Prince Happenings

At Jackson Spalding, we're proud to be a part of the Bottleworks community on Prince Avenue. Our location offers a lot of benefits -- we're in a great old mixed-use complex, it's in a beautiful and historic neighborhood, we can walk downtown relatively easily, sidewalks abound, the neighbors are great, parking is easy and we have a lot of wonderful dining choices (Big City Bread, The Grit, 237 Prince, and Siri Thai to name a few).

However, some positive changes are afoot on the Prince Avenue corridor that will make it an even better area. Since Athens loves to talk about Prince, we thought we would post an update here.

First of all, McChesney Capital, the company that owns the Foundry Park Inn and is involved with several other local real estate projects, recently acquired most of the Bottleworks (several homes and offices are individually owned). Several changes are already underway or complete, including a new website, newly landscaped and renovated internal courtyard (pictured above) and improved landscaping. Plans were also recently approved by Athens Historic Preservation Commission that will allow the owners to install dramatic new signage, lighting, and landscaping throughout. Parking will also be improved, traffic flow adjusted and better directional signage installed.

According to the building's new managers, the goal is to make the Bottleworks a destination in Athens and to raise its profile. Potential new tenants being targeted include a 75+ seat upscale American restaurant concept, a new coffee shop facing Prince, a pub with outdoor dining in the new courtyard, and a variety of retail and office space users.

Across the street, Taqueria del Sol is rehabbing an old service station into one of its wonderful fast casual Mexican offerings (see picture). For all of us Atlanta ex-pats, this is exciting news. Taqueria is well known for the food-that-makes-waiting-in-a-line-out-the-door-worth-it at its three Atlanta locations, where it offers a mix of fresh mex and wonderful cuisine. While this has been reported minimally locally, in the Inbox's opinion, this could significantly alter the dining dynamic of Prince and bring more young professionals, families and students onto Prince for their evening meals, which is a good thing.

At any rate, that's the latest from 237 Prince Avenue -- anything else going on that we should know about?

Jazzin' it up at the Melting Point

Last night was the Athens Chamber of Commerce's Mid-Year Event. Of course, Jackson Spalding had to make an appearance, so Ashley Harp and I decided to be each other's wing man (woman).

Held at The Melting Point, the Mid-Year Event hosted all kinds of Athens Chamber members from all parts of the community and a variety of industries - plus a few political hopefuls whose fate will be decided on Tuesday. I think the venue should have changed its name to the Melting POT just for last night.

Ashley and I walked into The Foundry ballroom, registered and put our cards (I dropped in my special Dawg Food card- sure to grab attention) in the pot for prize drawing. We then proceeded over to The Melting Point to make our name tags and schmooze with everyone.

We arrived around 5:50 p.m., and I was surprised to see so many people there already. We could hardly get in the door! Of course, that's a great compliment to the Chamber for having such an amazing turnout.

Ashley and I ho-hummed with other Athens locals, some from Georgia Power, Oconee County, Jackson EMC, Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Chamber employees. We had a couple of interesting conversations, but, for me, the neatest part was observing the interaction between everyone else.

Born and raised in Morristown, Tenn., I have a special place in my heart for small(er) towns. I love the different kind of atmosphere and sincerity of Athens versus a larger town. Everyone knew everyone. It was fabulous.

After a while, Doc Eldridge got up to make announcements and thank the sponsors of the event. Then came the doorprizes. Oh, yes.

Remember how I thought my Dawg Food card would catch the attention of the card-grabber? Well, it worked. My prize was...

Free meeting space for 50 people or less with free A/V included.

Yes! It couldn't have been better.

While the talking and prize-winning were important, Ashley and I decided to put food on the top of our priority list. We sampled some yummy ham sandwiches (freshly sliced), some pita chips with spinach dip, and, of course, dessert. A sampling of chocolate chip cookie bars, a peanut butter cookie and some crazy truffles graced our taste buds. All of it hit the spot.

The best part of the evening was the jazz music provided by Athens' own SQUAT. Of course, jokes were made about the Chamber "knowing squat" (bah ha ha), but everyone quickly got over that.

SQUAT was voted the No. 1 jazz band in town by the Flagpole, and I believe it. I'll let you decide for yourself if they are worth it.



I hope I didn't forget anything. Overall, it was a great Thursday event, and it made me proud to be a pseudo-Athenian. So, kudos to Doc and the Chamber team. You put on a great event!

Dawg Food Gives the Right Bark for Eats

Ever since I started school at UGA in fall 2005, my favorite characteristic of Athens has been its wide array of restaurants. Really. You can order anything in this town.

It took me a little over two years to figure out how I could thank the Athens restaurant business, and I finally found a way. In my social media class this past fall, I created Dawg Food, a blog about my dining experiences in Athens.

I thought Dawg Food would be an appropriate title, given the demographic and the area-wide obsession with Georgia athletics, and it has been quite the learning experience.

When I first started Dawg Food, I searched and searched for a Web site that mentions and reviews Athens restaurants from a real perspective. Of course, the Flagpole and the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau contribute their fair share of restaurant information, but I didn’t find exactly what I wanted.

This told me it was my time to step up and give back to the culinary community that had filled my tummy so many times. Originally, I started Dawg Food for the UGA community, but I have slowly developed an older, more “townie” following.

People ask me, “So what do you do with it? Do you just eat and then write about it?”

I could answer with a simple “yes,” but I tend to want to make my job sound more important.

In addition to just “writing about it,” I also try to take pictures, video and interview employees. Blogs are an effective way of bringing a business off the page, and that’s what I’ve tried to do.

Wouldn’t it make you want to go to Jot ‘Em Down Barbeque if you could see an interview with one of their cooks? What about a detailed picture of blackened salmon from The Basil Press? Did you know the Bluebird Cafe serves apple butter?

I get a lot of criticism for my “too niceness.” People say I need to be more critical in my reviews. So, I have desperately tried to provide a more well-rounded view of my dining experiences- good and bad.

Just like Athens Inbox, I believe the Athens community has some qualities that set it apart from any other small town, and I want others to know about it.

So, the next time you’re hungry or are feeling indecisive about where to eat, check out Dawg Food! If you go to one of my restaurants, go back to the Web site, and write about your experience. I always welcome user comments.

Since I’m interning at Jackson Spalding this summer, you will most likely see posts from lunches with the JS crew. Stay tuned for some great reviews!