Several months ago, my friend Lorin and I met for lunch at Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar. Located in Mid-City, Brown Butter opened up inside a strip mall early this year and seems to have made quite an impression in the six months following.
The restaurant was already jumping when we arrived, even though it was a bit late in the lunch hour. After saying hello to several people (including food writer Todd Price whom I finally met in person) we sat down and placed our order.
Because I simply couldn’t resist, I ordered their house made cream soda which turned out to be pretty much perfect, and surprisingly, not too sweet. We began our lunch with warm pork rinds, still crackling from the fryer, served in a brown paper bag (replete with grease marks) and served with a smoked-corn buttermilk dressing for dipping. As we munched, our entrees arrived … all three of them!
Lorin chose the steamed mussels with French fries, while I opted for a truffled egg salad sandwich on a split croissant with a side of fried Brussels sprouts. Because it sounded so fantastic, we also ordered their special, vinegar-braised beef short ribs served over creamy, stone-ground grits with a boiled peanut salad. Yes, we were stuffed and yes it was a lot of food, but everything was just wonderful, particularly the short ribs, a dish we suggested should remain on the menu permanently … and it did!
Naturally, I couldn’t leave without dessert and Lorin indulged me. We ordered a rice pudding that was not so great, but then again, I am not a huge fan of rice pudding. But, we also ordered a crème brûlée that was better than great, it knocked our freaking socks off! Now I have to ask, are you melting for Brown Butter, too?
