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| - The space is designed as a traditional Public House so the area is wide open so it can get noisy and with long tables which encourage mingling with those sitting around you.
That's usually not our style so we'd been waiting for a time when the restaurant wasn't too busy (like not after work, before and after sporting events and basically all Saturday nights). So we were finally able to try Butcher and The Brewer on an later afternoon on a Saturday. And even then it was more than half-filled.
We didn't try the beers as I went with the House Old Fashioned which was quite strong (that's a good thing) and Jeannene enjoyed the Corpse Revivor so I can't comment on the Brewer part of the restaurant title but I can vouch for the Butcher angle.
We started off with a board of blue cheese, foie gras and some dried pork sausage. The blue cheese included some amazing honey while the foie, already almost as light as whipped cream, came with some sweet grape preserves. We might get this for dessert the next time.
All the items on the menu are meant for sharing, some are standard appetizer size while others are about the size of one entree. We went with several of the "Bar Snacks" -- crispy calamari ($12), house-smoked corndogs ($10) and aged beef sliders ($15).
Also, the food comes out as it is completed in the kitchen, For us, that meant the calamari first. The squid was cooked perfectly and the batter was very light but I thought the lemon aioli was more of a thick mayo (and a lot of it) and I didn't get much taste of lemon or the black chili oil that was also on the plate. I'm glad we didn't get the lobster roll because this was enough seafood/mayo combo for me.
Next came the corn dogs (3 of them) and they were delicious -- the batter was quite light and had a kick of jalapeno while the house-smoked hot dog lived up to the restaurant's Butcher name. It came with a mustard and a ketchup, and, like the dipping sauces we had witht he meat and cheese board, they were both delectable and added to the overall plate instead of just being an obligatory add-on.
The meal kept getting better with the sliders (also 3 of them). The meat was juicy and the bun was nice and crispy and the pimento cheese and spicy mayo added just a little tang instead of overwhelming. These rank right up there with the burgers at The Greenhouse and Bar Cento., and of course, The B Spot.
We were too full for dessert but the menu looked as encouraging as the one for main courses.
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