Scoutmob Excursion: The Beautiful Restaurant (Cascade Heights)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  4 out of 5 Gummy Bears

:) = Atlanta landmark in a historic part of town.  Friendly, down-home crowd.  Private parking lot behind the restaurant and ample street parking available.  Variety of yummy, home-cooked, soul food dishes that change daily, all at a great price. 

:( = Food is served cafeteria-style, although there is some table service if you ask for it.  Be prepared to juggle trays of food and beverages while wrangling your little ones.  And, yes, we know this cuisine is not necessarily the healthiest for your body; but, eaten in moderation, it truly is good for your soul.

Notes:  Scoutmob has a deal available for this restaurant.  Also, diners who are unfamiliar with this neighborhood should not shy away from coming here, even for breakfast or lunch - it is worth the trip. 

"Come and get your soul food."

One beautiful spring evening, after surviving a particularly draining weekend, we decided we needed a little comfort food.  We were born in Atlanta, and in Atlanta "comfort food" is generally synonymous with soul food.  That's right, we're talking about fried chicken, pork chops, stewed oxtails, macaroni and cheese, boiled greens, black-eyed peas, peach cobbler, and a whole host of other yummy Southern staples that warm your heart with every bite.  Mommy dug through her Scoutmob stash and found a deal she had saved for The Beautiful Restaurant in historic Southwest Atlanta.  And off we went. 

We got there around 6:30 PM and found the restaurant was already pretty full.  A group of older gentlemen seated at the tables near the entrance made an excited fuss over us when we arrived, exclaiming warmly, "Hey there, handsome young fellas, how are y'all doin' tonight?"  Our souls immediately felt comforted by the genuine welcome and homey, nostalgic feel of the restaurant.  The place looked like it hadn't been renovated or updated in decades - and we loved that.

Mommy brought us to the serving buffet where drooling commenced.  The Beautiful offers a meat + 2 sides (plus cornbread and a beverage) for $6.99 + tax.  There were three different meat offerings and an array of sides.  We chose stewed pork neckbones, macaroni & cheese, and black-eyed peas.  We also ordered a to-go box for Daddy, filled with two fried pork chops, creamed corn, and boiled turnip greens.  And we got some banana pudding and peach cobbler for dessert.  Total cost for this huge spread once the Scoutmob deal was applied?  $14.99! 

Clockwise from top:  Banana pudding, black-eyed peas, cornbread, neckbones, mac & cheese, peach cobbler.
Photo taken by 3-year-old Toddler Foodie.

Fried pork chop meal with turnip greens and creamed corn.

We enjoyed everything we ordered.  We even had to dip into Daddy's to-go box because we were dying to try his food, too.  The neckbones were cooked just right.  Sometimes when neckbones are over-stewed, they get mushy and sort of blend together with the broth like a puree.  These neckbones were perfect - the meat was tender and fell off the bone, but retained its own texture and firmness.  The pork chops were yummy, too, but a little salty.  (Mommy removed the breading so we could just enjoy chewing on the flavorful pork cutlets without the added salt.)  The sides were all delicious.  We ate multiple helpings of each of them - even the turnip greens! - and can't decide on a favorite.  After we ate enough dinner, Mommy let us try the banana pudding and peach cobbler.  The peach cobbler wasn't really our cup of tea, although Mommy seemed to enjoy it.  We liked the banana pudding best - it was the real deal, topped not only with 'Nilla wafers, but also a chewy, sweet meringue unlike anything we've ever tasted before.  Mommy had to cut us off from the banana pudding when we asked for thirds.   

"This right here... this is the good stuff."

"I can't believe I asked Mommy for a second helping of greens.  Am I maturing?"

The food at The Beautiful isn't exotic or unique or creative.  It's simple.  But what sets it apart from some other places we've tried is that it's clearly made with a lot of love.  One bite of these dishes tells you these are recipes that have been handed down through generations.  You can almost see the image of a mother or father standing at a stove, meticulously stirring a bubbling pot of black-eyed peas while a curious child looks on.  When the food you're eating evokes those kinds of images, you know you're eating well.

We got more from The Beautiful than full, happy tummies and hearts.  We learned something new, too.  As we were winding down our meal, we overheard the group of old-timers who greeted us when we arrived talking about "the old days."  They then started swapping stories about Atlanta's dark history of racial segregation, being turned away from certain restaurants around town, and their memories of the first restaurants in Atlanta that were integrated.  How fitting it was for us - a new generation of foodies who have never had to experience the pain of being told we can't eat somewhere because of our race - to learn about this embarrassing blot in Atlanta's history from people who actually went through it.  On our ride home, Mommy tried to explain the word "segregation" to us.  Our response?  "But everyone should be allowed to eat at the restaurant." 

"Brother, can you imagine a world where everyone can't eat at the restaurant?  That sounds terrible."

Sunday Brunch Buffet at 57th Fighter Group Restaurant (Brookhaven)

Toddler Foodie Rating:  4 out of 5 Gummy Bears
 
:) = Unique European farmhouse bunker theme honoring the 57th Fighter Group aviation heroes of WWII, complete with WWII décor that small children will find fascinating.  The restaurant is located right next to DeKalb Peachtree Airport, so little ones get to watch planes and helicopters take off while enjoying their food.  AYCE brunch buffet with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch entrees.  $2 champagne and mimosas, and a full bar available after 12:30 PM, for mommies and daddies.  Huge restaurant with multiple spacious dining areas.  Great for large parties.

:( = Their brunch is popular, so the buffet area gets crowded - a parent dining alone with small children may have a difficult time here.  There's no changing table in the restroom, although there is a marble counter that can be used for the same purpose - make sure to bring a changing pad so baby's bottom doesn't get cold.  Also, the size of this place is both a blessing and a curse for parents.  Toddlers will love running away from mommy and daddy here, if given the opportunity.  Bring distractions that will make them want to stay put.       

Notes:  The Sunday Brunch Buffet is $25 for ages 13 and up; $15 for children ages 4-12; and, according to our server, free for children 3 and under.  The buffet is only available from 10:30 AM-2:30 PM.

"Mommy said this is a restaurant.  Looks like a bunker to us."

We visited 57th Fighter Group Restaurant on a chilly, rainy Sunday morning.  Mommy got us really excited when she told us we'd be able to see airplanes and helicopters there and we'd be able to eat all the breakfast food we love - and as much of it as we wanted.  When we walked up to the restaurant, one of her promises was fulfilled.  We were awestruck by the cool airplane standing nobly on the front lawn.

"Do you think they'll notice if I climb in and start her up?"

We walked through a short tunnel with sandbag-covered walls to get to the host stand.  The host then led us through the big restaurant to a room in the back where our tables were waiting for us, already set with waters and silverware.  We were part of a large party, so we took up most of the room.  The room had many big windows that looked out onto the DeKalb Peachtree Airport runway.  Because it was rainy, there wasn't much action happening on the runway, but there were a few helicopters parked with their propellers spinning through the rain.  Fascinating!

"One day, I'll learn how to fly one of those helicopters."

Now the best thing about buffets is that you don't have to wait to eat.  And that's exactly how it went down at 57th.  Mommy had some backup with her, so she tried to leave us with them while she went to the buffet to get our food - but we weren't having that.  So she took us to the buffet area.  Big mistake.  The restaurant was already pretty crowded by that time (it was around 11:45), and we got into everyone's way as Mommy tried to keep us close to her and away from the hot chafing dishes.  She made a mental note to never bring us here alone, no matter how much she was craving a brunch buffet.

57th's buffet is extensive.  It has multiple stations offering hot lunch entrees (such as baked fish and pasta); hot breakfast entrees (such as cheese grits, sausage, bacon, and a delicious salmon frittata that we gobbled up); a variety of fresh bagels and fruit; a selection of cured meats and cheeses; a carving station featuring prime rib and ham; various salads and soups (including the restaurant's famous "Beer and Cheese" soup); seafood dishes (such as shrimp cocktail and smoked salmon); an array of desserts (puddings, eclairs, cakes, cookies, etc.); and a fresh waffle station featuring several different toppings.  Mommy's favorite waffle topping was bananas foster - she'll take any opportunity to sneak adult beverages into her meal when she's out with us.)

"I think I'll start with this shrimp.  It looks ready to be eaten."

"The waffles we make at home never taste this good!"

 

The second best thing about buffets is that you can get as much food as your little tummy can eat.  We must say, we did a pretty good job at 57th.  We liked the breakfast food best, especially the waffles.  Sometimes waffles lack flavor and have to be coated in syrup or other toppings if the batter isn't sweetened properly.  But these waffles were outstanding - we had no problem eating them without toppings (although we did steal a few bites of bananas foster from Mommy).  We were also fans of the smoked salmon and shrimp.  The smoked salmon was very fresh and cut into sizeable portions; and the shrimp was seasoned just enough that we could enjoy eating it plain.  We also really loved the offering of fresh fruit - it made Mommy feel a little better about eating all we could.

While we loved nearly everything available at the buffet, one item really stood out to us Toddler Foodies:  at the waffle station, one of the toppings offered was... Gummy Bears!  Think they knew we were coming?

"Shh.  I'm calculating how many of these to give to this restaurant."

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to 57th.  We'll probably come back for a special occasion because this is a really good place for large groups.  Or maybe we'll come back in the summertime to sit on the patio, watch the planes take off, and hope civilization can learn from the past and never fall into worldwide war again. 



Wise younger Toddler Foodie to older Toddler Foodie:  "Soldiers ate lots of canned, non-perishable food during World War II.  Fresh fruits like this grape were not readily available.  Peacetime is better than wartime, don't you think?"