Butterfields Southern Cafe (2 forks, $12-15pp)

I was on a blood-test fast the morning I discovered Butterfields Southern Cafe. Even in my starved state, though, I couldn't come close to finishing my breakfast.  It all started out innocently enough with a decent, though unremarkable cup of joe. I surely wouldn't be coming back for the coffee, but it also was drinkable, particularly in my current un-caffienated condition.  Then, ba ba bum...... the Southern Biscuits and gravy arrived.

I know this looks like a grayish glob of goo, but this blob was exactly what I was looking for when I walked into this so-called Southern Cafe.  Yum!! The biscuit was torn into big fluffy pieces and smothered in a peppery sausage gravy.  I gobbled it up and kept the plate, so I could use the rest of the gravy on the rest of my breakfast!  Now, let me assure you that this gravy isn't concealing a throw-away, hard, stale biscuit (yes I have seen other places try to pull that off).  I fortunately got a second biscuit along with the rest of my meal.  Look at how huge this thing is...... easily twice the size of any biscuit I have ever seen and light and fluffy.  A GREAT biscuit.

I was already full when I finished the B&G, but I kept eating.  The rest of my breakfast looked a lot better than it tasted. 

The eggs were fine for me, but I like them dry.  The sausages were plump but oddly tasteless and greasy. The home fries are confusing. They look fine, but they had that empty yet salty flavor of potatoes that were salted after cooking instead of before.  Just, ugh.

Now, what do I do? Is this an Urban Spoon up or down? Biscuits great, everything else yuck.  Well, let's look at the rest of the picture.

The outside is nice, clean, and inviting.

Someone greeted me the minute I came in a showed me to a seat. Very casually dressed servers in shorts and t-shirts kind of suit the casual feel of the place.  My server took my drink order before I even sat down. She was pleasant and efficient, so I had no complaints in that department. 

The dining area is well lit with natural lighting flowing in from a wall of windows.  The room has a casual and slightly rustic feel. The deer heads mounted on the walls didn't come as a surprise since this restaurant is a branch of the well-rated Gun Club Cafes. 

As long as you don't look down, the room looks presentable enough.  The carpet is disgustingly grimy, which to me is a bad sign.  If a restaurant is dirty in the front, I am suspicious of the kitchen's cleanliness. 

And then a child at another table started wailing uncontrollably. He was turning and pointing to the booth just in front of mine, squealing "it's right behind me" and "bug". Ah.  Well, this isn't so hard after all. While I am sure every restaurant has their share of issues, I can not recommend a place that has visible pests.  Nor, can I ever go back to the place.

But, if you are looking for a great biscuit and gravy, and you don't mind the other stuff, Butterfields is your place. 

Butterfields Southern Cafe is at
1145 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.
Royal Palm Beach, FL