Peanut Butter & Jelly: Brown Bag Staple or Haute Cuisine?

Peanut butter and jelly might be a schoolyard brown-bag staple but in recent years its also showing up on some of the trendiest restaurant menus in the country.

From simple sandwich shops to haute cuisine, peanut butter and jelly is all the rage on the forefront of America’s food scene.

Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe serves creamy peanut butter and seedless raspberry jam on homemade sourdough bread, while at Alinea in Chicago, chef Grant Achatz is famous for his legendary take on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich as the first bite on his tasting menu.

“We wanted to do something that was quintessential Americana,” Achatz told Food & Wine. “People bit into it and were flooded with fond memories. PB&J is the kind of American comfort food that everyone can relate to.”

Some cities have specialty shops dedicated specifically to PB&J. New York City’s Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop stocks specialties like “The Elvis,” a grilled peanut butter sandwich stuffed with bananas, honey – and bacon is optional.

There is even a corner of the internet devoted squarely to peanut butter fans: PeanutButterLovers.com. Eddie Lin, of Top Chef Masters fame and LA’s Deep End Dining blog even created a peanut butter and…wait for it….jellyfish sandwich that will, without a doubt, live in infamy.

Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, peanut butter is not likely going anywhere anytime soon, so look for it on your favorite cafe menu.

(Photo Credit: Boston.com)