The Boston Butt | First Thanksgiving Feast | Food Review | Restaurant Review

Thanksgiving, an occasion we all have seen being celebrated umpteen times on TV in American sitcoms and such, but I never thought I would get to attend one in person, that is until the invite to attend the Thanksgiving Feast at The Boston Butt landed in my inbox :) Then of course I thought, what are they going to serve us vegetarians? Thanksgiving is all about Turkey after all! Add to that the fact that Boston Butt is famous for its various cuts of meats. I was all ready to surrender my lunch to maybe a bowl of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie :D

Shouldn't have fret. Unlike popular perception, The Boston Butt has included quite a few options for vegetarians in their regular menu as well as their thanksgiving special feast. They are a smokerie and chracuterie which means they infuse smokey flavors in everything, meats as well as veggies, using slow and long cooking technique. The ambiance screams of pre-prohibition era southern America. Laidback leather seating, vintage framed paintings, classic lamps, staff bustling around with bow ties & suspenders and even the soothing jazz music serenading us, this joint is all about south American homely goodness. 

We started with Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad in Red Wine Vinegar Dressing , expected it to be cruciferous and chewy like most other salads (how much creative can you get while still retaining a health quotient?!) but with lovely crunchy bits of Chestnut, Pine Nut, soft and succulent Sweet Potato it was a complete winner and the sweet tinge provided by Dried Cranberry made it lovelier :) 

Even though I have never been a huge sweet potato fan, the Smoked Leek & Sweet Potato Soup was dense and wholesome, surprising me with its flavors and the Mini Grilled Cheese alongside made it a little meal in itself,

Never had Jambalaya before but glad to have had it here, it is a simple dish made of veggies (much like our Indian curries) served in fluffy strong Cronut pastry with very mild yet flavorful Sauce Paprikash, even though it was served as an appetizer, it actually would be filling enough on its own for a light eater. This was one dish we wished we had more of, till the main course arrived :D

Risotto is what my family calls Italian Khichdi, they just use cheese to make it heavier, so did not expect much from Smoked Pumpkin Risotto with Roasted Zucchini, it was decent, not very heavy actually, I did not get much of pumpkin flavor but the roasted zucchini on top was very crunchy and broke the monotony of risotto very well,

It was the Smoked Collard Green, Chestnut and Pumpkin Seed Ravioli with Orange Butter Sage Sauce that was a complete winner for everyone with pumpkin seeds's crunch and the slight bitterness of velvety orange butter sage sauce coming across as a match made in heaven. I would go back for this dish!

Among desserts, we thought Berry Waffle Upside Down Cake would be the perfect ending to our meal but these waffles were dry and tooooo eggy, the only let down, but they were served with Maple Cheddar Ice Cream which is not to be missed, an absolute stunner!

The surprising star dessert was the luscious Butter Bundt Cake soaked in and served with slightly bitter Rum and Raisin Sauce, making it heaven in every bite. Looked beautiful, tasted even better, made me wanna tuck in a couple in my bag for later :D

This was a tasting feast so cannot comment on actual portions and prices of the same, but whatever we had was very good with just a few misses. The fact that they have gone out of their way to make vegetarians feel comfortable is cause enough to say thanks. And the ambiance. And the extremely efficient staff. And that ravioli and butter bundt cake. And...you get the idea :D