Eat Athens: A light but hearty lunch that's easy on the wallet offered by eatery on Hawthorne
Em's Kitchen is one of those unique Athens restaurants where their food is just as familiar to folks who have eaten it as part of a catered event as it is to those who have stopped by the place where it is made. Despite the fact that Em's has been in business for over a decade, this reporter had never gone inside for a meal due to rumors about long waits and overcrowded parking.
Those descriptions proved to be the opposite of what the Banner-Herald experienced during our visit to Em's, which took place on a rainy August morning following a dental appointment nearby. The food turned out to be an ideal option for a wet weather escape, and the menu prices, service and atmosphere made it easy to see why it's a favorite lunch spot in the area.
Like the lunch counter at ADD Drug in Five Points, Em's Kitchen began life as a soda fountain, but the restaurant later expanded into its own space and proved to be a hit with the community. The restaurant's namesake, owner-manager Emily Ullrich, began working at Hawthorne Drugs as a teen in the late 1990s and opened the kitchen in 2010. One half of the 975 Hawthorne Ave. building houses the drug store, and the other half is Em's.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Em's Kitchen can be accessed through its own front entrance or by walking through the corridor inside Hawthorne Drugs. Menus are available at the counter, and you might end up having a conversation with the demure Ullrich without realizing that she's the person who runs the place. Guests can place their orders to go or to enjoy in the spacious and comfortable dining area.
The Banner-Herald arrived at Em's around 11:30 a.m., which seemed to be the sweet spot before the midday rush. The lunch menu is full of options from sandwiches and salads to soups, hot dogs and house-made desserts. A full-size chicken salad sandwich with cornbread muffin, cup of Brunswick stew and a fountain drink came out to be $13.96 after we added our standard 20% gratuity.
Though lettuce and tomato could've been added to our sandwich for 69 cents, we opted for the basic scoops on toasted whole wheat to get the most direct line to the flavor of the chicken salad, which was house-made with pulled chicken, sweet relish and mayonnaise. The cornbread muffin was light, crumbly and perfect for sinking into the generously-sized cup of Brunswick stew, which was saucy and tomato-y without any greasy aftertaste.
The appeal to Em's lies with its traditional recipes and presentation, which can be welcome to palates who aren't necessarily looking for familiar items like grilled cheese or a BLT to be deconstructed and reinvented. With that in mind, some guests are going to have a fairly specific idea of how a Reuben sandwich should taste, so the Banner-Herald will need to make a return visit to explore the rest of the menu.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Em's Kitchen offers light and hearty lunch options
