CHEF DEMETRIUS BROWN TO DEBUT MONTHLY HERITAGE SUPPER CLUB TASTING MENU EXPERIENCE AT BREAD & BUTTERFLY

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 9/9/24

Exclusive Tasting Experience Will Explore the Culinary Richness of the African Diaspora, with Limited Seatings

First Event Scheduled for Friday, September 27

Bread & Butterfly, the Atlanta restaurant led by Executive Chef and Owner Demetrius Brown, is excited to announce that Brown’s brainchild, the Heritage Supper Club dining experience, will be launching a monthly tasting menu experience at Bread & Butterfly. Set to kick off with its inaugural seating on Friday, September 27, the unique experience for four seats only will offer an intimate exploration of the diversity, complexity and beauty of Caribbean and Afro-American cuisine through a special seven-course tasting menu with Chef Demetrius Brown. In contrast to the a la carte selection on Bread & Butterfly dinner menu, the Heritage experience will feature a special tasting menu format, with ever-evolving dishes with a focus on the African diaspora as well as Brown’s personal food memories.

The experience will take place at the Bread & Butterfly bar, providing a personal and immersive dining experience during regular service hours. There will be one seating per night starting at 6pm on one Friday each month – upcoming dates include September 27, October 25, November 22 and December 13. Reservations will be $150 per person and are now available for booking here with optional wine or non-alcoholic beverage pairings. Guests can expect a rotating menu featuring dishes like:

  • Carmen’s Cucumbers – cucumber granita, mint & black pepper
  • Oxtail Waakyebraised oxtail, plantains, rice & beans
  • Efo Riro smoked herring, callaloo, obe ata & African basil
  • Bobotie roasted mushroom, apricot & pecan chutney & dill
  • Jerk Chicken chicken yakitori & cilantro yogurt
  • Canjicahominy, brigadeiro, coconut, peanut brittle & dulce de leche

A pandemic-born passion project, Heritage Supper Club is Brown’s personal venture fueled by his yearslong quest to explore Caribbean and Afro-American tradition and cuisine. Dedicated to celebrating these cultures through food, Brown officially launched the idea as a pop-up in 2021, hosting the experience at local, acclaimed hotspots in the evenings – including Bread & Butterfly. The first dinner was a tremendous success and sparked conversations that eventually led Brown and his business partner Brandon Blanchard to acquire the existing French restaurant Bread & Butterfly in August 2023. 

As part of Bread & Butterfly’s next chapter, Brown opened the restaurant for dinner service, featuring a new menu serving French cuisine as seen through the lens of the African diaspora, taking guests on a culinary journey traversing continents. Paying homage to Bread & Butterfly’s roots, Brown has kept many beloved breakfast and lunch dishes on the menu as mainstays while infusing his signature culinary style and building upon strong relationships with small, local farms. 

For more information on Heritage Supper Club and its story, please visit the website or follow along on Instagram

Yumbii: Food Truck Royalty Turned Taco Shop

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/17/20

Heading into South Buckhead on Peachtree, we pulled up to a bright, striking blue storefront that’s brimming with bubble-gum whimsy. Enter Yumbii Taco Shop, originally a food truck of food truck royalty status now has a fun store front where you can get your favorite tacos, wings, bowls, and even a margarita or canned wine. That being said, if you know us, we could eat tacos and wings every day of the week without discrimination. With the perfect blend of Asian and Mexican flavors, Yumbii is the haven for that to-go fix. An array of delectably different tacos, mix and match bowls or salads, tasty wings, Asian nachos, and signature sesame fries, it’s one of those places you can’t help but get a little bit of anything and everything. Can someone please get these guys a crown or even a scepter? Cue the parade, we’ve got food truck royalty coming through. Let’s get this to-go adventure rolling.

One of the best bites you can get from Yumbii is definitely their famous sesame fries. They’re simple yet unique, crispy yet tender, Asian-inspired, yet a little bit sweet. Just imagine a crispy, crunchy, heavily battered set of fries fresh from the oven topped with sesame and a soy-based glaze that if you get a little on your fingers, you must lick it off. Insert heart eye emoji here. You almost can’t describe what these fries taste like, you’ll just have to go and try them for yourself. Please? You WILL thank us.

Yumbii Wings are another of the best things we sampled, but what makes a good wing? Crispy skin, meaty and tender chicken, the right amount of sauce or rub that brings the flavor. These tasty numbers are all of this with the right amount of meaty chicken, crispy skin, and we’re in love with the honey and spicy sriracha sauce. It’s a good and even bite with the right amount of spice and sweetness. Now, if you’re looking for something a little healthier, we’d recommend the rice or salad bowl without the dairy. Choose from either salad or rice and add protein, it is jammed full of flavor from the spicy sauce, beans, and corn. We went with the spicy pulled pork and rice base and mixed it up well with the Korean chili and soy-sesame vinaigrette, and it was a great myriad of flavors and textures. If you do go for the dairy, the cheese brings a nice creaminess that goes well with the protein. We also have to say they have hefty portions, so you won’t end up hungry.

You can’t go to Yumbii and not try a ton of tacos. I mean, it IS a taco shop. It’s just not possible. Of the tacos, the one we loved the most was the fried chicken, from the crispy and tender chicken to the phenomenal chipotle aioli to the spice of the pickled jalapenos, it’s an all-around delicious bite. Make sure you get all the ingredients in one bite, it is freaking fantastic. We also really enjoyed the Asian rib-eye beef, which the meat was so tender and perfectly marinated. Don’t be fooled by it’s delicate start because it turns slightly spicy on you then couple that with the crunch of the lettuce from the soy-sesame vinaigrette salad. The taco up being a great journey through the entire bite. The fried fish was crunchy, flaky, and we loved the hoisin-tartar sauce mixed with the Korean chili sauce. What a dynamic burst of flavors that reminded us of a Friday night fish fry complete with tartar sauce. All the other tacos like the spicy-pulled pork and Korean bbq style chicken were good with the right amount of tender meat and Korean chili sauce. Beyond what we tried they had a vegetable-based taco, fried tofu, and shrimp. If you could have one of these tacos, which would it be?

Whether you get take-out from the truck or from their Taco Shop, Yumbii will leave you wanting more. Like, we’ve been eyeing those taco combos or Yumbii Nachos for our next trip. Is it Taco Tuesday yet?

Clues and Cocktails: When a Meal Becomes a Mission

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/6/20

What if we told you that you could be a special agent rewarded with food? Enter Clues and Cocktails who traditionally would have you for dinner and a mystery show at their Auburn Ave location or games in their themed bar, but their new to-go and take out option keeps the fun going all the way to your door. An alternative to the boring take-out and delivery night, Clues and Cocktails invites you to order take-out and a mission for a non-traditional date night, game night, and everything in between. Do you have what it takes to crack the code and reap your food reward? Let’s find out.

When you order and select a mission, The Package comes to life as you become a special agent to stop bad guys like a superhero! Given a mission from Special Agent 048, you will crack codes, clues, and puzzles to complete thwart bandits from intercepting the package and receive a special code to open it upon arrival. The game turns out to be easy and fun and you even get to get a code to open the lock on your food. We successfully unlocked ours. Will you?

We got to try one entrée, The Collusion, but they have a ton of sandwich and salads for anyone looking for something handheld or healthy. Don’t let Clues and Cocktails deceive you, they may not have food in their name, but they have some mean bites. The Collusion is a boat of mac n cheese topped with spicy collards, baked chicken, more cheese, with cornbread and cowboy caviar on the side. It was a lot of food! Starting with our favorite, the cornbread, it was some of the best we’ve eaten in a very long time. It was savory and sweet topped with a fruit concoction that makes it almost a dessert. I wish there were more in my package because I could have eaten a whole pan full. What was even better that some of it got on top of my food and it gave it a delicious sweetness. The chicken was tender and well-seasoned, the mac and cheese was super cheesy, and what really made this dish was the spicy collard greens. They were perfectly cooked and mixed with hot sauce to give the dish some spice. It was a collusion of flavors that we really enjoyed. On the side, we also really enjoyed the cowboy caviar, a creamy and crunchy mix of beans, avocado, onion, corn, and a hint of lime. It was so refreshing and a great contrast to the hearty main entrée.

We can’t wait to try their bar, cocktails, and experience a mystery soon at Clues and Cocktails. This message will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1.

The Local Expedition Wood Fired Grill: A Picnic at Home

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 4/30/20

As the weather in Atlanta gets warmer, the sunny Spring days get longer, we are ready to grab our favorite blankets and have a picnic at home feast. Getting almost everything on the menu, The Local Expedition Wood Fired Grill has a whole list of extraordinary vegetables that changes daily, tons of protein options, grilled pineapple, and even epic, loaded, local fries to tempt even the healthiest! We spoke with Danny, who along with his wife own this new Sandy Springs location, as well as the original location in Alpharetta. When we asked about ingredients so we could share with you, he simply said that everyone find their own flavors in each dish, that is why they have “expedition” in their name. He explained you’d find a different flavor combo in every dish that differs from what your friends or partner might taste. Are you ready to go on a tasty exploit? So are we!

When it comes to vegetables and sides, they have everything you could ever want from fries, spaghetti squash, brussels sprouts, beet salad, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more. Of the ones we tried, which were all good, the stand outs were the local fries and the spaghetti squash. Starting with the local fries, they are medium-cut potatoes with a crispy, heftier batter for more crunch, topped with cheese, and then lemon garlic and cilantro sauces drizzled on top. Insert mind blown emoji here. We were blown away by the flavor, overall bite of the local fries! It was perfectly cooked, crispy, and the batter gave it so much savor that the cool sauces and cheese on top gave it a creamy, dreamy balance. Definitely the lemon and batter stick out in our minds, and we can’t stop thinking about it! On the other hand, the spaghetti squash was a lighter option that married the savory squash with garlic, tasty oil, and spinach. It was crunchy, earthy, and very deep in flavor. We have no idea what was in there, but if you ask us, it tasted like something straight out of Italy. So. Decadent.

Plus, we sampled many others, here’s a taste of our journey! If you know us, you know we tried brussels sprouts, which were a good mix of crunch, char, and caramelized sweetness. Fresh and healthy, which was a great pairing with something a little creamy or rich! Speaking of those, the spicy and sweet fingerlings literally tell you how they’ll taste, spicy and sweet, a lot like your favorite Asian dish. They end up being slightly spicy and then sweet on the back that mixes well with the potato. The mac and cheese oozed super creamy with the right amount of cheese, pasta, and cream. A healthy option we loved were the roasted beets with quinoa and kale. It was roasty, earthy, tart, and slightly crunchy. Must love beets, which we do! Then, get into the Hawaiian spirit with the grilled pineapple. The right amount of char, sweetness, and savory come together in this side. Who doesn’t love grilled fruit for dessert? It’s a great addition to any meal. Finally, one odd combo we would really recommend you try: take some of the mac and cheese and the spaghetti squash and mix them together. You heard us right! You’re mind will be saying, “what is this and how can I get more?” It’s creamy, savory, sweet, and has every flavor you can imagine! Yes, we condone playing with your food.

Any meal exploration wouldn’t be complete without some proteins! Our favorite was the delicious, fall apart in your mouth, pulled pork. It was tender, savory, rich, and very flavorful. It tasted like it had a hint of brown sugar and paired perfectly with their sweet or spicy barbecue sauces. You can even mix them together! That’s what we did, and it really brought out the flavor of the pork. Just like a fine barbecue restaurant. We also really enjoyed the wings, with the perfect amount of char grill, crisp skin, tender chicken, and a sweet and salty rub. Yep, like salt and sugar were mixed together, which perfectly fit with the savory of the chicken. Their grilled chicken plate also had lightly charred, tender chicken. A good pairing with the rice and brussels sprouts. Even a little healthy maybe? Everything was delectable.

Want to bring the food up a notch? Grab the Cilantro Sauce! The absolute best sauce they have, a mix of cilantro, some type of yogurt, mayo, or cream that is reminiscent of a hearty green goddess. We’re a fan. It is a savory concoction that will knock your socks off. Mix the brussels sprouts, grilled chicken, wings, rice, or anything really. Mix it all together in one big tall pile and you have a flavor explosion, we mean expedition. They’re open for take-out and just so you know all of their staff have these cool face shields made of plastic that covers the bottom half of their faces. It makes you feel safe ordering there!

Piastra: The Perfect Date Night IN

In the early days of quarantine, we took a drive to Marietta Square to pick-up some Italian food for our first date night IN. The square had some kids playing close to the fountain and a couple sipped on wine at a table outside the restaurant. For a Friday night, it was eerily quiet. Piastra reminds us of that local Italian restaurant that you’d go to on Friday Night, grab a bottle of vino to share at the table and split a pizza or a hearty bowl of pasta, while finished off with some silky tiramisu. This time, when we picked up, we got the duck carpaccio, the rigatoni Domenica, and a Salsiccia pizza. What a meal.

Starting with the duck carpaccio, show of hands who DOESN’T love a solid carpaccio? Told you, everyone does! The duck will melt in your mouth. The fattiness and savory of the duck pairs well with the sweetness of the honey in a melody of flavors topped with earthiness of arugula and acidity of citrus vinaigrette. Pro tip: eat all ingredients together. This way it’s every flavor and done so well. This is a must get.

The best all-around ingredient we loved at Piastra was their mild fennel sausage, crafted in house. The two main entrees we sampled had it in both. While fine Italian restaurants are known for their wine selection and pasta, can’t they also be known for an outstanding Pizza? We got their Salsiccia with the mild fennel sausage and pomodoro and it was an all-around great pizza. From the sausage, crushed tomatoes, and mozzarella, to the tasty and well-seasoned bread, it would be a crowd pleaser for any meat pizza lover. We’ll have to try this when it’s pipping hot at Piastra when restaurants re-open. If it’s this good when you get it home, it must be even more amazing hot!

The other dish we got that featured the sausage was the Rigatoni Domenica. Talk about a truly authentic delectable pasta dish, you got it right here. The sausage was savory, meaty, slight spicy but mild, and very tender. You mix that with handmade rigatoni that’s perfectly cooked between soft and al dente, covered in a tomato-based sauce and a hint of cream, that’ll hit the spot. Creamy, savory, sweet, spicy, such a wonderful dish. Next time, we want to try a Secondi Salmon, Pork Chop, or half Chicken. They all sound amazing.

Piastra is open for curbside pickup and delivery through DoorDash and Zifty. They also have $10 and $15 bottles of wine. Who’s hungry for Italian fare and a good bottle of wine tonight?