Cultivate Food and Coffee, a relatively new neighborhood cafe on the Westside, has a distinctly healthy menu. Many of its dishes — even traditionally indulgent ones like eggs Benedict — can be made vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free.
So, of course, one dish leaps off the menu thanks to its sheer decadence: RumChata French toast.
Topped with blueberry-basil compote and fresh fruit, and served with maple syrup to boot, the French toast gets its dominant RumChata flavor two ways: RumChata-battered bread, plus a RumChata glaze that renders any syrup unnecessary.
RumChata is a cream liqueur that blends rum with the flavors of horchata, the spiced plant-milk drink from Mexico. Creamy horchata typically is made with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, so it lends itself well to French toast batter. As a liqueur, RumChata turns the sweetness and creaminess up to 11, and it gives Cultivate’s French toast an unusual amount of flavor.
French toast often is just a vehicle for more exciting toppings; here, however, the thick-cut bread foundation is the star.
But, the fresh fruit and house-made blueberry-basil compote provide a counterpoint of tartness that actually cuts the sweetness of the French toast a bit.
Plus, if you add fresh fruit to anything, it’s not too difficult to convince yourself it’s still healthy.
Cultivate Food and Coffee. 1952 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-600-2964, cultivating.co.
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