If you are from the Western New York region then you should be familiar with Butterwood’s. Can’t remember? Let me refresh your memory.
For over a decade, Butterwood’s-located on Main St. in Wiliamsville NY, was the pastry hot spot for all things decadent. The cakes flew off the shelves, the creme brulee was so good I could swim in lake of it, and the fruit tart tasted so fresh, it was as if they had plucked the fruit from a tree behind the restaurant. This place had such amazing pastries; had Bill Clinton brought Hillary here after his “indiscretions”, he would have been forgiven immediately.
Why am I talking in past tense you wonder, because Butterwood’s ceased to exist for a time. I didn’t know why, but I was heartbroken. We are talking major meltdown. It is dangerous to rip a dessert place like this away from a girl! (insert exaggeration here.) Until…..I realized they had moved! Ok, crisis overted; we can all breathe easy.
So with this knowledge I decided to check out they’re new location and new name- Butterwood Sweet and Savory, located at 391 Washington St Buffalo NY. Apparently Butterwood’s wanted to add unique eating to their repertoire. Their newest culinary adventure fuses together modern cuisine with sweet, spicy and savory ingredients. The menu is small and perfectly plays off the windowed display of their famously delicious desserts. The first thing that jetted out at me was the offering of small dishes, which they like to call “flying saucers”. These dishes are small both in quantity and price. What I also like is that they offer a little something for everyone. So if you have digestive issues- ordering wheat flatbread ($9.00) with truffle oil/mushrooms and balsamic onions, or shrimp cocktail ($12.00) is a perfect choice. There are also dishes for the vegetarian such as bok choy, tofu or portobella.
I settled on Shrimp cocktail (the size of the shrimp justified the price) and a flatbread margherita pizza ($13.00). As I watched my dough fly through the air and gently laid to rest in the brick oven, I truly knew Butterwood’s had been reborn. The arribiatta sauce mixed perfectly with portobella mushrooms and smokey mozzerella. When asked if they could go easy on the cheese, they did just that! I couldn’t have been more pleased. Now it would be a sin to leave without dessert! I sauntered up to the display window; oh how I missed that display window, and zeroed in on the molten lava cake! Well case closed, that’s what I was getting. My mouth is still singing its praise. The oozing of dark chocolate as my fork cut through the spongy moist cake was tantalizing. The cocoa was balanced and allowed the flavor of the dark chocolate “lava” to shine. Again- still singing its praise over here.
The art deco design and dark wood elements bring this restaurant to life; although the food speaks for itself. With special offers like “Wednesday Wine Down”, where reds and whites are 1/2 off, and food/wine pairings; I have to say that my grieving over the “loss” of Butterwood’s has been permenantly washed away. But don’t listen to me, go check it out for yourself!
