Inside the front door is a small counter to order to-go sandwiches for one of the many picnic tables in the main area of The Hub. Don’t stop there; go inside and really check it out. The next attraction inside is an actual butcher counter with a fairly large selection of seafood, sausage and a high-end selection of cut-to-order beef and steaks. The selection varies weekly and the butcher is happy to special order just about anything.
There's also a wine selection available by the bottle at grocery store prices. Nestled next to the wines are two communal dine-in tables where you can order off a small but mighty menu. There is also a long bar in the back with about a dozen seats for dining and drinking.
The menu has a few salads, like the creamy lemon rosemary chicken salad ($15) and a few different sandwiches including The Salty Butcher cheesesteak ($18) with shaved prime rib and a Scotch bonnet pepper relish.
Seasoned visitors looking for a unique date night can buy a bottle of wine and drink it at the bar to accompany a weekly rotating charcuterie board.
As for the menu, chef Stephen Bucalo is the mastermind behind The Salty Butcher, a concept he started along the 30A strip in Florida at the original The Hub development. A second restaurant was added when The Hub expanded to Allen. His dishes can also be sampled at two other restaurants in The Hub: Macho Taco and Hooked.
Chef Bucalo spends most of his weekends here in Texas, although he still lives in Florida. He offers a four-course prix fixe menu, or as he likes to call it “a sampling menu,” on Friday and Saturday nights.
Spaghetti carbonara with a poblano cream sauce, guanciale and a poached quail egg.
Brady Cole
“This is what I love to do. We take whatever is fresh and in stock each week and try to present it in a simple but unique way so everyone can get a taste,” Bucalo says.
The plates are small and simple, using only three or four ingredients per dish, and each dish is accompanied by a wine selection that is also sold on-site. The sampling menu is what brought us out to visit, and it lived up to the expectations. The menu changes weekly and can be found on social media by Wednesday each week. Seatings are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and are limited to about 20 people. Reservations can fill up quickly so waiting until the last minute may end in disappointment; call 972-678-1002 to get your table.
Our first course was shishito peppers stuffed with chorizo, accompanied by a light queso blanco. The plate was small but full of flavor and uniquely presented.
Course two was spaghetti carbonara with a poblano cream sauce topped with shaved guanciale (think prosciutto crossed with bacon) and a poached quail egg. Chef called it bacon and eggs spaghetti, which definitely sums up its appearance. The ingredients blended together expertly, especially after we poked that quail yolk and mixed it with the cream sauce.
Braised red chili short rib with potato.
Brady Cole
For dessert, we had a simple but excellent tres leches cake topped with fresh strawberries.
The intimate setting for this small seating was greatly enhanced by the presence of Bucalo and his director of operations, chef Austin Sherrod. They were there to meet everyone, pour wine and talk at length about where they sourced the food, how it’s prepared and the concept for each course.
Also unique to this experience, almost every ingredient used for dinner is available for sale, so you can try to re-create dishes at home if you're so inspired. The chefs are happy to share recipes and offer other adventurous ideas.
Make the trip to Allen for one of these dinners: it’s a must-try. You might have to navigate a kiddie dance party on the lawn, or a bunch of 40-somethings (OK, 50-somethings) reliving their youth rocking out to an ‘80s cover band, but once inside The Salty Butcher, all of that is blocked out and the adventure begins.
The Salty Butcher, 1289 Johnson Road (The Hub), Allen. Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
