We're suspicious of grits cooked by a chef wearing anything other than a bathrobe. It's one of those dishes that seems to require an extra helping of TLC, and that can be hard to come by outside of mom's kitchen.

But we visited Malley's Bagels 'n Grits on Washington Road recently with open minds and empty stomachs, ready to be pleasantly surprised. And Malley's is full of surprises, from its jam-packed menu to its sunny, laid-back ambiance.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week, and breakfast is served any time. A display showcasing a huge selection of bagels, complete with samples, greets diners as they walk in. If you think you'll have a tough time deciding which bagel to order, just wait until you open the menu.

Selections include (deep breath, now) eggs, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, French toast, specialty sandwiches, pizza bagels, homemade soups, salads, hot dogs, pita sandwiches, burgers, steaks, chicken fingers and daily specials. (Did we mention bagels and grits?) Each of those broad categories includes a whole subset of offerings, so deciding on a meal at Malley's is like deciding on a pair of shoes from Imelda Marcos' closet. Decisions, decisions.

After much deliberation, we chose a cup of matzo ball soup ($3.10) and a Greek salad ($4.60) followed by the daily special (catfish and grits, $4) and an order of steak and eggs ($8.45). Prices are extremely reasonable, especially considering the generous portions.

The soup, chicken broth with a huge cornmeal-like ball, was savory and delicious, though we would have preferred less matzo ball and more broth. The salad, easily a meal in itself, was a nice combination of greens, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, black olives and feta cheese.

The special consisted of two fried catfish filets, grits and a choice of bread. The catfish and grits were a bit under-seasoned, but with a little doctoring made for a hearty and enjoyable meal. Our bread, a homemade blueberry bagel served with blueberry cream cheese, was sensational.

The steak and eggs included a ribeye steak, two eggs cooked over easy, home-style potatoes and a plain bagel with cream cheese. The potatoes were overly salty, but the steak was large and juicy.

For dessert, we chose the only selection available, chocolate chip cake. We didn't make it past the first bite; it tasted like it had a long and tumultuous relationship with the freezer. The server kindly omitted it from our bill.

Speaking of service, it was a bit too casual for our taste and the server wasn't much of a clutter-clearer. But the memory of those bagels lingers. We'll be back.

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ON THE TOWN

The Eatery: Malley's Bagels 'n Grits, 2742 Washington Road (map); (706) 736-0770

Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

The Verdict: A jam-packed menu served sunny-side up. 3 out of 5 stars.

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Mary Deriso is the retired general manager of the Pinnacle Club, a private dining club in Augusta. Christine Hurley Deriso is a writer whose children's book, Dreams to Grow On, is available in local bookstores and on Amazon.com.