Feels like I haven't really dined out in quite awhile, but I guess I made up for it with last night's meal. On a beautiful Thursday night in NYC, I made reservations for Butter, a stylish Noho restaurant serving American cuisine. Despite being 30 minutes late for my 7:30 pm reservation (due to no fault of my own), the restaurant was more than accomodating to seat us promptly. The space itself was pretty nice - a good size dining room with an arched roof and a lower level with additional tables. We started off with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir and then off to the food...Amuse Bouche
- Fried Risotto Ball
Not the best start. Crispy crust filled a mushy risotto on the inside. Didn't have much flavor.
- Glazed Pork Belly
Not bad, but not exceptional. I love pork belly, and this one was about average. Was a little too salty. - Cherry Tomato, Yellow Cucumber and Galia Melon Salad (brined goat cheese)
A terrific salad. The goat cheese (which we thought initially as cream cheese) really held the salad together. Anyone looking at my size can tell that I am not a big fan of the salad, but this was great. - Raw Hamachi with Yuzu
A forgettable take on hamachi sashimi. The yuzu sauce drowned out the taste of the fish. - CherryTomato Pizza w/ Balsamic
Wasn't expecting "pizza" to be served, but nonetheless, this was very tasty. The thin bread was smothered with a cheese I can't recall the name of, and topped with cherry tomatoes and a balsamic reduction. - Homemade Nettle and Saffron Ravioli (mascarpone cheese, poached farm egg, crispy shallots)
An ok dish. The saffron taste was a bit on the strong side. The raviolis were very filling. - Cavatappi Pasta w/ Spicy Lamb Sausage (yellow tomato sauce)
Tasty pasta with a unique yellow tomato sauce. Lamb flavor was not overpowering, but a good complement. - Soft Shell Crab (scotch bonnet chili and pickled kirby salsa)
This had mixed reactions at the table. I thought the crab was decent though a tad bit spicy. My guest thought it was gross and didn't finish it. - Florida Shrimp "a la Plancha" (grilled asparagus and roasted parsnips w/ a walnut grappa salsa)
Well seasoned shrimp topped with asparagus. Simple presentation, but tasty. - Pan Seared Skate
Perfectly cooked and seasoned. Fish was fresh and flaky. I would order this as an entree.
- Duck Confit (grilled local frisee, fried keisae onions and fresh gooseberry jam)
I have not had too many "confits" before, but this was just delicious. When it first came out like a lump of meat, I wasn't so sure. But after a few bites, I was hooked. The natural duck flavors were terrific. - Strip Steak (sauteed lamb's quarter and watercress, sage potatoes and sauce gribiche)
Ugh... this was the biggest disappointment of the night. One of the worse steaks I've ever had. It felt like half of it was fat and whatever meat was left was overcooked. I barely could stomach half of it. - Pork Tenderloin
Decent clean prepartion of tenderloin cuts. Super tender and subtle in flavor.
- Raspberry Beignets (vanilla dipping sauce)
Sugar coated, raspberry jam filled, donuts without the hole were all the rave at my table. The vanilla dipping sauce really sets off this sweet concoction. The waiter also said that this is their most popular dessert. - Warm Chocolate Cake (sour cream ice cream)
Decent standard chocolate cake at my restaurants. Not a big fan of th accompanying ice cream though. - Caramelized Peach Upside Down Cake (homemade ricotta, toasted coriander, and lemon verbena)
I'm not a fan of any kinds of fruit in my dessert, so this was definitely the least favorite of them all. - Chocolate Truffles
The capper for the evening. Delicious truffles from their in-house master chocolateer.
NOTE: Apologies for not having more photos of the meal. It was difficult to snap photos given the company I was with. I promise more photos in my next outing.
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