Buttermilk Channel

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court St

Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 852-8490

Food  4
Ambiance 7
Service 5
Overall 16
Good for local beers and wine ,skip the pricey food and head somwhere else on Court street

So after hearing so much about this place, this past Thursday I ventured forth with my husband and cousin hankering for some expertly fried chicken. The restaurant is at the far end of Court Street, without too many other competing restaurants nearby. We arrived at 6 pm without reservation and were promptly seated when our full party was complete. The place is standard Brooklyn ,cool and elegant. Cream walls, cozy small space with high ceilings, loads of windows and historic seeming charm. Actually given the menu, focused on so many comfort foods, I was not expecting the refined decor. We waited at the bar for my cousin and I tried a $ 10 Bill Royale, a champagne cocktail  with pear brandy and ginger liquor while my husband had a $6 ommegang draft beer. My cocktail tasted like gingerale with a whiff of pear. Not my cup of tea and certainly not worth the price tag but not bad enough to send back.
The menu is somewhat pricey for the mish mash of good ole american and french inspired comfort food. The most well priced were the appetizers 5- 11 dollars, ranging from oysters cooked 3 ways, a variety of charcuterie, cheeses , salads and soups. The wine list is an impressive ode to American wine, with a nice well priced selection of Californian, Oregon and New York varieties. We settled on a  $30 Wolffers Estate North Fork Merlot and were nicely surprised.We started off with the $10 winter squash tart and the $7 pork rilletes. The tart was without a doubt the highlight of the meal. A sweet beautifully cooked squash layered on a thin bed of ricotta and puff pastry that tasted like shortbread crust. It was a perfect appetizer, combining a variety of subtle winter flavors in an appropriate sized portion. The rilletes on the other hand were another story althogethr. Underflavored, overly fatty with an unappetizing look and consistency, they reminded me of undercooked hamburger and had none of the lovely fullness that pork can always impart. For the main course ,my cousin had the $14 lamb salad, I had the $18 fried chicken and my husband had the $19 ommegang oxtail chili. Although I did not sample my cousin's salad, it was a small portion of a 2 romaine leaf boat filled with primarily lots of roast cauliflower, eggs and capers with a dusting of lamb chunks. My cousin seemed to marginally enjoy it. My fried chicken was a geneous portion of 2 leg and two pieces of breast meat with a tiny serving of coleslaw and half a cheddar waffle. The chicken was overly crusted and the leg just  barely  cooked while the breasts were dryly over cooked. The  crust was an hard shell around the chicken meat , which was uninspiringly seasoned. The waffle, though a tiny portion, was actually tasty and light but was served with a side sauce that tasted more like molasses than maple syrup. The cole slaw was standard, not too much sugar or mayonaisse. Overall for the price tag of 18 dollars, there a plethora of  better fried chickens to be had in Brooklyn and beyond. On to the worst of the worst, my husband's chili. I must preface my comments by saying that somehow my husband managed to swallow the entire portion of this chili and pronounced that he had found it enjoyable. But be forewarned that  my husband likes to be contrarian ,especially when I have such obvious disdain for a dish.First , let me state that when I think of chili I think of hearty portion of beans and meat, simmered together into a perfect stew of protein spiced goodness. The first clue that this was not the kind of chili Buttermilk  Channel was serving was the minuscule portion of chili served in a beautiful white porcelain  mini terrine soup bowl. The bowl itself was filled perhaps a third of the way with chili,at most a 1 cup portion for 19 dollars. Now despite the small portion, I hoped that maybe an incredible taste filled with heaty chunks of meat would make the ridiculous price worth it. Unfortunately, the first impression I felt at  looking  and smelling  the warm dirt brown colored chili in the soup bowl was that it reminded me of dog food . I ventured forth with a bite and my impression was confirmed that this chili was worse than it looked. .Truly shocking for a restaurant of this supposed caliber. A  place that can't make decent chicken or chili is very telling. I would certainly not waste my money on their other  entrees when they can't get basic standards. We continued with the $7 dollar apple bread pudding which unfortunately continued the theme of disappointment. We were served a barely warmed congealed hunk of bread doused with an overly caramel sweet sauce. We shared 3 bites and then were done. What was truly amazing is that by the time we were leaving, the restaurant had a line out the door. The only reason I would return here is if I wanted some local beers and wines at the bar. Otherwise, to spend your dollar at this Brooklyn joint when there are so many other fine establishments is in my opinion frankly nuts.
The Quest continues...........