Over our holiday break (it seems so long ago now), we checked out another diner near our house, the Early Bird. From the moment we arrived, I could tell I was going to like the place. It had an eclectic, down-home sort of feeling, similar to many of the coffee houses and diners I used to frequent in law school down in Austin, Texas.
Top: this is the first menu cover I’ve ever seen that made me think, “That would make a great tattoo;” and bottom: chalkboard specials above the relatively small kitchen area
Within 30 seconds of checking out the menu, I knew what I wanted: the $9 chicken n’ waffles special. I’ve expounded my love of the salty-sweet combination here before, and after maple syrup on bacon, chicken and waffles is pretty much a close second in terms of the best salty-sweet combo ever.
I wasn’t disappointed with the Early Bird’s version, either: theirs came with creamy, whole-grain Dijon mustard suspended in warmed honey. I mean, seriously. If I could have one wish, it would be to take a hot bath on a cold day in a tub filled with this stuff.
Top: the hubby’s excellent corn cake benedict; bottom: my sister’s unusual but tasty curried egg scramble
While the chicken and waffles were the clear standout, the other dishes we shared held their own, too. The hubby ordered the corn cake benedict, which actually came more like corn pancakes with perfectly poached eggs perched on top. My sister ordered a vegetable curried egg scramble, which, by the mere suggestion of curry, intrigued all of us. It turns out that adding curry to eggs is an excellent way to turn an otherwise ho-hum morning omelet into something really interesting. And with the fresh slices of ripe avocado on top — well, that makes the whole dish a head-turner.
Early Bird Diner | 1644 Savannah Highway | Charleston, SC
