Al Fresco Dining in Philadelphia
Foobooz's 2011 Top 50 Bars
Philly's 20 Best Drinks
2011 Best of Philly in Food
The Very Best Pizza in Philly
50 Best Places to Eat in Philadelphia
Second Bite: Butcher & Singer
Posted by joy manning on July 7th, 2009
It’s been months since my last review visit to Stephen Starr’s second steakery, Butcher & Singer, and after hearing reports that the restaurant had worked out some of the first-few-months kinks I had written about, I thought it might be time to check up on the place. It’s still one of the city’s prettiest new restaurants, and the service is still up to the Starr standard — but here’s what I thought of the food on my recent revisit.
Caesar Salad
Then: Back in January, I was less than impressed with this dish. It lacked the assertive jolt of anchovies and garlic that distinguishes the best Caesar salads, and the cheese had a waxy, food-service, pre-grated quality.
Now: While the same basic problems persisted (lack of bold flavor, suspicious cheese), the salad seemed a bit crisper and the dressing better seasoned. The saltiness suggested anchovy without fishy flavor — probably agreeable to many diners, but real Caesar salad fans know that anchovies are the most important player.
Steak Diane
Then: This retro dish seems like the perfect match for this dining room, but back in January the twin pieces of filet on the plate did not match one another — one was very overcooked, the other much rarer. I did like the mound of creamy mashed potatoes, the earthy mushrooms, and the savory sauce.
Now: This time the pieces of steak were cooked to different temperatures again: one piece a nice medium to medium rare, the other rarer; a far better combo that my previous experience, but still a little strange. As before, the mushrooms and mashed potatoes were tasty, and the dish overall seemed better seasoned this time around.
Stuffed Hash Browns
Then: Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this dish during my winter visits, it didn’t make its way to the review (it’s never possible to describe everything I’ve tried). One reason for the omission was that it seems to me impossible that a dish that combined crispy fried hash browns, tender chunks of spuds, and a heavy dose of sour cream could be bad. You don’t need me to tell you this is going to be good.
Now: Still awesome.
The Verdict
In general, my most recent meal was similar to those I experienced over the winter (good service, great vibe). Though some dishes have been refined to good effect, other basic issues persist.
Related Tags: Education, Wine, Wine-School-of-Philadelphia
July 7th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Joy, with all due respect, I know you are looking for certain consistencies, etc., but I believe that you should give Butcher & Singer a little more credit than your experience on Steak Diane and hash browns. I personally have had numerous meals here and have purposely tried a variety of menu items — in fact, the first few months they opened, i was doing little comparisons vs. Del Frisco’s since it was all around the same time. Del Frisco’s was a disappointment and I don’t know what the hype was – YUK – and if i have to go there, I refuse to order any food! Terrible.
Butcher and Singer’s meals have beat many other establishments in the city, in my opinion, and they just aren’t getting the credit and the crowds. I’d hate to see them shut their doors. Every piece of meat I’ve ever had at Butcher & Singer has been exceptional, and other items measure up as well – oysters, soup, salads, etc.
I really wish for you to do a future review here with trying a variety off of their menu – especially the lamb chops, medium rare
….. bon appetite.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I agree with you Joy, service and atmosphere at B&S are great but the cooking lacks….a lot.
maybe starr has his best cooks up at barclay? i had the porterhouse for two which was a beautiful steak and may have been one of the best i ever had. BUT it was totally overcooked. i ordered medium rare and it was medium to well. almost inedible to someone addicted to a blood-red steak. i didnt want to wait the 20 mins for a new one and offset all of my fellow diners. disappointed!
July 17th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
You can’t beat the service and good feeling, especially when the female GM visits your table and acts like she is your best friend. She is much more sincere than Perrier when he makes the same attempt. At least you know she means it. I’ve eaten at B&S several times. I have never had a mixed reaction. It was either really good, or disappointing. I found that if my Ceasar salad was limp, the rest of the meal would be disappointing, but if the salad were good, so would be the rest of the meal. I still enjoy going there for lunch, but I won’t risk losing money on dinner there for a while. I am a Starr fan. I am confident he will correct the situation once he becomes aware.