Pine State Biscuits
I will begin by disclosing that I’m not ordinarily a huge biscuit person. Oh, I like them buttered with honey and I’ll eat them with fried chicken and gravy – but I wouldn’t ordinarily go out of my way to frequent a biscuit bar. Which is essentially what Pine State Biscuits is – a cross between a restaurant and a food cart, really. However gauging by the line extending outside the door and along the sidewalk, a pretty popular joint.
We went there because my little guy loves biscuits and gravy, anything involving a biscuit, really and I’m a typical mom – pretty much a slave to keeping my babies happy when it comes to food. There’s something primal about mothers and the satisfaction we get from feeding our offspring. It doesn’t matter that one of my babies is now over six feet tall, it’s the same as the day he came home from the hospital, at least where food is concerned.
Hence the reason I found myself standing outside in line in the morning waiting for a biscuit.
Sign at Pine State Biscuit
It’s actually a cute little neighborhood – in fact the building next door was someone’s house. We saw people coming out with paper cartons full of breakfast biscuit, and sitting down on some of the tables outside the door. That put me on a bit of high alert, because it wasn’t a sunny day and there were people eating outside.
Menu at Pine State Biscuit
Once we were inside and approaching the counter, my anxiety increased. I’m not a big fan of having to make my choice in a hurry. I like to sit down, see what other people have ordered, peruse the menu a bit. I’m also not too keen on ordering off a blackboard for the same reason – I’m never certain I’ve really had a chance to look at everything available before I choose. You approach the counter at a random pace, dependent upon the number of individuals in the groups ahead of you, whether they’re paying cash or credit etc. It’s a little chaotic to me – particularly with kids in tow. Add to that not knowing whether to order the food to go or not, given we were still uncertain at the time we ordered whether we’d get a table or not.
Coffee Bar at Pine State Biscuit
In this case, though, there was the added pressure of not only making a selection quickly, but also keeping your eye out for a place to sit. There were only about four or five tables inside, and a long bar along the end of the room for those who were waiting or choosing to eat there. We were lucky enough to secure a table and I went with a safe order of something I knew I could eat standing up in the event we were unable to find a table before our order was ready. The little guy was fortunately already set on his selection – had been before we even arrived – biscuits and gravy. He was not disappointed.
Biscuits and Gravy at Pine State Biscuits
It’s been a few months since we were there, and he’s still talking about their biscuits and gravy – it’s the standard by which he compares all others. So that’s saying something.
I played it safe and just ordered an egg sandwich.
Sausage, Egg and Cheese at Pine State
This was the most awkward I’ve felt since I began doing food blogs, because we were in such close quarters to the other diners, there was no way to furtively take photos, no chance to get out of my seat and change angles without stepping on someone else. Not to mention the unavoidable non-consensual photograph taking that I’m beginning to embrace… I did my best to get some reasonably representative shots of the place – but I honestly felt a certain amount of pressure to get down to eating out food as there was a line extended out the door, and I knew other patrons were probably hoping to get a seat. Seemed a bit decadent to linger, you know? However I did see someone else with a camera, it’s getting to the point this happens quite frequently in restaurants, so I’m becoming less self conscious.
I was not as enthralled with my food choice as Luke with his, however had I been more adventurous I might have fared better. It was tasty, however the cheese wasn’t melted, and it seemed somewhat dry. I’d recommend going with something that has more sauce added to it, or involved in the dish. We’d go back sometime, now that we know what to expect. I’d plan to sit outside to eat, or get it to go.
Overall, I’d recommend it for a quick breakfast, on a good weather day. We recommend the biscuits and gravy, but I’d go for something a bit less standard in a sandwich if I were doing it over, and definitely try the pie next time!
Pine State Biscuits counter
