A restaurant serves many communities — the workers, the diners and, if the restaurant owner does the job well, the neighborhood, providing a place where people can gather outside of work and home.
That’s what Jennifer Johnson was seeking to create in 2004 when she and her husband Ben Johnson opened their first restaurant, West Egg Cafe, in Atlanta’s Westside. Jennifer was a lawyer who wasn’t finding her legal career as satisfying as she’d hoped. Counseling, conversations with Ben and a little soul searching helped her decide that opening a casual coffee shop was the right next step.
The Johnsons found what had been an empty warehouse at 14th Street and Howell Mill Road. “The space spoke to us. It was this little terra cotta block building on the other side of the railroad tracks from Bacchanalia and Taqueria del Sol,” Ben said. Unoccupied when they first saw it, it stood in the midst of Atlanta’s informal design district, surrounded by unpermitted lofts and the White Provision building which was being used as a U-Haul rental location.
They renovated the space themselves and attended neighborhood association meetings, introducing themselves and taking food to share, all while worrying if anyone would come when they opened their doors.
On opening day, Ben took a break from his day job to have lunch at the cafe. He found a line out the door and his wife on the verge of tears trying to keep up with the demand, so he took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and started washing dishes. He remembers thinking, “This might work.” Indeed, they discovered there was a lot of pent-up demand from nearby residents and those working in the warehouses, small offices and creative spaces surrounding the building.
West Egg Cafe opened as a coffee and sandwich shop with counter service, offering a place for neighbors to gather. As brunch became more popular, the Johnsons leaned in. “It wasn’t in our plan to offer full-service weekend brunch, but our menu evolved as people told us what they wanted,” Jennifer said.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
When their building and the White Provision building were sold for redevelopment in 2008, the cafe kept operating while the surrounding new condos were constructed. The staff worked through the construction, bedrock blasting and dump trucks blocking the entrance to the cafe. In January 2010, the cafe closed for two days while staff rolled their equipment down the sidewalk and into the new space.
Those early years were rough economically for many, but the Johnsons found people still wanted what West Egg Cafe offered — a place to be together. “The community aspect still held, and our casual nature and lower price point allowed us to succeed,” Ben said.
Credit: Ben Johnson
Credit: Ben Johnson
Earlier this month, they announced they would be closing West Egg Cafe. Dec. 29 will be the final day of service. There are many reasons the Johnsons made this hard decision. “Since the pandemic, we have seen a decline in in-person dining as people no longer work regular hours in actual offices and meet virtually rather than in person. We have seen an ever-growing percentage of our business move to online and third-party delivery services. Sales are down. Costs are up,” Jennifer said. The economics of restaurants have changed, with weekday breakfast and lunch being hit the hardest.
Closing West Egg Cafe allows the Johnsons and their partners Todd Ginsberg and Shelley Sweet to focus on the other restaurants in the Rye Restaurants group - The General Muir, TGM Bread, Wood’s Chapel BBQ, Yalla and Fred’s Meat & Bread.
“The hardest thing about the decision to close the restaurant is that we have a group of people who care about the place as much as we do. When you find these people, you want to work with them forever,” said Jennifer. “We are doing everything we can to move the staff to our other restaurants or to find homes for them in restaurants we know will treat them well.”
West Egg Cafe, 1100 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta. 404-872-3973, westeggcafe.com.
RECIPES
Over the years, readers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution have requested recipes from West Egg Cafe including a longtime brunch favorite, black bean cakes and eggs. Recently, a reader requested two more of the restaurant’s brunch recipes: fried chicken hash and churro waffles. As always, chef Andrew Smith was happy to share.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Churro Waffles
At West Egg Cafe, these waffles are made in a round Belgian waffle iron and a serving is one full waffle.
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons malted milk powder
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Warm Chocolate Sauce, to serve (see recipe)
- Make cinnamon sugar: In a medium bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, malted milk powder, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing just enough to combine. Stir in melted butter.
- Heat waffle iron and lightly grease according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Heat 3 inches vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place next to the cooktop.
- Ladle 1/3 cup batter into each waffle section. Close iron and cook until light golden brown, about 3 minutes, depending on the heat of your iron. As each waffle comes off the iron, separate into triangles or squares and transfer to hot oil. Fry 1 minute, then using tongs, turn and cook 1 minute or until golden and crisp. Move waffles to prepared baking sheet, allow to drain for 1 minute, then toss in bowl of cinnamon sugar, making sure all surfaces are covered. Serve immediately with Warm Chocolate Sauce.
- Repeat with remaining batter, greasing waffle iron between batches as needed.
Serves 6.
Per serving (without Warm Chocolate Sauce): 346 calories (percent of calories from fat, 36), 7 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrates, 27 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 14 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 54 milligrams cholesterol, 358 milligrams sodium.
Warm Chocolate Sauce
- 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Combine chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds, remove from microwave and stir. Return to microwave and heat 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until sauce is smooth. If needed, continue heating in 15 second bursts until chocolate is melted. Let rest at room temperature 5 minutes before serving. If sauce becomes too thick, gently warm again.
Makes 1 cup.
Per tablespoon: 49 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), trace protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, trace fiber, 4 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 8 milligrams cholesterol, 3 milligrams sodium.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Fried Chicken Hash
We’ve adapted the method for preparing West Egg Cafe’s fried chicken hash to make it work for home cooks without a line of cooks staffing the fry station and working at the cooktop.
When he provided the recipe, chef Andrew Smith wrote that guests sometimes ask for their eggs prepared in some way other than sunny-side up and the cooks prepare the hash accordingly. “But we stand by runny yolks as important for this dish! The runny yolk itself becomes part of the sauce which fried chicken breast needs.”
- 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 1/2 cup full-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Morton’s kosher salt
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Tabasco
- 4 large unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 2 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves, stems removed, rinsed well
- 2 portobello mushroom caps, cut into strips
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil, for frying chicken and potatoes
- 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
- 8 eggs
- Marinate chicken: Put chicken in a 1-gallon plastic bag and add buttermilk. Turn chicken to be sure all pieces are coated with buttermilk. Seal bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
- Make seasoned flour: In a wide bowl , whisk together flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, cumin, pepper, paprika, garlic and cayenne. Set aside.
- Make Tabasco aioli: In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and Tabasco. Cover bowl and refrigerate until needed.
- When ready to cook: put potatoes in a large saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn off heat and let potatoes stand uncovered 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and arrange on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to remove all moisture.
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add chard, mushrooms, onion and corn. When vegetables begin to brown and chard has wilted, reduce heat to low and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- While vegetables are cooking, in a Dutch oven, heat 3 inches vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Line another baking sheet with paper towels and place next to cooktop.
- Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower cooked potatoes into hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes, turning as needed. When potatoes are ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer to skillet with vegetables. Keep oil in Dutch oven at 350 degrees.
- Use tongs to remove a chicken breast from buttermilk, letting excess buttermilk drip back into the bag. Put breast into seasoned flour and turn to make sure flour coats all sides. Shake off excess flour and carefully add to hot oil. Repeat with second breast. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, then turn and fry until second side is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer fried chicken to prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining two breasts. Discard remaining buttermilk. Cut fried chicken into 2-inch chunks.
- Divide vegetable and potato mixture between four serving plates, leaving space in the center for the eggs. Divide fried chicken between plates.
- In a nonstick skillet over low heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter and cook two eggs sunny-side up, 2 to 3 minutes. Slide eggs onto the center space of one of the serving plates, drizzle with Tabasco aioli and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining 6 eggs.
Serves 4.
Per serving (with 1/4 teaspoon salt): 911 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 60 grams protein, 63 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams total sugars, 7 grams fiber, 47 grams total fat (11 grams saturated), 515 milligrams cholesterol, 1,328 milligrams sodium.
West Egg Cafe’s Black Bean Cakes
This black bean cake recipe is easy and versatile. The appetizer version is garnished with sour cream and a house-made chipotle salsa. For an entree, make the cakes a little larger and top them with scrambled or fried eggs, or serve it as a black bean burger topped with pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese. The masa harina called for in the recipe can be found in the Hispanic foods section of grocery stores.
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 cup masa harina
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Sour cream and chipotle salsa, for garnish
- In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat and saute onion and garlic until soft.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine sauteed onion and garlic, beans, cumin, chili powder, masa harina, hot sauce and salt. Pulse until mixture is almost smooth and holds together for patties.
- In a medium skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. For appetizer portion, scoop out 1/4 cup of the bean mixture and form a small patty. Saute on both sides until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes Makes: 12 appetizer-size bean cakes (2 cakes per serving)
Per serving: 108 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 4 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 4 grams fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, 390 milligrams sodium.
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