Brunch at The Buttered Biscuit Café

It’s a lazy weekend – or weekday – morning, perfect for a relaxing breakfast. The average person could opt for a pedestrian bagel or donut or … drive, walk, bike – crawl if need be – over to The Buttered Biscuit Café for brunch extraordinaire.

Asbury residents the McAllisters, Liz, 31, and Dave, 44, have quite a lot in store at their eatery at 700 Main St., Bradley Beach. Nova Scotia Scramble consisting of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, red onion and cream cheese; or Buttered Biscuits Bennies “Country,” featuring smoked ham, two poached eggs, portabella mushrooms and Swiss cheese on an English muffin with hollandaise, for starters. Perhaps the café’s namesake, a homemade buttered biscuit, muffin or scone would interest you.

A bit hungrier, say for lunch? Try Jaime’s Black Bean Burger, a patty created, oddly enough, of black beans, cilantro and red onion and topped with avocado, lettuce and tomato. Seafood enthusiasts might enjoy Daddy Dave’s Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich served with lettuce, herb mayo, tomato and red onion. The health conscious also have their choice from a seasonal fresh fruit bowl or a pineapple wedge.

The McAllisters didn’t venture into the Buttered Biscuit blind, having worked in the restaurant business several years, and own The Honeysuckle Café beach concession which is currently manned by Dave.  Their love of being restaurateurs carries over to the atmosphere of the café.

“When you enter the room you know this restaurant belongs to someone who really loves this business and you will taste it in our food. It is all prepared with care as if we were serving it to our family,” Liz said. “Sometimes I go in the kitchen and joke and tell them that this table is a VIP; they are on to me now. They know that everyone is a VIP. We want everyone to enjoy and feel special,” she said, noting the staff uses only the best quality ingredients

Dave coined the café’s name.

“We love biscuits and we wanted to do something that was warm and inviting. Who wouldn’t love a homemade buttered biscuit?!,” Liz said.

Bradley Beach seemed an ideal location for the eatery.

“People from Bradley are like the salt of the earth. They’re great, they really are. They’re good, down-to-earth people,” McAllister said. “I knew in my heart this was the place for us. We put a lot of work into creating an inviting atmosphere.”

Inviting the 1,000-square-foot Buttered Biscuit Café is. The McAllisters were striving for a European feel, and outfitted the café with Italian tile flooring, three antique chandeliers providing subtle lighting, and pale green walls adorned with, what else? Baked goods. The café which seats 36 features lace sheer drapes and tablecloths made by family, and an antique mirror as a backdrop for a large case containing baked goods such as mini lemon meringue tarts, cherry-almond scones, brownies, and coconut cream pie.

The café’s take-out baked goods account for only 20 percent of its business.

“We’re not a bakery – it’s not our main attraction, but it’s an added bonus,” McAllister said. “But, when you come in here you get to see what great baked goods we’ve got.”

All ages and genders frequent The Buttered Biscuit.

"Sales have been really amazing! We have a great customer base,” McAllister said as she navigated amongst her staff of six, and a full house and sidewalk seating at 9 a.m. on a recent Saturday.

“It's a great date place too. You can bring a bottle of champagne and have a mimosa with fresh-squeezed o.j or grapefruit juice,” McAllister said. “We are thinking about doing dinner – I am sure that will be our next step, as it’s so beautiful at night when we dim the chandeliers.”

The café’s prices range from $1.95 for a biscuit, muffin or scone to $10.95 for crab cake or grilled shrimp salad. The café is also now receiving mail orders, and shipping biscuits to New York and north Jersey.

Most popular on the menu is the café’s signature dish, the Buttered Biscuit Scramble with goat cheese, herbes de Provence, bacon and tomato scrambled with eggs, and served with a biscuit and home fries. Another bestseller is Dave’s specialty, the Copenhagen – like eggs Benedict taken up a notch – a toasted English muffin, smoked salmon, wilted spinach, sliced red onion, two poached eggs and hollandaise. Maui Meg’s French Toast consisting of banana bread dipped French toast topped with crushed macadamia nuts and toasted coconut has also been a hit. Special requests are few and far between, yet the café’ will accommodate them, as long as it has the ingredients on hand.

The McAllister’s love of breakfast was their inspiration to open The Buttered Biscuit.

“We love to go out for breakfast and we wanted to open a place that so we could eat there … just kidding,” McAllister said. “My mother had a café when I was young and she was an amazing cook; I was really inspired by her. Dave always wanted to have his own place, but I think I steered him in the direction of breakfast.”

Not just Dave is occupied in the kitchen.

“I think my favorite thing to make is our black bean burger,” McAllister said. “We make it from scratch and it is a recipe my cousin Jaime passed down to me that was passed down to her – it’s really awesome.”

The most challenging part of McAllister's day is waking up at 5 a.m., and the worst, telling someone there's a 25-minute wait.

“But, the most rewarding is when I see a person sitting by himself/herself and they look happy and comfortable, like they are at home just hanging and enjoying a good meal," McAllister said.

The McAllisters spend what little down time they have with family, yet the couple wouldn't consider doing anything else besides running eateries for the time being.

“We are just really happy and grateful – we have an amazing staff, wonderful customers, and keep your eye on us cause there will be much more to come from The Buttered Biscuit!,” McAllister said. “I think this business was always for Dave. I always loved to sing and thought of pursuing that at one point. Maybe I’ll be a singing cook!”

In the meantime, patrons will be singing the praises of The Buttered Biscuit Café.

The Buttered Biscuit Café is open seven days from 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and may be reached at 732-807-4069.  Its Facebook page is www.facebook.com/pages/The-Buttered-Biscuit.