Butter
415 Lafayette Street (Bet. 4th Street and Astor Place)
(212) 253-2828
For my second and final Restaurant Week meal I went to Butter with seven colleagues. It’s somewhat of an annual tradition for us. Last year we went to Blue Smoke, this year it was Butter.
After my experience at Chinatown Brasserie (across the street, coincidentally), I was nervous about how a ragamuffin troupe of young 20-somethings, some dressed in work gear, some in jeans, would be received at such a trendy establishment, but everyone from the woman at the coat check to the hostess that led us to our table was perfectly polite and pleasant.
We were seated downstairs in a rounded banquette with a small two person table attached. The decor at Butter differs whether you’re seated upstairs or downstairs. Upstairs there’s a slightly more trendy, yet Zen-like feel. Downstairs, with its glass wall of wine bottles, red velvet banquettes, and pulsing classic rock play list, possesses a vibe that suggests a sexy, dim lounge, an ambiance that’s perfectly appropriate for nighttime play but a bit much for a 6pm supper.
I struggled to hear what was being said across the table as Oasis and U2 blared in the background. Eventually, someone (with a heart) lowered the volume of the music to a tolerable level.
Of course we all sampled the bread and butter. We each received a slice of (cold) crusty white bread and a cube of cornbread. The cornbread was comfortingly sweet and moist. The waiter served us two kinds of butter: one French cream with sea salt and another herb one. The herb was the bigger hit of the two with its mild, but distinct flavor.
Most of us had the cavatappi (curled tubes) with lamb sausage to start. The cavatappi was perfectly al dente and each piece of pasta was evenly coated with the well-seasoned tomato sauce that was more creamy and sweet than soupy and acidic. The lamb sausage was lean (well, as lean as sausage can be), savory, and delightfully spicy. The dish, as a whole, was full of flavor and enough fat to be satisfying, but not so much fat as to feel like a lump in your stomach by the time the entree arrives.
I ordered the pork osso buco for my main course. The pork was undeniably tender, as braised pork should be, but the taste was reminiscent of any generic meat stew with caramelized onions. The flavors in the sauce were muddled and one-dimensional with only the occasional onion breaking things up. I was thoroughly unimpressed. Most had the pork osso buco. Another popular choice at the table, per the waiter’s recommendation, was a grouper over mashed potatoes that was light and flaky, but under seasoned.
For dessert I partook of the dark chocolate and caramel sea salt tart topped with a vanilla creme anglaise and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. As one of my coworkers pointed out, the tart tasted like a Snickers bar, but gooier and crumblier with a deeper and darker chocolate flavor. The first few bites were heavenly; unfortunately, it quickly became clear that the combination of the caramel and sea salt, which brought out the darkness in the chocolate, made the tart too rich overall, even with the vanilla ice cream. I left half of it on the plate.
I left Butter that night full, but not satisfied. I had a sneaking suspicion that my fellow coworkers felt the same way as we quietly filed out of the restaurant. As I rode home in a cab, I ruminated over my experiences with Restaurant Week thus far and decided that Restaurant Week was everything I had been fearful that it would be: not worth it. At both meals I spent $50-$60 dollars, the same amount I pay at restaurants where I’ve found far superior meals (Momofuku Ssam Bar and Alta, just to name a few) with similar, only slightly less formal atmospheres.
The next morning, I canceled my last Restaurant Week reservation.
- 8 Pre-Fixe Restaurant Week Meals - $280
- Scotch on the Rocks - $14
- Bottle of Gewurztraminer - $39
- Bottle of Pinot Noir (off the RW Menu) - $35
- Total (excluding tax and tip) - $368
