The Last Resort Grill in Athens originally opened in 1966 as a bar and music club and has featured such famous performers as Jimmy Buffet and Steve Martin. After closing in the mid-80s, it opened again in August of 1992 as an upscale restaurant.
Our class ate lunch at the Last Resort on our second day. We hustled to be there before 11:30am, as our instructor had indicated we would have a long wait if we didn’t. We were immediately seated, and the hostess was informed up front that we were on a time limit. This message was conveyed to our server, who was very prompt in taking our drink and lunch orders.
Since there were six people in our group, we were seated at one of the larger tables, and I noticed that the restaurant filled quickly. One of the ladies worked at the University of Georgia, and she said that it was a very, very popular place to eat, both with the students and the faculty. It wasn’t long until the small restaurant was filled to capacity and people were standing in line, impatiently watching their watches as the precious minutes ticked away.
The lunch menu included soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas, and main entrées, with nothing on the menu being priced over $7.95. Debating between the special of the day (a broccoli quiche) and the Carolina Crab Cakes, I chose the crab cakes ($7.95). The crab meat was mixed with roasted sweet peppers, rolled in sourdough crumbs, and sautéed to a warm golden brown. They were served on fresh greens with a red-pepper aioli. Delicious! A couple of the ladies ordered the Gourmet burger ($5.95), which was seasoned with Worcestershire and horseradish and served on a toasted onion roll. They confirmed it was as delicious as it looked.
The showcase full of desserts also is something to see at the Last Resort Grill. Everyone seemed to gravitate towards the showcase while discussing which one of the tempting homemade desserts would be the best. Although we didn’t have time (or room) for desserts, the "locals" in our group informed us on our walk back to class as to how yummy they really were and what we had missed out on. Maybe next time!
The Last Resort is open for lunch from 11am to 3pm and for dinner from 5 to 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 11 pm on Friday and Saturdays. They have a soup of the day, as well as salads and appetizers. The main entrées range in price from $11.95 to $14.95, with fresh seafood being at market price. Some of the dinner entrées, chicken carbonara, salmon and grits, and blue trout, sound very interesting. Brunch is served on Sundays from 11am to 3pm and features omelets, priced from $6.25 to $7.95, as well as breakfast enchiladas ($6.50) and stuffed French toast ($6.50).
This meal was delicious, and I suggest that you make the Last Resort Grill one of your first dining stops while in Athens.