Oconee County, GA Politics

My very first visit to Chops and Hops was a favorable one Wednesday evening. The newest restaurant in Mike Thornton's TownCenter was difficult for me to attend immediately out of respect to Maison Bleu, the former occupant of the odd two story suite at the end of the development. The night I dine there it was packed and flowing relatively smoothly on an otherwise unremarkable weeknight. 14 tables were filled with three or four patrons each and one longer table remained with seven professional women (including my friend Sheila Turner-Seila from burton and BURTON). There was also some kind of reception going on upstairs as well. I sat at the 14 seat bar with maybe a dozen other hungry diners and was served remarkably fast with my steak remaining medium rare. The potatoes and asparagus were perfect in portion. It is sometimes hard to look at that large blank canvas of a two story wall and not wonder what happened to the Anne Miller-Andersen/Peter Andersen/Jim Shearon vision, but...

DePalma's Italian restaurants have had three locations in Athens for some time, and is moving one of its locations a whole lot closer to Oconee County. A lease was signed recently to relocate the franchise in the Homewood Hills shopping center at 2467 Jefferson Road to a new location on Timothy Road near Dos Palmas, a new European Deli run by Anne Miller-Anderson of Maison Bleu fame, Aqua Linda and Loco's (another beloved local restaurant chain that almost moved to Oconee). Many Oconee County readers will recall that DePalma's was going to open a new eatery in Oconee County near Butler's Crossing, but the Oconee County Board of Commissioners inability to come to a decision quick enough on beer and wine sales led to a new restaurant location for the chain Taqueria La Parilla to park it in Oconee. Sorry to see Floyd's Grill shut down for the second time in Watkinsville. Congrats to the new management of the ice cream store in Sweet ReTreats. I love Gail's fish...

I am biased. I love eating at Zaxby's fast food restaurants with my son after an athletic event at Herman C. Michael or the Oconee Veterans Park. For those who do not know or live outside of Georgia, Zaxby's is a chicken finger fast food place with roots deep in Oconee and Baldwin counties I believe. I first tried their tasty food in the Cornelia-Demorest-Clarkesville area of Habersham County some 10 years back or longer. They had a very shrewd business plan and model to slowly grow and cater to clientele in secondary markets. They went were Chick-Fil-A would not go and sometimes where Hardee's had been. But something has gone wrong in the Zaxby's business model where paying semi-famous people to eat their limited time food products seems to be the rule now instead of careful growth. These days we usually eat at the Taco Stand after coming home from a soccer or basketball game or practice, but there was time where I would grab some fingers or a Zak Snack a couple of ...

I am attempting to have lunch there today to let you know how it goes, but here is the preview lunch report from Paul and Diane Boykin's blog .

Although the last time I peered through the window and door of the former Gautreau's Restaurant location it looked weeks from being open, I eagerly anticipate the opening of the new Shishkabobby's Grille restaurant in my neighborhood where my son and I can go eat and enjoy our selection. I would imagine this will be one of those places where you can order your skewer with whatever meat or vegetable you want to and either watch it prepared or maybe even cook it at your table (although that would probably make the insurance bills skyrocket). Whatever the verdict, you can attend this week's Watkinsville City Council meeting and watch owner David Weeks, yes the same of the head of the Board of Education and owner of a Barberitos here in the county, come get his license for a new restaurant in town. Here is the rest of the agenda for the meeting: AGENDA CITY OF WATKINSVILLE September 10, 2008 CALL TO ORDER QUORUM CHECK WATKINSVILLE BEAUTIFUL YA...

Just as we are about to celebrate the opening of the new Taco Stand at Butler's Crossing in Oconee County, Georgia, along comes a press release about the retiring administrator from the neighboring school opening up his own restaurant next door.