Bubby’s Diner

The breakfast meeting is underrated. Surely marinating my brain in butter and coffee is good for at least 10 more IQ points, and my ideas are so much better as a result. And, as feelings of accomplishment go, there’s little to rival the one I get arriving to work having already knocked out what might be my toughest challenge of the day.

Alas, it’s a tough sell. Generally you have to get to the eatery no later than 7 to make it worthwhile, which means you need to be vertical no later than 6. So people get all whiny about “beauty sleep” and “getting kids to school” and I don’t know what else.

Fortunately, the classic diner Bubby’s is on Whitesburg Drive, a click or two north of the intersection with the Parkway, which is convenient to my former mentor and current close friend Melanie. She was game for a breakfast meeting (even if we haven’t been colleagues since 2005).

The look inside Bubby’s isn’t all the way to ducktails and bobby socks, but there’s definitely a ’50s vibe. The breakfast menu can accommodate your sweet tooth or your savory hankering, and while presented simply, there are many additional choices to be found in the a la carte section.

We each started with coffee, which was hot and fresh, and I also had a large orange juice. (I miss tomato juice and V8 on breakfast menus, but no demerits for Bubby’s on this point. It’s vanishing everywhere, not just here.)

Melanie spoke highly of her blueberry pancakes, noting the generous use of vanilla as especially pleasant. I had eggs over easy, sausage, and hash browns. My eggs were cooked correctly, and my hash browns were the ideal brown I can never quite get at home. Everything was served at perfect temperature. The breakfast combos also come with grits, sausage gravy, and a biscuit. The sausage gravy was fresh and flavorful. We made happy plates.

Other options include subbing country fried steak for sausage or bacon for a slight upcharge. Hash brown casserole and potato wedges are also available, as is a doughnut slider–bacon or sausage with cheese and egg served on a doughnut. Omelets are not explicitly offered on the menu, but as long as you didn’t ask for anything strange, I bet they’d make you one. Certainly there are many omelet components present.

It looks as if I’ll need to get by for lunch or dinner sometime soon, as well. The usual suspects are here–burgers, dogs, BLTs, and so forth. Some surprises lurk as well, including meat-and-three platters with numerous choices, po’boys, and entree salads. There are also enough sweets available to make Bubby’s a dedicated dessert stop. Hand-dipped milkshakes, malts, and floats could stand alone or accompany your cheeseburger. There are also cobblers, pies, and even banana splits and sundaes.

Our service was excellent throughout our visit, and Bubby’s is priced quite reasonably–in line with fast food, really. There’s not a dedicated kids’ menu, but with so much of the menu being children’s favorites, you don’t really need one. It’s an ideal place for a family outing or an inexpensive date (or a breakfast meeting).