While in Athens, our class was treated to dinner at Harry Bissett’s, one of the city’s most popular downtown restaurants that is well-known for its New Orleans style of Cajun/Creole dishes.
We walked from class to the restaurant and found a party inside and out. Several small tables were on the sidewalk outside, and upon entering, you were immediately in the bar area, which had 3 to 4 small tables and 8 to 10 chairs at the bar. A group was celebrating a coworker’s 65th birthday, complete with cake, hats, and noisemakers, and as the workday came to a close, more and more people filtered in for drinks, conversation, and dinner.
The difference between the bar and dining room area is like night and day. After entering into the dining area, the ambience is immediately elevated to casual but elegant dining in quiet rooms with antique furniture and freshly pressed linen tablecloths and napkins covering the dining room tables.
Our party of seven was seated in an upstairs dining room that reminded me of the buildings on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. As we pondered over the menus, we asked the "locals" in the group for recommendations. The menu was extremely varied, with several varieties of fresh oysters, seafood, pasta, veal, chicken, certified Angus beef, and the traditional Cajun dishes the restaurant is known for. We chose seven different dishes, from Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce ($20.50) to Crawfish Etouffeé (14.95) to Louisiana Crab Cakes ($24.95). I chose the Cedar Plank Salmon ($18.95), which was a salmon filet grilled and smoked on a piece of cedar wood, with a small amount of chopped lemon and orange on top. I was disappointed with my selection, as it was tasteless. I knew I should have stuck with my original choice of either the rib-eye steak or crab cakes. Everyone else in the group said that their selection was wonderful and delicious. The dinner menu is priced from $12.50 to $22.95, with soups priced from $3.95 to $5.75 and appetizers priced from $6.95 to $8.50. An extensive white and red wine list is available, as well as coffee, teas, and sodas.
Dessert is usually a no-no, but since I was disappointed with my main entrée, I rewarded myself with one of their much raved about desserts ($3.50 to $4.50). With a southern assortment ranging from Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, Crème Brulee, and their own Harry Bissett’s Bread Pudding to French Silk Pie and Praline Cheesecake, surely I couldn’t make another bad choice. I chose the Praline Cheesecake, which was New York-style cheesecake laced with a Southern pecan confection. I was not disappointed! The cheesecake was drizzled with caramel syrup and had hunks of pecans in a caramelized-type syrup. Yum!! Yum!! I didn’t waste a bite!
Hungry? Look for the crowd; it will most likely be at Harry Bissett’s. Hours for lunch are Tuesday to Friday, 11:30am to 3pm, Saturday brunch 11:30am to 3:30pm, Sunday brunch 11am to 4pm, and dinner 5:30 to 10pm weekdays and 5:30 to 11pm on Friday and Saturday.