Down at Transmet

Transmet stands for The Transmetropolitan, a restaurant located on clayton street between college avenue and lumpkin. I'm sure you can understand why Tranmetropolitan was shortened to Transmet, college kids are lazy. Either that or college kids are just more efficient. One of the two.

Now that we got that settled lets move on. Transmet is definitely an Athens dining attraction. Every person I talk to in Athens just visiting, even if just for the weekend, has been taken to Transmet to experience their italian inspired yet surprisingly diverse menu. I don't think I know many people who haven't been there, but there are always a few. Those are the people this blog is for, but that doesn't mean those of you that have been are off the hook. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my review.

The Transmetropolitan is a great place to go for all kinds of occasions, such as hanging out with friends, going to a quick lunch between classes, etc. My adventure to Transmet on this occasion was to have a nice lunch date with my girlfriend. It was a Sunday afternoon so finding a parking spot close to the restaurant wasn't that difficult, and we didn't have to pay the meter. Once we made it inside we grabbed a menu and waited in line to order up. This was the first time my girlfriend had been there, but it was certainly not my first. The waiting in line part was quite ridiculous on this occasion. I would rather have sat down and tipped, than wait in line for as long as we did. When we finally made it to the counter my girlfriend and I had decided on the same thing with minor differences, pepperoni calzones. Now these aren't you everyday run-of-the-mill calzones. These are your mouth-watering, made to your exact order calzones. I have to warn you though, there is a downside to them. It is the wait time. It usually takes about 25-30 minutes for a calzone to be made, but it is well worth it. The calzones are even fairly priced, about $6, and they are pretty big. I personally made mine into two meals. Transmet also delivers it with free marinara sauce for your dipping pleasure.

The calzones were absolutely delicious. A little hot at first, but once it cools down you can dig in all you want. I mean Transmet has all kinds of things on their menu if your not into calzones or don't have the time to wait, such as noodles, sandwiches, salads, pasta, pizza, but I just don't see myself ordering anything else. Anyway, the date went well and my girlfriend really enjoyed the experience and especially her calzone.

Pros:

Wide variety menu, excellent atmosphere for a casual lunch or dinner, and CALZONES!

Cons:

Standing in line to order, wait time for calzones, and just overall wait time. (Could be a pro if you want to hang out more and talk.)

Well, after this review I hope everyone that hasn't been to Transmet will try it out. Give the calzones a chance! Also, I would love to hear from people who have had other things on the menu there that are worth mentioning. Maybe if I don't have the time one day for a calzone I will give your suggestion a chance to prove itself!

Down at Doc Chey's

Doc Chey's Noodle House is a stretch from what I usually eat and enjoy. Usually, when I eat any kind of Japanese/Chinese/Anything-ese, I have the reliably delicious fried rice and tend to stray away from the slimy looking noodles. However, when I recently went to Doc Chey's I decided to try these elusive noodles, since Doc Chey's is the "noodle house," and I have to say, Doc Chey's has really broadened my horizon on the noodle front.

I decided to have the japanese teriyaki udon, (recommended to me by a friend) which is udon noodles stirfried in teriyaki sauce with carrots, onions, and bok choy. I was told that it was a great choice for people who are not used to eating noodles but wish to try something new. I'm not really sure what bok choy is, but I can tell you the meal was excellent. I even found myself scraping the bottom of their dark tan plastic bowls in hopes of savoring the taste. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Dining with me on this occasion were my good friends Kristi and Bree (Kristi is the one in the picture.) Now I know some people will deny this, since it is usually impossible to do, but we actually got parking RIGHT in front of Doc Chey's, right where Clayton St. and Jackson St. collide! I know what your thinking, "There is no possible way someone could get a parking spot directly in front of the place they want to be downtown." Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but it happened! After this monumental occasion, Kristi, Bree, and myself stood in line to decide on and make our order. I activated a Doc Chey's membership card at the counter so I could start accumulating points towards free food, and then I was handed a table indicator with a nice little proverb on it so the waitress could bring the food to us when it was done. It wasn't long before my japanese teriyaki udon, Kristi's sesame stirfry, and Bree's general chey's meal arrived.

The only thing that was a little annoying is that Kristi and Bree ordered an appetizer, japanese edamame, that arrived at the same time. We were hoping that the appetizer would come first so we could enjoy each others company longer, but it couldn't be avoided.

The most interesting food we had was the japanese edamame. The edamame is steamed soybeans sprinkled with kosher salt. Now I say interesting because the edamame wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly good either. The steamed soybeans were still in the pouches you find on bushes and the pouches were covered with hundreds or tiny hairs. To properly eat the edamame you have to put the pouches close to your mouth and suck the soy beans out of it. This allows you to taste the kosher salt that is sprinkled all over the pouches. If you like soybeans then you should really try the japanese edamame. If you don't like soybeans then don't order the edamame unless you are with someone who does. The reason being that the plate was so huge it was really intimidating. We literally sat there for 30 minutes longer than we would because Kristi was still working on finishing the edamame. If you want to try the edamame I would ask for a sample. Luckily, I showed the foresight to hurry Kristi along at the end. We just narrowly avoided being issued a ticket for parking over the two hour limit. Did I mention how badass the parking was?

Pros:

Something new to try, good amount of food for the money, and inspires you to keep coming back to rack up your points towards free food.

Cons:
Almost every meal comes with some kind of vegetable thrown in (which means I had to pick around it,) and there was no fried rice.

Ok, maybe those cons are just my own personal preference, but I couldn't think of any other reasons to not go. My experience at Doc Chey's Noodle House might even influence me to try the noodles at other "anything-ese" establishments. Oh, and did I mention you get a free fortune cookie at the end!?