Whom You Know: Peachy Picks Butterfield 8

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Peachy Picks Butterfield 8

We first introduced you to Butterfield 8 in Tasty Tidbits:

http://www.whomyouknow.com/2009/08/tasty-tidbits-butterfield-8.html

We are pleased to announce that it has graduated to Peachy's Picks! The upbeat atmosphere, dressed-up pub fare and superb service earned Butterfield 8 its advancement in the eyes of the Whom You Know dining panel.

The drinks were amazingly creative and are absolutely what every office in the neighborhood of Butterfield 8 must be thinking about all afternoon until the day is done. Peachy preferred "Summer In the City" which is a concoction of St. Germain Elderflower (reviewed in Champagne Wishes by Whom You Know!) with Champagne and fresh squeezed lemon on the rocks. She also tried the Sapphire Squeeze which is refreshing with a kick: Bombay Sapphire, fresh squeezed lemon, and St. Germain Elderflower served on the rocks and topped with club soda. The Dragon Berry Mojito Peachy also tried during the meal and that is composed of Bacardi Dragon Berry, fresh lime, fresh mint, sugar and a splash of club soda, sours and cranberry.

Whom You Know of course was reviewing this as a dinner, but we think that even if you were in for happy hour you would want to order at the very least, appetizers as they are among the most delectable in the city! We started off with the Kobe Beef Sliders, pictured below:

The Kobe Beef was served on mini brioche buns with White American Cheese and Sweet Thai Ketchup. It was the perfect way to dress up a burger.

We also loved the Sushi Tuna smashingly served in a martini glass! The hand diced sushi grade Ahi Tuna was tossed with Sesame Seeds and Soy Sauce, and was served with Ginger Soy Vinaigrette and Seaweed Salad. As the seafood selections were so successful, we also tried the Fire Cracker Shrimp-fried shrimp sauteed in Butterfield 8's signature Fire Cracker Chili Oyster Sauce and also the Salt and Pepper Calamari - Salt and Pepper Dusted Calamari tossed with red and green peppers. The creamy spinach dip completed our starters and ensured that we did get some vegetables in!

Peachy Deegan ordered the fabulous Atlantic Salmon for her entree and it was incredibly flavorful, fresh and unique! The pan seared salmon was cooked just perfectly and when paired with the signature lobster mashed potatoes in the champagne cream, it was the dish of the night - if you are part of Butterfield 8's after-work crowd the thought of this dish alone will convince you to stay for a whole dinner! Peachy also tried the Diver Sea Scallops, pictured here:

The pan roasted diver scallops over black truffle risotto were to die for. These two dishes really set Butterfield 8 apart from our city of many upscale bars: Butterfield 8 is not only a great place to hang out and drink Summer in the City's after work, it is a fabulous venue for an upbeat dinner to follow those drinks! The pretzel crusted crab cakes were lovely as well and quite unique in preparation: baked parmesean pretzel crusted crab cakes over julienne vegetable slaw with a honey ginger sauce.

As sides we loved the truffled tater tots, the sweet potato fries and the Butterfield 8 Mac and Cheese. They were cleverly served, as well:

Lauren O'Connor did an outstanding job as waitress all evening with both her great attention to detail and her sparkling personality. Melissa Stella manages Butterfield 8 flawlessly and both Lauren and Melissa were as sweet as the outstanding desserts: the warm fudge brownie a la mode, the apple pie a la mode, and the cookie smash. Also, Butterfield 8 excels at taking classics like these up a notch to put the perfect end highlight on your meal. Peachy Deegan also enjoyed the coffee served with Bailey's Irish Creme, Godiva chocolate liqueur, and the creme de cacao.

Our dining panel commented:

"I just loved Summer in the City: A House Favorite: (and MINE!)...St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur with Champagne and fresh squeezed lemon served on the rocks topped with club soda...was a 'PURE DELIGHT', quite refreshing and noteworthy!

The appetizers were just amazing. The Sushi Tuna was hand-diced sushi grade Ahi Tuna tossed with sesame seeds and soy sauce, served with ginger soy vinaigrette and seaweed salad. It had a nice, light tender taste enchanting the tastebuds. Quite tender and delicate. Delicious! The Salt & Pepper Calamari had the complimentary nice "zing" to the Thai chili sauce that just made the dish. I would definitely re-order this appetizer. The Creamy Spinach Dip had chopped spinach mixed in their creamy mozzarella and parmesan cheese sauce, served with pita chips. It had a contrasting creamy smoothness to the crunchy chips. The Kobe Beef Sliders were served on mini brioche buns with white American cheese and sweet Thai ketchup. It was a nice tasty traditional mini burger with the change of pace sweet Thai ketchup. I would definitely re-order this appetizer item! Firecracker shrimp are fried shrimp sauteed in their Firecracker Chili Oyster Sauce; they had a nice "zip' for the sauce for this delicately fried tender shrimp. A "must have"!

I ordered for my entree the Pretzel-Crusted Crab Cake. This baked parmesan pretzel-crusted crab cake over Julienne vegetable slaw with a honey, ginger sauce, had a nice, crunchy coating to this "scrumptious" traditional crab cake. A seafood lover's delight! The Julienne vegetables had a beautiful, light honey-ginger sauce drizzled all over. I tried the Atlantic Salmon: this pan-seared salmon over "lobster" mashed potatoes in a champagne cream sauce was a "smashing" hit (favorite) of all who par-took of this very rare delight! It was a nice accompaniment to the pan-seared, flaky salmon. Definitely a "MUST" try and experience the pleasure! Finally the Diver Sea Scallops served over black ruffle risotto delighted the diner with this delectable scallop entree perched high above the mound of fluffy black ruffle risotto. A "clear-cut" choice WINNER!

For dessert, we had apples with a light pastry topping alamode that had a nice texture and spice with the hot apples which themselves were so fresh. The "oh-so-light" pastry topping" and the added alamode was an excellent partner to this delicious apple dessert. I would order this again! The "smashed" cookies w/fudge topping alamode were a great, cookie combination with the chocolaty fudge and ice cream topping. DEFINITELY ORDER THIS AGAIN! The brownie with chocolate fudge topping alamode was a traditional brownie classic not to miss."

"The restaurant is very welcoming and inviting from the minute we walked in. When walking up 38th St you cannot resist glancing in the wide open double doors of Butterfield 8. The sound of laughter and happiness captures your curiosity. Upon entering, you encounter the staff who are very pleasant and attentive. Lauren our hostess was very polite and had some great recommendations throughout the evening. She had depth of knowledgeable about the newly added items on the menu and did an exemplary job.

To begin my delightful experience of Butterfield8, I ordered a mangotini. This was just one of the many exotic drink selections on the list. Moving on to the appetizers we ordered several starters:
SUSHI TUNA
Hand Diced Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna tossed with Sesame Seeds and Soy Sauce. Served with Ginger Soy Vinaigrette and Seaweed Salad. For someone who has a fear of raw food, the tuna was delicious. It was extremely fresh and velvety smooth. I would have no hesitations in ordering it again.
SALT & PEPPER CALAMARI
Salt & Pepper Dusted Calamari tossed with Red & Green Peppers served with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. Again, a wonderful choice. Butterfield 8 takes on the traditional calamari dish with a marinara sauce and puts a twist by giving a wonderful surprise of a Sweet Thai Sauce, taking a person from Europe to the other side of the world.
FIRE CRACKER SHRIMP
Fried Shrimp Sauteed in our Fire Cracker Chili Oyster Sauce. If you a lover of spicy food, this is a must have. The shrimp are lightly battered and very tender. If you are not one for spicy (don’t worry, eliminate the sauce), the shrimp are cooked to perfection.

For an entree I ordered the Pan Roasted Diver Scallops served over Black Truffle Risotto. Nothing to say -except to emphasize it is out of this world! It is extremely tender and smooth, as the scallops just melt in your mouth and excite your taste buds. It was perfectly browned and seasoned, and it sits on tops a bed of the most delicious risotto, I’ve ever had.

The Smashed Chocolate Chip Cookies were just amazing: crushed chocolate chip cookie warmed in a skillet with ice cream and chocolate chip topping. It was something you can’t live without! Simply delicious, after one bite and you won’t stop. The dinner was a success!"

"Butterfield 8 is obviously the place in the neighborhood to meet someone for a drink. In fact it was a bit of a challenge to work my way through the crowd gathered up front last night to meet my party. Their mixologist put a refreshing spin on the classic Mojito by adding Canton Ginger Liqueur and Grey Goose Poire Vodka. In fact it was one of the best cocktails I've ever tasted!

A standout on the starter list was the Fire Cracker shrimp. Their batter was light and herb dusted. Using Kobe Beef was a clever and tasty way to upscale sliders!

Among the entrees we tried the Diver Sea Scallops were so delicious! Their Black Truffle Risotto is decadent and irresitible! Using parmesan pretzels to make the Crab Cake crust was a hearty twist on a crowd pleaser.

Among the desserts we tried the Cookie Smash was by far the favorite. Warm choclate chip cookies a la mode served up in a mini cast iron skillet! As our waitress Lauren said 'It's all you need!'"

Whom You Know happily endorses Butterfield 8.

It is at:

5 E 38th St
New York, NY 10016
(212) 679-0646

For more information:

http://butterfield8nyc.com/

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