Inside the old seven-car garage of Downtown Car Care, new brunch post Milktooth is undergoing construction in preparation for its mid-April opening. Owners Jonathan and Ashley Brooks are paying homage to the vintage structure with classic, industrial elements like exposed brick mingled seamlessly amongst car lifts fashioned into communal-style tables and shelving crafted from milk crates.
The decor will complement a spirited menu that will both challenge and comfort, with classic breakfast fare like a liege waffle dressed in seasonal accouterments and newfangled dishes like a kimchi frittata stacked with potatoes or a steaming bowl of miso soup. Savory offerings will include sweet-tea–brined chicken served over a sweet-potato biscuit smothered in pepper gravy. Chef-owner Jonathan says that brunch gives him the opportunity to play with nostalgic food memories, hence the name Milktooth, which refers to the first set of teeth used when developing food associations.
Patrons can also expect an impressive array of housemade pastries like made-to-order cinnamon-sugar cake donuts and a gooey brioche sticky bun. Equally as dangerous is Jonathan’s white Bloody Mary, a potent blend of tomatoes, horseradish, ginger, and onions, all strained through cheesecloth and combined with vodka, white soy sauce, and fish sauce. “There’s a naughty quality about brunch because you can drink a little more than you ever would in the morning during the week,” he says.
On Sunday, eager diners can whet their appetite for Milktooth at one of the couple’s monthly pop-up brunches. The event takes place at Recess and features 9 Lives Vintage, on hand for perusing before feasting on sweet-corn arepas.