Location: 415 Lafayette Street New York, NY
Price: $$$$ --Great place to go if you're looking for a nicer or fancier dinner. More of a parent-in-town meal than for simply going out with friends.
Favorite dish: Cavatappi Pasta with Spicy Lamb Sausage
To kick off my summer of eating (and working) in the city, my family (mom, dad, and Jaynie) and I decided to start off my move-in weekend in the city with Butter. Being a huge fan of the Food Network, I am always interested in trying the restaurants of some of my favorite celebrity chefs. Having heard of Alex Guarnaschelli's restaurant Butter for a while, we finally went to try it out. The restaurant was dimly lit, and was decorated with tree-like branches lining the ceiling, and more nature-inspired decor lining the walls. In my dad's words, the restaurant seemed a little more "nutter-butter" than Butter. However, it was very inviting, and got me very excited to try out the food that Butter had to offer. It was so delicious and I highly recommend this restaurant to adventurous eaters. Chef Alex Guarnaschelli does an excellent job mixing unusual ingredients together and making them taste fantastic, and I encourage you to try out all the delicious flavors featured on this menu. I would definitely go back!
Our Meal:
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Coming to a restaurant called Butter, I could only come in expecting some of the best bread and butter out there. With bread and butter being one of my all time favorite things, these definitely lived up to my standards! A warm bread basket was accompanied by 2 different selections of butter. One was a standard soft butter, and the other was a wonderful herb butter. Delicious and perfect way to start off the meal. |
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Right off the bat, when we see a grilled calamari on a menu, we are always on board! We decided to try the grilled octopus, served with a marinated cucumber salad with fresh oregano and a red wine dressing. This octopus dish was unlike any other grilled calamari I had ever tasted before, and it was really delicious. The pieces were cut thicker than usual, and were extremely flavorful. One of the best touches to this dish was the little chunks of watermelon mixed within the cucumber salad…an absolutely perfect combination with the octopus. We all loved it! **my apologies about the terrible lighting!** |
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The first appetizer we ordered was the Cavatappi pasta with spicy lamb sausage, smothered in a yellow tomato sauce. Before arriving to the table, I did not expect it to be as good as it turned out to be. However, the second the dish showed up the table, the four of us quickly dove in to get a taste. Hands down, this was the BEST dish of the night. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, and the yellow tomato sauce was out of this world. It was sweet and flavorful and just plain fantastic. The lamb sausage was an awesome touch that added great flavor to the dish. I could've eaten this whole thing myself, and then some. My dad and I finished off scraping the bottom of the dish for any excess remnants of the sauce….whoops. |
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For my mom's main course, she decided to order the duck breast, which the waiter couldn't say enough good things about. This duck was SO GOOD. It was served with a peach marmalade and wilted dandelion greens, atop a bed of rice and topped with grilled peaches. YUM! The duck was super tender and perfectly cooked. We all couldn't get enough. In the end, my mom now couldn't say enough good things about it! |
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I am a huge fan of sea scallops, and whenever I see them on a menu, I usually jump to ordering them. Turns out that these scallops may be some of the best I have ever had. The scallops were served with braised peas and sugar snap peas, topped with lemongrass, and ginger. The ginger definitely added an unexpected bite which I loved, and the sauce that was on it was so delicious. The scallops were sweet and juicy, and were perfectly cooked. Mmmmmm…... |
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Jaynie's main course was the wild mushroom ragout. It was served with a warm toasted brioche with duxelles, truffle butter, and a fried farm egg to top it off. Right as Jaynie's dish was served, I couldn't help but smell the amazing aroma of the truffle butter (one of my favorite things)! That was when I decided to try, and it was delish. The addition of the fried egg with its runny yolk was a great combination with the mushrooms, and was great eaten atop the brioche. |
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My dad ordered the New York Strip steak. A classic. It was served on top of a bed of sautéed wild spinach and toasted breadcrumbs. With steak being one of my favorite foods, THIS was a great steak. The meat was tender, and was prepared to just the right temperature. Very very good! |
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As our waiter was reading the specials, as soon as he mentioned Blondie Sundae, I was sold. Brownie sundaes have always been my favorite dessert, so at this point in the meal, a Blondie sundae sounded mouthwatering. As the dish was served, my mom and Jaynie were so excited, they dove in so quickly that I almost couldn't take a picture (thanks for fixing that up for me ;) ) This sundae was awesome. It was served with vanilla ice cream, blondie pieces, fresh strawberries, cognac caramel sauce, and a drizzle of chocolate. In the wise words of Ina Garten, how bad can that be? It was really delicious. |
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Although we originally decided to pass on the raspberry beignets to save some precious calories, we found that they are one of Butter's staple desserts, so how could we pass that up? The beignets were filled with a raspberry jam, served with a vanilla dipping sauce. The scent from the beignets was heavenly, and they tasted even better, with a wonderful coating of sugar on top. The vanilla dipping sauce paired perfectly with the raspberry flavor. They were absolutely addicting. I could've eaten all 3 by myself, no matter how full I already was. They were scrumptious. |
Can't wait to continue blogging about my delicious experiences!
XOXO,
Danielle
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