Diner Review IX: The Buttery

Diner Review
The Buttery
3659 South Grand Boulevard
St. Louis 63118
314-771-4443

It was with some trepidation on a recent Sunday that I finally made the journey to “The Buttery.” Clearly there was a lot of fear just regarding the name. Certainly there should be no fear in too much butter. There can never be too much butter, or too much grease. As the Diner Reviewers “Home Boy” Martin Luther said...”We hold these truths to be self evident.” No, the fear had to do with the type of building and the location on South Grand. The fear was that there might be a dreaded butter “substitute.” That evil, vicious, yellowish oil that is “butter flavored.” This crap has ruined more breakfasts and frankly more restaurants then any other evil besides “butter like spreads.”

Not to fear. The Buttery provided an excellent breakfast, free of butter substitutes. Unlike some diners that I have traveled to, The Buttery is in a true racially diverse neighborhood. A neighborhood not of all one ethnicity. A neighborhood that is in transistion but know one knows whether it is transitioning from something bad to something good...or vice-versa. The Buttery stands in it’s own free standing lot wedged between an old office building and a Blockbuster. There is metered street parking on Grand and a small lot behind where you would not want to leave your lap top on the seat while you were dining.
Going in you notice all the good things. A grill driectly behind the counter and a long straight counter with a dozen stools with red pleather all ready for a big butt to plunk down on. There are also several two person booths (dueces) and about 5 four people booths. The booth benches and tables are made of the appropriate wood grained plastic that gives a person a feel of quality.... or not. There were no calendars on display which is troubling but a CD juke box was available. On this trip the repetoir on the jukeb ox was not reviewed.

The staff was comprised of a 50 year old lady, a 40 year old man and another lady who was mildly impaired of an indeterminate age. They were not overly friendly (likely because they were busy or perhaps because they were unfriendly) but they did meet every request this diner made quickly and without rancor. There was some friendly banter between the man and the woman along the lines of “when I want shit from you I will squeeze your head.” Good stuff.

The menu is a one page, two sided, yellow laminated presentation which once again stinks of diner quality and professionalism. They have all the important items available for breakfast including a slinger although it was not sampled. The gravy was acceptable and had good flavor although it was slightly gluey and did not contain a lot of sausage or any other meat. The biscuit with the gravy was covered in gravy, unidentifiable due to same and unremarkable other then as a medium for the gravy. Nothing wrong with that.
The hash browns need to be discussed. They are shredded hash browns (the importance of which has been frequently discussed in these pages) but the shreds are thick, more like a Nightcrawler then an Alabama Red Jumper. This leads to a slightly more “meaty” hashbrown patty, and it was a hashbrown patty. It appears that The Buttery uses the Waffle House hash brown form (when you do not order them “scattered”) and as such you hash browns come out in a round patty, about an inch thick, pleasantly brown on both sides. All in all I would have to call the hash browns...out standing.

Brakfast sausage patties were smallish and pre-formed but had excellent flavor. The iced tea was questionable as to what week it had been brewed in but over all I would say that was my only complaint regarding “The Buttery.” In 2006 the RFT voted it Best Diner saying:

Best Diner (2006)
“For so long, we've had so many questions about the Buttery. What kind of a diner name is that? Does anybody actually go in there? And most important, why haven't we gone in there? So we did, and we weren't disappointed. The Buttery boasts one of the best cheap breakfasts in town (served anytime, 24/7). The vibe is mellow (and almost otherworldly, the way everything else seems to fall away as soon as you walk in the door). Then again, there's a kick-ass jukebox stocked with a surprising and wicked array of metal and other high-volume hits to jolt yourself back into reality. And the reality is, whether you're looking for a well-done burger, a tuna melt or your standard eggs-potatoes-toast combo, the Buttery's...well, Best.”
While the RFT vote of “Best” is impressive (i.e. Best Fried Chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken)

I was more impressed when doing my research to discover it was mentioned as a possible stop for a “Bad Girls Road Trip” in a lesbian website called “Curves.”
http://www.curvemag.com/Detailed/106.html

Can there be higher kudos then the picked breakfast place for a bad girl lesbian road trip? I think not. As is my habit now I gave the diner a second visit with a guest in order to confirm my “findings”. I am after all a professional and must impose rigorous methodology to my efforts. This “personal discipline” is the hallmark of my blog and of course...my life. The Buttery disappointed on my second trip. The iced tea was old, (from at least the night before and then left in a walk in if I am any judge...and I am), the hashbrowns still in their puch shape but undercooked and the bacon...average. My breakfast companion ordered the slinger (with sausage) and was pleased although it was served with beans which pleasing to some I find...distasteful at beakfast.

I was able to visit with the jukebox however and generally found it pleasing. It is one of the CD models and has a a large selection of country and classic rock. On a strong hangover it might be just the thing.
I will keep an eye on The Buttery in the future but for now...6 Slingers on the 10 scale.