Ria's Bluebird Cafe (ATL)

Ria's Bluebird Cafe came highly recommended from a former news pal of mine, so LaShauna & I headed over on a sunny Sunday morning to the Grant Park section of Atlanta, expecting a bit of a wait.
Fun fact: Grant Park is one of Atlanta's oldest residential neighborhoods. If you do have to wait for a seat at Ria's, enjoy the bungalows and cottages and Victorian houses in the area, or walk after your brunch later!

We must have arrived at the perfect moment, because we only waited about 15 minutes for an indoor table. The friendly hostess and servers were welcoming and helpful, which was nice, considering I was totally expecting a bit of pretension and hipster attitude. Nope!

I ordered a café au lait to start-- I like a good, strong cup of coffee anytime (before 4pm).

Shrimp & grits 

LaShauna ordered the shrimp & grits, and graciously shared some. This Yankee is coming around to grits-- as long as they've got some cheese in them! What a delicious dish- and not too heavy or clunky.

I'd surveyed the menu the night before (as I often do) and knew exactly what I was getting: brisket with poached eggs.
Our friend and fellow newsie, Brooks, said Ria's pancakes were worth the trip alone. (Confession: we ate it before I took a picture. It was that good). While I need to start the day with something savory, I sure don't mind sharing a pancake with a good friend. These pancakes really were spectacular. Sweet, tangy, and I slathered them with the ruby-red raspberry jam they gave us at the table.

Poached eggs & brisket-- yum!

Rich, ruby, raspberry preserves!

Who needs syrup when you have a gorgeous, jewel-toned condiment like this?

Thanks, Brooks, for the excellent recommendation! Ria's was fantastic-- and it would have been worth waiting for, too.

Ria's Bluebird
421 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 521-3737

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Wafels & Dinges Restaurant

A group of us gathered one EARLY Sunday morning, hoping to have some of my favorite pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company. When our expected wait of an hour turned into TWO hours, and then we heard it would be THREE HOURS, we collectively said Oh HELL NO, and walked north to find a better option, ANY option. Three hours for pancakes? You must think I've lost my mind and then some. No. NO NO NO NO NO. I'm mad we even waited that long, but sometimes optimism can be a real kick in the head.

We walked two blocks up and saw the brick and mortar version of the Wafels & Dinges, an amazing Belgian wafel truck that was really at the forefront of the food truck movement. In fact, back in 2008, I organized a Wafels & Dinges Day at the talk show where I worked. Everyone chipped in about 10 bucks and the Wafels truck came just for us outside work. Sigh..that was a great day. But back to the future...

He's putting BACON in the wafels--thank you, Sir. THANK YOU.

We walked in, immediately ordered at the counter (where they serve sweet AND savory), and were seated in under five minutes. Hello, THIS is how I like to do brunch. Screw that waiting in line nonsense. And I had an icy cold, bracingly strong iced coffee-- FINALLY!

I like to start with savory first thing in the morning, so I ordered the chicken and mushroom wafel. It sounded so good, and tasted even better. It was like a wonderfully comforting stew. Impossible to eat with your hands, but I'm not complaining. I was not expecting the savory wafels to be so incredibly flavorful. Bright, green herbs and BACON cooked into the wafel!! It came with a side of lightly-dressed arugula and pickled, tickle-your-tongue onions. Killer combo.

ABF ordered the Wake Up Grumpy: an egg, bacon and cheese with two savory wafels replacing the biscuit. Drizzled with a generous portion of honey, it looked gorgeous, and ABF gave it two forks up, happily.

For dessert, ABF & I shared the sweet raspberry wafel, lightly dusted with confectioner's sugar and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with honey. This was great- ABF is coming around to really liking raspberries (one of my favorite foods), and I'm happy to share with him. As tasty as this was, I actually rate the chicken & mushroom wafel as even more fantastic.

See that stunning chocolate concoction? I think that was my friend Travis's pick-- I was so full at this point I couldn't even fathom trying it, but it smelled glorrrrrrrious.

The prices are reasonable, coffee is strong, flavors are fab, and the servers were all cheerful and welcoming. Skip waiting ANYWHERE for brunch and try out this spot!

Wafels and Dinges

209 East 2nd Street

NY, NY 10009

(866) 429-7329

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British Breakfast (London)

For someone who's not a fan of flying, I sure am learning to suck it up and do it anyway. It helps when something as delicious as a British breakfast is waiting on the other side.

I took a girls' trip last month with my good friend LaShauna-- her fantastic idea, and my absolute delight to join her. We started early on a Thursday morning, looking for a breakfast spot even though it was nearly lunch time. The Gallery Pub was just the spot!

It's a dozen or so steps from the Pimlico tube stop, mere minutes from the place we were staying, and thankfully, was still serving breakfast at nearly noon!

We each got the Light Breakfast (£7.50, or about 12 dollars at the time): 2 eggs (LOOK AT THOSE GORGEOUS YOLKS), Irish back bacon (soooooo good), sausage, the requisite broiled tomato, and toast. It might be the American in me, but I just don't get the mushy tomato. Don't like it, don't get it. If any of you out there are UK citizens, please enlighten me on the appeal of it. I'm also sure there are many American bites that are equally confounding to you!

The breakfast was stomach-filling and heartwarming. The pub was quiet, relaxing, and the perfect start to our stay. You can see why I'm a bit smitten with British eggs, can't you? And a hot cup of tea is always a delight.

English Breakfast, of course!

The Gallery was also a delight-- beautiful interior, helpful staff, a leisurely place to start your day (and a hopping one to end your night, if you're around at that time)! You can get a fantastic, solid British breakfast here for a song!

The Gallery
1 Lupus Street
London SW1V 3AS, United Kingdom
+44 20 7821 7573

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Friend of a Farmer: Breakfast

After a deeply disappointing dinner, I returned to Friend of a Farmer at ABF's request-- he'd had one of the best breakfasts EVER there, he insisted, and I should give it one more chance.

I was meeting up for a weekday breakfast with my friend Jeannie-- she lives a few states away but was in town for a conference. I couldn't pass up the chance to spend some time with her!

We got a cozy two-top in the upstairs area, where I've never sat before. Cute room! It has a fireplace, a country feel, and warm tones all around the open-air layout.

I was really hungry and almost picked a breakfast that came with pancakes, bacon, and more-- but opted not to get that one. I wasn't in the mood to take chances, so I ordered something I love: Eggs Benedict.

The dishes are very bare bones, no frills or even a fruit twist on the side. Mine came with a very small portion, maybe 2 heaping tablespoons, of home fried potatoes. My eggs, however, were perfectly cooked and delicious. The Hollandaise was very light with a bracing lemon kick to it, thin but very flavorful.

Lonely Omelet

Jeannie ordered the Farmer's Omelet, which came with spinach and cheese. She asked for an English muffin on the side instead of home fries (see my dish-she wasn't missing out on much!), so when her omelet arrived, it looked a little sad in the skillet with all that empty space where potatoes would have been. Aesthetics aside, Jeannie enjoyed her omelet!

We both got French press coffee, and this was fantastic. Velvety smooth, rich, and not a hint of burned or bitter flavors. Stellar brew!

The service was wonderful-- our server was friendly and funny, came at the perfect times to check on us, and while he did NOT rush us out of there, he was also quick to bring us back the bill so we could head out for a lovely walk through Manhattan..with a stroll right past nearby fancy-pants Gramercy Park, of course. Prices are also very reasonable (about 20 pp for breakfast and a pot of coffee, including tax & tip).

Friend of a Farmer definitely redeemed themselves in this instance, and I wouldn't hesitate to come back again for breakfast!

Friend of a Farmer

77 Irving Place

New York, NY 10003

(212) 477-2188

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Guest Post: Shea's Cafe & Bakery (NJ)

My latest guest post comes from my friend Mel, a woman who knows Jersey well and writes about her take on life in general at her website, "Kronfusion"-- click here and visit her! Thanks, Mel!

Nestled in the pine barrens of Southern New Jersey, not that far from Stockton State College, sits Shea’s Café & Bakery, a family-owned and operated restaurant whose recipes are a closely guarded secret. And they should be.

During a recent visit with my cousins, they took me to the much raved-about Shea’s. Locals know that you go there for the best brunch in and around the South Jersey Shore.

If you don’t arrive early – the wait can be at least 45 minutes. During my wait, I had chance to carefully examine the daily specials, written down on a chalkboard placed outside. I had my taste buds set on ordering the Crunchy Almond-Amaretto Stuffed French toast, filled with sweet cream cheese, and topped with fresh whipped cream. My morning caffeine craving was easily filled by the large endless mug of coffee.

For a little extra flavor, and to fit in my serving of fruit, I also decided to order a side of bananas foster. When it arrived, it was boiling hot and aromatic.

When the stuffed French toast arrived, it was a huge serving, which could have been split by two people (and ultimately lasted for a few meals). You will understand why the word “doggie bag” or “to go” is part of the lexicon at Shea’s. There is just so much food. I could only eat one sandwich-sized French toast.

With the first bite, my taste buds were transported through a time & space portal to a whole other Universe. It was one of the best brunches I have ever had.

My cousin MM ordered the Apple Harvest Pancakes, which are not listed on the menu, but all of the food is cooked to order, so it wasn’t a problem. And these were no ordinary pancakes (see for yourself).

Don’t be thrown by the restaurant’s sparse and unimpressive décor. The brunch will knock your socks off! Think Sabrina’s in South Philadelphia, or Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien in New York City; Shea’s stuffed French toast was *better.*

So, if you’re making a trip to Atlantic City & and want a top-Chef quality brunch, travelling off of the beaten path to Shea’s is a must!

Shea's Cafe & Bakery

195 New York Road

Galloway, NJ 08205

(609) 748-7000

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Bakery Bliss - Beyond the Cronut

Frozen S'More: Breakfast of Champions (?)

I had some friends visiting in town this weekend, and despite racking my brain for the best and most interesting things to do, they are the ones who suggested visiting Dominique Ansel's famous bakery. Of course! How could I forget such a brilliant, tasty idea?

The infamous cronut line!

Yes, this is the birthplace of the Cronut, but my friends actually weren't that interested in the cronut after all.

I already had a taste of two so far, and that was good enough for me. I'd much rather get my hands on another DKA than stand in line on a glorious Sunday morning! 

 

It's a tight squeeze in the bakery, as the lines for regular pastries and for the Cronuts are in two separate places. You only have a few minutes to compose your sugary thoughts, and I came loaded for bear. Or at least a lot of carbs. I picked up a DKA for me, one for ABF, a canele, a magic soufflé, and why not a frozen Smore as well? Sugar overload, anyone? 

 
A piping hot café au lait was the final touch, and the 3 of us gals picked a table in the back garden, a lovely seating area with tables (there's also indoor seating in the back as well).

 started with the Frozen S'More. The marshmallow is a thing of beauty, gorgeous texture, velvety vanilla flavor.. but the frozen middle wasn't my favorite thing. I could have eaten ten of these marshmallows, but one is a good start. 

The DKA, or Dominique's Kouign Amman (a Breton specialty), was sublime as always. I honestly could walk away with just a DKA and a steaming cup of coffee and be in tastebud heaven.

 My two friends also agreed that this was tasty, though I'm not sure if they loved it as much as I did.

I tried a bite of the canele, one of the very first DA treats I've ever had. This was good, but a little too well-done on the outside. Back to another bite of the DKA!

Next up, I sliced into the magic soufflé. The outside tastes exactly like the orange-cardomom bread my mother used to make. Exactly. It was jarring to taste something so familiar. The texture of the bread wasn't what I expected, so I wasn't that big a fan of the two flavors/textures at first. The chocolate innards were rich and delicious, but I couldn't reconcile it with the outside coating. While the standard line at DA is to eat the magic soufflé immediately, I saved most of it for the next day, and I liked it even more.

Yes, the cronut is quite tasty (see my previous thoughts here), but there is so much more to this spot than that tasty, tasty trend. Pop on in for a bite or two and let me know what you think!!

Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 219-2773