I officially have a new favorite breakfast spot. Visited the Pineville location of this restaurant on a Sunday afternoon for brunch. Before I made it out the door I had already planned my next visit and what I intended to eat. I have now visited twice and the second experience was just as good as the first.
Food: The menu is big and so are the portions. They have almost every classic diner dish you can think of. The difference is that there is something that elevates every dish and makes it better then you've ever experienced it. The Chicken and waffles for example is beyond perfect. They brine the chicken for about 18 hours before they will fry it. I watch a woman temp every piece of chicken she pulled out of the fryer to check for perfect doneness. The skin is so crispy and delicious that even when I microwaved my leftovers, it was still perfectly crisp, (how do they do that?). I opted for a nutty waffle to accompany my chicken so they added almonds and pecans to it. Then my server came over and mixed spicy maple syrup together right at the table. The waffles had strawberry butter on top. The combination was sinful. The huevos rancheros are amazing. The "Yo Hala On The Square" is one of their signature dishes and it definitely made me Challah...see what I did there? It's 2 slices of challah bread stuffed with bananas, brown sugar, cream cheese and hazelnut syrup, then prepared like french toast. Once plated it gets a generous helping of blueberry compote and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I almost lost my mind. The Charleston Shrimp and Grits are different from anywhere in town. Imagine shrimp, andouille sausage, peppers and onions in a shrimp sauce poured over two grit cakes that are laced with cheese sau hisage and peppers and then garnish the whole thing with chopped bacon and green onion. The flavors meld together perfectly.
Service: Our server, Dana was amazing. She knew the menu inside and out and made great recommendations. My drink was magically full everytime I reached for it. My whole family had a great time. She even explained to us that there is a full self serve drink bar to take advantage of while waiting or on your way out. Overall it was an excellent experience.