The Butler House

The Butler House has not had their grand opening yet, but they now have a full menu so it was time for us to come give it a try. We were certainly glad we did.

The restaurant is a former private residence that has been there for a long time.  It is now set in what intends to be an upscale shopping area.  The concept of the restaurant is a rustic Pennsylvania home.  The entrance sets the atmosphere--it's suitably distressed, and they have kept the narrow doors of the original.  Inside they have the basics in place, but no artwork or accents yet--no doubt those are coming. We got a table that looked out on their herb garden in front.  We went on a Sunday evening, which is a good time for a very relaxing experience--they had the fishtank channel playing on the TVs, whereas I believe if you go on a Friday or Saturday there will be sports on.  A special thanks to our waiter, the service was first-rate throughout the entire evening.

The wine and beer were on happy hour special so we went with a nice glass of Pinot Noir and an excellent Scottish ale.  For starters we had a Caesar salad and the butternut squash bisque soup.  This made me just a slight bit nervous--the salad was just OK, with a bit of a stale Parmesan chip, and the soup was flavorful but lacked squash flavor.

For the entrees we had the rib-eye steak with mushroom risotto and roasted brussels sprouts, and the night's special--a Korubuta pork shank Moroccan style with lentils and yams in a fig reduction.

The rib-eye was very good, perfectly cooked with excellent flavor, very well complemented by the port-rosemary reduction sauce.  The mushroom risotto was quite tasty and the rice was right on.  The brussels sprouts were roasted perfectly, just the right amount to bring out a little natural sweetness in them.  It's a generous portion, appeared to be at least 16 ounces, we took plenty home.

The pork shank was truly amazing.  Falling-off-the-bone tender and perfectly complemented by the sauce.  The fig and yam flavors were definitely present but not at all overpowering (I am not a fan of overly sweet pork sauces).  I hope they add this to the regular menu.  None of this went home, I scraped the plate clean.



This is a place where it's a great idea to try something outside of your comfort zone.  The seasoning on all the dishes is subtle, nothing overwhelming--the intent seems to be to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients.

For dessert we went with their flourless chocolate cake and a toffee bread pudding.  The cake is something of a dense mousse, almost like a chocolate cheesecake, and coats the mouth wonderfully--delicious.  The bread pudding was served with ice cream and was also quite good.  There's chocolate and toffee in it, and it is served very warm.  Reminded me, in a good way, of eating a pancake.  I love pancakes.

The establishment has a very interesting concept--initially it was only open from 3-9 p.m., though they are starting to extend their hours.  They host a lot of different social events--seems like they are trying out several kinds to see what appeals.  They have an outdoor seating area with a very large billboard style big screen.  They mostly show sports, but are also trying out old movies and other things.  You should probably check the Facebook Page for a good night to go.

You will need to bring the Benjamins for the full experience, but you could get by with a burger and beer on the patio for just over $30 apiece.  The place is not yet perfect, but has tremendous potential and we hope to be back.

My Yelp Review