Strawberry Mojitos on a sunny afternoon
We spent a good portion of this afternoon at North End Kitchen + Bar. Today was one of those perfect Athens days – blue sky that was almost cloudless, abundant sunshine, and a perfect 80 degrees with a slight breeze. These were some of my favorite kinds of days as an undergraduate, back in the days when OHIO was on quarters and the streets of Athens were filled with students until mid-June. Now summer tends to have less people around, but it’s still one my favorite times of the year. Parking is easy, crowds are less, and everyone just seems less stressed. If you haven’t spent time in Athens in the summer, put it at the top of your to-do list.
On this Friday afternoon, I found myself finishing a work meeting in the mid-afternoon, and having not eaten lunch, I decided to enjoy some time outside enjoying the day. My daughter had finished her work shift early and was, luckily, able to join me. We headed to North End Kitchen + Bar because it’s one of our favorite places and we know she can get food that works for her gluten free (Celiacs Disease) needs. We grabbed a table on the patio shaded by an umbrella and picked up the menu’s to review our options. We like the openness of North End as the building features large garage doors that create a very open-air indoor/outdoor vibe. Several tables on the patio were filled as were some seats at the bar and inside tables.
After checking out the menu and the recently added summer specials, we selected Strawberry Mojito’s to kick off our late lunch. There are lots of great cocktail choices here, but this summer special hit the spot on this afternoon. Next we selected chips and mild salsa. I actually like the verde salsa the best (they are all good, I’m just partial to the verde), but before mentioned daughter wanted the mild. I selected the fish tacos with a side of Mexican street corn. The portion on these tacos is generous – tilapia is seasoned with baja seasoning, wrapped in flour tortillas, and topped with cilantro red cabbage slaw, avocado crema, and queso fresco and accompanied with a side of mango salsa. My daughter selected the chicken tinga tacos with the option of corn tortillas (again to work with her need to be gluten free). The chicken tinga is shredded chicken that is simmered in a red sauce. We both selected the Mexican street corn side. I love Mexican street corn and the version at North End is great because it has all the flavor without the messiness of eating a smothered, slathered ear of corn.
This was the end of the first week of Bobcat Student Orientation (BSO) – the day and half long program that introduces students and parents to OHIO and during which students register for their first semester courses. We saw a few parents enjoying some quiet time away from the information sessions and checking out the various establishments that their students will undoubtedly being enjoying in a few weeks. But it was still pretty quiet. North End Kitchen + Bar features live music periodically. You’ll find that it is often filled with a mixture of local residents and students. They open Monday to Thursday at 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m., and Sunday at 10 a.m. Closing time for the bar is 2 a.m. with food service ending around 9 p.m.
Looking for more places to eat in Uptown Athens. Read this post on Where to Grab a Quick Lunch or this one on Athens Fine Dining.
