💲Affordable dining in Midtown

SCAD Students Talk Affordable Dining in MidtownMay Happy Tuesday and welcome to the table In nowadays s edition of Family Meal I am sharing two stories by a duo of students I ve been mentoring from the Savannah College of Art and Design SCAD Marcus and Cashmere both aspiring writers who hope to work in film and art history are part of the college s journalism curriculum this semester It s our third collaboration with SCAD and Professor Paige Gray s students with the class working alongside me and Rough Draft editors Collin Kelley and Sammie Purcell to produce two stories each Last year Gray s class wrote stories centered on the th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement For the spring semester class the students chose to tackle food with subjects ranging from becoming a vegan in college and budgeting for groceries while in school to discussing food insecurity and seeking sweet treats after a tough week of classes I so enjoyed working with Marcus and Cashmere this semester Both were eager to learn weren t afraid to ask questions and absorbed my edits like champs which we inevitably discussed in our weekly editorial Zoom meetings For his first story Marcus brings you a personal perspective on how the sudden closure of DaVinci s Pizza on West Peachtree in Midtown affected him and other Atlanta college students Cashmere on the other hand set out in search of affordable dining options in one of the city s majority expensive neighborhoods Midtown The semester ends for Prof Gray s students the next day and Rough Draft will be there to celebrate not only the completion of their journalism class but for various of the students their first published byline Look for The Move with my latest restaurant recommendation to return next week However Tiny Lou s new chef Josh Wetshtein provided you with a recipe for selected seriously luxe French onion dip to make for your next dinner party Cheers Beth Sip savor and celebrate at Food That Rocks on June Enjoy unlimited tastings drinks live music and more all supporting local organizations Join the party at City Springs in Sandy Springs Grab your tickets now SPONSOR MESSAGEDaVinci s Pizza Home Away From HomePhoto by DaVinci s PizzaBy Marcus CallawayIt was my first day of college in a new city Moving from Atenas Alajuela Costa Rica to Atlanta was like landing on an alien planet After introducing myself to specific other SCAD students I realized everyone felt as awkward as I did They were also just as hungry Lucky for us DaVinci s Pizzeria was around the corner from campus Inside the local pizza chain the atmosphere was electric sports were on laughter provided a soundtrack and the fresh smell of dough wafted through the air That s when I knew I d be all right It was where we spent our Saturday nights went on dates watched the Super Bowl and felt at home across the country And I wasn t alone in feeling that way So when the Midtown location closed on Oct it meant more than losing good food close to campus You can t just hear about it you had to be there noted SCAD apprentice Ian Rawa Man I loved that place but now seeing it empty it s like losing a family member Rawa s favorite dish was the calzone The cheese would do that thing you see in commercials the cheese pull where it extends and it would melt in your mouth DaVinci s felt integral to Atlanta s college custom With for a day s worth of food and a Midtown location between Georgia Tech and SCAD on West Peachtree Street it was dependably full of students In there were four DaVinci s pizzerias around the city As of only the Smyrna location remains Whenever we re discussing what to have for dinner one of us dependably begins to suggest DaVinci s before remembering it s closed noted Georgia Tech apprentice Sofia Hampton All the other places sound worse after that Hampton raved about the supreme pizza They put so multiple toppings on it you couldn t even see the crust and that crunch Oh my god I would order the supreme pizza too The toppings were so fresh I was convinced they grew them in the back Affordable food is hard to find in Midtown these days so various students are forced to choose between fast food and meals they cannot afford when they dine out But while we may never know why DaVinci closed it was not as simple as a lack of sales but rather a combination of factors On top of what is likely a very steep monthly rent for a store in Midtown there are maintenance fees insurance fees utilities taxes and so on explained Atlanta financial advisor Hailey Illes Illes noted that restaurants have specific costs associated with menu ingredients Let s say you had a mediocre sales week Illes commented imagining a scenario where you bought your usual worth of food but only used That s of your budget straight in the trash In addition eating out is one of the first luxuries people give up when the financial system is down DaVinci s closing is not an isolated occurrence In West Midtown more than a dozen restaurants closed in the last two years including Humble Pie West Egg Cafe and Postino A factor commonly cited for these closures high rents When I contacted the leasing agent listed for DaVinci s Midtown property to ask about their relationship with the restaurant they declined to comment Reminders of the pizzeria remain on West Peachtree the sign still hangs over the door DaVinci s atmosphere made anyone feel welcome The closure of DaVinci s in Midtown felt like losing a tradition but the restaurant didn t totally disappear The Smyrna location is just as popular with college students A large number of devoted customers including myself brave the rush hour traffic for a taste because nothing s better than DaVinci s Marcus Callaway is a SCAD attendee writer living in Atlanta Georgia pursuing his passion as a freelance writer working on film sets and in writing rooms for various projects When not creating he surfs in the summer and snowboards in the winter Sip savor and celebrate SPONSORED BY FOOD THAT ROCKS Join us on Thurs June for Food That Rocks a tasting event presented by Taste of Atlanta celebrating Sandy Springs diverse restaurant scene This one-of-a-kind food festival brings incredible potential outdoors at City Springs where you ll sip savor and celebrate the locality s vibrant culinary scene Get unlimited tastes from of Sandy Springs best restaurants and bakeries and more than a dozen wine beer cocktail tastings The evening also includes live music from Java Monkey and CJ and the Doughboys and Chef Chats mixology demos on the Publix Cooking Stage Food That Rocks is a Party with a Purpose in partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta Get your tickets in the modern day Dining on a College Candidate Budget in MidtownPhoto by The SparrowBy Cashmere ChilliousOn the weekends when the projects are piling up and the words on the assignment sheets start blurring together sometimes the only savior is a good meal to distract from all the stress A hot slice of pizza A spicy chimichurri A burger The thought of inflation causing my meal to become more like prevents me from venturing out But not long ago I took matters into my own hands to scour Midtown for the the bulk college-friendly affordable eats To make this list a restaurant requirements to be budget-friendly no more than for a full meal walkable or accessible via MARTA or with available parking in Midtown and largest part importantly satisfy my taste for something new When I started looking for restaurants I realized that college students as a whole are losing affordable dining options near campus due to rampant restaurant closures and inflated prices I longed to create this guide to shed light on different restaurants that I feel open the gates for more options not just for students but for everyone living in working in or visiting Midtown Mukja Korean Fried Chicken Peachtree St Lime Scooter minutes from SCAD Train from Georgia State minutes walk to Five Points station to Midtown minutes walk An Atlanta subreddit post from four years ago listed Mukja Korean Fried Chicken as one of Midtown s the greater part popular restaurants The post mentioned an adult happy meal for While no longer available Mukja does have a very flavorful gochujang pork bowl meal that includes rice fries and a drink for The dining room is bustling but still perfect for analysis time Ray s New York Pizza - th St On campus at Georgia Tech Bus from Georgia State Central Ave at Wall St to West Peachtree at th St Lime Scooter minutes from SCAD I d love good pizza affordable pizza where I can just get a slice That s my thing Give me two slices and I m good declared SCAD candidate Shelby Clark And coming from New Jersey where you have bakeries that are owned by grandmothers who immigrated here and they have their great-grandchildren working at the front I want a mom-and-pop or a small business kind of place I tried four different pizza places and none reminded me of a good New York slice like Ray s Pizza When talking to the current owner Joseph Karam he stated me more about Ray s history My dad bought it from the original owner in and was a partner in it Karam announced That ran for about years and about the time I was getting out of college I saw the opportunity to jump in and run it for the last years Ray s has been in the same location for the last years and caters to all demographics A whole -inch cheese pie costs and a slice costs a nice Karam not long ago opened another restaurant next door called Boho Tacos which is also a la carte and nicely priced The Sparrow West Peachtree St Walking minutes from SCAD Driving minutes from Georgia TechSometimes I crave really specific things like the steamed soup buns from this Midtown Asian tavern The Sparrow satisfies that craving along with a nice ambiance and meals costing between and There are multiple deals like weekday lunch specials and a weekday happy hour from - p m that includes appetizers for around Sweet Fresh Spring St Late night Walking minutes from Georgia Tech Lime Scooter minutes from SCAD and Georgia State UniversityThis is for the night owls who hate having to warm up food in the dirty dorm microwave Sweet Fresh is equidistant from all three college campuses in Atlanta has a -piece wing combo for a Philly cheesesteak combo for and countless a la carte items that range from egg rolls to pork dumplings The best part is on Monday Sweet Fresh is open until midnight But from Wednesday through Saturday it s open until a m Rreal Tacos - th St UberEats deal Walking minutes from Georgia Tech Lime Scooter minutes from SCAD and Georgia State University I feel like I m an offer or deal kind of person If it has a deal then I m more likely to order from there declared SCAD scholar Jonathan Grant I feel like certain affordable food restaurants should not be a time commitment I agree On a hard week delivery with surge pricing fees and long waits makes my nights worse Rreal Tacos includes deals like BOGO buy one get one free on all tacos including birria and pizza-sized quesadillas for With multiple locations the delivery time is typically less than that of other restaurants in the city Forrest Eatery Seoul Wings - Forrest St Berkeley ParkCar minutes from SCAD Lime Scooter minutes from Georgia State UniversityLast but not least Forrest Eatery is a ghost kitchen that serves as a delivery and pick-up location for over restaurants Like Rreal Tacos Seoul Wings also offers BOGO deals The six-wing plate with rice includes an option for getting a second plate free Cashmere Chillious is a SCAD attendee and an aspiring editor with a minor in Art History She loves to write creepy stories in her spare time Meet Tiny Lou s Chef Josh Wetshtein Make His Fancy French Onion Dip RecipePhoto by Tiny Lou s If you ve dined at Tiny Lou s lately you may have detected a insufficient changes bulk notably the addition of Josh Wetshtein as the new executive chef of the restaurant and Hotel Clermont Wetshtein has been cooking for years starting as a teenager in his hometown of Akron Ohio He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh and spent the bulk of his formative years working in Chicago before moving to Washington D C to work at CUT by Wolfgang Puck From there he relocated to Bahrain and opened two Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group restaurants and lounges at the Four Seasons Hotel later joining Miami-based Groot Hospitality and New Orleans-based One Pack Hospitality Wetshtein says pure chance brought him to Atlanta Once I saw Hotel Clermont and Tiny Lou s it was love at first sight and I knew I had to be here he noted At Tiny Lou s Wetshtein packs dishes with local and seasonal ingredients Think fiddlehead ferns white asparagus and rhubarb But he s also added a bit of playfulness to the menu Tiny Lou s new standout appetizer chips and caviar serves as a prime example Potato chips creme fraiche and caviar is a combo that s a classic Wetshtein reported Essentially it s a leveled-up French onion dip a slightly fancy interpretation of a snack he loves all very fitting for a restaurant named after a popular dancer who worked at the Clermont Motor Hotel s Gypsy Room during the s This recipe has been adapted to include store-bought potato chips which Wetshtein usually creates in-house at Tiny Lou s Making chips from scratch is pretty involved so I suggest buying them he disclosed The recipe calls for a piping bag with a tip which along with caviar Wetshtein recommends sourcing at Whole Foods The ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and assembled in advance or just before serving Once assembled the dip will last But Wetshtein advises changing the recipe and making it your own One of the great things about home cooking is making things to your own taste he noted Don t feel confined by a recipe experiment and have a few fun Ingredients Tbsp crispy garlic cups sour cream cups creme fraiche cups mascarpone Tbsp lemon juice Tbsp dried onions Tbsp salt and tsp salt separated large yellow onions Tbsp port Tbsp sherry cup demi glace Black pepper to taste -oz bag of potato chips Optional caviar of choiceDirections Using a spice grinder blend crispy garlic into a powder Next blend dried onions into a powder Mix garlic powder onion powder sour cream creme fraiche mascarpone lemon juice and salt together using a whisk Let sit in the refrigerator for minutes then relocate to a piping bag with a tip While the cream mixture is cooling thinly julienne the onions and season with salt In a cast-iron or carbon steel skillet caramelize onions fully until golden brown throughout Once onions reach the desired color deglaze with port wine and reduce until nearly dry au sec This will help lift and incorporate any food particles stuck to the pan Deglaze with sherry until nearly dry Once fully reduced add demi glaze and cook until the onion mixture is tight Add black pepper to taste Let cool at room temperature for to minutes Once cooled very finely mince caramelized onions store and refrigerate Assembly Layer the caramelized onions in a small serving dish Using a piping bag with a tip squeeze the cream mixture on top Garnish with julienned chives and caviar of your choice Serve or refrigerate until ready to serve Pair with potato chips of your choice Sip savor and celebrate at Food That Rocks on June Enjoy unlimited tastings drinks live music and more all supporting local organizations Join the party at City Springs in Sandy Springs Grab your tickets now SPONSOR MESSAGE If you know somebody who would like to receive our dining newsletters Family Meal Tuesdays and Side Dish Thursdays please have them subscribe at this page The post Affordable dining in Midtown appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta