we really don't usually go out to eat this much. for realsies.

Oh, Theodore's! Why did I wait so long to visit you?  Why have I been wasting my money on Butch's?

I had intended to get over to Baker Lofts and eat there when they first opened.  I recently heard there was a change in ownership and a new chef.  I had heard excellent things about this new chef. 

The reviews I had heard were not wrong.

Drinks:  get the cucumber martini.  I had a grapefruit gimlet and though refreshing it just wasn't as good as Joan's cucumber martini.  There are no taps, but the bottled beer menu is fairly extensive. The wine list is manageable and the descriptions are extremely helpful especially for a wine moron like myself who knows only that she doesn't like sweet and prefers dry.

Shared plates:  Next time I might consider only getting a few shared plates.  There are a lot of them and they all looked good. We ended up with the scallops which were not freakishly large.  Freakishly large scallops kinda freak me out. The sauce was some sort of balsamic reduction with a ginger and berry puree. It was a perfect balance of sweet and spicy.  The only downfall were the dollops of sprouts topping each scallop.  I like sprouts.  I just don't get them with scallops. 

Entrees: There are only 5 entree options-beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, or vegetarian.  Two of us opted for the shrimp and the other two went with the pork and the vegetarian dish. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and again not freakishly large.  I bet there were 7 or 8 of those guys on top of a bed of the.most.amazing.coconut.rice. It was paired with a delicious sauce and topped with fresh shittake mushrooms. The vegetarian entree was tasty, but everyone wished there were just more vegetables in the dish. The pork was outfreakingstanding. Just perfect.  A big old piece of pork with fresh berries on top served with linguini and cream sauce.

There are a couple of smaller entrees.  A burger.  A grilled cheese. A pork roll. A mac and cheese. I have a hard time paying $12 for a burger, but it does look good. I almost went with the hoison pork roll only because it's unusual enough for a menu in Holland.

No one opted for dessert (did I mention we started the evening off with a goat cheese we brought back from Chicago?  And an amazing spicy tequila cocktail invented by Joan?) but there were two options.  A chocolate torte looking thing and then something that I honestly don't remember what it was called. It looked like cake that was stuffed with brandy soaked berries served with a gelato.  Or a sorbet.

The most awesome thing about the place is a bar that's open to the kitchen.  We didn't sit there, but next time I absolutely would.  You can watch the chef in action.  At the end of the night, Chef Matt came out and asked us how everything was. He is extremely friendly and I bet would be incredibly accommodating. 

The hours are very limited:  Thurs 5-9pm, Friday and Saturday 5-11pm. The saddest thing about the place is how empty it was. We were there on a Friday night at 8pmish and there were maybe 3 other tables. I hope more people in town discover them as I fear they might not make it otherwise.

And though it's not within walking distance, we biked!  It was supersweet! And a ridiculously short distance!  We vowed to never again drive to Baker Lofts unless the weather is terrible.  Seriously.  It was a 5 minute ride.  And the ride home?  Do you know how awesome it is to bike down the middle of River Avenue when no one else is around? 

Butch's:  I am officially done with you. I will go and sit at your bar and drink your martinis and consume your beer. But I refuse to pay more money for substandard food.

Oh yeah!  Did I mention the prices are less expensive than Butch's?

It's over, Butch's. Over.