The dim and dingy space that was the Rustic Tavern for decades is suddenly bright and airy — a great place to rise and shine with breakfast and coffee in the morning. That's thanks to Seth Rubin, who purchased the building last spring and turned it into Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen & Cafe, which opened Saturday morning, bringing tall, flaky biscuits to residents of Sloan's Lake and West Highland.

The menu is short and sandwich-centered: Start with a plain biscuit and add butter and jam, or layer on eggs, cheese and breakfast meats for not much more money. Six sandwiches named for towns in Rubin's home state of North Carolina offer a transition to lunchtime, and a cinnamon-roll biscuit adds an option for those with a sweet tooth. Fellow Southerners will be pleased to see North Carolina country ham on the roster — and Cheerwine soda will soon make an appearance. Coffee and espresso drinks are made with locally roasted Pablo's beans.

Check Rise & Shine's website for the biscuit of the day, including Friday beer-biscuit days. The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. daily.

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