Tori Perry
Pat Martin & Bill Darsinos, co-founders of SweetMilk.
Pat Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint and Hugh-Baby’s BBQ & Burger Shop, has announced a new restaurant venture, SweetMilk, in partnership with Bill Darsinos of GReKo Street Food and Southside Grill.
The term sweet milk comes from a time when Southern families would differentiate between buttermilk and whole milk (with the former being more of a cooking or sipping staple and the latter more of a treat). The name is a nod to Martin’s grandmother, Nonie Sue Martin, who always yelled for sweet milk when a recipe called for whole milk.
SweetMilk will serve up a traditional Southern, from-scratch breakfast and lunch every day. The breakfast menu will be served all day long, starting at 7a.m. and lunch items – including a natural wine list – will be served starting at 11 a.m. Diners can look forward to dishes like sock sausage, mill-ground grits, pancakes with hickory syrup, red eye gravy, biscuits, and purple hull peas, plus a recurring lineup of weekday specials like cast-iron fried chicken on Tuesdays and vegetable-forward dishes. On the beverage side, highlights include a hand-roasted coffee program, fresh-squeezed juices, and a full bar.
The restaurant features a bright, cheery, and airy design, and the modern, light-filled digs offers up a range of indoor and outdoor dining options, with garage doors opening onto a patio. A vibrant, hand-painted daybreak mural by artist Tiffany Hargis shines in the dining room and a large, indoor-outdoor bar anchors the multi-level space.
“I’ve long considered the idea of a down-home breakfast and lunch spot where you’d be equally comfortable popping in for a meeting, grabbing some lunch and drinks with friends, and bringing your family for a post-Church Sunday morning breakfast,” says Pat Martin.
SweetMilk will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant will introduce take home, catering, and delivery sometime late fall or early winter, too.