Waking up at 5:30 in the morning is rather easy to do when mind and body fully understand just why this is necessary. Please allow me to share Exhibit A.
A baker’s dozen of steaming hot, made-to-order Huey’s if-they-aren’t, they-should-be world famous beignets. Supersize the picture, then press your nose to the screen and inhale deeply…you can lick it if you’d like.
Okay, please don’t do that, that would just be weird; but it’s inevitable–simply being in the presence of these mouth-watering culinary creations will force you to toss your diet out the door. You’ll begin channeling Gollum and with a glazed, maniacal look in your eye, hands wringing in anticipation, you’ll creepily chant "My precious" one too many times.
Or so I’ve heard.
We told our doughnut-loving, powdered-sugar-drinking children about Huey’s ITATSBWF beignets after our trip to Atlanta a few months ago, and they’ve been plotting a way to get there ever since. Our drive to Hilton Head Island led us right through the heart of Atlanta, so we planned to get up early enough to stop there for breakfast.
Imagine our SHOCK AND DISMAY when we got there at 8:22 a.m. only to find out Huey’s doesn’t open until 9:00 on the weekends! Apparently, Atlantans are lazy! get up early Monday-Friday but sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. We had a choice. Drive through Chick-fil-A for a biscuit we could get anywhere, or wait it out.
We waited.
Atlanta has an interesting downtown, so even if there was nothing to DO at that hour, there was plenty to SEE. Although Tad was skeptical, I’m SURE we drove through a movie scene "they" were filming…we saw lots of people out grilling burgers (again, at 8:30 A.M.??) and I saw a guy carrying a BIG camera, another a light deflector, so what else could they have been doing?
With time to expand our appetites and build anticipation even more, we finally headed back to Huey’s, their first customers of the day. The second, third and fourth were right on our heels.
In addition to their beignet cornerstone, scrumptious shrimp and grits and perfect omelettes, here’s why I adore Huey’s:
Their art.
Colorful and jazzy, the perfect metaphor for this restaurant.
Another reason to appreciate Huey’s is their beignet craftsman. I doubt they call him that, but it’s what I saw when I watched him at work. Behind a lucite window, this magnificently weathered black man with a thousand story-telling lines in his face methodically rolled out the dough, cut through it with grace and aplomb, and one-by-one, dropped the squares into boiling grease, gingerly turning and attending to them because, apparently, it matters. There was a rhythm and beauty to his movement, I was watching a master at work. It was nothing to him, it was magic to me.
Beignets don’t last long. In moments, our plate overflowing was reduced to this:
Rachel subscribes to the notion that "more is better"–in this case, she was just being a good steward of the food we ordered; it wouldn’t be "right" to let all that powdered sugar go to waste now, would it?
I don’t think it’s a breach of etiquette to lick your fingers after eating beignets…Emily Post?? Martha Stewart?? Am I correct in this presumption?
You don’t just eat beignets…you kind of wear them, too.
If anyone had sneezed, we would’ve had a real mess on our hands!
** Sigh **
Oh! I almost forgot–the title of this blog is printed on the doors at Huey’s. It translates "Let the good times roll". At Huey’s, they always do :).
Huey’s is about 5 minutes from my office….Love their beignets! I think they’re worth waiting for, too. The photos are great!
Your kids have GORGEOUS eyes!
yum!!! Anything with powdered sugar is good.
This weekend I pigged out on Caramel macaroons. They were small – so I could eat more.
Oh, that’s a mean thing to do to us. I am really really glad that they haven’t installed the ‘smell-a-vision’ accessory on my computer or I think I would have real problems right now.
My screen tastes like plastic. Damn.
Yuummmy! Great photos!
Oh, those beignets look so good! I’ve only had them twice in my whole life, both times at the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. Now I’m going to have to figure out a way to get back down there and quench the craving you stirred up. 😉
Love beignets! My dh brought home some of the batter in a box from New Orleans recently. While they were good, homemade, I’m sure the REAL thing is 1000% better.
They look good. I wonder how I can plan a trip that has to go via Huey’s.
Wiping the drool off the screen. Nothing better than some beignets with some honey. I’m off to fantasize about puffy fried fried fat dough now. . .
Jill, gosh, you have dozens…hundreds?? of fantastic restaurants withing miles! Who could ask for anything more?? 😉
Jeanne, I have three blue-eyed babies. My eyes are brown. Guess they got their daddy’s recessive blue…:) (and thanks).
Karmyn, yep, I think twice as many!
Joe, smellavision…seeing with your nose, lol. Now THAT’S a thought…!
Mark, you mean it doesn’t taste like an APPLE?! 😉
SG, sounds like a good reason to travel to me!
Tracey, a friend gave me a box of mix years ago, but it was out of date (ha!) so I just chunked it. I’m sure there’s no comparison!
TOB, whatever it takes!
Sabrina…you must be in the last days of pregnancy or something…bless your heart!! And still so stinkin’ cute :).
my To Do list (or my To EAT) list, keeps getting longer and longer.
Next time I’m in Atlanta….. ha.
*adopting bad fake Louisisana accent”
Ah, Chere! But don’chaknow thos sho’ look good!
Hey! Jazz and beignets=AWESOME and VERY Louisiana.
Yep. Just one more place I’ve lived before.
YUM!
(took me quite awhile to come up with that long, thoughful comment….)
;o)
Okay, so I admit it…..I licked the screen a bit. I couldn’t help myself!
Dear robin. Yum yum. I hope you had one for all of us.
evil you are, oh my goodness they look good.
I’m dyin’ here looking at those pictures!! OOOOH!!!
LOVE these things! Make them at home, but they never turn out quite the same.
Also a neat trick to get the powdered sugar on your hand, and give someone a loving pat on the buttocks!
Steph, you’re such a gypsy!
Kristy, so profound (lol).
Nikki, it’s our secret…promise;).
Dear LMM, I’m pleading the Fifth…!
Laurel, a compliment?? 😉
Claudia, wow! just thinking if YOU photographed them! Oooo la la for sure :).
Tiggerlane, you’re cute. Yep, three shades of cute…!
Robin, I’ll be in Atlanta in July… please tell me exactly where to find Huey’s! I’ll be staying downtown. I want my beignets!
loveLOVElove beignets! we’ve only had them at the cafe du monde, and that’s a whole lotta atmosphere imo.
they are lovely concoctions and in MY brain go along with the cafe au lait.
making them at home is only satisfactory, but still GOOD!
if i’m ever in atlanta, i’m heading to huey’s for sure!! 🙂