Sweet and Sour in Boston

I can't believe that we have not been to a Barbara Lynch restaurant in all the time we've been in Boston. We corrected this huge culinary hole on Saturday by going to The Butcher Shop for lunch. I have never, ever seen less than 20 people inside this restaurant. It always seems so busy that we always discount it as a place to go to for dinner because we think there's no way we will be seated quickly. While walking past on Saturday, we only saw on table taken and a list of lunch specials that sounded absolutely delicious. We walked in and sat down at the bar.

The restaurant itself is a very stylish layout. There's a large bar with a few high tops along the window and a large butcher block in front of some refrigerators filled with meats and other items for sale. All the servers in black t-shirts and jeans making for a very casual feel (we were nervous about eating here because we were just in t-shirts) and the butcher in his whites with a tie breaking down some meats.

Abby went with the duck hot dog and I went for the BLT. Some Italian soda bread was placed in front of us along with some butter (topped with salt) and organic honey. The honey was no ordinary honey...I forget the process it went through that our bartender explained to us. However, after one small bite, we both were hooked. I think all restaurants should provide this honey and salted butter to be served with bread. Fan-freaking-tastic.



After a short wait, our mains arrived. The tomatoes in my BLT stole the show of my sandwich. One would think the massive amount of bacon I got would be the main attraction, but the tomatoes were just so fresh and so perfect in this sandwich that that is all I can remember. The only way I think one could prefect this sandwich is to replace the Helman's mayo with Miracle Whip...however, maybe that's not a good idea because the tangy MW might take away from the sweetness of the fresh tomatoes. Abby's duck hot dog was likewise "to die for". I definitely enjoyed how little of a bun she got so there was no mistake that the duck hot dog was the star of that plate. And that was one damn good hot dog. I was very surprised that the sweetness of the brioche bun didn't make the entire dish too sweet (what with the duck and all) but it was perfect. The homemade potato chips earn my highest praise because it reminded me of my own potato chips. (This is not to say these chips were amateurish in any way, it was just that they were seasoned with a lot of pepper which is how I do it at home.)




At the end of our meal, we purchased a little 3oz jar of the honey for $3. The meal was decently priced too, with both entrees being $10 or less. And for the quality of our food, those prices might have been bargains. We will definitely be back to try their salumi's and charcuterie and give dinner a try too. Based on our lunch experience, I give The Butcher Shop a 5 out of 5.