Date Night, South End Buttery

My girlfriend and I get dinner out almost every week – just not always at a new place. Many weeks are capped off by visiting some of our favorite restaurants, those places where we might be considered regulars, if only we went regularly enough. Though this makes me a bit hesitant to start a new post all about restaurants in the Bean, what’s to lose, really? So, damn the sails… or the cannons… or however that phrase goes. (Damn the torpedoes!)

the place on the corner

This past weekend we visited a local favorite, the South End Buttery. Yelp.com rates it a 3.5/5, and Urbanspoon.com has it pegged at 81%. Both ratings are pretty high, and accurately so, for the (sometimes less-than-helpful) user-review sites.

The restaurant is the South End’s idyllic café, sitting on the corner of two residential streets, tucked in amongst brownstones, churches, and a handful of shops. Picture red brick, sidewalks, flowers, and the café on the corner. In short, it seems a world away from downtown Boston.

Inside, the restaurant is divided between coffee and cupcake stop and eat-in dining. This is not a split identity and does not feel like one, either. Remember, this is the place on the corner.

eat-in dining, pastries, and coffee

We’ve stopped here for the coffee and cupcakes before. If you’re visiting Boston (or just visiting the South End), it makes for an exceptional complement to exploring and admiring the neighborhood. And if you're hosting, it makes a great first stop for your visitors.

Back to our date -- I suppose I should begin by saying that the food was really good. I can’t pretend to be a connoisseur – any mention of an aromatic aioli or a subtle taste palette out of my mouth would just be the stringing together of random jargon. But I did like what I tasted (meatloaf for me, salmon for my girlfriend). As for drinks, the menu is not the largest in the area, but it is fitting and tasty.

Without publishing my bill, I’ll just say that dining in, at my income, could not become a regular experience. Check the menu to see for yourself, but I’d recommend keeping the South End Buttery high on your special occasion list. The food is great and the setting is perfect for those events that deserve your extra care and attention. Or, you could always stop by for a coffee.

Til next time!