Take a Delicious Journey

Hey guys, today I'm posting a map that I made for you all.

On the map are 10 different location, all with their own brief descriptions about them. I color coordinated the spots according to a sort of, delich-o-meter if you will, using red and blue markers. The red markers symbolize "Must Visit" spots in Athens as they offer both a unique environment and, of coarse, quite palatable potations.

I also recommended a particular drink for each location, just in case you have some trouble deciding.

Have a great sunday all. USA!


View Delectable Doyle's Tour of Athens in a larger map

An Ode to A Fallen Establishment

Please don't tell me that any of you have forgotten about Skipper's Bar and Grill (I wanted to put a link here but unfortunately the business no longer has a website). Yes, Skipper's, the place that offered over 45 different beers, some of the finest burgers in town and above all, 25 cent drafts on Tuesday nights. That's right, there's no typo there. (Even if you're not much of a beer drinker, 25 cent drafts of anything is pretty spectacular.)

It boggles my mind that this place was closed down. Every time that I ever ventured inside the place was always packed to the walls. The people were friendly, the food was great, and the prices were very reasonable. (Did I mention yet that Tuesday was 25 cent draft night!?) But, I guess that's just the restaurant business for ya.....it's obviously no easy task.

Jackie O's has recently taken over the vacant establishment that, at one time, used to be my dear Skipper's. Jackie O's has completely renovated the inside, and turned the establishment into an annex version of their bar. This is nice for Jackie O's goers because the new venue offers a much larger stage for musicians to perform...

...I want to keep going on about the great changes Jackie O's has made to the place because I really do love Jackie O's, but I can't. I feel like an impostor every time I go inside the place now. Like one of those people who shaves their hair off then says that they've always been punk. It's just different now. If I were to go up to the bar and ask for a draft of the finest "Natural Light" (The only draft they featured on Tuesdays) and gave them nothing but a quarter....Not only would I be laughed at, but I'd probably be banned for life for such outlandish behavior. I guess it's just important to remember all the good times.

So, here's to you Skipper's Bar and Grill. The amount of smiles that you put on faces (and wallets) across Athens would take decades to count. May whomever you're serving these days be thankful and fully aware of how special you are. Bless you Skipper's, you will not be forgotten.

Delectable Doyle Heads to Jackie O's Pub and Brewery

Wishful Thinking for Warmer Weather

Delectable Doyle is not too good in the snow. I don't see how anyone could be too comfortable with what's going on outside at the moment. I love hearing people say, "but it's so pretty outside," and then no more than five minutes later, slipping and falling Charlie Brown style onto their backs thanks to the treacherous stuff. Snow (1) Appreciator of it (0).

The worst part about this new snowy abyss that some still call Athens, is that it's becoming increasingly harder for Delectable Doyle to wander about town in search for the latest and weirdest beverages. Imagine if I were to hit a patch of ice while trying to review the newest sensation. Shame on you mother nature.

Ever since the snow has hit Athens, i've been thinking a lot about warm weather. Not only does summer offer dry socks and the ability to wear shorts, but it also offers the annual Ohio Brew Week Festival. This year marks the five year anniversary of the, oh so, delicious festival.

Image courtesy of www.ohiobrewweek.com

In case you are unfamiliar, Ohio Brew Week is a week long festival here in Athens that features delectable craft beers from over 100 different microbreweries in Ohio. The festival also features beers from all over the country.

The highlight of the festival is the beer competition. Here brewers put all there hard work on the line in an effort to find out who has produced the most delectable (and http://delectabledoyle.blogspot.com worthy) beverage. Last years winner went to Arthur Richardson of New York, with his "Black hops IPA".

The festival takes place this year from the 11th-17th of July.

Image Courtesy of Google Images

Winter can't last forever and before long Delectable Doyle will have his shorts on, his socks dry and will be sipping on several fine, fine beers at this amazing festival.

Algae!

I'm not a fan of seafood. I wish I ate more of it, but I've just never seen items from the the ocean as particularly appetizing. Therefore, you can imagine why i wasn't overly excited to try a beverage that featured algae (yes algae) as one of its ingredients. This isn't about me though; I do what I do for all you loyal readers out there, so this had to be done.

Once upon a time, I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was starting an interesting beverage blog and he mentioned a drink that I knew I'd have to tackle sooner or later. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that place The Farmacy has smoothies with, like, seaweed or something in them," my pal inquired. And he was right, well, kind of.

This particular post takes place at The Farmacy Natural and Specialty Foods located at 28 West Stimson Avenue. It's an awesome mini-grocery store that offers a wide range of local and organic foods. I didn't get to check the products out too much though because I was on a mission and headed right over to the smoothie area.

Upon examining the menu, I located my target. A smoothie uniquely named the "Spiritulina", that featured a combination of strawberries, bananas, yogurt, papaya juice and the special ingredient, spirulina, that actually features a tremendous amount of health benefits. Don't be fooled though readers, spirulina is simply a fancy word for algae.

I did my best to convince myself that spirulina was just some crazy fruit that I had never heard of as I coughed up the $4.35 that I owed for the smoothie. As my smoothie was in the process of being created, I wandered around the store a bit until I heard the barista call me over, for my beverage was ready for consumption.

Now, I feel that I'm not too squeamish of a person...until I saw this beverage. Okay, yes I already knew that algae was one of the ingredients buttttt, little did I know that my drink would look like the droppings of some old, extinct sea monster. Had I not watched the barista make the drink herself, I would have assumed that someone simply vomited into a cup and handed it in my direction. It was an awkward, dark green with glimpses of red, blues and purples floating around. Basically, it looked like liquid guacamole.

"I can't let my fans down," I kept telling myself. I stepped away from the counter, popped the straw in and proceeded to take my first sip.

Welp, turns out I'm an idiot. Since this blog has been in existence, this is by far the tastiest beverage I've reviewed. This may even be one of the tastiest beverages my taste buds have ever had the pleasure to meet. It was very reminiscent of a simple strawberry-banana smoothie, but the algae taste really shined through with the aftertaste. It still tasted fruity and simple, but exhilarating at the same time. While this beverage is quite expensive, you owe your palate this experience.

God bless you, you sweet, sweet ocean.

Twisting My Way Into Memories of Yesteryear

I'm sure I don't need to tell all of you out there, but I'm going to say it anyways...Being Delectable Doyle is no easy business. Several of my friends turned 21 this weekend therefore, my wallet has taken quite the beat down and made it harder for me to purchase drinks to review. Thankfully I remembered that Papa Delectable Doyle put $25 of bobcat cash onto my card at the beginning of the year and I have yet to touch it, so, off to the Front Room I went.

In case you are unfamiliar, the Front Room is located on the fourth floor of the Baker Center. It's a cozy cafe that many students go to socialize, study or just simply enjoy a coffee. The best part about the Front Room is that I knew I would be able to obtain a interesting beverage without even having to reach for my wallet.

Whilst eyeing down the menu I was a bit disappointed to only find items that I had heard of (and that I wouldn't look like an ass trying to pronounce), I needed something more interesting. Then, right in my face, was a sign displaying a special drink called a "Cinnamon Twist Mocha". The Front Room offers a unique beverage like this as a special every Wednesday. As soon as I saw this I knew this is what I wanted and proudly handed my card to the barista and said "Just put it on my bobcat cash" with a level of smoothness that would make even James Dean jealous.

Upon obtaining my beverage I was pretty intrigued to try it out seeing as I've been an avid cinnamon fan for as long as I can remember. The drink consisted of a basic mocha but with the addition of a cinnamon syrup. The consistency was a bit foamy for me but with the weather outside, I'll take anything that's hot.

Just as I had hoped, this beverage was great. I'm not a huge mocha fan and when i wish to consume a coffee beverage I prefer to just stick with plain, black coffee, but this was nice. The taste immediately reminded me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. I used to be a huge consumer of this particular cereal back in elementary school, so this was a huge blast to the past for me. This drink made me feel like I was once again rocking a Ninja Turtles tee-shirt with a bowl cut haircut, just like in the good ol' days.

If you're anything like me, this drink will bring you back in time. Aside from that though, it's also very tasty and makes it just that much easier to venture out into that snowy abyss. Before I depart, I'm leaving you with one of my personal favorite bowl cuts featured on the genius website www.checkoutmybowlcut.com. Good day all.

A Visual Experience of Delectable Doyle in Action!

Hello all you crazy cats and dogs out there surfing the interwebs, this is a special post.

Below is a slideshow documenting exactly what I go through everytime I review the various drinkable delicacies around town. This particular adventure landed me at Donkey Coffee and Espresso where I tried an interesting Italian beverage called a Breve. Enjoy.

Created with flickr slideshow.

A Slightly Awkward Encounter with an Ol' Uncle

Midterm week has left my body and mind exhausted. I knew I needed some caffeine and I knew that you all are starving for another delectable post. Thankfully, I was able to knock them both out at the same time.

I headed on into Perk's Coffee House and Roastery, located at 49 S Court Street right across from College Book Store, with hopes of finding a satisfyingly-energizing unique beverage.

The environment seemed very relaxed and cozy and the line to counter was decently long. “Ah, the beverages here must be excellent,” I thought to myself. As I examined the menu it was difficult for me to decide what item seemed the most unique. My indecisiveness eventually got the better of me so I asked the barista what he could offer that was both unique and that would also energize me.

I’ve got to find a better way to ask that question as I keep getting outlandish reactions from people. Anyways, the barista recommended that I try the “Sweet Ol’ Uncle Grey” a beverage that combined Earl Grey tea, vanilla syrup and steamed milk. I wasn’t overly excited about reviewing another tea drink but it only cost two dollars for a medium-size so I couldn’t complain. I feel that I’m not typically one to be swayed by aesthetics, but I enjoyed the title too, so I had to go with it.

After I obtained my beverage, I scanned the room for the nearest vacancy. The cafe was decently crowded but I managed to find a place at the bar-type seating right in front of the windows. I sat down, took my first sip of my new adventure and then proceeded to remove my notebook from my backpack; the whole situation was very ordinary, for at least, the first 30 seconds or so.

As I was doing my best to think critically about my newest purchase, my mind was disrupted as a question from a nearby patron shot at me. I wasn't sure whether to look over or not; I was pretty sure that I didn't know anyone sitting near me and the question could have easily been intended for the person sitting next to me. I looked anyways. An elderly woman no more than four feet away was looking right at me.

"Are you enjoying that?" she asked, referring to my Sweet Ol' Uncle Grey. "Do I know this woman?"" I thought to myself. I was sure that I didn't, but I assumed that she was just being friendly. I told her that I was indeed enjoying the beverage. Then it got stranger.

"I don't see too many people buy that drink," she added. My mind raced through a series of questions. How did this woman know what I ordered? She was nowhere near me when I made my purchase. Hell, I hadn't even removed the lid yet so it's not like my beverage featured a particular hue that she could have recognized. I felt like I was on some kind of hidden camera reality show. If I was though, this show seems like it would be terrible so this could not be the answer, I thought to myself.

After all of this had passed through my mind I said that that’s interesting and proceeded to tell her that I was trying to consume all the unique beverages that Athens had to offer. She laughed upon hearing this. Really hard actually. I wasn't sure whether to laugh too or be slightly offended but I decided to laugh too. She told me good luck and then walked out the door, and that was it.

Maybe the situation wasn't actually weird at all. Maybe I'm just weird. Maybe that story was not at all worth sharing. Regardless, it's time for my review on Perks' "Sweet Ol' Uncle Grey". Now once again, I'm not a huge tea drinker but the other ingredients really neutralized the beverage so it wasn't overly tea(y). Earl grey lovers beware though, this beverage is much sweeter than I had expected. It tasted more like warm milk with a hint of earl grey tea. i wasn't a huge fan of this drink but I may be being a bit biased because of my sour relationship with various teas. If you are however a tea drinker, especially fans of earl greys, this beverage could be a great cure for those extended-winter blues. Damn groundhogs.