Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

I have eaten dinner at Cafe Lily but I didn't realize that they serve brunch as well. The Contes invited me to join them for what turned out to be an excellent meal. My Greek omelet was fluffy, tender, and filled with feta cheese and vegetables. I ordered cheese grits for my side: very creamy, a bit of nice tang in the cheese. I was too full to try these biscuits but they looked good.

Harvest Habersham is perhaps the best restaurant in the north Georgia mountains. A drive to see the progress of spring gave me an opportunity to try their brunch. This is my pasta, a freshly made pappardelle. The accompaniments included ricotta, greens, and some peanuts (and are those macadamia?). Of course, this being the South, it also included bacon cut into little tiny squares. The sauce was light, with just enough butter to give it some heft. All the flavors played together beautifully. For dessert, I ordered this wonderful panna cotta. The custard was complemented with fresh strawberries; a hint of basil gave the dish the perfect amount of zip.

Tom Cafe is in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne on the shores of Lake Leman. My friend Nanni De Micheli and I enjoyed a wonderful brunch on its patio. We had an outstanding view of the lake on a beautiful day. The brunch spread is large and varied. This plate was my catch from my first visit. All the food was very well prepared. I managed to save a little room for the wonderful pastries.

Louie's Wine Dive in Urbandale is a lively, fun spot. My food was delicious. The service was very friendly and relaxed. And given the name, it is quite kid-friendly, with lots of families in attendance for Sunday brunch. I ordered the wedge salad, which is a modern take on the classic. The lighter salad was exactly what I had hoped for. It includes bacon---this is Iowa, after all---but the dressing is light and the lettuce is romaine. Just enough cheese was sprinkled over the salad to provide a good highlight.

Babs is in midtown on Juniper Street. As you can see, it's a fairly low-key place that doesn't even really face the street. They seem to specialize in brunch seven days a week, based on their schedule. I tried their chicken panini today. The bread was tasty and overall the sandwich hit the spot. The sweet potato fries were a good Southern twist on the Italian sandwich.

I recently tried Straits in midtown for brunch. The atmosphere is upscale and elegant. Overall, it was a good day to sit outside. The brunch menu is an unusal combination of Asian items and traditional American brunch. I decided to go quasi-Asian and order fried calamari. As you can see, the presentation was impeccable. I was a little disappointed in the taste, but perhaps that's me. I like my fried food to be just out of the oil. While my dish was certainly acceptable, I felt that it might have set under the heat lamp for a minute or two. But the calamari was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, just as it should be.