Cheap Eats - Milk & Honey: Breakfast Club

Many intown diners were crestfallen when Butch Raphael abruptly closed his much-loved Westside “global” grub spot, Pangaea. A short time later, a new “breakfast lounge,” called Milk & Honey (1082 Huff Road, 404-492-8527), went into the industrial space.

Entering the restaurant is a little disconcerting. A large wooden bar juts out from the kitchen with no bar stools. Worn-looking furniture, rickety tables and cracked (and funny-smelling) glasses of water don’t help to sooth the nerves. Like the decor, service could benefit from a few touch-ups. The experience ranged from forgotten orders by a scattered waitstaff (even in an empty dining room) to downright rude treatment from an aloof server.

The menu presents a smattering of breakfast, brunch and lunch standards with some twists. Breakfast dishes are competently prepared though not memorable. “Cognac and vanilla scented French toast” ($9) was custardy and nicely sweetened, but the cognac and vanilla were hard to detect. Eggs ($2) were perfectly cooked, cheese grits creamy ($2), and the big, square biscuits ($3) fluffy. Flaccid bacon ($3) and soggy home fries ($2), however, left much to be desired. Lunch items follow the trend. A grayish cheeseburger with overly peppered patties ($11) was served on a stale bun, cloyingly sweet turkey meatloaf ($11) came between thin slices of limp “Texas toast,” and blackberry lemonade ($2) tasted more like chemicals than citrus.

After being open for a couple of months, the restaurant seems to be in a state of flux. Plans to stay open 24/7 were quickly abandoned, and we were hurriedly told on the phone that there is talk of offering tapas when the bar is finished. Given the choice, we’d hit up one of the more dependable options nearby and give Milk and Honey a little breathing room until it finds its identity.