Friday, M ay 31, 2019

Some times when you enter a restaurant you want more than just food. There is that certain ambiance  you seek. Kind of like matching a certain earthy single malt Scotch whiskey to that perfect Cuban cigar. Or the right limoncello with that perfect Swiss chocolate. The Hi Lo Lounge is such a place. Located in the Normal Neighborhood of Athens, Georgia, it has a charm all its own. By the way, I was curious to know if there is an Abnormal Neighborhood in the city. But then I googled it. There was once a teachers' college, State Normal School here, hence the name.  Now it is better known as the hipster part of Athens. 


On certain nights quite a few years ago the sounds of the B-52's and Michael Stipe and REM would echo through the neighborhood. But not tonight. 

We arrived as the Georgia sun was sinking low, but the heat of the fiery orb caressed my skin with fire and etched long shadows on the sidewalk. The temperature today had been near the triple digit mark. 
A patron unknown to us held the door while our friend negotiated entry in a rolling chair backwards. It seemed cooler inside but it could have been the dimly lit interior that brought false comfort. There was a lady about my age teaching a youngster a game with a set of large ceramic dominoes. The sixteen tables seemed to be occupied. But, after waiting a few minutes in the shabby decor, a man occupying a table alone offered us his table.  He was a young man. But when you're seventy-five almost all men are young!  Mid-twenties, I would guess. He was tall and slim but not skinny and had light brown hair in dreadlocks. Could he have had hair extensions? Each muscular arm had a tattooed sleeve. He was dressed in faded jeans and Birkenstocks and the graphic on his t-shirt was faded too. His smile exposed pearly white teeth and his brown eyes had a permanent squint like someone who spends a lot of time in the sun. We thanked him for his kindness and we set about checking out the menu. 

We had picked the Hi Lo because of its vegan offerings. We have been following a plant-based diet for almost two years. Its been good for us, but finding food at restaurants has not been easy.  The menu was interesting with quite a few vegan options. There did not seem to be a wait staff. I asked a guy in an apron delivering food to diners and he said we had to order at the bar. The bar was on the other side of a wall, but I could see it with a cash register through an opening the size of a double door. We perused the menu and made our choices. I picked a slaw dog and black bean chili. The ladies had a Czechwich and a falafel sandwich. I went to the counter to order. On the chalk board behind the bar was listed a number of craft beers. I chose a local stout. Negra Modello, my favorite beer, was not available. I prefer to help the Mexican economy rather than the Chinese. The girl taking our order was rather cute with a northeastern accent. Southern girls tend to be a rarity in larger Southern cities nowadays. She was probably an UGA student.



 I went back to our table to await our food. Eighties rock and roll was playing in the background. I took a slug of the stout and started to feel a bit like a local. The clientele was quite a cross section of humanity. At the table next to me a rotund bearded young man was busy with his laptop computer. The buttons on his shirt threatened to free themselves with each breath he took. His cellphone was attached to the laptop and he would occasionally refer to an iPad. I peeked at his screen. There were scrolling columns of data. What was it? I could not tell. Maybe he was a spy! Or a video game designer. There may be little difference. His stare was concentrated on the screen over his horn-rimmed glasses. Occasionally, he would speak to his friend who seemed to be playing a game on a tablet. Then, he would take a drink of the beer at his right hand. A preppy looking young man in his early thirties stopped to chat a few minutes with the pair. They seemed to be friends. A few minutes before our food arrived two young women joined the young man with the dreadlocks. One was less pudgy than the other, but both were dressed in a style somewhere  between college student and streetwalker. They seemed to be well acquainted with the young man. They brought him a champaign flute. They squeezed onto the bench beside him, obviously trying to maximize physical contact.

The food was great! Food was the reason we were there. A Czechwich is predominantly a chunk of fried cheese with various accompaniments on a sandwich roll. The falafel sandwich was filled with various veggies. Both ladies said their food was very good. My slaw dog was 


eatable. The pseudo wiener was quite tasty, but the slaw left a lot to be desired. It showed no imagination and creativity. When I eat out I expect the cook to cook better than I do or at least as good! Now the black bean chili was something to write home about. ( Should I update that to "text home about"?) The beans were plump and succulent and it had a bit of heat and that unmistakable taste of non-milk chocolate

Food is good at the Hi Lo Lounge. And it delivers in ambiance too.  The next time I'm in Athens I'll be eating there.