Restaurant Review: Folk Art
Anyone who enjoys thrift shopping will instantly recognize Folk Art as the restaurant you’ve always imagined yourself opening someday. Vintage tin signs, retro advertisements and classic bottleware adorn the exposed brick walls of this charming new breakfast and lunch spot in Inman Park, pulled together with a tasteful restraint that keeps it safely out of TGI Fridays bric-a-brac territory. Fitting its tagline “Artful Eats for Simple Folk,” the atmosphere is cosmopolitan cool meets small town diner, pretty people eating comfortable food. It’s the place where girlfriends in romantic comedies meet to eat eggs and wear designer hoodies and talk about how badly their dates went the night before. (And I mean that as a compliment.)
It’s been a few years since my last dinner at Wisteria, whose team is behind Folk Art, but I have much stronger recollections of the ambience than I do of the food. Unfortunately, it seems the same will be true of this new venture. As endearing as I found the décor at Folk Art, my meal was lacking the same level of delight. Given the wide array of waffles on the menu–seven, including s'mores and bread pudding–I expected a large, fluffy, Belgian-style treat but instead got a thin, flat circle that had been cooked crisp. The seemingly homemade peanut butter was smooth and light, with just the right hit of salt every now and then to counteract the sweetness of the ripe banana. 
My husband made the better choice with the cinnamon pecan sticky bun French toast (is there anything wrong with any of those words?), which was appropriately gooey and sweet. Our scrambled eggs were firm and flavorful, if just a tad salty. I opted for the turkey sausage, which could have used more spice; my husband was far more pleased with his generous portion of country ham.
With Folk Art in only its third weekend of brunch service, the staff is still clearly working out some kinks. There was confusion among customers at the door over whether there was a sign-in sheet, since no host was anywhere in sight. (I’ve since seen on the restaurant’s Facebook page that they’re currently hiring for the position.) Our server was friendly but seemed distracted with trying to keep all the balls in the air. We didn’t get any sort of welcome spiel, unless you count “Do you know what you want to drink?” as a warm opener. The bussing staff was efficient, but a little too efficient, reaching to remove plates that clearly were still in progress. Toward the end of our breakfast, I left to use the bathroom and returned to find they’d taken not only my dishes (which were empty), but also my coffee cup and water glass (which were not).
Creature comfort-wise, the numerous fans and air conditioning kept the room breezy on a hot August morning, but unfortunately they also succeeded in cooling off my food almost the instant it arrived. Apparently, plans are underway to expand the parking lot next door, but until then, street parking on North Highland is a challenge and will likely only get worse as more of the Atlanta brunch crowd makes its way over. Still, I was smitten enough by the overall experience that we’ll no doubt make a return trip, especially to sample their equally enticing lunch menu. Like most romantic comedies, the substance may not be all there, but it sure is pretty to look at, and that might just be enough to keep me coming back for more. 
Folk Art
465 North Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
404-537-4493
www.folkartrestaurant.com