Monday, October 3, 2011

Butter….eh – I’ve had better

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I still get excited about restaurant week. It’s a great excuse to connect with friends (one Scott A. Berwitz) who I haven’t seen in a while and a wonderful way to afford some of the great restaurants in the city.

That. Said.

My trip to Butter…was…well…not bad. But I’ve had better…

The dream child of Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Butter opened in 2003 to much fanfare in the East Village and became a bit of a “celeb” hot spot. So while it’s not “new” it’s always been on my list to try - so off we went. (Note – no celebs :(

The cocktails were great– I had a champagne cocktail called The Veranda with sparkling cava and St. Germain and Scott had The Butter Martini. The service was great and the décor was super cool. It’s all wood paneled and almost feels like you’re stepping into a high end spa. Very warm and serene.

But the food was…just OK and not what I was expecting. The appetizer of fried green tomatoes was three greasy tomatoes on a plate – no garnish, no dollop of creme fraiche or goat cheese or even a drizzle of olive oil. It looked like it had been tossed on a plate with all the care a fry cook at McDonald’s stuffing French fries into a happy meal (no offense to fry cooks!! We heart you in our own special way!). The goat cheese pizza consisted of a thick paste of strong goat cheese slathered on a very thin (what would normally be a very enjoyable crust) and then doused with onions. The best dish was the braised short rib. No knife was required and it was a perfectly rich, hearty dish that is always a favorite of mine.

The Takeaway
Go there if you are in the mood for a fun cocktail – but you can get better food elsewhere.

Butter
415 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10003
212-253-2828
http://www.butterrestaurant.com

1 comment:

  1. I just recently read another blogger's review of Butter and they said the food was mediocre and the service was terrible...

    ReplyDelete