Wings, beer, and sports; Clay's Sports Cafe

When it's game day and you aren't planning on eating an overpriced hot dog at the stadium, having a local spot to go watch the game, have a beer, and enjoy some traditional bar food is the next best thing.  Actually, it's better than the stadium.  No traffic, no expensive beer and food, no lines for the toilet, no uncomfortable stadium seats... seems like a win/win to me.  For the casual night out to have a good time, cheer on your team, and make it home before 1 a.m., then Clay's Sports Cafe is a local gem.  If you don't know where Clay's is, you will probably drive right by it the first time you are looking for it.  It's in Sandy Springs off of Roswell Road, across the street from Pep Boys and next to Sandy Spring Lamp and Shade Center.  The entire restaurant seats about 60 people, tops and there is no official bar area, although they do serve alcohol.  The big screen TV 15 years old, their computer where they ring up to-go orders runs on MS-DOS, and there is typically one server working at a time.

That being said...

There are TV's mounted in every corner of the restaurant so that even if you aren't facing the big screen, you can still follow the game and most likely another game as well.  The person taking to-go orders is so freaking awesome on that DOS computer that they will never need to update because they get your order ready in 15 minutes no matter how busy it is, even on Super Bowl Sunday.  That's right.  I called in a to-go order on Super Bowl Sunday, 30 minutes before kick-off and they had it ready in 12 minutes.  They are bad ass.  And that one server waiting on the 60 people in the restaurant, she's awesome.  It's usually the same girl every night, and she doesn't have to write down a single thing but can keep all those middle-age men's drink and wing orders straight without missing a beat and talk baseball/football/hockey/soccer with the best of them.

The best part about Clay's is unassuming environment.  When you walk in, the decor has obviously been up since the early 90s, the paint is too dark, the place is too small, but its like that cozy La-Z-Boy recliner that people have been have been begging you to throw out but once they sit in it, they realize it's the best seat in the house.  Clay's is worn in just right so that it's a perfect mix of shabby comfort.  And for the food...

The wings are great.  They have a huge selection of flavors.  Just about every flavor has a hot option as well and you can opt for all flats or all drums if you so choose.  My personal fav is the hot honey mustard.  To go along with their unassuming decor, they serve their wings on a metal pizza tray so they can stack them up high so it's the same size tray for 10 wings or 50.  By the way, it's only $7 for 10 wings and fries!  I am also a big fan of the subs.  I can never finish them so I end up turning them into two meals by eating half of the sandwich and half of the heap of fries.  They have all the traditional bar fare that you would expect; onion rings, cheese sticks, pizza, jalapeno poppers, etc.  And they also deliver if you live within the area.  Great food, check.  Great value, check.  Great service, check.    Next time you are looking to get some friends together for a great time and you don't want to fight the crowd at Taco Mac and deal with the noise at Buffalo Wild Wings or pay the prices at Dantanna's, check out Clay's Sports Cafe.

Clay's Sports Cafe
6518 Roswell Rd
Atlanta, GA 30328
404-843-1233
http://www.clayssportscafe.com

Destination, grilled cheese night! Souper Jenny

Welcome to my new blog, fellow foodies!  For those of you that do not already know me, I have a passion for food, especifically baking, and I would love to start my own baking business one day.  For now, I sell treats out of my kitchen to individual clients but I have a love for the culinary arts as a whole.  Dining out is a guilty pleasure of mine.  I am buy no means rolling in dough (non-pastry dough) so dining out is a luxury that I have to be smart about.  I love to find local businesses that do it for the love of the food, not for the love of the profit.  When it's all about making money, the quality of what is put in front of you shows it.  So for my first For Frugal Foodies blog, I wanted to focus on a business that is all about loving what they do.

Souper Jenny is a local staple in Atlanta started by an actress, Jenny Levison,  that wanted to make time for her and her fellow acting staff to have time for rehearsals and auditions so Souper Jenny is only open Monday thru Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm.  They make amazing soups, salads, and sandwiches, all from scratch and all with local ingredients.  It's counter service only, no cell phones, no credit cards, no reservations.  The line is out the door everyday by 11:30 am and totally worth the wait.  They are known for their $12 lunch.  What is the $12 lunch?  Well, I lifted this straight from their page to answer that question for you:

"It’s your choice of any two menu items (soup, salad, sandwich). It comes with a roll, the daily treat (usually a cookie), a piece of whole, fresh fruit and a drink of your choice (Coke products, Lipsey water or unsweetened iced tea). What a deal!"

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, however, they give us a special treat by allowing us to stay until 10 pm for Grilled Cheese Night.  This is not your typical grilled cheese that you would expect from your Mama's kitchen.  Jenny has that, but it's not all she has...  Each night they have a selection of soups, "traditional" grilled cheese and a "specialty" grilled cheese.  I went on Thursday night with my dining companion, Evan, and we both opted for the specialty grilled cheese.

It was a Cordon Blue Grilled Cheese.  It was made on rosemary bread with pesto grilled chicken breast, black forest ham, Swiss cheese,  and Dijon mustard.  Only one can describe it, SPECTACULAR!  The flavor combination complimented each other perfectly and the addition of the pumpkin butternut squash soup was divine.  It also came with a soft pretzel roll, a chocolate chip cookie and a root beer, all for $12.

The night also had a special surprise for us.  Our Libatious Nature was preparing sample cocktails during dinner at Souper Jenny.  Evan and I sampled a cranberry concoction and a coffee cocktail.  I'm not a big drinker but they were both very tasty.  We managed to make it there early before the crowd so it was a relaxing evening without having to wait in the rain for a table.  If we had had any room left after dinner, we would have enjoyed their all you can eat s'mores but I think the grilled cheese and soup had done us in. Each time I have been to Souper Jenny, I have left with a smile on my face and promising myself that I will come back soon.  Whatever she and her crew are doing, they are doing it right.  The friendly staff, the quality of the food, the atmosphere of the dining area, it all works.  Hell, even when people are waiting in line, they aren't grouchy about it.  Everyone is on this journey together.  There is a sense of camaraderie.  It's something about the level of anticipation to get through the door.  Once you're in, you feel like you've won.

Souper Jenny
56 E Andrews Dr NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
404-237-7687
www.souperjennyatl.com