I have been on a quest to try as many of the “celebrity chef”
restaurants in New York City as possible. I’m fascinated by their menus – as I
sit there, I recall all the times I’ve seen the chef on television and think
about what the inspiration was for each dish. I can picture the chefs in my
mind, scuttling around the kitchen adding a little of this and a little of that
as they think up their menus. So it was a particular treat when we made a
pre-theater reservation to dine at Butter in Midtown Manhattan because Alex
Guarnaschellu is one of my husband’s favorite television chefs. I have to admit
that her television charisma is quite charming. And as we sat there, I could
imagine her running around the kitchen sprinkling the pomegranate on the branzino
or personally smoking the pork chops.
I’m going to start my review with the bread – it is the
first thing that is brought to the table, and anyone can tell you that bread is
my favorite food. Our bread basket was filled with enormous, buttery, flaky
porterhouse rolls which were outstanding on their own. But I would be remiss if
I didn’t mention the spectacular chive butter that was served with them, which
added so much flavor. I wish I could have taken more of these home with me to
have for breakfast the next morning.
My husband and I love to share appetizers. While the menu
boasted a lovely raw bar menu and selection of salads, we were mostly
interested in trying one of the hot appetizers. This portion of the menu
boasted several items which all looked delicious, but we settled on the
cavatappi pasta with spicy lamb sausage and yellow tomato sauce. I know what
you’re thinking. Pasta is not a conventional shared appetizer. But it was spectacular.
The sauce was luscious, and there was just enough to coat the pasta without
making it soupy. And the spicy lamb sausage was divine. I don’t typically enjoy
spicy foods, but this had just enough heat to bring delicious flavor without
setting my mouth on fire. And the combination of flavors worked so well
together – the sweet creaminess of the tomatoes offset the richness of the
lamb.
For my main course, I ordered the pan seared branzino with sautéed
spinach and champagne and pomegranate vinaigrette. It was a perfectly cooked piece
of fish, so flaky and moist, which was set atop a bed of spinach. But it was
the sauce that truly stood out. The dish was smothered in the champagne-pomegranate
vinaigrette, and was topped with a large sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and
red cabbage. At first glance, it looked like there was too much sauce for the
dish, but I found myself lapping it up. I dipped each spinach bite in it and
made sure to coat the fish thoroughly. It was creamy while still being light,
with a lemony tartness to it. The cabbage and pomegranate seeds added a much
needed textural element, a bit of crunch in each bite. And they also provided a
nice sweetness to offset the tart sauce. I could not have been happier with my
choice, or more disappointed as I finished the last bite.
For his main course, my husband ordered the tobacco-smoked
double-cut pork chop with bacon creamed kale and apple cider vinegar. His
favorite dish to order at a restaurant is always a pork chop, so he was excited
to try one that was “tobacco-smoked.” The chef recommended the meat cooked to
medium-rare, but we opted for medium instead and were happy with that decision.
The bacon creamed kale was an
appropriate accompaniment to the pork chop. The smokiness of the bacon played
well with the overall smokiness of the dish, and the kale was cooked down until
it was so soft and tender. I might not have classified it as a “creamed” though as it appeared to be sautéed. The pork chop itself was
cooked perfectly - tender and juicy wth a single hint of smokey tobacco flavor. The tobacco smoke flavor really came through more in the sauce than
the meat itself, and added a unique flavor to the dish. Each bite was bursting with flavor, a little sweet and a lot of smoky.
One dish I wish I had ordered was the white cloud cauliflower. I watched our waiter bring it to the table behind us after we finished our own dinner, and my mouth started watering. The descriptive name for the plate was perfectly appropriate, as it looked like giant clouds piled high on the plate. I wish the dish had been an appetizer portion, as I would not have traded my branzino dish for anything. But I will definitely have to order the cauliflower the next time we dine here.
Of course, we had to end our dinner with desert, and there were so many amazing items on the desert menu that it was hard to choose just one to share. We settled on the house specialty, the raspberry beignets, and were so excited when they came out. Three giant, sugary pillows were nestled on the plate with a ramekin filled with creamy vanilla bean dipping sauce. They were messy (or maybe that was just us), and we dripped some of the raspberry filling as we enjoyed them. But as we bit into the beignets, we knew it was the perfect way to end our meal. The dough was slightly crisp on the outside but soft, and gave way to a raspberry jam that tasted like it had been freshly made with the ripest berries. The sauce was a perfect accompaniment – it wasn’t too sweet, as the raspberry filling was sweet enough on its own, and it added just enough vanilla flavor to give a little richness to each bite. We fought over the third beignet, and settled on sharing it bite for bite. That gave me a slight disadvantage, so I took an extra couple of nibbles on my first bite to make up for it. Shhh – don’t tell my husband.
Overall, I would say our experience at Butter was wonderful.
The waitstaff was perfectly attentive and the food was spectacular. I think we
had a unique experience in that, at 5:30, it was quite an early reservation, so
the restaurant wasn’t filled yet. But I would definitely make another reservation
if only just to try the cauliflower and to have another order of the beignets.
Fun Fact:
Butter can seat 255 people. The space is sprawling, and has
a private dining room as well as a garden area with additional seating.
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