Eats & Treats: Rainy Day Afternoon Brunch at West Egg

It appears I'm stuck in Atlanta for the week, due to Hurricane Sandy ravaging the Northeast.  As such, it's a sweatshirt, hipster glass, rainbow shorts wearing kind of day while I sit on my kitchen table and ponder when is a good time to fix lunch.  It's 4:44 PM.  Hence, blogging and catching up on Gossip Girl seems to win ahead of making food.  While today appears sunny and cloudless from my window (this girl still has to work), Atlanta faced the lesser brunt of Sandy yesterday with strong winds, cold weather and misty skies.  One of my best girl friends from college Kyra was in town for our alma mater's homecoming game.  To commemorate her return, we brunched at one of the greatest Sunday Atlanta establishments of the last decade, West Egg Cafe.

Left to Right:  Coca Cola Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes, Oreo Cake & Pecan Pie; Banana Pudding

Located at the recently gentrified west side of Midtown at West Foundry Provisions, West Egg is not an easy miss on weekend mornings with a line ebbing out into the rest of the shopping center.  And naturally so. Any meal at West Egg combines southern comfort food with an East Village charm.  If you're looking home style breakfast and are willing to wait upwards of an hour and a half, then this is your place.  Like most Sunday mornings here, the scene was packed into the bakery and cafe area with Atlanta's fair share of fashionistas and hipsters, avoiding the chill.

West Egg Cafe at 1100 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA

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After a considerably short wait of 20 minutes, Kyra and I snagged a table inside.  The decor is reminiscent of a barnyard wedding Pinterest board, with its array of 1950's style classroom chairs, wooden desks, a photobooth, mason jars and iron wrought lanterns.  The cafe combines a coffeehouse, a restaurant and a bakery together and produces pure deliciousness, from its red velvet milkshakes (which you have to ask by special order and they'll stuff an entire red velvet cupcake into the blender).    Quickly after settling in, Kyra and I both opted for two of the three varieties of Benedict that they serve.  I chose the Georgia Benedict, which split a biscuit, eggs cooked any way with turkey sausage and turkey gravy.  Kyra stuck with the Classic Eggs Benedict, and both of us had a side of garlic grits.  The food itself was classic southern food, nicely seasoned.  No other words could describe it.  The grits however, made the meal.  Most times grits can get either too buttery, salty or not seasoned enough.  These had a perfect amount of seasoning, with a texture of smooth whipped mashed potatoes.

Left:  Georgia Benedict; Right:  Classic Eggs Benedict

If you do happen to make it out to West Egg on some crowded morning, I'd also recommend the Westside Pile-Up, a mash of homefries, bacon, eggs, peppers and other deliciousness in one bowl.  If crowds aren't your scene, then West Egg does some amazing southern style dinners from meatloaf to chicken dumplings.  If you do manage to swing by, let me know.  Holler at your girl!