I’ve been a little MIA lately because the end of the semester is always a little hectic. I have a big paper deadline looming so the blog has been neglected I’m actually scribbling this entry via the old pen and paper during a sleep-inducing class to be transcribed to the ‘net later on:

Class notes and a distraction

But I digress.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a few Friday morning tweets related to “girls’ breakfasts.” I’ve been working my way around some ATL breakfast spots with a few lovely ladies from my Ph.D. program. Many of the restaurants thus far are places I’ve visited before–West Egg, Highland Bakery, Sublime Doughnuts. However, last week I was excited to stop in ATL mainstay Ria’s Bluebird for the first time.

Ria’s is located on Memorial Dr. across from the Oakland Cemetery (one side of it anyway–that thing is huge). It basically looks like a 70s truck stop diner, with only ~5 tables and an eat-in counter inside. I can see why the weekend waits are supposedly out of this world. However, since the weather is warming up, my companions and I opted to eat on the enclosed patio, which we found a little dark, but enjoyable. We were all struggling to decide what to order, but when our waitress mentioned “Today’s Omelette”–pesto and brie–3/4 of us dropped all other considerations and ordered it. Our 4th, a vegan, went with the Southwest Tofu Scramble (spicy tofu cubes, sliced tomato, broccoli, black beans & red onions, topped with cilantro pesto):

Pesto+brie omelette w/ sweet potato cake, biscuit, and bacon

Tofu Scramble

My first bite of the pesto+brie omelette brought a smile to my face. Really fresh-tasting pesto complimented the creamy brie and fluffy eggs perfectly. The pesto was a tad oily, but such is the nature of pesto I guess. I was disappointed with the sweet potato cake, which was kind of a slightly grilled mass of mashed sweet potatoes. I guess I was expecting something more pancake-y or at least with a slightly crunchy exterior, but I got neither. The biscuit and homemade peach jam more than made up for it though. Yum! Though I didn’t try the tofu scramble, it must have been good, as my friend devoured half the bowl and took the rest home with her.

Ria’s Bluebird is reasonably priced and a good value for the money too (<$10 for my omelette+sides). On our Friday morning visit the place was far from crowded, but again, its size and popularity will guarantee you a wait on the weekends. The website is currently showing a new special: andouille sausage benedict with Creole mustard sauce. I so want to try it!

www.riasbluebird.com