The owners of The Volstead, a new downtown Athens restaurant and bar scheduled to open soon, want to create a casual eating experience with an upscale feel, said Brian Holloway.
"It won't be true fine-dining, but will have an almost fine-dining atmosphere, " Holloway said. "It will be full-service with a wait staff."
"We want it to be a good restaurant and a great bar with unique food," said Holloway's Chris Holloway, the managing partner of the business.
The Volstead should be opening on East Clayton Street in the former Frameworks space within the next week, and the owners -- Brian, Chris, Chris's brother and Brian's uncle, Craig Holloway, and investor Randy Need -- have been trying to recapture and highlight some of the historic aspects of the building, which was built in the 1870s or 1880s, Chris said.
The space features the tall, thin wooden columns throughout the building's space, some exposed brick and the pressed tin ceiling, and the owners have added some old-fashioned-looking fixtures, all designed to evoke a feel of the 1920s, the era of prohibition. Somewhat ironically, the Holloways named the restaurant and bar for Andrew Volstead, the Republican congressman who authored the federal act calling for enforcement of national prohibition beginning in 1920.
The Volstead's menu will focus on appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and salads, but the Holloways have hired Chef David Perez, who taught at Cordon Bleu, to spice up the fare.
Among its copious choice of starters are fried pickles, deep fried chicken wings, spicy fried green beans, onion rings, edamame, spicy corn fritters, chicken fingers and two types of fries -- regular and sweet potato -- with all types of toppings. Hog wings represent the most unique appetizer offering on the starter menu. A hog wing is deep-fried pork on a bone with barbecue dipping sauce, similar to barbecued chicken wings.
"It's part of a pork rib and it's cut down to look like a chicken drumstick, but it's pork," Chris said.
The menu offers five salads, two variations of mesclun (assorted small young salad leaves such as spinach, arugula and fr
Your own wings are decent, your local bar ain't so bad either, but
sometimes the craving for a different chicken wing flavor comes into
play..Too many choices, so little time...I bet you ask yourself when
you go out in search of hot wings:
What
sauce should I try tonight?
-Jim T., TN
Sounds like you are stepping out of your comfort
zone. Congratulations.....Stay away from anything that has the
words Mango and Saffron in the title....Those are sure signals
your a weirdo
Am I still a man for eating bleu cheese
with my wings?
-Danny M., TN
Yes, (but barely), Ranch, Thousand Island and
anything with "Balsamic" in the description is sure
to let your server know you are a wuss...
What is proper wing dipping etiquette?
-Robbie M., TN
It's a free for all and everyone should have
their own dipping bucket. (if you have to ask then we need to
educate you so you won't get beat up again)...
Should I drink a stout or an IPA?
-Guido S., PI
"Good Question! Finally, from the country
code you gave us, you should be choosing lambanog! But the fact
you actually know there are different
kinds of beer by style, we don't need to hold your hand but
I can offer this advice: If the wings you order have a
high sugar content, order a darker beer with a more hoppy flavor. This
compliments the sweet very nicely
HOT BUFFALO WINGS
2 1/2 lbs. chicken wings
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Vegetable oil
1/4 c. hot sauce, add more if desired
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
Cut chicken wings in half at joint. Cut off tips of wings and discard. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees. Add chicken and fry 10 minutes, frying about 1 dozen at a time. Drain on paper towels. Arrange fried chicken wings in a 13x9x2 inch dish.
Combine hot sauce and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until butter melts. Pour over fried chicken wings. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot. Yield 3 dozen.
The Scoville scale measures the hotness of a pepper. It rates around 1,000,000 heat units. To put that in perspective: It is hot enough to actually PEEL the skin from around your mouth, blister your tongue and make you cry for your mother...Talk about Wing Sting
Pepper spray weapons hit 5,300,000 units
This is one of the many awesome reasons we watch law enforcement reality shows...
Hot Sauce Gauge
In Scoville's original testing procedure, a concoction of pepper extract is thinned in sugar syrup until the "heat" (burn) can’t be detected by a panel of (usually five) very dedicated, brave and very bored souls; the quantity of dilution gives its measure on the Scoville scale.
Hot Wing Recipes
If you want to make the tastiest hot wings or Buffalo chicken wings and need that special recipe, you've come to the right place! Inside are dseveral Hot Wing Recipes to get your Superbowl Kicking!
What You Need to Know About Fried Chicken Recipes
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