Another Broken Egg Review

My fellow foodie Carla recommended that we check out Another Broken Egg.  It is located in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.  Carla and I used to work for the same employer so from time to time we like to get together and talk about career, food and how the world has pretty much gone friggin crazy.  Carla has introduced me to a number of new places.  We tend to have the same sort of palate.  I've always been pleased with her choices. 

Carla knew that she wanted to try the biscuit beignets which is one of the Delectable Starters.  I've only had beignets less than three times in my life which means that I'm unable to make a comparison to any other beignets.  What I can say is that these beignets were Dyn-o-mite!   They were oh - so - scrumptious, especially with a cup of hot coffee.  It came with a honey marmalade dipping sauce.  I didn't particularly care for that and does a warm, powdery, dense donut need marmalade?  They were so good by themselves.  Much later, after finishing my entree,  I had the nerve to eat one or two more.   They were cold but still delicious with another cup of hot coffee. 

Carla selected the Crabcakes Cavallo with homefries as her side.  The Crabcakes Cavallo is made of two jumbo lump crab cakes with two poached eggs.  It is also smothered with a Hollandaise sauce seasoned with andouille sausage and scallion.  Carla substituted the scrambled eggs for the poached eggs.  Neither one of us do runny eggs.  I've watched a many cooking shows where they extole the velvety smoothness of the yolk of a poached egg.  I've tried eggs this way a few times and I'm just unable to do it.  I guess it's like people who can't get over the texture of jello, grits or okra.  I tried the crab cakes and they were very good.  I'm from Maryland so I think I know all about crabcakes.  These were seasoned well with mostly crabmeat with little filler.  Carla really enjoyed her meal.  I didn't try her homefries because they looked like regular ole homefries to me.

I had the Eggs Blackstone which had an English muffin topped with grilled tomatoes, two medium poached eggs, creamy Hollandaise with chives and a baked bacon crunch on top.  I asked for scrambled eggs instead of the poached eggs.  The first time they brought out my entree it had two poached eggs...so back it went.  It didn't take them too long to do right by me.  My assessment...Lawd Have Mercy!  My mother used to say that a lot but she didn't necessarily mean it in a good way.  I mean it in a Dyn-o-mite kind a way.  I love grilled tomatoes.  I think this entree offered a lot of taste and a variety of textures.  Adding chunks of well-done, baked bacon on top was genius even if the idea is far from novel.

For my side, I selected the blackberry grits.  My waitress was so gung ho about it that I thought I would give it a try.  I was very clear that if I didn't like them that I would be sending them back and getting something else.  I've had grits all my life.  I've never had any type of fruit in my grits nor have I heard of it.  I recently mentioned blackberry grits to this fellow at work and he said his mother used to make it.  He is from Memphis, however, he also implied that his mother would always put together weird combinations of food.  I really enjoyed the blackberry grits although it was kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept.  The blackberries were sweetened a little and served warm on top of the grits.  This dish had a very comforting feel to them.  I could imagine eating a bowl of them in my bed.  It is a Saturday morning and I am in my PJs.  

Here are a few other mentionables about Another Broken Egg.  Once we were seated, it seemed to take the food awhile to come out.  The restaurant was full so maybe they were a little understaffed.  Our waitress was nice but definitely seemed a little frazzled.  

Carla and I both noted that when the food came out it wasn't very hot.  When they brought my food out a second time, after serving me poached eggs instead of scrambled eggs, this entree was hot.  Everything else seemed a little past lukewarm.  Even the blackberry grits weren't that hot.  I don't know how any restaurant could have a problem serving piping hot grits since these were not instant grits from a microwave.   So as Carla said, the food was good but they need to work on serving it hot because they got a problem with their temperatures.   The restaurant hasn't been open all that long so I assume that they are still working out some kinks. 

We arrived at the restaurant around 9:30 am and there were people milling around outside.  There might have been a 15 minute wait.  The location is great because it is in a shopping plaza where there is a ton of parking.  If you bring kids, be careful in the parking lot because I noticed some aggressive driving which is strange on a Saturday morning. 

You can check out Carla's (Carla C.) review of Another Broken Egg on Yelp.  The decor is  bright and the style is a little french country.  The tables are a little too close together but so are many restaurants.  They also have cute coffee cups. 

Sweet Melissa's Review

Sweet Melissa's is located on the Square in the City of Decatur which many locals call Downtown Decatur.  I've gone to Sweet Melissa's a few times over the years.  The food is consistently good.  It usually isn't on my radar during the weekends because the place can be so doggone crowded.  That is great for them but not for me. Then there is the challenge of parking. If you are a local, you know where to find parking but for those not familiar with the area, you may find it a little challenging. 

On this particular day, I had no concerns about parking.  It was late Monday morning and I had taken the day off from work so I wasn't in any particular rush.  I was hanging out with a new friend whom I'll refer to as Mr. C.  Mr. C is from Dallas and has been in the ATL less than a year.   He knows nothing about the ATL. Mr. C. knows how to get from Kennesaw to downtown Atlanta which is his route from home to work.  And I, being so gracious and kind, will gladly introduce Mr. C to Atlanta.    I told him that he needed to know the City of Decatur (Downtown Decatur) because it may come up in conversation and you don't want to be like....uhhhhhh....duhhhhhhh....hmmmnnnnn....where's dat?  There are many great restaurants in the City of Decatur but I just selected Sweet Melissa's because I hadn't been there in awhile.   

 

I selected the New Orleans Omelet with wheat toast and cheese grits.  All of it was very good and tasty.  The cheese grits were very tasty and creamy.  The omelet had Andouille sausage, shrimp, onion, green peppers and smoked gouda cheese with cajun remoulade.  You can't go wrong with this combination and they didn't.  What I really liked about this omelet was that it was nice and firm and the ingredients were more prominent than the eggs.  I think restaurants go wrong when there is too much egg in the omelet.  If I had made this at home, I probably would have added more cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning to the shrimp. 

Mr. C had a create your own omelet.  I forgot what he had added to it.  I think a lot of meat and no veggies...you know how a lot of guys do.  Chefs say that we eat with our eyes first.   If this is true, Sweet Melissa's should rethink how this lonely omelet was presented to Mr. C who already believes that there is no good food in Atlanta.  Since he elected not to have the traditional sides, it left his plate looking rather forlorn.   

Mr. C ordered one of the additional breakfast sides - Shrimp and Grits with Roasted Red Peppers.  Now, this was the real star of the morning!  I hate that this picture wasn't very clear.  The seasoning of the shrimp was perfect.  In fact, next time I go back to Sweet Melissa's I will order this. 

Mr. C raved and raved some more about the food at Sweet Melissa's.  He asked the waitress where the cook was from because they can't be from Atlanta.  I told him that he just might be offending some people.  The waitress said that the chef did go to chef school.  Mr. C...yeah...but where he from?   The waitress was very pleased that Mr. C was so very pleased with the food.  I think it made her day.  I thought the food was really good but my head wasn't spinning and about to pop off.  The coffee was good and hot and the waitress kept it flowing.  I will look at a restaurant sideways if they have good food but can't serve good and hot coffee. 

 

The service was really good and it should have been since there may have only been 4 other people in the restaurant.  But still, the waitress was very friendly and talked to us about the history of the restaurant and the menu in general.  She also encouraged us to try the pancakes next time which she said were outstanding.  She also said we should come back for the live music on Sundays.  You can call ahead of time to find out who is playing and the type of music.   A few years ago, I was there when there was live music and it was very crowded.  Because of the acoustics of the place and all of the people, it just seemed really noisy to me.  This took away from my dining experience. For me, it was too much stimulation for a Sunday brunch.     

About the parking:  If you have good parking karma, you just might find a spot right on the city square which will put you just outside the doors of Sweet Melissa's.  If not, you can park along Ponce de Leon and get a little exercise.  Sometimes there is parking along Clairemont Avenue.  There is a parking deck that can be accessed from either Church Street or Clairemont Avenue.  It isn't obvious but it is directly behind Parker's on Ponce Steakhouse.

.



Cursive no more?

I saw this really great article published in the Los Angeles Times about the benefits of good handwriting.  The article mostly looks at handwriting in terms of a child’s brain development, academic success and building confidence.  All of this is good and true enough.  However, there are other things to consider.

In my garage are cards, letters, invitations, postcards and other handwritten mementos that I’ve collected over the years.  They have been stuffed in small gift bags that have been stuffed in cardboard boxes.  You wouldn't think that these items were that precious to me based on my storage methods.  Yet, they are and at least the gift bags were once very pretty and dainty.   

Those most meaningful are from my mother.   My mother has a tendency to express things in a card that she wouldn’t necessarily do or say.    I would open one of her cards and think..I didn’t know you felt that way about me.   Everything from my mother is in cursive.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen my mother print anything.   Mom’s handwriting is good and legible.  It's also a bit dramatic and a little uneven.  She sends a card for all the holidays.  There's a card for Valentine’s Day, whether I have one or not, and one for Mother’s Day, without being a mother.   Her note and signature is unique and special.  It didn't exist before her and it will end with her.  Never to be seen again. 

I thought of all of the handwritten items that I’ve received over the years.   Most of these are in cursive.   They mark different periods of my life - the good, the bad and everything else.  Fortunately, I had friends and family around through it all.  Cards were sent with friendly hellos, empathy, celebration and encouragement.   Their handwritten notes and signatures were a witness to that particular point in my journey.  If you can't be with someone in person or talk with them on the phone, a handwritten note is the next best thing.  I doubt that I will ever feel that way about an instant message (IM), email or even an e-card. 

I'm not saying that if children don't learn cursive that I won't receive anymore handwritten cards or notes.  I am saying that this is just another example of how we continue to move away from meaningful things that take time, thought and a little effort.  In particular, and of most concern, is how we personally relate to one another.  Human beings becoming less humane.  You see this in our everyday interactions - at the grocery store, in our cars, at work and at home.  I'm not even going to get into airport behavior.  All I know is that all of this can't be good.  My father would agree...nawwwww gurrrlll...that ain't good!

 

Hu ∙ mane (Merriam-Webster)
: marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals

Synonyms: beneficent, benevolent, compassionate, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, kindly, softhearted, sympathetic, tender, tenderhearted, warmhearted

Cursive handwriting is personal, distinct and unique.  This is another defining characteristic or outward expression of who we are individually.   Learning it and using it takes time, just like anything of value.  Cursive no more?   I think this is something that we seriously need to reconsider. 

Although not in cursive, I had to include this one.  

Stone Soup Kitchen Review

Stone Soup Kitchen is a nice neighborhood restaurant located in East Atlanta.  We arrived at 9 a.m. which is always a good time to get breakfast on a Saturday.  Usually most good places are full around 10 a.m.  

I had the  farm scramble which had eggs, chicken sausage, roasted potatoes, arugula, cheese and a spicy red sauce on top.  I had it with cheese grits and a wheat biscuit.  The egg scramble was delicious and the spicy red sauce added a nice kick.  The biscuits were homeade and fluffy.   Thumbs down on the cheese grits. 

I kept eating the cheese grits in an effort to understand them and how they were made. Halfway in I gave up.  I asked my breakfast companions to try them. Karen (not me) asked, Where's the cheese?  Her husband Michael didn't like them either. He ordered the plain grits and his had less flavoring and was grainier than mine.  We concluded...nawww...these grits ain't right.  Mama says grits should be creamy.

My breakfast compadres, Karen and Michael.  Ain't they cute? 

 
Anyway, Karen ordered the huevos rancheros with egg whites.  She enjoyed her meal.  Above her meal, to the right is a side of smoked salmon that Michael ordered and enjoyed.

Michael had a scramble that was similar to mine except that instead of chicken sausage and arugula, his had chicken and avocado.  He really enjoyed his meal.  He liked his biscuit although he had not expected to maybe because they seemed a little dense.   

Here's the biscuit close up with blueberry preserves.  Oh yeah!

I would like to give a standing ovation to the blueberry preserves.

The inside of the restaurant was relatively contemporary.  There is an outdoor area in the back which I did not check out.

Obviously, the outside is not contemporary but a good reflection of older Atlanta.  The staff was friendly and we didn't have to wait long for the food.  The coffee was good and hot.  There was street parking available on both sides of the street.  There is additional parking behind the restaurant although I parked on the street.  I would highly recommend this neighborhood restaurant.