Mama's Boy, the perfect hangover cure

Mama's Boy
197 Oak St.
706-548-6249

By SARA GOODMAN

Curing a hangover has never been easier than eating at Mama’s Boy for Sunday brunch. Self-described as “Southern fun dining,” the restaurant cooks up regional favorites that evoke a nostalgic feeling of Southern charm. The restaurant opened its doors three years ago and in its short time has become an Athens weekend ritual for both college students and locals. And like most of the college students waiting for a table, I, too, was hungover.

My typical antidote after a night drinking is grease; large and vast amounts of greasy cuisine. Whether it’s Waffle House, McDonald’s or just a bowl of lard, grease instantly cures me. However, the process of healing a hangover at Mama’s Boy is different. Not only because of the lack of grease in the food, but also because the restaurant is your mother’s 1950’s kitchen. Entering the restaurant, everything seems familiar. The dining room is straight out of Pleasantville. Think robin’s egg blue walls, white billowy curtains and retro black Formica dinette sets. It felt cozy without feeling cheesy, homey but not gimmicky.

Drinks are served in glass mason jars, including the house favorite strawberry lemonade. The electric pink drink, which was too sugary to quench my severe dehydration, reminded me of the juice from lemonade stands of my youth. This juice, though, was a little more grown up. The sugary and acidic combination creates a vibrant flavor, reminiscent of a tropical drink, umbrella included, sipped poolside. Although it was too sweet for my impaired taste buds, the pink drink was visible on all the surrounding tables.

Eating at Mama’s Boy felt like eating at home, with the added pleasure of being served and cooked for. The brunch menu, which is served Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., ranges from dessert for breakfast to oyster sandwiches. In between is the vegetable and egg scrambler with spinach, onion, goat cheese and tomato with a familiar appeal mixed with sophistication. The key element in this dish is the goat cheese. The creamy consistency of the tart cheese combined with the ultimate hangover cure, scrambled eggs, makes for a mature version of cheesy egg.

Served with a homemade buttermilk biscuit and cheese grits, the sides are the perfect chasers. The biscuit is the type of biscuit that would make Paula Deen proud: flakey, fluffy and best prepared in the creamy butter and fresh strawberry jam served with it. The grits are thicker than a true Southern accent and are covered in a layer of shredded cheddar cheese and butter. With each bite, these grits silently reaffirm why I live in the South, and make me instantly forget about my menacing stomachache.

But it’s not just the vegetable and egg scrambler saving the day. The corned beef and potato hash with its two poached eggs and chive hollandaise makes for a convincing remedy, as well. The salty corned beef mixes with perfectly seasoned potato hash to create the traditional breakfast dish. The dish, though, could have used more meat and an additional sprinkling of hollandaise sauce. The mill town breakfast plate is the standard two eggs your way and thick cut bacon. Mama’s Boy serves only the real thing when it comes to bacon. I’m talking about generous slices, freshly sizzled— not microwaved. The breakfast taco plate provides a surge of creative energy, with the dish requiring eaters to choose from a variety of fillings, ranging from beans and pico de gallo to tofu and bacon. If sugar is your thing, sample the Georgia peach stuffed toast. Topped off with powdered sugar, pecans, whipped cream and maple syrup, the gooey mounds of bread taste like peach cobbler for breakfast. And trust me, you don’t need the syrup.

If you’re feeling especially queasy from your night downtown, avoid the fried chicken biscuit, which tastes like the deep fryer zapped the entire flavor out of the chicken. Ditto for the fried oyster sandwich. The small fried oysters were further shrunken by the frying process and ended up tasting dry, chewy and overcooked. A drawback to the Sunday brunch is the large crowd, which causes the kitchen to work overtime with not enough hands to keep up. Also, be prepared for the noise. The small restaurant echoes throughout with the packed-to-capacity dining crowd, which is not ideal for a spinning head. And don’t be scared away by the approximate wait-time the hostess gives you. Typically, she’s off by at least 30 minutes. Prices, though, won’t cause your head to pound as all brunch items are under $9. After a night out on the town, it’s safe to reopen your wallet on Sundays at Mama’s Boy. Your hangover will thank you later.