Buttermilk Kitchen | Quality Ingredients, Basic Breakfast
After roadtripping to a samba gig at a Latin festival, my fellow Samba Dancer and favorite “vegetablearian” (more on that to come) joined me for brunch at a place I drive by almost daily. Buttermilk Kitchen is nestled in Buckhead just south of Chastain Park and next to a few other restaurants I’ve been meaning to try (including 10 degrees South). This farm-to-table, local foods restaurant is known for its fried chicken served on a buttermilk biscuit. And as is my luck when I go in search of certain dishes, they were sold out when I got there.
Buttermilk Kitchen has a pleasant atmosphere. Parking on site is very limited and a bit disjointed, but it is clearly marked. When you finally enter the restaurant, the hostesses are smiling and helpful. And since the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, be sure to allow for about a wait during peak times. On a sunny day the breakfast bar/waiting area is bright and airy. You won’t be able to sip a mimosa or bloody mary while you wait, since this place has no bar. Major downer.
Anyway, I found the Buttermilk Kitchen breakfast menu to be full of unpretentious ingredients and techniques, offering familiar dishes with a slight twist. Its not the most comprehensive breakfast menu, but it covers most of the basics.
With her dietary restrictions, my friend did her best with the menu and opted for the market scramble, which changes seasonally. This one included sweet potatoes, poblano peppers, red onions, cilantro, and cotija cheese. A strange combination to me, but with the addition of tabasco sauce-- it seemed to work for her. While ordering, she asked if they could add spinach to her scramble. The response was a long-winded explanation about different types of spinach, the local demand, and then ultimately the rule that they don’t modify dishes. The latter would have sufficed upfront. My friend ultimately chopped up a side of sauteed kale and mixed it into her dish.
I ordered a fried egg BLT on ciabatta. the green tomatoes and mountain of bacon on the sandwich were perfect, but I wasn’t really a fan of all the bread. My hash browns with rosemary salt were pretty good. They looked like a prettier version of the kind you get at mcdonald’s, but they tasted way better. I wish I had more to say about it. I really love local food, a farm-to-table scheme in a restaurant. But I have to admit that I was underwhelmed.
This cute little rustic blue house with the very nice staff serves good food, but this first impression was not great. Maybe my mind would change if I had the fried chicken biscuit. However, I saw a biscuit on someone else’s plate. Meh. If someone else invites me to Buttermilk Kitchen, I’ll definitely consider it. And I’ll pray that I can try the fried chicken. But otherwise, this place wouldn’t be added to the list of options. I’m glad I finally checked it out. I have nothing bad to say about Buttermilk Kitchen, but nothing stellar to say either.
