Big Mamma's Burritos

Last week, my roommate and I had our very first Big Mamma's Burrito, and I must say it was an interesting experience.

Big Mamma's Burritos, located on South Court Street in Athens, is one of those places that almost every student has been to. When I used to tell people I had never been there, I would be met with various responses of "WHAT??!," and "How can you not have had Big Mamma's?" The answer was simple, I didn't want to spend the money plus it just never intrigued me. Perhaps this is because I am Mexican and have had the real thing before down by the border. I know what a real homemade burrito with real homemade flower tortillas is like. Because of this, I always set my expectations for burritos way too high. I often forget that in small town Ohio, the odds of getting the real deal are very very slim.

Back to the topic at hand...When we entered Big Mamma's I was trying to be optimistic. I tried to overlook the fact that there really isn't anywhere to sit down, and I tried to overlook the fact that the floor wasn't as clean as it could have been. But I couldn't overlook the fact that my breakfast burrito was cold, and that the lone place we could sit was dirty with some kind of weird sauce smeared all over it. Of course my roommate's burrito, a Philly Cheesesteak burrito, was ten times better than mine. Mostly because it was actually warm.

I know this blog pretty much sounds like I hate Big Mamma's, but I try not to hate anything. It just definitely isn't my favorite and I don't have any plans to return unless I want a Philly Cheesesteak in a hurry. I guess the night wasn't a total sham because I did get to spend some quality time with my roommate. Although we both agreed that Big Mamma's wasn't all it was cracked up to be and definitely isn't the type of place you go to actually sit down and eat. Big Mamma's is more for people who want a quick meal on the go. We also agreed that if we had come in late on a Saturday night, while in desperate need of food, because our partying had made us so hungry that we couldn't take it anymore, then maybe, just maybe we would have loved Big Mamma's.

Uptown eating in Athens

A couple of weeks ago I realized that I am already a junior here at Ohio University and I still have not eaten at all of the so called "great" places to eat uptown. Sure I know that O'Betty's is supposedly a great place to get a hot dog, but have I ever actually had one? Nope. And Big Mama's Burritos is supposedly a great place to get a burrito along with the Burrito Buggy, but have I had either? Of course not. Thus my idea for my blog. I am going to finally eat at these great places and see if they are really all they are cracked up to be. My blogs will not only be places that I haven't eaten, but also places that I have eaten (such as Skipper's and Casa Nueva) that way anyone who might be new to Athens can have an idea about what each place has to offer.

So I will start my first entry with my mom's favorite place to dine in Athens...

Skipper's Bar and Grille

What can I say about Skipper's? I have been going there since my sister was still in undergrad at OU and have loved it since. They have a great selection of food, and not just the typical burger and fries either (although those burgers are pretty good). They have great wraps, salads, pasta's, soups and sandwiches. They also have some pretty kick butt appetizers like nachos (my mom never goes to Skipper's without having the nachos).

Although Skipper's is also a bar, it is what I would call a nice bar. It does a fine job of balancing a nice restaurant scene with the typical bar scene. It can be a nice place to go on a date, and it can be a great bar to go to on a Thursday night (not that I would know yet....I still have 2 months to go until my 21st). As a bar, Skipper's is pretty known for some of its drinks like it's giant Margarita's (my mom's favorite on Mom's weekend) and its table taps. The table tap is basically having your favorite beer on tap at your table. The Margarita's, table taps, and various other drinks one can get at Skipper's can make for one crazy night out.

The only problem I have with Skipper's is the fact that sometimes the service can take a while. I used to attribute it to the fact that I would often be at Skipper's when there were a lot of other people there. However, after having been there at least twice now when it wasn't seemingly busy, I realize that yes the service is below par. Not far below, but they still have some work to do. Often the servers seem more into talking to the customers than actually serving them. One time when I was there my server's friends came into Skipper's and basically had a surprise happy birthday celebration for her. I would have been okay with this if A) It hadn't taken her away from serving us for more than 20 minutes and B) I hadn't been in a hurry to eat fast since I had tickets to a production at Mem. Aud. I mean I'm not a total Scrooge, it was her birthday and it was a nice gesture by her friends, but I mean really if I had been the server I would have said "thanks guys it's a really nice thought, but I'm at work right now so can we maybe celebrate later?"

But other than the slow service, the food is great and the drinks are many so it is definately worth the trip and worth the wait if you are cool with being patient.

My first blog

This is my first blog. It doesn't have any content because it is only a trial blog. It is practice for my real blog. Enjoy some cool pictures of Athens! Check back soon for the real blog about eating in Athens. Sorry!

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what a pretty picture!