Lovin' On Buffalo: Restaurant Week Recap #3: Butterwood Sweet & Savory in Buffalo

Cheers to good food, Buffalo and new friends. In January, I started up the Lovin' On Buffalo book club. On Friday night, we hosted our second meeting to discuss "Buffalo Memories, Gone But Not Forgotten" at Butterwood Sweet & Savory. The restaurant is located inside the recently restored Hotel Lafayette. It is located on the lower level in what I'm told used to be the "speakeasy" of the hotel. To put it simply, the restaurant is gorgeous. It boasts gorgeous architectural elements, has plush seating for diners and has a gorgeous bar and display area for baked goods they sell.

The restaurant is considered a "full service fusion restaurant that focuses on modern cuisine." They offer fun appetizer selections, small plates that feature foods from around the world, inventive entrees, handmade pizzas, and more! The Restaurant Week special included either soup or salad, an entree and a chocolate lava cake for $20.13.

I started with their "Sweey & Savory" mini salad which was incredible. A bed of lettuce came wrapped inside cucumber with candied beets, avocado, a tomato relish and a citrus vinaigrette. It was topped with truffle frites. and served with a small puff pastry. The flavors were incredible. It was a gorgeous presentation and left me wanting more. Others in my party ordered the Caesar salad and the soup of the evening which was a surf & turf soup and everyone was very impressed.

My entree (pictured right) was a braised short rib that sat in a french onion broth and was topped with a crouton and cheese. It came served with a side of vegetables. The short rib was executed perfectly and was breaking apart and filled with incredible flavor as I ate it.

As someone who gets French Onion soup almost everywhere I go, I was extremely pleased with this version. The broth was flavorful and the cheese and crouton topped it off perfectly. The presentation was nice and I quickly had nothing left on my plate.

Other entrees at our table included duck, strip steak and salmon. Everything came out looking beautiful and there were numerous ooh's and ahh's as people ate. The group, most of who had never been to the restaurant before (myself included), were just in awe of such a wonderful evening of food and friends.

To finish up our meal, we were given a chocolate lava cake. It would not have been my first choice, since I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but it was the only option for Restaurant Week. If you are a chocolate lover, it was a perfect dish. It was extremely rich and gooey. It was a little too chocolaty for me, but I enjoyed the little I did eat. It sat over a fruit puree and some fruit and that was absolutely delicious.

Within the restaurant, they have the Butterwood Retail Bakery outlet that has delectable pastries, pies and new artisan breads. Everything in the case looked great.

The Hotel Lafayette has knocked it out of the park with their restaurant choices. Between the Pan Am Grill & Brewery, Butterwood Sweet & Savory and the upscale Mike A's, there is really something for every budget and palate. As for Butterwood Sweet & Savory, the food presentation and taste makes it very "upscale", but it is not priced as high as many upscale restaurants.

I left there knowing for certain I'd be back with my boyfriend, and am excited to hear they are offering great nightly specials including Bring Your Own Wine (no corkage fees) on Mondays & 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Wednesdays. They are open daily at 11:00am and open at 10:00am on the weekends. They also offer a weekend brunch that I've heard great things about. If you are looking for somewhere to take Mom for Mother's Day, this would be my recommendation.

The vision and dedication Rocco Termini had for The Hotel Lafayette, and his hard work on new ventures he is undertaking in the City are helping to reshape Buffalo as an incredible destination and place to live. After our meal we had the chance to tour around The Hotel Lafayette, and hearing stories of how rundown this place was years ago, I'm just so thrilled to see the turnaround and look forward to seeing what's next for Buffalo!