The NYC Restaurant That Is A Butter Lover's Dream

If you are on any social media, you've probably seen a glimpse of the food trend of the moment: butter boards. Quickly becoming the new charcuterie board as far as popularity goes, a butter board is made by spreading a large amount of softened butter over a serving board. It is topped with sprinkled salt, fresh herbs, chilies, roasted garlic, really whatever flavorings float your boat. You and your guests then slather your buttery art over slices of bread and sip Chablis with your pinkies up. We all are eating carbs again, hooray!

Having bread and butter before a meal is nothing new. According to The Daily Meal, the practice could stem from a number of things, including being a sign of hospitality and eating carbs that can make you hungrier, benefitting the dining establishment. Whether it's breadsticks, warm rolls, or house-baked sourdough slices, restaurants often offer diners some form of bread and butter almost as soon as they sit down. The practice is so common that restaurant patrons hardly even look up when the ubiquitous bread basket is placed on the table. So it says a lot that a New York City restaurant is not only making people look up from their smartphones and menus but positively marveling at the bread and butter creation rolled up to their tables.

The full spread starring bread and butter

The bread service at Manhattan's Quality Bistro is not free, nor does it automatically appear as you sit down. Presented as the Butter Service Garni on the menu, diners must opt for the dish and agree to the $28 fee per Food & Wine. Before you drop your breakfast toast, know that this isn't the bread and butter you're used to. Even the menu's description of the dish does not indicate the feast that arrives on an elegant rolling cart tableside (via Quality Bistro). Whipped local butter is presented in a crock. The server takes some of this butter and spreads it on a platter on your table (hello, butter board!). They then top the butter with salt, pepper, and other herbs and spices. Toasted bread accompanies the butter, as do plenty of savory accompaniments like Spanish ham, French pickled vegetables, mushrooms, nuts, and dried fruit.

Clearly, this bread and butter service could easily be a meal, and no one will blame you if you treat it as such. If you can't make it to New York to indulge your taste buds and pocketbook, you can try to recreate it at home or add it to your next party meat and cheese board.