Breakfast treats at Lofty Pursuits

I have to admit the possibility of eating ice cream for breakfast had me intrigued. 

So I was secretly excited about the prospect of going to breakfast at Lofty Pursuits, where you can order treats like waffles Bananas Foster with vanilla bean ice cream or get a scoop of ice cream with your pancakes. 

The ice cream parlor also happens to serve a very good traditional breakfast with items like biscuits and gravy, steak and eggs and even a vegan hash (with vegetables and vegan grits). 

I’ve eaten ice cream at Lofty Pursuits for years but I finally had breakfast there recently with friend Rosanne Dunkelberger. She ordered an omelet made with Bradley sausage and Swiss cheese, proclaiming the amount of sausage extremely generous ($11). Three-egg omelets are served with a choice of hash browns, local, Bumpy Roads grits or bread — Rosanne had one of Lofty Pursuits’ biscuits, which are big and fluffy. 

I skipped ice cream — initially — and ordered the Lofty Wake Up Call, which included a heck of a lot of food. For $12, my breakfast featured a waffle imprinted with a Star Wars Millennium Falcon no less, two eggs (over medium for me), two slices of bacon, grits, hash browns and toast. The potatoes were cooked to a dark brown, which is how I like them, with an extra crisp top. It was all quite good, and filling. I wound up taking the bacon and half the waffle home, to my husband’s delight. 

The menu touts local/regional products that include milk from Sparkman’s Cream Valley in Moultrie, Ga., bread from Tasty Pastry, granola and honey from Orchard Pond and hand-squeezed orange juice.

I’ll make a confession. It’s tough for me to leave Lofty Pursuits without eating ice cream so I did get a nano, $1.50 cone of pistachio, served with a smile by staffer Markee Edwards (pictured here). 

There is a kids’ menu at Lofty Pursuit but starting the day with a Star Wars waffle and an ice cream cone can sure make anyone feel young again. 

Breakfast and lunch are served daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with brunch on Saturday and Sunday, offering some extra items. The ice cream parlor is open until 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and to 9 p.m. Sunday, offering a 12-page ice cream menu, with egg creams, nearly three dozen choices of sundaes and the Kitchen Sink, with 26 scoops of ice cream).

Lofty Pursuits, owned by Greg Cohen, also features house-made Victorian-style hard candy and sponsors the Lofty Pursuits Marching Band. The ice cream parlor/restaurant is at 1355 Market St.; 850-521-0091.