our dad came in town recently for a weekend getaway, and considering i hadn’t seen him since a hometown visit back in march, i was thrilled for the opportunity to have some quality family time.

we were nearly all together while he was here:  kyle, kari, phillip, and i spent those two days hosting dad at some atlanta classics like el taco veloz and the buford market.  when sunday morning arrived, we piled in the cars and made our way to the silver skillet.  dad had heard about this local institution about a year ago on the food network, and considering it had been featured in movies and tv shows like remember the titans and traveling man, he just had to go and see it for himself.

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we waited a short 15 minutes before snuggling and piling into a booth together.  the place was packed, and there didn’t appear to be an empty seat in the house.  as i sipped on my coffee, i took in the space around me.  the silver skillet definitely looks like it’s been around since the 50s, and i’m sure if management even considered remodeling a revolt would promptly ensue.  i suppose there’s something charming about the stuffing seeping out of the benches, the lead-based paint peeling off the walls, and the 89-score health rating.  sure!  whatever helps you sleep at night, kels.

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the people-watching at the silver skillet is pretty prime.  this restaurant is the definition of no-fuss, and its crowd certainly reflects it, too.  the diverse patrons are just here looking for a good meal, and we became part of that tradition thanks to larry, our waitress of 16 years.  we had a hoot of a time with her, due mainly to the fact that she was loving every joke dad threw her way.  a new audience is like Christmas day for milo, and larry played along perfectly.

milo & larry!

so, enough about the atmosphere – let’s talk food.  the silver skillet is known around the country (perhaps even the world!) for their skillet country ham with red eye gravy.  dad and phillip both couldn’t resist ordering it, and i admit their plates looked quite tempting.  the ham was clearly cut straight off the hock which i, of course, loved.  things don’t get much more legit than that!  after many bites, we all came to the general consensus, though, that the ham was a bit too over-salted itself, and dipping it in the sodium-rich gravy made a bite almost unbearable.  despite that fact, they both pretty much cleared their plates.  such good boys!

across from me, kari piecemealed her brunch together a la carte style with a few different selections.  along with her bacon and eggs, she loved and, thus, scarfed down the delectably buttery pancakes.  from the way she was talking about them, they might even rival the ones she’s longingly loved from the original pancake house for so many years.  ooh, interesting!

between bits of eggs and grits, we all greedily feasted on the homemade biscuits as though we hadn’t eaten in weeks.  that basket was emptied in what seemed like mere minutes, i swear!  like the pancakes, the butter was nearly visible to the naked eye as you pulled it apart to top with jelly or dunk in gravy.  i’d gladly pay a small fortune to have biscuits like those baked fresh for me each morning, waking me up as heavenly breakfast scents wafted under my bedroom door, over the lush carpet, and up the bed to my lazy nose.  well, now that i think about it, if this were the case, i’d likely weight twice as much as i do now.  yes, maybe it’s a good thing that all wishes don’t come true.

kyle and i went for the corned beef hash that morning.  this dish is one of my favorites, and they do a nice job here at the silver skillet.  the hash wasn’t too mushy and had great texture, a fact that i’m sure took years to perfect.  my eggs were also quite tasty, although next time i’ll order them over easy rather than over medium so that i’ll have some goopy yolk goodness to sop up in the hash.  oh yes, that’ll be the ticket for sure.

as larry cleared our empty plates from the tabletop, we all turned to milo to get his final take.  we’d already had a winning eating weekend, and i’d hoped the silver skillet hadn’t let him down.  my heart just wouldn’t be able to take it!  well, let me tell you, milo had so much good to say about this place that he even bought a shirt for a souvenir!  such a stud!

we’ve taken milo to a good number of brunch places in the city, buttermilk kitchen being his former favorite.  yes, you read right, folks:  former.  it’s a good and bad thing, you see.  the secret about buttermilk kitchen has gotten out in the last year or so, and it seems that no matter what time of day you go, you’ll easily be waiting at least 30 minutes for a table.  dad shockingly declared he would much rather wait a half hour at the silver skillet than buttermilk kitchen any day of the week, no question about it.

that’s not the end of that, though!  oh, no, siree.  dad even went so far to say, and i quote, “if i were a single man in atlanta, i’d rather ask out a girl who eats at the silver skillet than buttermilk kitchen, every freakin’ time.”  well, dang!  if that doesn’t say it all, i don’t know what will.  wait, no wait, i do know what more can say it.  after many years on God’s great earth of exploring and eating, dad ranks the silver skillet in his list of top ten restaurants.  folks, that puts the silver skillet in the same ranks as pete’s tavern in new york city, tadich grill in san francisco, and old ebbitt grill in washington, dc.  now that, my friends, is all he wrote.  **mic drop**