Recipe Alert! Creamy Spinach Dip from one of GA's Finest.

Athens, GA has an amazing foodie scene. They were even voted as one of Zagat's top 7 up and coming foodie cities thanks to restaurants such as Chef Hugh Acheson's 5&10, Chef Peter Dale's The National and local fave Last Resort, just to name a few (more posts on these gems to come!) Another popular spot in the lively and vibrant downtown Athens area is one of my personal favorites, Speakeasy-http://www.speakeasyathens.com/. I've been going to Speakeasy for almost 10 years...Oy. Speakeasy is a small plates/tapas style restaurant with delicious food and fun, creative cocktails. The location is lovely. It's located right on Broad Street in the heart of downtown Athens with amazing views. One of my (& my girlfriends) favorite small plates is their creamy Spinach Dip served in a honey wheat bread bowl. So insanely good. The texture is perfect, the flavors balanced and the dish has a little hint of spice from crushed red pepper. A big thank you to Chef/Owner Patrick Anderson for letting me share one of his most popular recipes...Eat.it.up!

Speakeasy's Creamy Spinach Dip

serves 4-6 for Big Eaters
serves 8-10 for Nibblers

1/2 lb butter

1 c flour

4 c whole milk

3/4 c shredded Parmesan (Grana Padana preferred)

1/4 c crumbled feta

Salt/Pepper to taste

1/2 T crushed red pepper

1 lb fresh spinach, chopped

In large pot melt butter, and add flour, stirring 2 minutes until starch cooks but does not brown.  Add milk slowly, bring to a simmer and stir until sauce thickens.  Add cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and crushed red pepper.  Stir until well incorporated.  Remove from heat, add spinach and stir well.  Serve warm with toasted honey wheat bread or in a bread bowl.

Is your mouth watering yet? Once all the dip is gone, you can just break into the bowl itself...simply divine.

Photo Credit-J.P. Bond-www.jpbond.com