Butcher and the Rye
For some belated birthday fun, Dave and I went to Butcher and the Rye for some drinks and food. Getting a reservation at this venue on any weekend night is a challenge! The best reservations we could find were for 5 and 9:30pm on a Saturday night. I thought there’d be an issue with Pirates baseball traffic (game at 7:05pm), so we left our house early to find parking IN THE CITY aka how our kids refer to city of Pittsburgh. Traffic was basically a non-issue to our surprise, and we got to the parking garage nearest to Butcher and the Rye pretty early.
We wandered around decided we start the evening with some coffee, but not at Starbucks. We found the Rock’n’Joe down the street and got some coffee. Dave ordered a macchiato, and mine had a fancy name but basically a macchiato with whipped cream. I really liked the coffee meets music vibe Rock’n’Joe had. That killed about ten minutes of time. So we headed over to the restaurant to wait.
Right next to Butcher is täkō (upscale taqueria focused on Mexican street food), which had an impressive line forming for the 5PM opening. We grabbed a spot next to Butcher’s door, and took in the sights and sounds of the city and employees attempting the truffle shuffle to get inside for the 5pm opening.
The door finally opened and we gave our name to the hostess. I was in awe of the interior as we were lead to our table upstairs. I was surprised by how dark the lighting was inside, and there was just enough light for our late thirties eyes to read the menus. I will admit it was a bit fun trying to hold the lit candle up to the menus trying to make our drink selections we were so excited for.
I could not stop staring at the antler chandelier we were seated next to.
Wall of spirits above the bar (background), Dave waiting for drinks (foreground)
Appetizers
- She drank: Morning Glory (Bulleit Rye / Hennessy VS / Cointreau / Absinthe / Angostura Bitters / Sparkling Wine)
- He drank: Salingers Sling (Bulleit Bourbon / Grand Marnier / Demerara / Coffee Bitters)
- We ate: Rustic Bread – pan gravy / lard / black pepper / sage, and Brussels – brown butter / dill / parmigiano reggiano / preserved lemon aioli.
We started the evening with some drinks and appetizers, which were so good, SO good. If you ever go, get the brussel sprouts. The crunchy, roasted brussel sprouts most definitely should be enjoyed with the aioli. The lemon aoli cuts the saltiness of the prepared brussels (try by themselves if you like), and makes them taste divine. The rustic bread and pan gray reminded me of Thanksgiving or what I imagine a homey Sunday dinner to be. Everything was seasoned just right when enjoyed with the other items on the plate.
Main Course
- She drank: Bee’s Knees (Hendrick’s Gin / Lemon / Honey)
- He drank: Blackthorn (The Irishman’s Founder’s Reserve / Sweet Vermouth / Angostura Bitters / Copper & King’s Absinthe)
- We ate: Seared Scallops served over blue crab risotto with asparagus, chanterelles, and capers. Hanger Steak with charred spring onion, potato croquettes, asparagus, green garlic, and red wine jus.
I really enjoyed the Bee’s Knees, but I wish I had started with this drink. It was a bit too sweet for the scallops and risotto, but the lemony this of the drink did sort of work. In retrospect, I think the Morning Glory would have been a better pairing.
The risotto topped with seared scallops was so insanely delicious and expertly cooked I am still…STILL thinking about it at least a month later. The asparagus and chanterelles added a very pleasing taste as well as nice contrasting texture to the risotto and scallops.
Dave’s meal of hanger steak was equally well executed in taste and textures, but I think we were all still thinking of those scallops.
We could not leave without at least trying a dessert.
Dessert
- She drank: Water (I did have a sip from his drink…)
- He drank: Kentucky Coffee Tree (Bulleit Rye / Mezcal Joven / Stumptown Cold Brew Syrup / Chocolate Bitters)
- We ate: S’mores (bourbon marshmallow / chocolate rope / brown butter fried ice cream / graham cracker soil
I really enjoyed the ice cream in the dessert, but there was some pieces of chocolate on the plate that straight up reminded me of astronaut ice cream. (Astronaut ice cream is a novelty, not very tasty.) I think this was our least favorite menu item.
