South End Buttery

11/07/10

Request to sit away from the corner fireplace table

by metrowest guy at Citysearch

Having only gone to this populate cafe for brunch and coffee I decided to try dinner. While the food was very good despite a long wait for it to arrive after ordering, I have to warn, do not sit near the fireplace. The downstairs dining area became a bit too warm and it was decided to turn on the air conditioning. The airconditioner was located right above our table and blowing directly at us and on our table. After two requests to lower the speed or simpy turn it off, nothing was done. Upon her approach to our table we decided to try and see if our waitress could help. The best she could do is try to deflect the cold air by moving the vents on the air conditioner. Unforutately her attempt failed. Not only was it cold at our table our $200 check dinners also turned cold in short order.

In all fairness the food was good, however there are many more comfortable places to dine in the city. Should you decide on Sound End Buttery for your next dinner, just be careful where you are seated.

05/03/10

You can taste where they get their name

by Miss Yunks , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

I ordered a veggie burger and shared a side of fries with A. The veggie burger was good but I wouldn't call it a veggie burger, you know, if I was in charge of the menu. I'd call it a chickpea patty, or even a chickpea burger. Chickpea was the strongest flavor I tasted in the burger. And it tasted good, but not what I expected a veggie burger to be. It was served on a very large bun made from flaky bakery bread and a roasted tomato. The dish also came with a mixed green salad that was tossed in an elegant, light tasting vinaigrette. The french fries are Belgian style, I believe. They're served in a huge (see a theme here) paper cone and came with a choice of aiolis - we chose the truffle aioli. The fries were amazing - my favorite part of the meal. They were crispy and tasted lightly fried and not too greasy. The aioli was a real treat as well. I would go back to the Buttery just for these fries!

While we all liked our food (A also had a veggie burger and B had spaghetti) we were less than impressed with the servers. Our waitress never smiled, never asked how our food was, was slow overall, and didn't bring ketchup when she brought out our burgers, we had to ask for it. Maybe that's how they do it there, but we were surprised. She also didn't apologize when one dish came out wrong. Anyways...

For dessert, we had cupcakes! The bakery section has large cupcakes, but the dinner dessert menu serves mini cupcakes. Luckily, the serving is 3 mini cupcakes.

The display is beautiful. I had the vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting. It was quite delicious. The cake is a nice texture and the vanilla frosting has the same great vanilla/buttery/creamy taste I remembered. B didn't love the chocolate frosting so I sampled it so I could judge it too. It had a light chocolate taste, tasted more like butter than chocolate.

The atmosphere at the Buttery is surprisingly elegant. The upstairs is typical bakery cafe style with white walls and white furniture. We ate downstairs. The downstairs is the complete opposite - dark lighting, dark wood furniture, red booths, red pillows. There were two candles on the table too, adding to the ambiance.

The South End Buttery definitely satisfied our appetites!

• Pros: delicious desserts, breads, fries!
• Cons: only 2 vegetarian entrees

03/01/10

Cute as a Cupcake

by TBella , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

The South End Buttery. It is a place I always mean to go to more often.

Nestled cozily on the corner of Shawmut and gorgeous Union Park, entering the Buttery is like walking into the middle of one of their delicious cupcakes. Walls are painted cake batter yellow and the ceiling detail is both ornate and whimsical, as if it was piped from a pastry bag. Everything about its aesthetic is warm and inviting, from the decor to its business cards. And so is the menu.

The pastry case overflows with various cakes, tarts, muffins and its spectacular & ginormous cupcakes (their carrot cake cupcake is Boston's best IMO). They also serve breakfast and sandwiches in the cafe, and have a bar & extended menu in the dining area. And their espresso is arguably the best in Boston proper. The owner is a super friendly & welcoming fellow.

I have yet to have a proper meal here since the expansion, but will review once I do!

• Pros: Espresso, Carrot Cake cupcake

05/22/09

Buttery: an urban oasis for afternoon tea

by LorrieP at Citysearch

We love to drop by the Buttery on Shawmut avenue during the afternoons when it's not too busy. They have fantastic pastries and I always get the soymilk chai latte because it is delicious. It's a gorgeous little place in a quiet part of an otherwise busy neighbourhood. I would recommend this coffeeshop, although I have never tried the savoury food they have. Weekend mornings since they are very busy and I feel that the place is more successful when peaceful.

• Pros: Delicious for coffee and pastries
• Cons: Cupcakes are too sweet

12/07/08

Elle!

by kblyons123 at Citysearch

I have yet to eat here, but the bartender is adorable and does a great job getting her friends there! Elle for president.

• Pros: Elle, sugared lemons