Oh, Oh, Oh! Sweet Brunch of Mine

One of the first things I heard when I moved to Atlanta in 2013 was that I had to eat at Flying Biscuit Cafe.

This directive came from my mother, and it came as we were driving (not quite lost) in search of a backway to Target. We passed a corner restaurant in the city's Candler Park neighborhood and the line was wrapped around the building, then around the block. It looked like the place to be on a Saturday morning. And at least one weekend a month, a fleeting thought goes through my brain: "We should go to Flying Biscuit for brunch!"

Said fleeting thought finally stuck around long enough to become action this past Sunday. Though parking was complicated (there's no dedicated lot nearby, so I hope you're great at parallel parking!), the line was only a dozen people and we were seated in about 30 minutes.

Do you think 30 minutes is too long of a time to wait for brunch? Go, then, because that leaves more room at the inn for those of us who crave brunch like what's served here.

The Flying Biscuit has breakfast all day, which is fabulous. But if you're not an "I will eat eggs, bacon and grits at all hours of the day and night" type of person, the restaurant also features a ton of non-breakfast eats too. Arriving at prime Atlanta brunch time like we did made that decision hard on me -- did I want an egg-y meal or should I sway to the side of the Coca-Cola Chicken BBQ Burrito?!

After settling on eggs Benedict, I took a moment to survey my surroundings. Flying Biscuit is a fun little place. It has exposed elements that give it a casual industrial air. The walls are painted in bright colors and big, bold patterns. Well, what you can see of the walls, that is. There's so many awards in the front room it's clear to see why that line I observed existed! The tablecloths are bright green, dated floral and vinyl-covered. The napkins are purple. You are surrounded by cheerfulness and the smells of hot black coffee, baking dough and bacon.

Swoon.

When the Southern Style Biscuit Benedict arrived, I scolded myself for waiting so long to eat here. How could I have let this fare escape my palate for more than two years?

I've never had a biscuit like this one. Because it's served open-faced with this meal, you can't tell that the unopened biscuits are approximately three to four inches high. They are dense, slightly sweet; the domed outer crust hiding a flaky carb surprise inside.  It is not at all a traditional Southern style biscuit in the manner I was raised to eat biscuits, but, as the guy in my favorite YouTube video says, "Oh my goodness; Oh my damn."

Not to worry, hungry people: pretty much every meal comes with the famed biscuit.

My open-faced biscuit was topped with pimento cheese, turkey bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise, then sprinkled with fresh basil. My mouth had a flavor explosion. The pimento cheese, like the biscuit, was unlike any I've ever had. The creamy spread had chunks of onions and a generous kick of spice. The turkey bacon was beautifully caramelized and had the perfect consistency. The buttery colored hollandaise and the golden yolk of the eggs seeped into every crevice of the biscuit, so every bite made you want to close your eyes and pretend you lived in this piquant alley of restaurant heaven forever.

And then you take a forkful of all that and dip it in the side of grits? Mother of Pearl.

The menu describes these grits as creamy and dreamy, and I'm at a loss for other adequate words. They remind me of the Charleston-style grits Mama makes (read: butter. milk. heavy cream. lots of it). So thick! So savory! So ... I don't want to use the word "dreamy" again, but let's suffice to say that these are the Frankie Avalon of the grits world.

Boozy Bonus (of the non-alcoholic variety)
This must have just been a day of brunch firsts for the Meatetarian, because I had another something I had to let my people know about. It is this delicacy called the chai tea latte. You may be familiar with this via Starbucks or other coffee shop menus and thus are thinking, "Why on Earth do I even read this girl's stuff?! If she doesn't know what a chai tea latte is she clearly has no idea what she's talking about."

Well, now I do, and now I will be getting them on the reg. From here. It's spiced ice tea mixed with dairy -- I didn't ask, but judging from my research on how to make them at home, "dairy" is a blend of milk and vanilla creamer -- and is the perfect not too sweet breakfast beverage.

I was so excited about the one I tried that last night I attempted to make my own!

Guess what, folks. My days as a barista are limited. Reckon I'll be heading back to Flying Biscuit after work to get my fix.

Maybe with some grits on the side.