Painted Table Cafe in Grant Park has been a rather puzzling place to get a bead on.
The concept isn’t all that different from several other popular breakfast and lunch restaurants located in the same area, including Ria’s Bluebird, Stone Soup Kitchen, and Thumb’s Up Diner.
But after opening in early November, and serving all-day breakfast and lunch weekdays from 7 a.m. -.3 p.m., it briefly closed for repairs, then reopened serving essentially the same menu (with a few nightly specials) from 11 a.m-9 p.m. Weekend “brunch” hours remain 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Painted place
Located in the mixed commercial storefront space near I-20 formerly occupied by Zocalo Taqueria, Painted Table’s chef/owner Omega Angell has transformed the interior, giving it a lively feel, with contemporary furniture and art and bright colors. There’s small, lounge-like waiting area up front, a pleasant counter and a collection of small tables, plus a patio for outdoor dining.
Breakfast all evening
Angell worked as the executive chef at Flying Biscuit Cafe. That experience shows in the huge breakfast menu here. If you’re a fan of eggs for lunch and dinner, this is your kind of place.
There are 10 different three-egg omelets, though many of the ingredients are oft-repeated. The Outer Banks has shrimp, caramelized onions, roasted bell peppers and cheddar cheese. The Farm to Table includes peppered bacon, ham and sausage, with mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted bell peppers, and herbed goat cheese. You get the picture.
The “more is more” theme extends to the nine-strong collection of three-egg scramblers. On a recent visit, the tangy, Greek salad-like Athenian seemed more like six eggs, loaded with baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, kalamata olives, artichokes and feta cheese.
Other breakfast offerings include a big bowl of shrimp and grits with pancetta and spicy red gravy, the Over Easy BLT, with arugula and fried green tomato, and frosted cereal-coated crunchy French toast.
The lunch list
The lunch side of the menu features a similarly extensive offering of hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads. The low country she crab soup is a signature item, with a spicy, rich-and-creamy broth, and plenty of picked crab meat. The Diablo burger is a piquant Mexican-flavored combo, heaped with crispy onion straws, pickled jalapenos, avocado slices, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and chipotle mayo. Alas, the soft kaiser roll can’t hold all that stuff. And like so many things at Painted Table, it’s just too much of too many flavors.
Dining out
Painted Table Cafe, 465 Boulevard, 404-622-4353
Signature dish: She crab soup
Entree prices: $5.95-$12.95 (specials higher)
Hours: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Fridays- Saturdays.
Reservations: No
Credit cards: Yes
Online: www.paintedtablecafe.com
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