Punta Cana Latin Grill (Athens, GA)

367 Prince Ave Ste 1, Athens, GA, United States, Georgia

 

Punta Cana Latin Grill is a Dominican restaurant just outside of downtown Athens, which serves a variety of more or less well-known Dominican street foods, including tacos, sandwiches, and empanadas, with a broad variety of different proteins, including chicharón and longaniza. Tostones and maduros also feature prominently on the menu.

I've eaten here several times. My favorite is the Punta Cana Sandwich ($8.99) with grilled tilapia, which is light and tasty, and comes with a side over lunch - the maduros are pretty good. The Riki Taki ($9.99) is classic streetfood, a big sandwich filled with ground beef, some vegetables, and massive loads of ketchup and mayo... tasty but very bingy. The Bandeja Punta Cana ($15,75) is a combination of 2 meats and 3 sides.

VERDICT: 82/100

Punta Cana offers Dominican streetfood, which is quite tasty but not subtle, as most dishes are decent but too geasy.

The Collegiate Grill (Gainesville, GA)

 220 Main St SW, Gainesville, GA 30501

 

The Collegiate Grill is an institution in Gainesville, Georgia. It is an old-school diner that serve American classics the same way they were made half a century ago. The menu is mostly hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, sandwiches, and shakes. The inside is also classic, although well-maintained.

 

I get a Small Hamburger ($3.59) and a Chili Dog ($3.19) and share a side of Fresh Cut Fries ($4.79). The place is packed and the wait is substantial, but it is worth it. The burger is old-school, i.e. lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, and mayonnaise (I hold te mustard), but very tasty. Similarly, the Chili Dog is old-school but tasty, mostly because of the a bit smokey chili on top. The fries are not overly crispy, but real potato and well-prepared.

 

VERDICT: 90/100

Great quality classic American staples in a beautiful old-school setting. 

 

 

Danny's Donuts (Gainesville, GA)

  417 Main St SW #4415, Gainesville, GA 30501

 

Danny's Donuts has three locations in and around Gainesville, Georgia,  It mainly sells donuts, some breakfast sandwiches, and (warm) drinks. The selection is pretty large and fairly classic - think Dunkin' Donuts - but also quite cheap ($1.35 for most).

 

 I order two donuts and get a third one for free. The dough is not too dense but looks and tastes too much deep-fried. The toppings are fine but not remarkable.

 

VERDICT: 78/100

Pretty run-of-the-mill donut place, but affordable and with nice people, which makes it preferable over places like Dunkin' Donuts.