I've travelled through the vast majority of the south for my Florida adventures but the last box to be check off on the list of southern states to visit was Georgia. Luckily I got to check that box off my list this year and visit this peachy state while visiting a friend. Disclaimer that I am definitely not the expert on Atlanta tourism but I do have some tourist destinations to check out before talking about the food that I ate on this trip.
First off the top left corner is the SkyView Atlanta which is located right by the Centennial Olympic Park. I didn't actually ride this ferris wheel overlooking all of the city but I managed to snag this photo while waiting for my Uber to pick me up from the CNN Studio Tour. My major in college was print journalism, so naturally this studio tour was a must do. Next up we have the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia and the High Museum of Art, two must visit art museums if you're into art like I am. Then there is Piedmont Park, a beautiful and large space that hosts some cool events and concerts. We were fortunate to be there for the Jazz Festival which was pretty unexpected but turned out great with food, vendors, and live music. There is also the World of Coca-Cola, another tourist destination to learn about the expansive history of the company and try different soda flavors from around the world. The last spot that I'll talk about is the Georgia Aquarium which is home to many different species of sea animals such as penguins, sharks, whales, jellyfish, and more.
One last thing before I dive right into the nitty gritty of southern dining is about the CityPass. If you're looking to go to some of these attractions then getting a CityPass takes away from having to wait in some of these lines and lets you get into places such as the aquarium or the CNN studio tour through a single purchase of tickets from the CityPass to five different attractions. Anyway, enough about the spots to see, let's just jump right into the dining spots that we went to while I was here.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe
Is it a bird, or is it a plane? No, it's just a flying biscuit. Sorry about that corny joke, I saw an opportunity to make it and so I went for it. This spot embodies the meaning of 'southern comfort' with it's all day breakfast menu. One of my favorite things about this spot is that one of Hell's Kitchen season 1 competitors, Jeff Dewberry, was apart of the managerial staff for this dining spot. As for the food, pictured above are the 'award-winning shrimp and grits'. This dish is described as creamy dreamy white cheddar grits, topped with blackened shrimp and roasted red pepper sauce. Grits aren't my favorite thing in the world but this dish was pretty delicious with the shrimp being the centerpiece of the dish. Plus how can you pass up a southern comfort food opportunity while being in the south? As I love everything a little spicier, I'd recommend adding some Tabasco to your plate to spice this dish up a bit. Looking at the rest of the menu there are plenty of options to choose from. As for breakfast, there are breakfast favorites like biscuits and gravy as well as scrambled egg dishes, egg benedict plates, omelettes, and other specialties. Breakfast is served all day but if you are feeling more of the lunch side calling then there are plenty of options to choose from. As for our meal, we went out for brunch as well so I couldn't forget the cocktail and so I ordered a classic mimosa, and it was pretty worth it. If you're not near Atlanta or just live in the south then check out their other southern dining spots. There are Flying Biscuit spots all over Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Texas.
Flying Biscuit Cafe: 1001 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30309
Egg Harbor Cafe
Moving on from one brunch spot to another. Founded in 1985, doors opened to the first Egg Harbor Cafe to hungry breakfast diners that wanted a new breakfast and lunch experience. Today Egg Harbor Cafe has twenty different locations in three states. On the subject of the food, there is a pretty decent menu as well as a gluten-free menu. I don't have any food allergies or dietary restrictions so I didn't order off of the menu but it is always nice knowing that they a restaurant is more than willing to accommodate. As for the food, my order is actually the bottom plate. This is the 'down home biscuits and gravy' plate. Included is pork sausage gravy and biscuits, served with two eggs served to your liking, and their Harbor potatoes. I got scrambled eggs, the most superior style of egg and their Harbor potatoes are just a classic dish of homefries. I would also suggest adding some Tabasco to this dish to make things a bit spicier if that is what you're into. Right above my dish is the lobster scrambler. This egg-cellent scrambler dish is a lobster and seafood blend, cream cheese, and green onion topped with hollandaise sauce atop of three scrambled eggs. Scrambler dishes also come with their Harbor potatoes, an English muffin, and their house-made jam. Other than those two dishes there are also their 'eggceptional' skillets, omelettes, pancakes, sandwiches, salads, soup, and more to choose from. Also why isn't there an Egg Harbor Cafe in Egg Harbor, NJ? The question that haunts me.
Egg Harbor Cafe: 1820 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
Babs Midtown
Out of all the spots on this list, I definitely recommend this one the most. Founder and owner, Randy Adler, opened Babs Midtown for its creativity and authenticity. He sourced that the restaurants that stand out are the ones that are genuine and authentic for if it's not then it's just another restaurant. I couldn't agree with this more, if you blend in with the crowd than what makes you stand out? What's the allure that makes people want to continuously come back. If you come to this restaurant take the time to talk to Adler because he is a really cool guy and is quite interesting to talk to. Anyway, the menu is a pretty rounded brunch menu that has some brunch staples as well as a seasonal menu. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that the dishes above we're from the seasonal menu so I can only try to remember what they were. My dish is the one on the far right which was a seafood omelette. I remember that there was either crab meat or lobster inside with hollandaise as well, which made the omelette dish quite delicious. This plate also came with toast, homefries, avocado, and fresh fruit on the side. Right now the seasonal menu is Thanksgiving themed with the culinary designs and menu item names. The item that currently sounds most like my dish is the harvest which is an omelette filled with crabmeat, seasonal vegetables, ribbons of brie, and old bay hollandaise sauce. Middle photo I believe is the Turkish breakfast? It wasn't my dish so I cannot say with 100 percent certainty but I know that my friend enjoyed the dish and it was delicious as well. We weren't expecting the dessert but I believe that the spot was closing soon and they probably wanted to not spoil some leftovers so they gave us this beautiful piece of cake on the far left side. Dessert is also a day-to-day menu chef specialty item.
Babs Midtown: 814 Juniper St., Atlanta, GA 30308
China Hot Pot
If you read my blogs then you'll know that I love steak and Mexican food but let me introduce you to my one true love: hot pot. If you aren't familiar of what this cooking method is then lemme tell you about it. Hot pot or steamboat is a Chinese cooking method that is just a boiling pot of broth at a table meant for cooking a variety of foods. Kind of like fondue at the Melting Pot if you've ever done that. I actually found out about hot pot from watching my favorite Youtubers go to Nine Spices Hot Pot in Orlando, FL. Side note if you're in Orlando and want hot pot, I recommend this spot wholeheartedly, Nine Spices is freaking amazing and ever since we went there my friend and I have been obsessed with hot pot. Anyway, we went with a bunch of people to China Hot Pot so we got two different broths. There are three different styles, spicy/nutrition, spicy pot, nutrition pot, and the plain pot. We got the spicy/nutrition and I would say that the nutrition broth was superior flavor but that is just my opinion. There are so many options for plates when getting hot pot, but there are a few that I love dearly. Dumplings are always a good idea. Soup dumplings? Steamed soup buns? Pork dumplings? All of them are so good and are a must get. Sliced beef and sliced lamb? Yes please. But my favorite must get of all is tofu skin. I sincerely love tofu skin because of how much they soak up the flavor of the broth that they cook in. There are so many other great options to get from the menu, these were just a few of my favorite foods from the menu that are also crowd pleasing as well. Lunch is also all you can eat from this spot while dinner is pay per plate.
China Hot Pot: 5090 Buford Highway NE, Suite 104, Atlanta, GA 30340
Mellow Mushroom
Alright, I know that this spot is a chain but I still had never eaten at Mellow Mushroom before going to Atlanta. The chain was actually founded in 1974 in Atlanta and has since expanded widely across the country. As for the food, we got two pies. Pictured on the top is the buffalo chicken specialty pie. This pizza is mozzarella, buffalo chicken, caramelized onions, and a swirl of buffalo sauce. This pie is also served with a swirl of either bleu cheese or ranch dressing on top. The other pizza on the bottom is just your basic pepperoni pizza. If you're not in the mood for pizza then there are other menu items meant to satisfy. There are smaller appetizer 'munchies', salads, calzones, hoagies, burgers and also desserts. An interesting sounding hoagie option is the tempeh or tofu hoagie. This is either teriyaki tempeh or tofu with provolone, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, mayo, lettuce and roma tomatoes. If you're left wanting something sweet after your meal then check out the frozen pop options. There is pink lemonade, strawberry mango, or caramel sea salt flavor to choose from.
Mellow Mushroom: 931 Monroe Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
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