Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1526979
By Laurann Claridge. Photography Brian Kennedy. BUTTER YOU UP Y ou'll feel like a child again when you walk into neon-lit, candy-colored B u t t e r m i l k B a b y , the new casual eatery opened in the Heights by prodigious restaurant creator Benjamin Berg of Berg Hospitality Group. Channeling a cheerfully retro vibe, Buttermilk Baby is a deliciously playful take on nostalgic Southern fare, combined with the vintage feel of a drugstore soda fountain with soft-serve cones, sundaes, and shakes created with cult-classic Carvel, ice cream a brand revered by many who've lived on the East Coast. Delight in the pastel-colored, life-size carousel unicorn inside Buttermilk Baby; the spinning stools surrounding a larger-than-life sundae; and an ice cream counter paved through its center with a river of rainbow sprinkles designed with Gail McCleese of Sensitori and the New York-based design studio ICRAVE. Located in the M-K-T Heights development off Shepherd Drive, the 3,100-square-foot, 50-seat space is the first of 10 locales Berg envisions rolling out in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth. Berg and his cohorts brought their highbrow know-how to the project by tapping talents Brian Sutton, Berg Hospitality Group's VP of Culinary, and corporate pastry chef Ruchit Harneja to develop the comforting offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner service. Everything starts with choice ingredients. You'll find beef patties, corn dogs, and hot dogs made with 100 percent Wagyu beef from Marfa and locally raised free-range chicken brined in pickle juice for 24 hours before being deep-fried for Buttermilk Baby's soon-to- be-famous chicken menu items. At breakfast, don't miss The G.O.A.T, a flaky house-made buttermilk biscuit with hot pepper jelly layered with fried chicken and fresh goat cheese ($8). I swooned over their take on affogato — a jolting shot of hot espresso topped with soft-serve Carvel ice cream you can eat with a spoon, both day and night ($4.50). T h e l u n c h a n d dinner menu features "handhelds," from the buttermilk baby chicken sandwich ($10) to the No Finer Diner Cheeseburger with two 3-ounce patties smothered in caramelized onions and American c h e e s e , s a n d w i c h e d between Martin's potato buns ($11.50). Make it a combo meal for $6.29 more and dig into fries (classic or sweet potato) and a 20-ounce Carvel shake. Speaking of shakes, besides the classic vanilla, chocolate, and Oreo cookie flavors ($7 - $8), there are also boozy options ($14) such as Nutella spiked with bourbon, strawberry white chocolate swirled and vodka. While little ones order from kiddo classics on the children's menu, mom and dad can order a spiked drink ($10) to take the edge off, from a Dirty Shirley with vodka to a Rowdy Roy Rogers — essentially a bourbon-blasted cherry cola — as well as beer and wine. Before you leave, try a soft-serve cone with flavors such as butter pecan, coffee, and strawberry, topped with Carvel's signature chocolate crunchies. Or take home a Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake for your next birthday bash. Buttermilk Baby, 600 N. Shepherd Dr., thebuttermilkbaby.com. From top: Strawberry creme frappe at Buttermilk Baby. Chicken finger basket. Good Ol' Fashion buttermilk pancakes. 42