Never accept a brunch invitation before you wake up. Spanky called as she sometimes does on the odd Saturday, barking into my phone asking...no, asking is the wrong term...imploring me to leap to my feet and join her somewhere. Usually its someplace where there is an event, say a day party she doesn't want to go to alone or the like, but this morning it was the side-eye meet-up for brunch. At somewhere she either already is or on her way to. Which is like totally unfair. She's awake, dressed and on the freeway and I'm neck deep in comforter.
But because I hadn't really been out in two weeks, and I hadn't looked up the spot I grudgingly agreed. So that was my mistake.
The place she chose was a new spot she'd found on Urban Daddy called Common Quarter, which if you look on a map is located somewhere in East Cobb. I do not live anywhere near East Cobb. I knew there was an issue when I looked it up on my phone and Google Maps predicted that it was more than 30 mins away... traveling by highway! Now admittedly, at my encouragement, Spanky is supposed to be stepping outside her comfort zone, although she may have taken my wording a bit more literally than I intended. So I felt a wee bit guilty that perhaps I had induced this somehow. That feeling was temporary.
So after a brisk shower and shave, a ride up the west wall and 75 north...and Roswell Rd....I eventually arrived.
Let me describe the spot. Very modern, with the wine racks up front and local jams and other consumables right near the door. Then a space, because no matter how much you polish a concrete floor or how nice the fabric you hang over bare concrete walls it's just a space. It's arranged nicely, with a full wood bar up front and nice wood horizontal across the space, but it's still just a space. They were playing some good southern blues as accent music, which is a nice change up so kudos to them for that.
Now, normally the phrase "brunch" turns a Saturday morning in Atlanta into tizzy reminiscent a mini Black Friday opening. I've personally experienced waits up to an hour for a table at your more notable joints. But this spot was empty. Like ten people total in a space designed for a hundred kinda empty. The manager explained later it was only their second week doing brunch...but still. AND, the brunch menu lacks the basic staple - a grits or hasbrowns, scrambled egg, bacon arrangement. My logic is if you can't do a simple breakfast, I'm not going to trust you to create a Sesame Shrimp, Spinach and Mushroom egg wedge crepe draped over a pecan blueberry waffle cone drizzled with honey butter (Note: that's not on the brunch menu). Okay, a basic breakfast can be "assembled" from sides, but that shouldn't have to occur. On the plus, the sweet tea was okay.
I ordered the pancakes, which came as an oddly non-uniform stack, accompanied by pecan butter and maple syrup. And that was it. Bacon had to be ordered separately. Had I been feeling charitable, I would have suggested the slight change of adding bacon to the basic order to the management since they were just getting started. But I wasn't feeling charitable. That, and the bacon was "over smoked." That or it was turkey. Ugh.
The conversation between Spanky and I was subdued because when I arrived I accidentally told her I thought that the spot was a bit far. And a bit empty. This immediately meant to her that I hated it, she was in the wrong, etc and so on. She does that sometimes, either with you're either totally with her or totally against her. Which makes me wonder why we're still friends sometimes. Anyway, because of that she spent the first half of the meal pouting. That and I only just found out she's considering getting back with her old...um, well, this dude which I found distressing. She tried to compare her relationship to dude to my relationship with Sporty, but that fell flat. Partly because I can't really explain what me and Sporty are doing, whereas I know her's is bad.
She didn't warm up until we started talking about her job, which is love/hates much like everyone else. Once she started talking though it was back to okay between us. I kinda guess. I kept my comments about her hat to myself.
Is the spot worth a 30 min drive? Um, how much is gas? Now if you live in East Cobb and want a upscale kinda joint, this might be your spot. Service was attentive (okay, it was empty) but it seems like it has potential. Maybe on a regular night I'd get more of a feel for it. If one night I find myself up that way, it's a definite maybe. Maybe.
But because I hadn't really been out in two weeks, and I hadn't looked up the spot I grudgingly agreed. So that was my mistake.
The place she chose was a new spot she'd found on Urban Daddy called Common Quarter, which if you look on a map is located somewhere in East Cobb. I do not live anywhere near East Cobb. I knew there was an issue when I looked it up on my phone and Google Maps predicted that it was more than 30 mins away... traveling by highway! Now admittedly, at my encouragement, Spanky is supposed to be stepping outside her comfort zone, although she may have taken my wording a bit more literally than I intended. So I felt a wee bit guilty that perhaps I had induced this somehow. That feeling was temporary.
So after a brisk shower and shave, a ride up the west wall and 75 north...and Roswell Rd....I eventually arrived.
Let me describe the spot. Very modern, with the wine racks up front and local jams and other consumables right near the door. Then a space, because no matter how much you polish a concrete floor or how nice the fabric you hang over bare concrete walls it's just a space. It's arranged nicely, with a full wood bar up front and nice wood horizontal across the space, but it's still just a space. They were playing some good southern blues as accent music, which is a nice change up so kudos to them for that.
Now, normally the phrase "brunch" turns a Saturday morning in Atlanta into tizzy reminiscent a mini Black Friday opening. I've personally experienced waits up to an hour for a table at your more notable joints. But this spot was empty. Like ten people total in a space designed for a hundred kinda empty. The manager explained later it was only their second week doing brunch...but still. AND, the brunch menu lacks the basic staple - a grits or hasbrowns, scrambled egg, bacon arrangement. My logic is if you can't do a simple breakfast, I'm not going to trust you to create a Sesame Shrimp, Spinach and Mushroom egg wedge crepe draped over a pecan blueberry waffle cone drizzled with honey butter (Note: that's not on the brunch menu). Okay, a basic breakfast can be "assembled" from sides, but that shouldn't have to occur. On the plus, the sweet tea was okay.
I ordered the pancakes, which came as an oddly non-uniform stack, accompanied by pecan butter and maple syrup. And that was it. Bacon had to be ordered separately. Had I been feeling charitable, I would have suggested the slight change of adding bacon to the basic order to the management since they were just getting started. But I wasn't feeling charitable. That, and the bacon was "over smoked." That or it was turkey. Ugh.
 |
| Pancakes and bacon, with the pecan butter in the middle. |
She didn't warm up until we started talking about her job, which is love/hates much like everyone else. Once she started talking though it was back to okay between us. I kinda guess. I kept my comments about her hat to myself.
Is the spot worth a 30 min drive? Um, how much is gas? Now if you live in East Cobb and want a upscale kinda joint, this might be your spot. Service was attentive (okay, it was empty) but it seems like it has potential. Maybe on a regular night I'd get more of a feel for it. If one night I find myself up that way, it's a definite maybe. Maybe.
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