Bourbon Butcher Kitchen + Bar

Reviews 4

GE

Geoff Pike

My wife and I checked this place out today for an early dinner. Inside looked quite nice, we were there at about 4:30 and it was moderately busy but by 6pm it was packed with a wait... Yeah, we were there still at 6pm because the service was horrendously slow. That said, our appetizers were good; we ordered the wings and the steak bites. The smoke and fry on the wings was fantastic; we ordered them buffalo style, and it was good, but we suspect the dry rub would be even better. The steak bites were good; I think my wife liked them more than I did. They reminded me of what Rudys Red Eye Grill serves, but they were smokier (this is a good thing), bigger (also a good thing), but chewier, and the bourbon sauce that is on top of them was decent. Throughout our meal, we saw multiple appetizers go out, and they all looked really good. The problem came with our entrees. We ordered the smoked ribeye and the wedge salad to split. The salad, first off, was the most uninspiring, plain, and tasteless wedge salad Ive every seen. The steak was terrible and so were the sides. The server told me they usually do a medium cook unless instructed otherwise, so I asked for a medium rare cook on it. I was skeptical going into it because smoking a steak and then char-grilling it to finish it off is a lot of cooking to put a thin piece of meat through. As soon as I saw the steak I knew it would be over cooked. You simply cannot smoke a thinly sliced steak, maybe .5" or less, then grill it, and expect it to be anything other than well-done. To pull this off correctly, you need a think cut of beef, 1.5 to 2 inches is ideal, that is well-marbled, and then you smoke it low and slow until it reaches 115, let it rest, and then sear it for a few minutes on each side. When its all said and done, you will end up with a nicely smoked medium rare steak; I cook meat like this frequently in the summer. And the sides, well they were under-seasoned and just not appealing at all. I would like to see a thicker cut of ribeye replace what is currently served or just remove the ribeye all-together and replace it with a beef long-rib. On a positive note, the manager came over to our table promptly and got me a replacement entree very quickly; I ordered the brisket sandwich.... Unfortunately, yes there is more, the brisket was dry and very firm and the sandwich was just boring. It needs some nice spicy pickles or a slaw with some zip added to it. The fries, however, were great - perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned. This restaurant is relatively new, and I think it has potential... We will likely give it another try before forming our final opinion on it.

GA

Garret Roach

Short Version: Good food. Awful service. Full Version: It was our first time there and we walked in at 4:50 and were immediately sat. Happy hour ends at 5pm. Our server didnt walk over until 4:54, which there were only 5 other tables in the entire restaurant but about 8 servers. We order a couple drinks for the kids, beers for parents, and waters for us. Then 4 minutes later, she comes back and says "Sorry for the wait, we all go to try some new beer flights back in kitchen". Then we ordered one more beer to get it in before happy hour was over. I watch the bar tender pour the beer a couple minutes later, and then wait a few more minutes for my server to bring it over. Shes nowhere to be found. So I walked up to the bar and got it myself. When the bill came the third beer wasnt at the happy hour price. When I pointed that out to the waitress she said "Oh, well I rang it in a couple minutes past happy hour." To which I said "Is there a grace period for having to wait 4 minutes to get a drink order? Another four minutes to get it delivered, and then have to retrieve one of my own drinks later?" She gave me a look and said shed take care of it. Then the manager came over and said "I gave you that beer at happy hour price". He didnt ask what happened, didnt apologize for service, but acted like he was doing me a favor. Listen, its not about the $2. We had a $60 tab, and I still tipped 15%. It was principle. Dont punish me because you took your time. This place has only been open a couple months. Im guessing a lot of their business is first time customers. I live 5 minutes away and this could easily be our family go-to spot. Cant say Ill be back anytime soon after my first experience.

LI

Linda Lange

I dont even know where to begin. I wanted to take my 88 year old mother out for Mothers Day. I called a week ahead to inquire if reservations were needed. I was told yes, I would need a reservation, since they were not accepting walk-ins on such a busy day. I was told they were full most of the day, but there was a 10:15 or 11:45 time slot. I took the 10:15. I then asked if there is a gluten free menu. I was told yes there are several gluten free options. I received a call on the Saturday before Mothers Day confirming my 10:00 am reservation. I replied that no, the reservation was for 10:15 not 10:00. The man said, nope, the reservation is for 10:00. I told him when I made the reservation that the only times open were 10:15 or 11:45, I took the 10:15. His response? Well, "we have you down for 10:00". When we arrived, at 10:00, none of the people in front of us had a reservation! The place was about 1/4 full. Why we needed a reservation I have no idea. I asked the manager for the gluten free menu. I was told to ask the server since they are knowledgeable. My mother wanted coffee. They were out. At 10:00am theyre out of coffee?! Fine, well have ice tea. Nope. Out. Ok...what are the gluten free options? A gluten free bun is substituted. I then asked to talk to the manager. I asked if he could please explain what exactly my gluten free choices were since the server didnt seem to know. He didnt know either, but he would ask the Chef. The chefs response? Nothing can be guaranteed gluten free. *sigh*. After all that, we left.

TA

Taylor Bullard

Disappointing. The place is always, always packed, like 2 hour wait packed. Wed been dying to try it due to the crowds and reviews. At the end of the day, its a forgettable experience wrapped in a new fancy package. The good: the ambiance is new and hip, especially in Farmington/Rosemount. The bartenders were very good. Everything is polished with that "brand new restaurant" feel. The bad: The wait was 2 hours. There is consistantly an hour plus wait for a table here, yet they refuse to institute any sort of reservation system. We were sat and the waitress (who seemed good and experienced but harried and overworked) didnt bring us waters while the rest of her section had them. We ordered duck poutine for app, and it came to us luke-warm to cool, underseasoned and forgettable. She did not return for about 30 minutes to take an entree order. My wife ordered a burger med-rare that came well (over cooking protein seems to be a recurring issue here.) My daughters kids burger was good but the fruit cup was canned fruit cocktail. My sunfish was farmed in China according to the waitress, odd choice when Minnesota has hundreds of tons of them locally. My meal arrived about 10 minutes after everyone elses, and the fish was visibly over-fried while the fries were cool, again. So yes, disappointed. Possibly due to its newness, but its been a few months and Id expect timing and service issues like this to be nearly ironed out by now. Probably wouldnt go back, and DEFINITELY would not wait 2 hours ever again.