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.

The Boss Hog Challenge at Kiser's BBQ Shack

106 people have attempted the Boss Hog Challenge at Kiser's BBQ Shack. Only 31 have left victorious. I've always had a curiosity about food challenges and wondered what it would be like to do one. My roommates, Matt Snow and Ronnie Corey, and my buddy, Greg Wilhelm, and I all went up to Kiser's on Thursday night so that I could attempt to tame this beast. Greg had been wanting to do the Boss Hog Challenge for a while, so he threw his name into the hat as well. As for Matt and Ronnie, they were there to heckle us and watch in pure amazement as Greg and I tried to eat what seemed to be the equivalent of three Thanksgiving dinners in under 30 minutes.

The Boss Hog Challenge consists of two half-pound angus burgers, three pieces of bacon, four ounces of cheese, a half pound of chopped pork, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, four ounces of barbecue sauce, and finally one pound of fries. All of this must be eaten in under 30 minutes. If you win, you receive a $10 gift certificate, a t-shirt, your picture on the wall in the restaurant, and ultimate glory. If you lose, you go home with nothing but a bad case of heartburn and indigestion. Having never done a food challenge before, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After playing hockey for 15 years, I had never subjected my body to the intense pain that would eventually be brought on by the Boss Hog Challenge. But once that clock started ticking, there was no turning back.

Below is a picture slide show, revealing the worst 30 minutes of my life. All photos are courtesy of Matt Snow.