Breakfast at The Buttery
The Buttery. Simple is good.
When it comes to breakfast, sometimes you just want simplicity: a place to drink coffee and read the paper with no fuss. No goat cheese omelets. No frittatas. No frilly french toast.
Don't get me wrong. I love a good fancy brunch complete with bloody Mary or mimosa. But some mornings I just want the kind of down home style breakfast they used to serve at Woolworth's lunch counters. You know-- in the pre-Starbucks days.
That's what you get at Buttery Restaurant, near Albany's Commerce Plaza.
The Buttery's got a distinctly retro feel, complete with spinning stools at lunch counters and cozy-looking booths. The walls are covered with "vintage" Coca-Cola memorabilia and ads for products that have been extinct for decades. There are a few modern touches though-- like the framed copy of a New York Post cover criticizing AIG, "Not so fast you greedy bastards!"
In the mid-morning, it's calm and relaxed, making it a great place to linger over coffee and the morning news. And you kind of get the feeling that it could quickly become the place "where everybody knows your name." It's a little more crowded during early mornings and the lunchtime rush. Take out's available too, but you really go to The Buttery for the atmosphere more than the food.
Still, the food is decent and affordable. Two Western omelets with toast and hash browns and two cups of coffee, listed as "Bob's Omelet Extraordinaire," ran us $20 after tax. And the service is as friendly as can be. Jimmie-- the owner-- waited on us. We went in expecting to get the $4.25 two eggs, toast and home fries combo but he quickly charmed us with a promise to make us "the best omelet we've ever had."
While that might be a bit of an overstatement, it was pretty darn good. I've yet to try lunch, which is mainly various sandwiches, hamburgers, and of course, milkshakes. Something about this place makes me think their shakes would be thick and frothy, ready to be sucked up with a bendy straw on a twirling stool. And I'm thinking I'll have to take one for the team and give it a try soon.
Find It
The Buttery Restaurant
111 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12210
Telephone: 434-1815
Mon. - Fri, 6 a.m. - 2 p.m.
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Comments
I think I may have to take one for the team and get the 2 eggs, homefries and toast combo. I can never resist them.
This place looks really cool - I don't know how I've never noticed it before!
... said Albany Jane on Aug 14, 2009 at 3:40 PM | link
You might be persuaded to try an omelet by the proprietor. We both found it impossible to resist his charms.
That man knows how to sell. It was a masterful omelet though and the coffee was better than at most diners.
... said dan on Aug 14, 2009 at 4:27 PM | link
Wow, I didn't know about that place either! I can't wait to check it out.
... said Summer on Aug 14, 2009 at 4:28 PM | link
I appreciate your dedication, and willingness to take a milkshake for the team... If I can tear myself away from crisan some day, maybe I'll try one too ;)
... said Andy on Aug 14, 2009 at 7:42 PM | link
the *not being open on weekends* part has always made it a bit difficult for me when it comes to getting into this place. it's only open while i'm at work. :-\
... said Kim D. on Aug 14, 2009 at 9:44 PM | link
Years and Years and Years ago ( probably about 1972) , the Buttery used to serve a big pat of butter on their hamburgers- hence the name. It has been there a long time.
... said mayday on Aug 18, 2009 at 12:48 AM | link
I remember going there for grilled cheese and fries with co-workers when we had a bad day at the AIHA...that could have been most any day, however. Loved it!
... said Pam on Aug 18, 2009 at 8:51 PM | link
Don't call it Commerce Plaza. That's just a name for the developers to raise rents. And NO ONE will know where it is! The real address, 99 Washington Avenue, works for the Post Office, and if you call 911 for an emergency, you will want them to know where you are!
... said Steve on Aug 20, 2009 at 4:57 PM | link
Bad news. My sources tell me the Buttery has closed.
... said Jess on Jul 13, 2012 at 5:19 PM | link