How might one describe the sentiment of this review?
"Butcher and the Rye." The name catches one's attention. Before they opened, I was checking their Twitter and Facebook pages to get updates on when they would open. They were posting pictures on twitter such as their impressive collection of whiskey. I was excited. Really excited. This place had to be good. I was ready to go opening week. I was ready to be impressed. I was ready for a place that would serve awesome food (creative or simple) and great drinks, like the many places I've visited in other major cities. Unfortunately, Butcher and the Rye became the dictionary definition of disappointment for me. Food (7.5/10) = Tried the following dishes: 1) House bread with 3 different spreads (apple butter, honey butter, can't remember the third) = Nothing special. It was just bread. I thought the honey butter was the best of the three spreads. The quantity of spreads greatly exceeds the amount of bread provided (Four dinner rolls). If you are going to charge $4-6 (can't remember the exact price), surely you would expect more bread. It was just bread. One kind. Not the basket/board with an assortment of different breads other restaurants have on their menu when they slap a similar price tag. 2) Cauliflower with farro, romanesco, carrot, brown butter, harissa = ($10) = $10 for a small bowl of meh cauliflower?! My group ended up ordering this dish per recommendation of our waitress. I don't have a problem paying high prices for incredible food. However, I was not impressed. My group was not impressed. The flavors were forgettable. The price on the other hand was not; this dish is way-overpriced. 3) Manicotti with apple bourbon butter, oxtail, pecorino, pickled apples = $10 = The flavors of this dish were good but not great. You get 4 pieces, each the size of approx. 2.5 x 1.0 inches. Like the cauliflower, the dish is not worth $10 to me. 4) Baked Camembert with phyllo, apple, olive oil, rosemary, grilled bread = $15 = another just ok dish. We ended up ordering this since an old couple next to us raved how good it was. Sure the apples were good. The cheese by itself was good. But the flavors collectively were just ok. Again, a dish not worth $15. 5) Bone Marrow with oxtail jam, pickled orange rind, sea salt, parsley salad = $12 = The ONLY dish that was worth what we paid for. The flavor of the fatty bone marrow from the long bone cut down it's long axis is incredible. 6) "Pig Candy" (pork belly with miso caramel sauce, apple kimchi, daikon, cilantro) = $8 = The flavor was great. The meat could be more tender. The size? Just 3 small bites. Another dish not worth the price Butcher and the Rye charges. $8? Maybe worth $5 at most. Not even David Chang of Momofuku in NYC, is charging this much for his pork belly (which in my opinion is the best pork belly prepared with Asian flavors in North America). Service (7.5/10) = Service was somewhat slow during the first opening week, and the place was crowded. So it's understandable. Ambiance (10/10) = Like others have mentioned, the decor of this place is damn impressive. From the glass jars over the ceiling lights, the wooden communal tables, the fork and spoon wallpaper on the ceiling, and the giant wall of whiskey. It's obvious a lot of effort was placed in designing this new restaurant, with close attention to detail. I can't remember the last time I gave a 10/10 for a restaurant's ambiance. Overall opinion = While the decor is amazing, the food is lackluster and way overpriced. As I mentioned, I don't have a problem dropping $$$$ for incredible food. I've done it at 3-star Michelin restaurants. I've done it many times at high end places in cities such as San Francisco and NYC. However, $10 for a small bowl of forgettable cauliflower? $8 for a small slice of pork belly that's not even cooked to perfection? Even if the prices were reasonable, I still wouldn't give this place more than 3 Yelp stars. If for some reason I visit this restaurant again, the only thing I will order is the bone marrow and a beer. "Butcher and the Rye." While the name catches one's attention, unfortunately the food did not catch mine in a positive way.
negative