I had every intention of getting up and going to 9 a.m. yoga on Saturday. But when my yoga partner sent me a text message around 8 a.m. to confirm if we were still on, the kamikazes from the night before said otherwise.

Downward facing dog? I think I’ll just keep practicing corpse pose in my nice, comfy bed thank you very much. I raised myself from the dead just long enough to send a reply text letting my friend know I wouldn’t be making it.

Her reply: Ok then. Are we still on for breakfast?

Now, that I can do.

Earlier in the week, I’d received a rather clandestine invitation to a new breakfast spot, launched by the same people who operate two of Atlanta’s most popular, upscale urban eateries: Rare and The Harlem Bar. The invite informed me that they had recently opened a third restaurant called The Social House, and mysteriously implored me to “be selective in who you tell” since they wanted “to keep this place for those that appreciate Great food, Great ambiance, and friendly service!”.

However strange and hokey I thought the invite was, it was intriguing enough to make me drag my slightly hungover self out of bed and head to the corner of Howell Mill and Chattahoochee to get a peek and a taste of this secretive new establishment.

In a former life, the building that the Social House occupies was a flower shop, so the adjacent parking lot is on the smallish side and was almost full (so much for keeping it on the low) when we arrived. Once inside, we were greeted casually by one of the servers, handed a couple of menus, and directed to take a seat at one of two available tables. The interior had a relaxed, country cottage feel with warm hardwood floors, exposed brick accents and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in an abundance of light, even though the day was overcast.

A quick perusal of the menu revealed an approachable mix of the most basic of breakfast fare – toast, grits, eggs, sausage; some brunch classics like eggs benedict and fish and grits; and quite a few original creations.

My friend ordered a waffle along with eggs and sausage. The waffle was Belgian style with a cake-like batter distinguished by hints of maple that gave it a rich, melt-in-your-mouth taste even before the butter and syrup were added.

I opted for one of the house specialties: the salmon hash - a heavenly, homey heap of cubed sweet potatoes, herbed skin-on red potatoes and bits of grilled salmon all scrambled together with green and red bell peppers, and served with two sunny side up eggs on top. I ordered my eggs poached medium, and fully expected to be disappointed at the result, since my eggs usually only turn out exactly the way I like them when I make them myself.
Here, I was pleasantly surprised. The eggs were perfectly poached, with silky whites encasing quivering, gelatinous yolks that were just short of being completely firm on the inside. I swore that there was no way I’d be able to finish the whole dish, but who in my condition could even partially resist a plate full of alcohol-absorbing carbs? I consoled myself with the fact that I only took a small bite out of the accompanying biscuit, which was so fluffy and perfectly shaped, I doubted that it was made from scratch. More likely, it was one of those homestyle kinds you can buy in the freezer section of the grocery store. If it wasn’t, my apologies to the chef for doubting your skill.

The service was…well, sociable. Our waitress chatted us up with genuine pleasantness and made sure we were well taken care of without being smothering. A steady but manageable stream of patrons filed in and out as we dined, a sight that I was both pleased and a bit dismayed to witness. If the place quietly opened only a few days ago, and it’s already this popular, it’s only a matter of time before the secret spreads like wildfire.

Unless, that is, you promise that we’ll just keep this between us.

cheers,

k

The Social House - a Breakfast Place
1663 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA
404.350.1938
7am- 3pm weekdays
8am -4pm weekends