Chef Orlando Martinez MARCH 2015 | BOROMAG.COM | 23 Upgrades to the menu include smoked and fried chicken wings, as well as loaded French fries. “We simply had to get a fryer in the new location,” admits the chef. “Too many people wanted fries with their ‘cue, so we listened.” But fries aren’t the only kind of spud being served. The menu also boasts a new ‘Butcher Bowl’, which slathers a pile of mashed potatoes with yellow corn, jack cheese, and your choice of smoked pork or BBQ chicken. If all of that has you somewhat excited, then buckle your britches—or rather, loosen them a notch—because in two weeks Chef Sanchez is rolling out a twenty-item barbecue-inspired brunch menu. When I was offered a chance to try out some of the new items debuting the weekend of March 21st, I didn’t need to be asked twice. Hand on my heart, they are serving the most incredible, outrageous, finger licking fantastic breakfast pastry I have ever tried. Forget the cronut. They have a Bacon Jam Roll. This buttery, tender country biscuit is coiled with homemade bourbon bacon jam, then glazed with icing rendered from the bacon fat. Oh, and you can even get it topped with a fried egg. This devilish little sticky bun fills up a cast iron skillet, and is so good it’ll curl your toes. You can crown anything with an egg and I will probably try it, so I had to sample the new brunch burger. It’s a 6 oz. Butcher’s Burger dressed with mild cheddar, candied bacon, bacon jam, and a fried egg. For another eggs-tra special sampling, I tried a skillet of some beautiful brisket hash. A potpourri of cubed potatoes, peppers, and onions is tossed with miniature pieces of brisket that has been smoked for 12 hours and dry rubbed. All of that glorious hash is then blanketed with a river of country gravy, then topped with a glorious fried egg and a dash of black pepper. The last morsel enjoyed was a skillet of the new Half-Baked Mac & Cheese, which marries their grass fed beef chili with their creamy 3-cheese béchamel, before topping it with a layer of jack cheese and bacon bits. That skillet is then bronzed in the oven, merging all of those flavors beneath a crust of cheese and bacon. Now I’ll be the first to admit I had to jog up and down 30th Ave a few times after I finished that smorgasbord. But believe me when I tell you, it was definitely worth a few laps. The new brunch at Butcher Bar is one of the best around. Heck, the new Butcher Bar is one of the best restaurants around, period. I guess you could say they ‘smoke’ the competition. 37-10 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103 (718) 606-8140 www.butcherbar.com
BM032015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above