus burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese. Chips and drinks are also available for purchase.

Ronnie, without hesitation, ordered the Philly cheesesteak. I also ordered a Philly cheesesteak, and Greg ordered the banger. Inside the window, we saw the grill, where all of our food was made fresh right in front of us. We waited impatiently as the smell of the food and grill began to make us even hungrier. After receiving our food, we walked back to Greg's apartment to watch some TV and take our first bites of an Uptown Grill sandwich.

The food turned out to be delicious! I thought the Philly cheesesteak was great, however, Ronnie was quick to assure me that it was nothing like the real thing at Geno's or Pat's in Philadelphia. Despite lacking true Philadelphia authenticity, Ronnie did enjoy his sandwich.

"This Philly cheesesteak is really good, but it's nothing like Geno's or Pat's back home," he said. "At least I finally found a place in Athens where I can get one, and it's cheap, too."

Greg enjoyed his banger as well. We were all in agreement that Uptown Grill is definitely a cheap, affordable alternative to a Buffalo Wild Wings or Red Brick sandwich. It's also relatively fast if you're looking for a quick meal in between classes. If you're ever in the area and in need of a quick meal, I'd definitely check it out.

For more information, you can also check out their official Facebook fan page.

An avalanche of pizza picking up steam in Athens

Pizza is one of those foods that I feel like everybody enjoys in one way or another. Whether it be deep dish, thin crust, pizza al taglio, brick oven, etc., there are always enough varieties of crust, sauce, and toppings to keep everyone happy. As noted in my post about O'Betty's, I'm very picky when it comes to pizza. Chicago-style pizza, in my opinion, is the end-all-be-all of pizza. Athens, however, is quickly earning a reputation for good pizza in the form of Avalanche Pizza. Avalanche has gained national recognition in recent years and has won various awards, such as first place at the USA World Pizza Championships in Salsomaggiore, Italy in 2009.

Avalanche is known primarily for their signature pies, which offer a wide variety of toppings and sauces. I've tried many of these signature pies and I've never been disappointed. When I eat Avalanche, I prefer to think of them as pies and not pizzas. I like them so much, and it makes me feel better about turning my back on Chicago, even if only temporarily. Other Chicagoans apparently feel the same way about Avalanche, as evidence suggests in this review from Yelp.com:

"Coming from Chicago to the Athens area I thought one of the areas that would take the biggest hit was food, specifically pizza and Mexican. Well I have to admit that Avalanche Pizza has made me forget most Chicago pizza, its that good. From adventurous toppings and combination's to great prices this is a very good place. The crust is crisp and tasty and the toppings are fresh. When you can get a one-topping thin crust pizza and you think it doesnt need [anythign] else, its a good pie. A great place for pizza."

The thing I love about Avalanche though, is the fact that their signature pies are very different than the pizzas that I'm used to. The biggest reason that I created this blog is because I enjoy trying new foods and new combinations.

One of my favorite pies from Avalanche is the Hot Tuna Pie. The Hot Tuna Pie consists of Asiago cream, hand-cut tuna, fresh mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, and a wasabi "Ninja" sauce that takes the place of your traditional pizza sauce. The tuna is an interesting alternative and the Ninja sauce gives it just the right amount of kick. Other favorites of mine include the Avalanche Ranch and the Original BBQ Chicken Pie, which I ordered today while watching my beloved Chicago Bulls fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the NBA Playoffs. Anyhow, the Avalanche Ranch features marinara sauce with roasted chicken breast, Italian Sausage, pepperoni, ranch dressing, and a half-pound of mozzarella and provolone cheese. The BBQ Chicken Pie, however, is easily my favorite pie on the menu thus far. It includes roasted chicken, marinara sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese, and sweet BBQ sauce.

(Photo credit: www.avalanchepizza.net, The Avalanche Ranch)

Other pizzas feature everything from shrimp, to potatoes, to taco meat. The possibilities are endless at Avalanche!

Avalanche Pizza owner, John Gutekanst, also has his own blog, The Pizza Goon, where he discusses the trials and tribulations of owning a pizza place and making pizza. It's a very interesting read for those interested in what goes on behind the scenes. Avalanche is also a positive influence in the Athens community. Gutekanst cooks bread in his pizza ovens at Avalanche to help feed the hungry in Athens and surrounding areas.




I may be from Chicago, but all that means is I know good pizza...er, I mean pie...when I see it. Avalanche Pizza offers great pies with fresh, interesting ingredients, delicious crust, and savory sauces. I would recommend it to any pizza lover in search of something new. Give it a shot! You won't be disappointed!

O'Betty's: Not your average hot dog

Maybe I'm biased, but I always thought that the best hot dogs were from Chicago. Having grown up there, I can honestly say that Chicago-style pizza is far and away better than any other pizza on this planet. I'm a firm believer in the mantra that, "Pizza isn't real pizza unless you have to eat it with a fork." Just as Chicago-style pizza is known for it's deep-dish style and obnoxious amounts of cheese and sauce, Chicago-style hot dogs are known for containing almost every topping under the sun. I say "almost" because O'Betty's in Athens, OH has seemingly transformed the world of your traditional hot dog toppings. Up until coming to Ohio University, I considered Chicago-style hot dogs to be the best. O'Betty's, however, has since become top dog.

A traditional Chicago-style hot dog consists of mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, diced tomato, diced green pepper, and celery salt, but NEVER ketchup. Putting ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago is a cardinal sin. When my little sister and I order our hot dogs with ketchup, my dad gives us this look as if for a brief second he thought about disowning us from the family, but of course my father would never do that. So, what would my father say about a hot dog covered in...cole slaw? Jalapenos? Sour cream? He'd probably think I was joking, but at O'Betty's all of this is possible and let me tell you, I love it!

O'Betty's has been a favorite between my friends and I since I was a freshman. Upon entering the small establishment, you'd think you were in a hippie hangout or a museum dedicated to the twentieth century burlesque era, rather than a hot dog restaurant. The restaurant is so small that I'd be willing to bet that it seats 20-25 people at full capacity.

(Photo credit: http://obettys.com) Restaurant interior

Despite its small size, O'Betty's has a very inviting environment. The cooks and clerks are as friendly as they come. Everytime I'm in there, they are always talking to me and asking me about my day, while cooking my food.

My roommate goes there practically two times a week, and by now he's established himself as one of the regulars.

"I go there so much that the workers know that I'm ordering a Dixie with fries before I even open my mouth," he said. "O'Betty's is by far my favorite restaurant in Athens."

The walls are lined with photos that pay homage to great burlesque stars. In fact, each hot dog is named after a burlesque star. Names range from Syra, Dixie, Lily, Varla, and many more. They also have a section that is a hot dog museum of sorts. The hot dog museum contains hundreds upon hundreds of historical hot dog items.

(Photo credit: http://obettys.com/) The Hot Dog Museum

On my trip to O'Betty's earlier this evening, I decided to try something different. My go-to hot dog is the Mata Hari, a hot dog smothered in cole slaw and chili sauce. It's delicious, and it was tough to try something new, but I was feeling rather adventurous. I went with the Tempest. The Tempest is a prime example of how O'Betty's is not your average hot dog place. It is a hot dog covered in jalapenos, hot habanero salsa, sour cream, and sharp cheddar cheese. These are two of the many outrageous combinations that O'Betty's features on its menu. Other toppings include sauteed mushrooms, mayo, swiss cheese, baked beans, bacon, and many more. Don't worry all of you traditional hot dog lovers out there, they offer "normal" hot dogs as well. The fries are also some of the best fries I've ever had, and the chili-cheese fries look like a meal rather than a snack. The food is affordable, too, ranging from $2.50 to $3.25 for a hot dog, and $2 to $3.50 for fries depending on the size and the type.

So, there you have it. O'Betty's is delicious, affordable, and a great overall dining experience. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. O'Betty's has won numerous awards and gained acclaim from other food bloggers such as CMH Gourmand. Trust me, if you're ever in the mood to try something new or exotic, or if you simply just love hot dogs, check out O'Betty's. They have such a wide variety of toppings that something on the menu ought to catch your eye. Hell, maybe I'll even convince my dad to try a hot dog covered in jalapenos. Nah. Probably not. He can stick to his guns and order a Salome. It's O'Betty's code name for a Chicago-style hot dog.