Nashville Biscuit House

805 Gallatin Ave.
Nashville, TN 37206
(615) 228-4504
Website


Nashville is know for a couple things. One being biscuits, another being "meat and three" and the third being hot chicken. More on hot chicken later (I will be writing about it next). For now, let's focus on biscuits. Nashville Biscuit House is a literal box of a diner, with a drive through window and no other windows. There is a line about all open hours, so just suck it up and wait if you want some greasy breakfast.

I was ready to get down, but I HAD just eaten my weight in late night burgers and hot chicken at Dino's about 8 hours prior.

They offer things like the below.

I decided to be healthy and skip the ultimate platter, instead opting for a breakfast platter, featuring only grits, bacon, fried eggs, and toast. To that, I added a whole order of biscuits and gravy, and a country ham biscuit sandwich. Who said I couldn't do moderation?

The country ham biscuit sandwich was great, and featured ribbons of fat through the ham, a flaky, baking powder tinged biscuit, and a folded fried egg. The biscuit itself was a thing of beauty, and the sum of the parts was a nice breakfast sandwich.

A better application of the flaky dough was as a vessel for sausage gravy. This gravy was rich, silky and indulgent. My biggest problem with it was that there was a piece of plastic wrap hiding in my calorie pile. Poor quality control from the kitchen. It may have been from the sausage or the biscuits, but either way, it was not part of the allure.

The bacon was nice and thick, cooked crispy, and helped console me after the gravy incident.

The grits were coarsely ground, and smothered in butter. Not too shabby. This was a good meal, but it was overshadowed by the lack of care in the kitchen. The embarrassed waitress quickly took the gravy off of the tab, but that's the kind of thing that sticks with you. I would go back, but would look carefully in my sausage sauce on the next go-round.

Frankie's on Fairview

604 Fairview Road
Woodlyn, PA 19094
(610) 543-2300
Website

I am not inherently a breakfast person. Although I do love a hearty weekend breakfast, lunch is my favorite meal of the day, and in that regard, I don't cover a lot of greasy spoons. Frankie's was not on my radar as I don't frequent Woodlyn, but last Saturday I hopped on the motorcycle and decided on a breakfast ride. I found myself near Frankie's, and hot damn, I am glad I stopped in. Frank the owner is a food service veteran, and it shows. I heard rumors of him expanding, and if he keeps the product consistent, I think a lot of folks will be saying "Sabrina's USED to be the best" (I for one have NEVER been impressed with Sabrina's).

They have a rather large menu, with breakfast and lunch offerings. They even offer some vegan options if you don't like real food.

The coffee was Lavazza, and it was a huge step up from typical diner coffee. One of my biggest pet peeves with breakfast spots is when they have gourmet food and crappy coffee; that's an automatic cheesesteak off the rating. Not at Frankie's though.

The "Ultimate Biscuit" was a must order. One plate, containing at least 3 meals' worth of food. It housed buttermilk fried chicken, applewood smoked bacon & two sunny side up eggs, served open face on a biscuit with sausage gravy. Yes, all of those things rolled into one pile of savory flavor.

The chicken was prepared Japanese Katsu style, thinly pounded and panko fried; it was tender, juicy and the outer shell stayed very crispy throughout the time it took me to down this entire load. The gravy had a hint of maple, and was filled with chunks of sausage. 2 perfectly sunny side up eggs doused with some drops of sriracha, usually something I would complain about as it tends to overpower, but the heat cut through the richness of this dish and the sparse application was just right.

The bacon hid underneath, and I was so happy to dig into a slice as I cut into the fried chicken. Perhaps my favorite part is that I was JUST about to complain about the lack of bread, as I had completely forgot about that delicious biscuit resting underneath this mountain of calories. And then there it was. In all its crumbly, buttermilk glory.

Nicely seasoned/peppery gravy and well fried bacon.

Look at that biscuit hiding under the pile of dreams.

Never one for moderation when heavy dairy-based sauces are involved, I also tried the creamed chipped beef (or SOS). This iteration was served over Texas toast. I absolutely LOVE SOS, and this certainly did not disappoint. The dried beef was tender and salty, the bechamel was creamy and well spiced. To further the indulgence, the Texas toast acted as a carb-centric vessel to deliver indulgence to my overwhelmed taste buds. I was basically like this when the dish hit my lips.

The crispy potatoes were fried very well, and as had been the standard for all other things throughout this meal, very well seasoned. To perfection.

This is a perfect breakfast spot. Hands down one of the best I've ever experienced. As I waddled back to my motorcycle, I was already planning a return trip to try out their lunch menu. I have to recommend this as somewhere that could stand against any of the famous breakfast/brunch spots in the area. Every dish I saw served would have been a winner, though ordering something other than my staples is going to take some effort.

Cake Cafe & Bakery

2440 Chartres Street
New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 943-0010
Website

New Orleans is known for many different foods, but one of the best known pastries among locals and tourists alike is King cake. Synonymous with Mardi Gras, this cinnamon-spiked Danish is one of many stars at the Cake Cafe.

Although it was not Mardi Gras (I would not be eating King cake), I still wanted to get the NOLA bakery experience, and I was not disappointed. They also crush the casual breakfast realm.

The doughnut you see below may seem like an ordinary glazed breakfast treat, but the layers of pastry were so light, flaky, and delectable, that it was almost unbelievable. Even heavenly.

The biscuits and gravy shown below were no slough, with a spicy Andouille side. The biscuits ruled the roost, light and flaky, like I am unable to make them...

Boudin and eggs were also delicious, with a fresh sausage patty fried crispy over grits, and another biscuit PLUS some yolk. Yes please.

The croissant breakfast sandwich below is another of my go-to's and this did not disappoint. Note: if you go here, order ANYTHING that has a baked good with it.

The central American breakfast subbed the grits above with beans and rice, and added some pico and guac. An interesting take, but nothing too special.

Finally the lowly bagel with cream cheese, a barometer of breakfast in my book. This was a very decent bagel for the South. Believe me, I have had some AWFUL bagels all over the Southeastern US. Was it NY worthy? Or even good Philadelphia bagel worthy? No, it wasn't. Was it a great way to pack in the calories before drinking began again? Absolutely.

Two Sisters Kitchen

707 N Congress St.
Jackson, MS 39202
(601) 353-1180

I was recently down in Mississippi, and in my search for fried chicken, this place came highly recommended.

It's literally an old, run down house that had the bedrooms converted into small dining rooms. Very promising...

You serve yourself at a buffet. Nothing fancy, but plenty of fat and salt to go around.

You are pretty much on your own, nothing is labeled, but you can always ask the Southern belles that work there.

The fried chicken was the star, and I waited for a fresh batch to be delivered, straight out the fryer.

A bit of Louisiana hot sauce added some vinegary kick to the savory plate I had assembled.

The one thing I had never heard of was the "angel biscuit," a light and airy puck of dough that you could literally wring the butter out of. Delicious. Deadly. Decadent. From twelve o'clock, you have pickle, collards, fried chicken, grits, fried vegetables, angel biscuits, chicken fried steak with gravy, and a corn bread biscuit. Under the pickle are some black eyed peas. This is not the type of thing you can eat every day. But I would if I could. What the food lacked in color, it made up for in cholesterol. Delicious.

The chicken was crispy, with a well seasoned crust.

The chicken fried steak, while appearing as a gray mass, was salty, tender, and generally awesome. This is like a homemade version of eating at Cracker Barrel, without the discrimination.

These angel biscuits, though, were the star. They get their name from the folded design, you know, like wings. Smothered in gravy, they were incredibly addictive.

While the chicken wasn't the best I have had, it was still very good.

You also receive a complimentary dessert of choice. I asked what the pretty, young server recommended, and she said, "the bread pudding with bourbon glaze." Hot damn! This is one way to roll out of a restaurant.

This is some real-deal Southern food, and I wish I could eat like this more often. Unfortunately, the allure of the great Northeast hoagie is like a siren call, and I had to return home.

The Stuffed Pig

3520 Overseas Hwy
Marathon, FL 33050
(305) 743-4059
Website

The land of warm weather, crystal clear water and ocean breezes could also be known for something else, mediocre breakfasts, were it not for this diamond in the rough. I was hooked immediately upon seeing the name "The Stuffed Pig." They are located at mile marker 49, right at the turn for Keys Fisheries. And if you are looking for something that will carry you well over until lunch, this is the spot to stop.

With a small inside dining area, and a large tiki-style outdoor eating section, the Pig is a great place to grab some early morning grub before a day of adventure.

I had the pigs breakfast, which consisted of two eggs (over easy for me), two pieces of bacon, two sausage patties, two pieces of toast, home fries, AND biscuits and sausage gravy. Good lord. And I wonder why I never lose weight. The bacon was thick cut, sweet, smokey and salty. Perfection. The sausage patties were even better. I am not sure how you get better than perfection, but they achieved it. Although they weren't as browned as I would usually like, the meat was seasoned perfectly. Sage, pepper, and fairy tears, which we all know is the secret ingredient in well made breakfast sausage. The eggs were cooked perfectly, still quite runny, and the biscuits were up there with my favorites. I loved everything about this breakfast. Although it SOUNDS like a lot of food, it was really a quite manageable portion, given the number of components.

My dining partner order the Lobster Benedict, as it is apparently one of their specialties. They also offer a seafood version, as well as one toting crab. To my dismay, however, it was not topped with the local Florida stone crab, but rather Maryland blue crab. Now why would anyone travel to the Florida keys to eat blue crabs??? So the lobster was ordered. When it arrived, the eggs were perfectly poached (which unfortunately is not always the case), the hollandaise was great, with the requisite notes of citrus, however the lobster was a bit of an issue. It was fishy. Now I know that it comes from the sea, but fresh lobster should not have a distinct taste of fish. It was a bit off-putting, but not so much that the dish was not finished. I suppose my Catholic upbringing has something to do with the guilt I associate with not eating every piece of seafood in front of me. I will have eaten shrimp well into the double digits, and then when someone brings some more over, I will reluctantly eat them past the point of enjoyment, so as not to waste any. Come to think of it, I do this with most kinds of food. Funny how that works.

All in all, I loved this place. The attitude, breakfast meats, and decor were all hits in my book. I would probably order the benedict again, but I would ask if the lobster was fresh.