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By: MISTI HEWATT
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Sporting an apron and an armful of tattoos, Ria Pell is easy to recognize when she emerges from the kitchen at Ria’s Bluebird.
Self-touted as a “hot hunk of big ol’ dyke (hummina hummina),” Chef Pell carries herself as if she owns the place, and she does.
“I wonder if Slayer could be my backing band if we went to Food Network,” she recently pondered aloud.
Pell isn’t haughty, just proud. And she has the right to be. She opened her namesake restaurant four years ago, and to tire of her distinctive comfort food might be impossible.
With counter service and an extensive breakfast menu, the restaurant has the makings of a diner, and with wood-planked walls and heaping helpings of gravy, perhaps even a country diner. But really basic diner fare is an insult to the depth of Pell’s kitchen.
Pell probably gets plenty of Early Bird orders (two eggs with choice of meat and side served with English muffin or biscuit, $8) from the mixed crowd of indie rockers, tattooed artists, Grant Park families and stylized queens.
But when ordering, diners would please their taste buds more if they think of Ria’s as a full-fledged restaurant specializing in breakfast rather than a traditional diner.
The menu reflects the influence of Pell’s Danish grandmother and time spent in the Floataway Cafe kitchen of Atlanta dining luminary Anne Quatrano. The result is sophisticated warmth with everything from milk gravy to a spicy tofu sauce.
The Bluebird Burrito ($8) combines the standard fare of skillet potatoes and eggs with beans and white cheddar in a tortilla topped with salsa verde. But the sweet potato cake on the side is a better indicator of the tasty pots stewing behind the swinging doors. The cake is simple but delicious.
Vegetarians and vegans should delight at the menu’s extensive soy options. Diehard carnivores can try the Brisket Breakfast ($8), but even they won’t be disappointed in dishes including the Country Fried Tempeh ($8) and Southwest Tofu Scramble ($7.50).
Tempeh is where Ria’s shines. The perfectly fried triangles are as flavorful as country-fried steak. Beneath the welcomed imposter is a grilled biscuit and tomato with sautéed spinach covered in milk gravy. The result would please the City Mouse as well as his Country Cousin.
The Southwest Tofu Scramble offers a mixture of spicy tofu cubes, sliced tomato, red onions and black beans topped with cilantro pesto, sweet potatoes and broccoli.
It’s more of a savory black bean stew than a scramble. The tofu contributes a spicy kick, but it is a bit chewy. Even so, the combination still works well.
The menu also boasts buttermilk pancakes served in short ($4.25) or fat ($5) stacks, covered in hot maple syrup. Top the pancakes with caramelized bananas (an additional $2), and the dish is even more indulgent.
Ria’s also offers lunch menus, including Fried Chicken Fridays that feature hormone-free chicken and a heaping of mashed potatoes with gravy ($9.50). And on the last Thursday of each month, the Bluebird hosts a supper club that features Pell’s creative multi-course whim of the month.
Central Atlanta Progress presents Downtown Atlanta Restaurant Week Aug. 15-21. Founded in 2002, the event is designed to highlight several of downtown’s premium restaurants.
Restaurant week is a great opportunity for dilettante diners to experience multiple-course meals at prices that are more affordable than many of the high-end participants usually offer. Some of Atlanta’s finest bistros and cafes offer three-course prix fixe meals for $20.05 per person. A few more casual restaurants offer two meals at that price.
Restaurants include Luxe and Pacific Rim Bistro, two of downtown’s hippest hangouts, as well as such Atlanta staples as City Grill and Pittypat’s Porch. Also on the list is casual spot Mick’s, seafood restaurant McCormick & Schmick’s and the Marquis Steakhouse.
To attract out-of-towners to the event, downtown hotels offer a $60.05 reservation rate on Aug. 19-20, and several downtown attractions, including the Braves Museum, Centennial Park and Oakland Cemetery, welcome Restaurant Week patrons.
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