No Buttering Up to Buttery

My former college roommates have at one time given me the nickname of Flanders.  I am not exactly sure how I earned this moniker, but I think it is because I would try to paint a rosier picture when it is not always warranted.  Sometimes, I can call myself out on it and I notice that sometimes I apply it to some dining experiences.  In the instance of a recent dining experience at The South End Buttery, I am no Flanders. 

The negative experience does not apply to the food, but rather to the service. The husband and I got there a bit early in the attempt of meeting our friends, Laur and Skaz, for drinks before our reservation.  Unfortunately, we were not able to get drinks due to a difficult parking situation.  Please place one check mark in the negative column for Buttery, there is no parking or valet service.  You are left to your own devices of attempting to capture an elusive visitor space or find a parking lot. 

Should we have been able to find parking and meet our companions earlier, we would have been hard pressed to find a place at the bar, that area was tiny.  The bar was crowded and there wasn’t much in the way of standing room.  Place another check in the negative column.  However, the Franklin Café is right down the street for a before or after dinner drink should diners chose to get a drink before or after.

When our reservation was ready, we were escorted downstairs to a cozy room with what Skaz called a nice “urban fireplace”.  Our server took our drink orders after we sat down, I don’t think he took the drink orders immediately, but we were talking a bit so I didn’t notice how long we waited.  The gentlemen in our party were given their drinks soon after ordering, however Laur and I waited long after the guys got their drinks.  Place another check in the negative column for not brining the drinks together.

Laur and Skaz ordered a salad to start the meal.  It looked big enough for two people to share and looked delicious.  The husband and I ordered the mussels that came with frites.  The mussels were great and broth was very garlicky, which is fine by me.  The frites were double battered and came with a side of curry aioli.  Curry is quickly becoming one of my favorite spices.  I love the heat that it gives to dishes.  Add a check to the positive column. 

Our entrees came out at a great time, soon after we were done with the starters.  The husband got the burger that came with a side of fries.  He said that these fries were different from the ones that came with the mussels.  Both the Skaz/Laur team and I ordered the pulled pork sandwich served on cornbread and with a side of coleslaw.  The sandwich was great; it was open-faced and did not have an overwhelming BBQ taste.  The cornbread was moist but was supposed to be poblano cornbread and I did not get that taste from it.  Throw a check in the positive column for food, but throw another check in the negative column as Laur and Skaz ordered a side of fries with their sandwich and the fries did not come out until after they finished their meal. 

We decided to go for dessert and selected to spilt the hazelnut semifreddo and the lemon tart with rhubarb syrup (the dessert had me at rhubarb).  Desserts were great.  The lemon was tart and sweet, but the semifreddo was the favorite for Laur and I.  She is the ultimate ice cream fan, so that stamp of approval from her means something.  Place a check in the positive column for food. 

Normally, when recapping a dining experience I do not discuss the bill.  We got the bill and split it down the middle.  Right before signing off on the bill, Laur made sure to suggest that the husband make sure that the fries were removed, they weren’t.  So, we sent the bill back to be revised.  The next bill came, and the server messed up again. He split the bill evenly, and added a tip of nearly 100%.  We sent that one back as well.  The third time was the charm and the bill represented what it was supposed to. 

In summary, the food at Buttery was great.  However, the service was bad.  There was the delay with getting the drinks, the side that did not come out with the meal; we had to flag down the server to get another drink, and the bill mishap.  Lucky for us, the company was great.  There are enough restaurants in the South End to visit upon another visit and Buttery will likely not be visited again.  There is no Flanders gloss to the experience here.