Fried Fish & Grits is King at Broward’s Newest Brunch Spot!

As of March 8, 2020, my best brunch spot in Broward County is Just Spoon’s Café, located at SW 78th Ave, Plantation, FL 33324! Reminiscent of a soulful speakeasy, this space with an appealing New York café charm, churns out delectable southern inspired entrees that are both enjoyable and memorable.

Regulars at this, grits-forward, breakfast-all-day café in Plantation exude a country club mentality, looking at you with “How did YOU hear about OUR spot?” all over their faces. Maybe their sense of entitlement derives from the café being inside the Contour Day Spa facility across from Westfield Broward Mall and Regal theaters. Or it could be that to get to the front door, you must walk through soothing music, marble flooring, and the tranquil scents of aroma therapy. Maybe these can be reasons of their culinary contempt.

Low key though, it is one those spots you only want to inform certain social circle members about because you want to ensure the homemade and personalized attention your food receives is not put in jeopardy by lesser evolved palates. Or maybe it’s the fresh farm raised eggs you get with almost every brunch selection, scrambled the way your grandma did it, keeping that little white spot that health nuts toss out. I want that entire fetus! No egg substitute here baby! REAL EGGS ONLY! That alone had my attention. So many “Brunch” spots be trying the hell outta me with their fake eggs, basic grits and rushed creations. None of that here. The grits are some of the best you’ll have. Creamy, rich, flavored, and filling. These grits did not come to play with you. Not at all.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for healthy menu items or are vegan, please save yourself a trip, because there’s nothing but guilty pleasures here! My first stop was with the Fried Chicken & Vanilla Bean French Toast. I have it on good authority, that the Holy Ghost had a hand in creating this entrée, along with the Fish and Grits of course. The chicken is seasoned well and fried to a beautiful golden brown. It’s the Vanilla Bean French Toast, however, that will have you losing it, because those big squares of browned brioche are layered with a seriously delectable in-house vanilla glazed sauce that is nothing short of a Tinder date for the Fried Chicken. They are good apart, but better together.

This entrée would have been my favorite but fell to second place thanks to the Fried Fish and Grit plate. The grits were the best I’ve had outside of Trindy Gourmet in West Palm Beach. These grits were creamy, buttery, and packed with flavor. Served with perfectly scrambled eggs, the skinless and boneless fried catfish filet battered with an in-house well-seasoned flour formed a picturesque golden brown crust that had my mouth drooling long before the plate even touched our table.

In addition to being flat out delicious, this dish paid homage to our African-American Gullah people who is responsible for this amazing pairing. The Gullah people lived in small farming and fishing communities along the Atlantic coastal plain, as well as the chain of Sea Islands which run parallel to the coast in mostly Georgia and the Carolinas dating back to the 1500’s. Yeah, Black folk been cooking for a long time.

They created a huge segment of African American and Southern American cuisine, including our next winning entrée of Shrimp and Grits. This dish boasted a surprising flavor from Chef Witherspoon’s nod to our region’s Caribbean heritage with an infusion of delicious CURRY to the grits. I absolutely loved the way each jumbo shrimp was seasoned and sautéed being beautifully placed on top a pile of soft, creamy, buttery grits for a palate party that would get even the most conservative foodie dancing out of their chair. The combination worked so exquisitely that I got both a Shrimp and Grits and Fish and Grits order to go.

Next we had an ultimate fat man burger. The Fried Chicken Breast, Beef Burger, smothered with their signature golden glaze sauce, slices of American cheese, smoked gouda, topped with Spring mix lettuce, tomato and red onions. This burger was so good, that it can serve as currency. Yes, you could pay me for work with this burger as a fair and even exchange. I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed the burger, given the beef and chicken companions, but this s#$@ worked! Like for real, for real. You MUST be hungry ordering this, because I had ¼ slice and was full.

Seems you can’t go wrong with anything on this menu. For example, a smothered pork chop that was also not playing games with NOBDOY caught my eye. And that Chicken Biscuit one of our followers ordered looked amazing. (Yeah, we have the BEST FOLLOWERS, who also happen to be foodie demi-gods will literally take a trip to our reviews before our team has a chance to leave. You gotta love them!)

My dining experience was topped with delicious wine-based cocktails, punches, and hand squeezed juices. Hats off to Chef Witherspoon for creating a space embracing the feel and look of both New York and Atlanta, while successfully executing the entrees that bring back memories of magnolia smelling dirt roads leading to grandma’s farmhouse for unforgettable Sunday brunches.

Just Spoon’s is a special gem in South Florida that I am so happy Ms. Rochelle Davis recommended. I am forever grateful to her, because I finally found my new go to brunch spot. You can reach them at Phone: (954) 652-1117. They are open Tuesday – Sunday, from 10am – 4pm.

Until next time, love, laugh, and eat

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ALL PHOTO CREDIT IS DUE TO CHEF KRIS KOFI!  You can contact the photographer at [email protected]