Athens Food and Drink, Day Four

By far, one of the best meals I had in Athens (aside from the grits that resulted from an over-the-stove cooking lesson from Mama Granberry) had to be at The Last Resort Grill. Round-the-clock busy, we had been deterred once already by an hour or so wait to get a table for just two (which led us, quite fortuitously, to Casa Mia just across the street.)

Our second attempt to hit up The Last Resort was for Sunday brunch and MG wisely decided to get us there early enough to beat the post-Church crowd, and it was a brilliant idea.  Our party of five was seated almost immediately, right next to the kitchen.  Normally, this would be my least favorite spot to sit in a restaurant, but the spectacle of meals that made their way past me on their way out to the rest of the restaurant made up for the unfavorable table.  Drifting past me with the regularity of New Year’s Rose Parade floats, the gorgeous food kept my jaw dropping for the next ninety minutes.  Having witnessed it, I firmly believe it’s next to impossible to order a bad meal from this place.

Captured in the front yard of Matthew and Amanda Granberry - Cleveland, Georgia

This is Matt and Amanda Granberry's backyard. I'm jealous. If it wasn't for the brutal humidity, I'd be insanely jealous.

Spinach Feta Grill at The Last Resort - challah toast dipped in egg batter, then grilled to perfection, topped with poached eggs, mushrooms, artichokes, feta, roasted red pepper sauce and spinach

The Last Resort Grill - 174-184 West Clayton Street, Athens, GA

No one seems to do brunch as well as Georgia. Wanna see more? Click below!

Sunday Brunch Special - Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

In 1966, The Last Resort Bar and Music Club opened at the same address. Down the street from three finance companies, it was said that if you were turned down by all of them, 184 West Clayton Street was your “last resort.” The club closed down in the mid 1980s, briefly morphed into a camera shop, and later re-opened as the The Last Resort Grill in 1992. It’s one of the longest-running and most successful upscale eateries in Athens.

The Drifter - Corn tortilla on a bed of black beans, topped with fried eggs, roasted jalapeños, tomatillo salsa, avocado crème fraîche and monterey jack cheese

Shrimp and Grits - Charlestonian style grits topped with fresh sautéed shrimp and red pepper sauce

The Border Omelette - pork marinated southwestern style, grilled & stuffed with black beans, jalapeños and sweet peppers, topped with tropical and tomatillo salsa and sour cream

With MG and his lovely sister, Lauren after a very filling brunch.

The final hours of the trip were spent with a quick visit to the local lake to watch bats emerge at dusk and begin hunting the skies for their mosquito breakfasts, the above-mentioned grits-making lesson, the impromptu killing of a scorpion that had found its way into the house (no one else even batted an eye), a martini with Mama Granberry while watching the insidious Courtland dispatching his competition on HGTV Design Star, and a final night on what has to be the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.

Tags: Athens, Courtland, Georgia, HGTV Design Star, Last Resort Grill, omelette, pancakes