Butaco, a restaurant dishing up LA-inspired street fare from Chef Timmee Rufino, will open its second location at East Atlanta’s Southern Feedstore this spring. The 400-square-foot, counter-service restaurant joins the concept’s first location at Buteco Coffee & Bar in Grant Park, which serves tacos out of a stationary food truck. The new location will serve an expanded version of the original menu for lunch, dinner and late night on Fridays and Saturdays.
Leaning on his time cooking in LA and San Diego, Chef Timmee will offer a menu featuring his twist on chef-driven tacos, like spicy Al Pastor Tacos with pineapple salsa, Veggie Tacos with zucchini, charred tomato fresca & habanero vin and Grilled Shrimp Tacos with guajillo red sauce, as well as bowls including a Butaco Bowl with birria rice, sour cream, avocado, black beans, iceberg, tomato, radish, onion & cilantro and a Chef’s Chopped Salad with iceberg, romaine, diced tomato, corn, diced onion, queso fresco & avocado ranch dressing. Sides will include the likes of eloté and black beans, and a Chips n Stuff section of the menu will offer salsas and queso.
Rufino studied culinary arts at Eastern State Florida College in Central Florida and has spent the last 16 years working in kitchens across the country. During his time in New York, he served as sous chef at The Gingerman in Manhattan, executive chef at Aaron Hans’ Brookvin in Brooklyn, and butcher and salumist at Ends Meat in Brooklyn, where he perfected his craft for cured meats, dried salumi, pâté and sausages. He also worked as a butcher at San Diego’s Ironside Fish & Oyster under the two-star Michelin Chef Jason Mcleoud and James Beard Award-winning Chef Jojo Ruiz, who introduced Timmee to Mexican flavor profiles and techniques. These experiences contribute to Timmee’s ethos of sustainability and focus on a zero waste kitchen. In Atlanta, Timmee has worked in the kitchens at Lazy Betty, Juniper Cafe, Bazati and Estrella.
Aaron Phillips is the restaurant’s proprietor and partner, and John Gardiner is the director of operations and partner. Phillips is also behind TKO – a Korean-American street food concept from Chef Lino Yi – at Southern Feedstore as well as Lazy Betty and Humble Pie.
