Loading ...3 Bells For Butcher & Singer
Posted by Foobooz on February 16th, 2009
Craig LaBan visits Stephen Starr’s Butcher & Singer and finds plenty to sing about at the red meat mecca.
Butcher doesn’t mess around with its signature commodity: The meat here was outstanding and perfectly cooked. This was especially true of the 28-day dry-aged porterhouse, which had a sublime tenderness and mineral complexity, even a faint sweetness, that wore just enough funk for a dry-aged connoisseur. Double-size it into a 32-ounce broiler-charred slab for two ($74), like the plump lovebirds behind me did, and indulge in a T-bone romance.
The rest of Butcher’s steaks are wet-aged, which I’m not typically fond of, but chef Shane Cash has mastered the technique (a little air-drying) to eliminate the common metallic aftertaste. Both the New York strip and filet mignon were exceptional. And the 18-ounce Delmonico, sourced from exclusive Four Story Hill Farm in Northeast Pennsylvania, was possibly even better than the porterhouse, with a buttery beefiness that revealed itself in waves of layered savor.
Three Bells – Excellent
Butcher & Singer [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Butcher & Singer [Official Site]
1500 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA
Related Tags: Butcher & Singer Steak & Seafood, Center-City-West, Craig-LaBan, Reviewed, Steak
February 16th, 2009 at 10:46 am
that poor manager…. she will either get fired or “transfered” over this article. Craig should leave some specifics out, knowing what his comments might lead to.
February 16th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Looks like Butcher and Singer has set the bar high for the new steakhouses in town… can’t wait to see how Del Friscos and Union Trust measure up!
February 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Interrupting the meal to blah blh blah? She should be fired.
February 16th, 2009 at 11:59 am
My date and I went to Butcher & Singer last night. While the porterhouse was indeed perfectly cooked and delicious, I found the menu in general to be more limited than some of my other favorite steakhouses, such as Harris’ in SF. For these prices, I would have expected a couple of other beef cuts, other meat cuts, and a couple of other side dishes. Our cocktails and service were on-point.
I would give a higher rating if the menu got a slight expansion.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Craig Laban’s comments about the manager of Butcher & Singer were cruel and unnecessary. I have dined at Butcher & Singer many times since it’s opening, why do I go back? I return because of that same manager. She is not “cloyingly chatty, overly chirpy and never interrupted me during a meal.” She is warm, intelligent and lovely. Isn’t that why Stephen Starr hired her? Of course! The manager’s warmth encourages repeat customers, like me!
Maybe Craig Laban was in a bad mood when he dined at Butcher & Singer.