The Red Hen Cafe
I have a standing weekly date with a longtime friend who lives in Cumming. We have breakfast, lunch, brunch or coffee one morning at least every week. Braving the 17-degree weather, we ended up at The Red Hen Cafe on Windward Parkway. It’s on the Deerfield office plaza next to an Italian place that I can’t remember the name of right now.
The place is small but cozy. The decor screams Virginia-Highlands-slash-Buckhead and seems out of place in its chosen area. But it works. It’s actually a breath of fresh air amid impersonal office spaces. I love the bright and cheery walls.
My friend had the house-made corned beef hash plate. It came with 2 eggs, a choice of toast, french toast or pancakes, and a choice of grits or fresh fruit. Substantial amount for a breakfast plate. Her scrambled eggs are a little overdone for my liking. But the corned beef hash was nicely seasoned and had a great chunky texture. I’m all for chunky rather than mashed which is what most breakfast places serve.
My ham plate was so-so but nothing really jumped at me when I looked at the menu so I settled for the boring Red Hen Breakfast plate. I did like the thick french toast that came with maple sugar and maple syrup.
Verdict: it’s good that there’s another choice for breakfast in this part of town but I seriously don’t think they can beat The Original Pancake House (a personal favorite) and I know it’ll be nearly impossible to compete with the forever-full Cracker Barrel next door. However, service is great. It’s just not enough to get me out of bed on a cold 17-degree morning ever again.
The scoop:
The Red Hen
5310 Windward Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30004
(678) 297-0200
Technorati Tags: The Red Hen Cafe, Alpharetta, Windward Pkwy, breakfast, brunch, lunch
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8 responses so far ↓
1 northside food // Jan 19, 2009 at 10:57 pm
I agree with you regarding this. It’s a nice place if you’re in the neighborhood, but I didn’t think it was worth a special trip. Fantastic service though.
2 Bill // Jan 21, 2009 at 7:57 am
I agree, overall, with your review. However, I strongly believe they out did the Original Pancake House. I have been a loyal patron of the Pancake House for a while now but I have to say, I liked the “vibe” of The Red Hen a LOT more. I definitely believe they are better than J Christopher’s but then again, I’ve never been a fan. Did you have a chance to try the cupcakes? Wow.
3 Bill // Jan 21, 2009 at 8:26 am
I am new to this blog site and therefore, possess little knowledge of the rules and etiquette of blogging (especially on businesses). So please excuse the ignorance of this question but is it “ok” for pictures to be taken of the food and interior of a restaurant without the consent of management or ownership? I’m not implying that YOU didn’t, I’m just asking in general.
4 Chloe // Jan 21, 2009 at 10:21 am
Bill — when I read my post after publishing it, I thought that my choice of words regarding Red Hen competing with Original Pancake House were confusing. I did mean it to say, “I seriously don’t think they can beat The Original Pancake House…”. Article updated.
I do agree with you a hundred percent. They simply can’t compete with OPH. That OPH place rocks — with their 6-egg omelettes, pancakes, and everything else which are made from scratch. They even clarify their own butter!
Re: pictures — I have yet to be questioned or stopped from taking pictures of my food and I’ve been doing it for over 10 years since I was in my teens. I think restaurants and chefs are more used to them now than ever that they are more accommodating (read: good business). In any case, I am very mindful when I take pictures (making sure I never use flash to attract attention or annoy other patrons), and I only use an inconspicuously small camera.
5 Bill // Jan 21, 2009 at 10:45 am
But for sake of “conversation”, do you think they are or NEED to compete with OPH? Driving down the Windward area, I can see countless sushi restaurants, pizza places, sandwich joints, etc. Most are succeeding and in this area there are significantly fewer breakfast restaurants. I feel that this restaurant can hold their own with the big guys. I think they have a few things to work out and being a new restaurant, expect they will do so.
In regards to the pictures, I understand your point. I remember a time I took a picture in a similar business (a local famed restaurant) and was asked by the manager if I was press. Seemed odd but was explained that they have had to put a stop to unauthorized publishing of pictures of the restaurant. That is why I asked.
6 anonymous // Jan 23, 2009 at 7:18 am
not a good place to eat at. the cupcakes are bought from walmart and nothing is really made from scratch there. they also copied a few of the flying biscuit’s menu items, since the owners used to work there as well. trust me, when the head chef sits there and does nothing to help the kitchen, except when his friends or family come by, it’s not worth going to. also, the corned beef hash was alot more better looking + delicious than before. not good when you go to a different restaurant for their originality.
7 Bill // Jan 24, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I can’t help but think “anonymous” has some sort of personal tie to this restaurant. The post reveals a little more than a typical “review” or comment. But everyone is entitled to an opinion, I suppose. Chloe, by the way, I thoroughly enjoy your site. I enjoyed catching up on some of your previous posts. Looking forward to more.
8 Katharine // Feb 3, 2009 at 1:21 am
Hi, again! Chloe, thanks for the tip on this place! We went this past Sunday, and had a very good meal. Hubby had one of the specials, a chorizo burrito with potatoes and I forget what else. I had the crustless artichoke and cheddar quiche with an English muffin and a side of cream cheese grits. It was really good, and I was particularly impressed with how generous they were with the artichokes in the quiche. That’s a slightly more expensive ingredient, and I tell you, it was so wonderfully artichokey that there was just barely enough egg to bind everything. This is a good thing in my book!
Service was very pleasant and attentive, and the owner went around to all the tables, saying hello, making sure that everyone was happy. Seemed like a nice fella.
I liked the bright decor, and felt the serving was ample for the price. I also really enjoyed their house-made blueberry/raspberry/strawberry fruit spread. Little niceties like serving the butter at room temperature were also present. Good tea. I plan to go back.
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