Café 458

Gaby and I both loved the concept behind Cafe 458. During the week, Café 458 provides nutritious meals to homeless men and women. On the weekends, Café 458 is staffed with volunteers, and the same space is used to serve up brunch to paying customers. All the proceeds, including tips, support Samaritan House of Atlanta’s services.

Located at 458 Edgewood Avenue, next to the Samaritan Shelter, Café 458 is in a transitional neighborhood, but one that’s up-and-coming; the Thumbs Up Diner and Javaology are both close by. The décor was simple with small cafeteria-style tables and chairs, yellow walls, and a few pictures.

The menu was full of old-fashioned comfort food. Gaby ordered the veggie hash. She said it was “very good” and had a “nice flavor.” I ordered scrambled eggs and hash-browns, and we both ordered biscuits. My eggs were hot and nicely cooked, but the hashbrowns were cool and underdone. I would not recommend the biscuits; they were cold, heavy, and barely edible. Overall, don’t expect 5-star dining, but do expect to leave with a full stomach and feeling good because you’ve supported an important cause in your own community.

Here’s a rundown of the rest of our brunch rating criteria:
OJ? Didn’t ask about fresh-squeezed, but didn’t see it on the menu.
Coffee? Average taste, bottomless (but I had to ask for a refill, and it arrived cold).
Loud? Amenable to conversation… was a little too quiet when we arrived at 10:30 or so, but got lively after 11:30 AM with the after-church crowd.
Service? The all-volunteer staff was super-friendly and helpful.
Parking? Limited parallel parking; but staff at Café 458 said it would be okay to park in the Thumbs Up Diner lot. We experienced aggressive panhandling when we parked, but Gaby has been here before and not experienced any.
Restrooms? Needs some work/repair, and a really good cleaning.
Bring kids? Yes, if you want to teach them about homelessness, no, if you want a kid-friendly place with a children’s menu and toys.
Reservations? No, but there was no wait when we got there.
Bonus?You can sign up to be a volunteer for Café 458 while you’re there.

Rating: 2 Out of 3 Pancakes. What a great cause! However, there is room for improvement in some areas.

Sun In My Belly

Located at 2161 College Avenue, 3 blocks from the East Lake MARTA station, Sun In My Belly is a newer Kirkwood restaurant that serves up a sophisticated and light menu that includes items for breakfast and lunch. Parking is available on a small gravel lot behind the restaurant or on neighborhood streets. With large windows facing the railroad tracks, you get lots of natural light and an interesting view as the trains go by. The open floor plan, hardwood floors, and outdoor seating provide a lot of space and a comfortable environment. However, the open arrangement can get a little noisy when the restaurant is full. We arrived before 11:30 a.m., and did not have to wait, but it got crowded a little later. If you end up waiting for a table, find a spot on the couches where you can grab a newspaper to read.

The restaurant is kid-friendly with highchairs and a short children’s menu available. The tables are covered with brown paper, which is great for aspiring child-artists and cuts down on cleaning costs, but the crab-shack-look of the tables clashes with the sophisticated feel of the restaurant.

I tend to lean toward the lunch side of brunch, so I ordered a Venus salad and a side of the pesto orzo. I appreciated that the dressing was served on the side (something they always do), but was disappointed to find some wilted lettuce in the mixed greens. The pesto orzo with pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes was fantastic. Stacey ordered a traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs, hashed potatoes, and a buttermilk biscuit. The hashed potatoes had a nice flavor and the biscuit had a rich buttery taste. However, the eggs needed to be warmed up. The coffee was good and they kept the refills coming. Unfortunately for me, there were no free refills on diet coke since it’s served out of the can. Also the orange juice is not freshly squeezed. However, they do make their own delicious homemade granola and you can buy some to take home.

The service was great. Our waitress was very attentive and kept the table tidy and the coffee cup full. She also double-checked our order to make sure she had it correct. At the end of the meal, she even offered a “to-go” diet coke. Knowing my addiction, this was especially nice.

A couple of bonuses: If you are interested in live jazz, they offer a jazz brunch the first Sunday of every month. In addition, if you need to do some gift shopping, you can pick up soaps, scented candles, and stationary in the store at the back of the restaurant. If you love the food, Sun in My Belly is also a catering company. You can buy baked goods from their bakery and deli meats and sandwiches from the deli, or special order meals for your next party.

Rating: 2 Out of 3 Pancakes

Flying Biscuit Cafe

For our second restaurant review, we went to one of my favorite places, the very first Flying Biscuit on the planet. The original Flying Biscuit, now one of five Flying Biscuits (and growing), is located at 1655 McLendon Avenue in Candler Park and is a hop, skip and a jump away from dozens of Little 5 shops. If you have to wait for a table (which is likely on a weekend), you can browse the Candler Park shops which include Frock of the Ages, Full Moon Records, and Donna Van Gogh’s. What’s unique about the original restaurant is the space. The bright-orange walls, colorful, hand-painted tables, and flying biscuits painted on the ceiling feels eclectic, spacious, and cozy, all at the same time. It’s the perfect spot for vegetarians and carnivores alike to enjoy a casual breakfast at any time of day.

Speaking of breakfast and vegetarians, Gaby ordered the tofu scramble. She said it was a little on the spicy side but overall, pretty good. A strong plus is that there are many different vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. I ordered the Egg-stra Ordinary breakfast (they let me substitute egg whites for eggs and extra moon-dusted potatoes for grits). My breakfast also was good, especially the moon-dusted potatoes. One downside: it wasn’t fresh-out-of-the-oven hot. However, we both really enjoyed the extra-large and fluffy flying biscuits, which arrived naked (you decide how much you want your biscuit smothered with their famous cranberry-apple-butter spread.) If you love the menu here, you can buy one of their cookbooks to take home recipes with you.

In addition to great food, here’s a rundown of the rest of our brunch rating criteria:
OJ? Fresh squeezed.
Coffee? Bottomless, hot, and complimentary while you wait.
Loud? Yup, very.
Service? With a smile, and patient as we chatted through a second cup of Joe.
Parking? Limited parking spots for FB customers exist across the street in the Candler Market parking lot. However, most people park on neighborhood side streets.
Restrooms? Eclectic décor, could have been cleaner and more of them
Bring kids? Yes. Space is tight but there’s a kid-friendly menu, and high chairs, crayons, and colormats are available.
Reservations? Nope, expect a long wait during prime time or if you’re w/lots of friends.
Bonus? The bakery next door sells fresh and day-old flying biscuits, baked goods, + T-shirts with the Flying Biscuit logo on them.

Rating: 3 Out of 3 Pancakes

Gilbert's Cafe

Given that Gilbert's Cafe comes up as #2 on the 2007 Best of City Search brunch list, we thought we'd try it as our first restaurant to review. The cafe, opened by 2 brothers (Gilbert and Sean Yeremyan), is on 10th St. near Piedmont, sandwiched between the Outwrite Bookstore and a neighborhood market. There is limited parking available behind the restaurant, but most patrons search for street parking. It's a small space and is as well known for it's brunch as it's nighttime scene. On certain nights of the week Gilbert's Cafe even offers Karaoke and Flamenco dancing for entertainment. Decor was minimal- the only signs of a Mediterranean connection were the metal lanterns hanging from the exposed ceiling. The bar covered one side of the restaurant which made it feel more like eating in a bar than a restaurant. Since we work in public health, we got a special kick out of one of the drink specials- the "flushot."

The service was fantastic, the best we've had in a long time. If you can, try to sit in Doug's section. He was very attentive, friendly, and courteous. Doug mentioned that if you want to get in before the crowd, it's best to arrive before noon. At noon, restaurants can begin selling alcohol (Gilbert's has $4 Mimosas and Bloody Mary's) and people begin standing around the small space waiting for a free table. We quickly realized the pressure of having people "eye" your table can be a little uncomfortable and make you move faster through your meal.

The menu is not extensive, but probably offers the best deal for quantity of food for a reasonable price. Gilbert's has an "All-you-care-to-eat" for brunch menu. For $10.95, you select at least 3 items off this menu. You can add additional items or refill with more of the same for no extra cost. The menu said that these were "made to order." This is a perfect restaurant for a very empty stomach.

Stacey ordered from the "All-you-care-to-eat" menu and tasted a few bites of a variety of items: the scramblette, biscuit, lentil soup, french toast, and grilled cheese sandwich. I, as usual, went for a lunch item off the "a la carte" menu. Overall the food was okay, but nothing special. Stacey felt the scramblette (a scrambled egg with peppers, and tomatoes, onions) and the grilled cheese deserved praise. My mozarella panini tasted good, but the large quantity of pesto soaked through the bread and the sandwich was sopping wet. We both tried the lentil soup from the Yeremyan family recipe. The soup was a puree and although tasty, both of us thought it was a little thin for our preferences. The coffee was good and strong, and Doug did a great job of keeping the cup refilled and warm. The orange juice, regretfully, was not freshly squeezed.

Overall, Gilbert's is a good place to go when you are hungry and are short on cash, want good and pleasant service, and are not looking for anything special. It's also a good place to go if you want a cheap Mimosa or Bloody Mary!

Rating: 2 Out of 3 Pancakes