Throughout the TOUR Championship, a team of student correspondents from Drew Charter School are providing their perspectives on the week. This piece is written by Asha Anderson, a junior at Drew Charter School involved with Chorus, Drama and Student Government Association.
The local fare at the PGA TOUR Championship is what locals would describe as, “a real taste of the southern experience.” Here you can find a plethora of foods from different cities and cultures. While I was walking, I couldn’t help but observe the people’s faces filled with pleasure as they took their first bite of their dish.
The first place I visited was the ACME Oyster House. There I met the Director of Operations, Jake Palmer. He voiced that his experience here at the tournament has been full of enjoyment due to his tent being flooded with people waiting to get a taste of their food. The goal of the ACME Oyster House is to, “bring a classic New Orleans seafood taste to the city and citizens of Atlanta.” His most recommended and popular dish is the Char-Grilled Oysters. This dish is shucked oysters grilled and cooked in a highly seasoned butter with Romano cheese. Locals say that with one bite you are guaranteed to go back for more. His second, but equal, fan-favorite dish is the Fried Oyster Grilled Remoulade, which is fried oysters smothered in traditional remoulade sauce.
Fortunately, the goodness doesn’t stop there because their other choices are endless, ranging from delicious Po-boys to even a tasty good ole fashion hotdog. The prices of the dishes are extremely reasonable ranging from $4 to $11. Although their main restaurant is on the lovely streets of New Orleans, they also have restaurants in Destin, Florida, and Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Next on our tasting tour I visited Steinbeck’s Ale House. I couldn’t help but constantly hear the saying, “Can I have the Tower of Power Burger?” slipping off almost everyone’s tongue. This meal is made of two tender beef patties, double cheese, sizzling crispy bacon, LTO salad, and the great million island dressing. Another popular item was the Umami Fries. One look at them and you’re hooked. These are fries topped with pine street bacon, scallions, sriracha mayo, and savory Asian seasoning. This restaurant caters to both adolescents and adults by having non-alcoholic beverages for the kids and Margaritas for the “people who just want to have a little fun.” Steinbeck’s Ale House also has reasonable prices from $4 to $11.
It isn’t America if we don’t have burgers, which is what Big Tex took into consideration while building an establishment in Decatur to satisfy our hunger. Here they serve the Parker’s Chicken Sandwich that is named after the President and General Manager of the East Lake Golf Club, Chad Parker. This sandwich is composed of house-smoked chicken, pickles, and Alabama white BBQ sauce. Another option at Big Tex’s is the Chicken Salad Wrap that consists of homemade chicken salad mixed in nicely with celery, onions, lettuce, and tomato, all wrapped tightly on a 12 inch tortilla. Your options of sides are the classic coleslaw or crispy chips. Both meals cost $10.
Although summer is technically passing, we southerners know it takes until November to even start dropping to the 60s. King of Pops has the perfect solution for the Atlanta heat. Many attendees took the time to cool off and wind down with one cold lick of a frozen popsicle. Everyone doesn’t have the same taste buds, which is why King of Pops has a several flavors. Strawberry lemonade, raspberry rosewater, sweet tea ‘n’ lemonade, peaches ‘n’ cream and chocolate sea salt are the choices you can easily pick from. So, remember when you’re out and longing for a cold treat, just look for a cart with a tiny umbrella and come on over, or you could visit them at various places in Atlanta.
Our final stop on the tour was the Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q which serves a variety of sandwiches from pulled pork to a pimento cheese sandwich. It’s the most reasonably priced place here at the tournament – $8 for a sandwich. I saw many people happily taking a bite of their sandwich as proof of its goodness, but I thought one of the fans should speak for me on this topic. Check out the photo of him enjoying his Fox Bros.
The Vice Chair of Hospitality, Susan Harrell spoke on her food experience here at the TOUR Championship. She spoke highly of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q. She described it as, “so Atlanta,“ and “a place you’ve got to visit.” Susan says that she is willing to drive a long way from home to get bite of their mac and cheese and barbecue. She was born in Miami and has lived in Atlanta for 35 years and suggests that any person outside of Atlanta should visit Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q if they are looking to immerse themselves in southern culture.
All in all, The Local Fare is a great experience full of food temptations that are out of this world. It helps you learn about recipes that have been passed on for centuries and have been shared throughout the South, but don’t just take my word for it — come on out to East Lake and try a taste for yourself.
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The Drew Charter School is a key component in the East Lake Foundation’s cradle-to-college pipeline. The Foundation is one of the primary beneficiaries of the TOUR Championship.
