South End Buttery

          South End Buttery is a both a bakery and a bistro; the bistro side has about five tables and a bar that seats half a dozen people at most. It has a wine bar feel, similar to some of my other favorite south end spots and the menu is mostly upscale comfort food. Some of the entrees on the dinner menu included fish and chips, meatloaf, steak frites, and three different types of burgers. They also had a great selection of drinks, including cocktails with some of my favorite ingredients: lavender, hibiscus, and elderflower. The only missing ingredient that kept it from being my perfect drink menu was cucumber, but since they appeared to still be on a winter menu I’ll let that slide!

         I started with a cocktail of prosecco and hibiscus while I looked at the menu. This came with a whole flower in the bottom of the glass, had a great flavor (not too sweet or strong), and was light and refreshing. I ended up deciding on an appetizer and a side dish to try and make it more of a light dinner.

        I ordered the squash & arugula salad as an appetizer. This came with chunks of warm kabocha squash, thinly sliced apples, shaved manchego cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a sherry vinaigrette dressing. This was delicious and surprisingly filling; it could easily have been my entire dinner.

          Next was the lobster mac and cheese, which was a side dish but also quite large. The sauce was the perfect consistency, not too thin or too creamy, and tasted like sharp white cheddar. There were also bits of Parmesan mixed in, along with roasted shallots. This dish had just the right pasta to sauce ratio, and no breadcrumbs (I prefer mac and cheese without because they can make it dry). There was a good amount of lobster, and I wasn’t able to finish the entire thing. I would have liked to try dessert from the bakery, but I have been before for cupcakes and I was just way too full.



          Overall this was a great dinner, and I would definitely go back to the bistro or the bakery. The menu seemed to be seasonal, and I would like to come back to try some more summery dishes.