Photo by Jay Paul
I’ve been a little hesitant about kombucha. Visions of cloudy bottles with stringy debris of questionable origin and dubious health claims gave me pause. However, the bright, clean space of The Butterbean Market & Cafe at 1204 Hull St., with its stark white walls, huge windows, towering ceilings and glistening chrome taps for both craft beer and kombucha, inspired me to give it a try.
Turns out to have been a good choice. The blueberry and lavender flavor, made locally by Ninja Kombucha, was light and effervescent, with a mild sweetness — a nice nonalcoholic drink option. There might be something to this kombucha thing.
The menu is attractively simple. Breakfast is served all day, along with a few salads, soups and sandwiches. There are also cheese and charcuterie platters to nosh on with something slightly more alcoholic than kombucha in the evening.
Piadinas at The Butterbean (Photo by Jay Paul)
Among the breakfast items, the crab and country ham biscuit caught my eye. The dish itself packed a nice heat, yet the ham was lost beneath the crab and the spicy gumbo gravy, which was too watery for my liking. This may have been problematic had the biscuit not been so crispy, helping to avoid a soggy mess.
On a second visit, I tried their piadinas — a grilled Italian flatbread sandwich, popularized by street vendors. It was glorious. It almost seemed too dry to the touch, but the flatbread was in fact flaky and tender, similar to a pie crust. The sandwich was stuffed with smoked trout, mascarpone cheese and red onion slivers that added to the textural balance.
If The Butterbean is a sign of what is to come amid the explosion of construction and redevelopment along Hull Street, Scott’s Addition might have some competition on its hands.
