Last Friday, I had the second of my four RW lunches. This time, I went to Butter - I think I've mentioned my thing about trying all the Iron Chefs' restaurants; I never made it to Butter when it was downtown for some reason, so when chef Alex Guarnaschelli opened another spot in midtown, I knew it was time to check it out.
Butter is a lovely spot, downstairs under the Casa Hotel. Heading down the stairs, you enter a very warm and inviting space, all wood and natural light. I got there a few minutes before my reservation, but was seated promptly in a nice booth. I saw on the chalkboard near my table that one of the daily specials was corn chowder - hello, that is one of my very favorite things to eat! Thankfully, the soup of the day was one of my special RW appetizer choices. Even though I had been looking forward to starting with the calamari, I changed my mental to the corn chowder and never looked back.
That chowder was INCREDIBLE! I seriously could've eaten another three bowls of it. The server came out and put a bowl in front of me that had some corn kernels, scallions and shrimp in it, then he poured the velvety chowder on top of it. The soup was so smooth and rich, perfectly seasoned and balanced. The scallions added a fresh, slight heat and the sweet shrimps were a perfect accent. I seriously loved that soup. The complimentary bread and herb butter they brought me were also quite tasty with the soup.
For my second course, I ordered the spice-rubbed pork shoulder with wheat berries and garlic scapes. It also had some raw red cabbage on top. Again, this was an incredibly delicious dish. The pork was tender and perfectly cooked, and the spice rub added a nice punch, but didn't mask the flavor of the pork. I don't know what all the spices were, but I think I detected some caraway seeds and definitely mustard seeds, which gave a delicious acidic bite to the dish and the jus underneath. The wheat berries were plump and chewy. I don't think I really noticed the garlic scapes and I thought there was perhaps a bit too much cabbage on top - beautiful to look at, but I didn't finish it because the proportions seemed off to me. That's probably just me though. These are itty bitty quibbles because it was a wonderful dish.
Dessert was SO yummy and a great end to the meal - I had the dark chocolate cake, with cocoa nibs and candied almonds, along with some tasty whipped cream on the side. Straight up supergood, with a soft cake filled with deep, rich, chocolately flavor. The crunchy almonds on top were a nice contrast, and the whipped cream was the perfect accent.
I really enjoyed my lunch and would love to go back. I do have to say that although the service was pleasant, my main server wasn't particularly attentive, I had to ask for a refill to my water glass and he never brought my iced tea. The restaurant wasn't packed, so I think it was just my particular server. He certainly didn't ruin my afternoon, but he certainly didn't earn a generous tip either. I guess I expected a bit more from a Butter employee.
Two more lunches to go! I just read an article about a tapas restaurant that's participating in RW that I would love to check out, but the funds are continually dwindling... :)
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