Soul food breakfast at Barbara Jean's, Albany, NY

Yesterday, I was telling a friend how I was so lost in my current writing project that I was forgetting to eat because I’d completely lost my appetite. OK, I’m over that.

This morning, I was out running errands, wandering in my perpetual fog, and thinking about everything except breakfast. Breakfast is big with me, and if I can’t even get it together to boil an egg, things have gotten bad. So, anyway, I’m out picking my way through the construction mess on Delaware Ave when I notice a new sandwich board promising fish dinners, candied yams, collard greens and mac-n-cheese. Was there soul food afoot? Albany should be full of little soul food places, but for some reason it’s not, especially on this side of town. I poked in to investigate, still more of an intellectual curiosity than any stomach grumbling. And then I saw the breakfast sign.

Fish, grits, eggs and toast for ($6.75). Some piece of me that’s been asleep for the past few months started to wake up. Did you say grits and fish for breakfast? I dug around in my purse and managed to find seven singles and some loose change.

“Yeah, I’ll have that,” I said. Did I have the shakes? Was this what it felt like to be hungry? I’d forgotten.

Did I want cheese in my grits?

“Uh, huh.” I couldn’t speak. Cheese, yes, cheese.

I took my package of food and drove home in a full drool.

Inside were two big pieces of beautifully fried fish, toast, egg, and, in the corner, a pile of creamy, buttery, cheesy grits. The smells -- salt, seasoning, rye from the toast, fresh fry and egg – washed over me. Where had I been these past few months? I don’t know, but I was back.

They don’t call it soul food for nothing.

The basics:

Barbara Jean's (part of Carosello Bakery)
72 Hurlbut St.
Albany, NY

(Just off Delaware Ave. around the corner from Cardona's)

434-0006
308-7290

Hours:

8 am to 7 pm Tuesday - Saturday