Early Bird Biscuit

Biscuits aren’t the only good thing on the menu at Early Bird Biscuit. Consider the house-made Pop-Tarts. As fine and fragile as a Parisian mille-feuille pastry, laced with a ribbon of fine, sweet fruit, this is breakfast elegance — in its soul, the utter opposite of an actual Kellog Pop-Tarts. Mini strawberry shortcakes, Nutella buttercream tortes, Oreo double chocolate cakelets, coconut-chocolate macaroons: the temptations are hypnotic.

But about the biscuits. They’re big, flaky fellas with a knobby golden crust and creamy insides that glow with the soft dairy tang of buttermilk. All alone, maybe with butter and house-made jam, they’re a Southern classic that everyone needs to eat. But do save appetite for some of Early Bird’s variations, which range from biscuits topped with sawmill sausage gravy to a gorgeous breakfast sandwich that packs sharp cheese and peppery Virginia sausage. Even PB&J is extraordinary, made with locally-sourced Reginald’s peanut butter and some of that house-made jam.

The simple ham biscuit is a precarious balance of salty cured pink ham and fluffy white biscuit. A more complicated B.A.P. contains applewood smoked bacon, arugula, roasted red peppers, and a good schmear of Duke’s mayo. Other house biscuit suggestions include pimento cheese & bacon and chicken salad made with granny smith apples and walnuts. Or, build your own from a choice of eggs, breakfast meats, tomatoes, greens, etc.

Early Bird is a happy little place with a few sidewalk tables for al fresco dining with a canine companion. Coffee, from Richmond’s Blanchard roaster, includes drip brew, espresso (served with a seltzer chaser), lattes, and cappuccinos.

There is a second Early Bird at 1221 Bellevue Ave. (804-553-3866)