we want cupcakes
the place: buttery bar and bistro, 314 shawmut ave, south end
the date: monday 02.09.09
the plan: dinner w/ the co-worker ladies
this was the (very rarely actually) monthly gathering of co-workers past and present this time consisting of myself, one of the senior project managers in my dept, and a former coworker for whom I was once-upon-a-time an admin. I’d been dying to try this place and was all set to absolutely love it. as a bonus, another co-worker is friends with the owner, so we got to meet him and get a little of the history behind the buttery’s expansion from bakery and coffee shop to full-fledged 2-story restaurant.
the bakery is on the front and was empty when we arrived. to the back, there was a cute bar area with a few small tables. we were led downstairs through a small room with several tables and into the main dining area. the entire place was tiny in that way that real estate agents describe as cozy. we were the first guests of the evening and got the best table— a corner table with a banquette strewn with pillows right next to the fireplace. yes, fireplace. the space was completely charming with the original stone and brick of the basement it used to be and supple coppery leather on all the benches. it was absolutely wonderful for the first fifteen minutes or so. unfortunately, as soon as the dining room filled up, the problem with all that charming stone became clear — no sound absorption at all. it was like eating in one of those rooms full of birds at the zoo. if the birds were actually old ladies, lesbians, and gay couples, of course. I felt like I was shouting all evening and that is one of my biggest restaurant pet peeves.
drinks, of course: co-worker L loved her dirty martini. I had something with bourbon and grand marnier that was great, but really boozy— unfortunately I didn’t write the name down and the drink list isn’t online. the cocktail menu was cute and interesting with several choices. the wine list is on the small side, which makes sense for a place of this size, but there’s a nice variety of both wine and prices and we were able to settle on a chilean sauvingon blanc that was tasty.
to start: I was tragically disappointed to hear that the potoato leek soup on the menu had been replaced with a mushroom soup, but did really enjoy my salad of greens, pumpkin seeds, cranberry and delightfully large portion of goat cheese. co-worker A had the arugula salad and said it was quite good as well.
the main event: the drinks and salads had set the stage for a good dinner, despite the noise, but the entrees didn’t live up to that promise. my chicken and risotto was a nice concept and well cooked, but tasted like someone had lost the cover to the salt shaker. the sauce covered the entire dish and it was very difficult to eat, especially in combination with the drier wine. A’s penne with pumpkin pesto apparently tasted fine, but the choice to coat both the pasta and the roasted vegetables in the very green pesto made it seem like she was eating something out of dr. suess, which was disconcerting enough to make the taste an after-thought. L’s duck was apparently servicable as she had no complaints.
sweet treat: the buttery is famous for their cupcakes, winning best of boston several times. so really, while they have a few items on the dessert menu what everyone wants is cupcakes. the list we’d seen online was full of cool ideas completely designed to tempt a cake-whore like myself. but, the buttery apparently doesn’t keep any extra cupcakes in reserve for dinner and only has available was was left at the end of the day, so we were restricted to chocolate w/ chocolate icing, vanilla w/ chocolate icing, and carrot. the carrot was by far the best, but the chocolate was quite good as well. still, it was disappointing not to be able to try the signature items we’d been hoping for.
all in all, I think the concept of the restaurant is good, they just have some kinks to work out. they’re clearly shooting for a neighborhood restaurant feel and they seem to be doing decent business. the only thing that may not get better over time is the volume of the dining room, which even more than the somewhat disappointing food, is the the thing that makes me hesitate to return.
