Chow Down Atlanta

Waiting on cold, blustery mornings are the pits — you either have to sit in your car or brave the elements like we did and sit outside to wait. But coffee in hand makes it all bearable. Plus you get to people watch, as some “celebrity” flamboyant guy dressed in a long mink coat arrives and makes you forget about the 20-minute wait (I overheard some say he is from a local reality tv show involving housewives.)

First up for us were the biscuits and gravy. The $4 order comes with two, fresh out of the oven biscuits that were yeasty and crumbly. The biscuits are good but the gravy was too floury for my taste. I opted to slather their freshly-made jam (peach and raspberry that day), and of course, butter instead.

There is a reason why the Brisket Breakfast is the most popular item on the menu. It has been consistently good. The 14-hour, slow-roasted Angus beef brisket is so tender, with each fiber detaching from each other. While the tomato broth is bold and flavorful, I would have liked it to be spicier. Don’t get me wrong, though, it is already good as it is. Two poached eggs complement the dish, with the eggs cutting down the heavy flavor of the beef. The accompanying toasted baguette is so perfect for sopping up the delicious broth. If there is one thing you should try at Ria’s, then this one is it.

That day’s special was an Eggs Benedict made with roasted pork loin and topped with a pesto-hollandaise sauce. The server had me at pork so I got it. The pork loin was dry and the very rich pesto sauce did not really go well with the meat. The grits was so soupy and it tasted more like the gravy they serve their biscuits with, only grittier. Disappointing on both counts.

The blueberry pancakes look great on the outside but was very mealy inside. I should have stuck with the original buttermilk version which is thick, chewy, and always really, really good.

This is one of my favorite places for breakfast. I have heard people say their omelets are not that good but I am not a scrambled-eggs person — I love my eggs on the runny side (poached or over medium). In any case, most everything here, as is the coffee, is always good.

Read other reviews here and here.

The scoop:
Ria’s Bluebird
421 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 521-3737

Technorati Tags: breakfast, brunch, Grant Park

Part of the touristy things we did while cousins were visiting from Toronto and Kansas City this past weekend was a trip to Oakland Cemetery for some serious (no pun intended) photo ops. Of course, no stop in this area is complete without the requisite visit to Six Feet Under Pub and Fish House. Yes, the quirky name comes from the fact that it lies right across from the cemetery.

I really like the burgers here but we just had a heavy breakfast at Java Jive earlier so we just went with baskets instead. The Catfish Tacos were really good. They were huge soft tacos with big chunks of fried catfish, mixed cheeses, jalapenos, tomatoes, cabbage, and cucumbers, all drizzled with wasabi sauce, and a side of salsa verde. The cabbage provided a really good crunch while the jalapeños and salsa verde gave them a nice constant heat — not too spicy, but spicy enough that you can feel it in your tongue. The tortillas were good sized and were fresh and soft. I love the Homestyle Chips that comes with the order. They were crunchy and not oily. Really, they’re better than any potato chips.

The other baskets we had were fish-and-chips, catfish, oysters, and shrimp as well as side orders of onion rings, fried okra, and zucchini fries. All were good and fresh tasting. The seafood had a light coating of cornmeal batter that I liked (instead of the heavy, chewy, floury, fast-food batter that I hate). The zucchini fries were good but turned soggy after a while; with the batter completely detaching from the zucchini. A slightly thicker batter would have solved the problem. The onion rings were very, very good, though on the oily side. They were sweetish, too, which makes me think they were Vidalia.

Overall a very good, light meal. I’m not a big fan of (southern) sweet tea because I find it way too sweet, but my cousins who’ve never had them before are now huge fans. Huge!

Insider tip:
Located at The Jane on Grant Park.

The scoop:
Six Feet Under Pub & Fish House
437 Memorial Dr SE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(404) 523-6664

Technorati Tags: Six Feet Under, fish and chips, Southern food, Grant Park, Oakland Cemetery