I hate tiny little wrapped butter packets.
They are evil. I have no idea why restaurants use them.
What amazes me more is that I have come across them at restaurants that aren't necessarily cheap: Bonefish and Cheesecake Factory.
It's a fairly simple request. All I want is some butter to go with my bread.
The server brings out a plate and sitting in the middle are 3-4 small little butter packets wrapped in golden foil. 90% of the time they are virtually frozen and if they're not frozen they have melted down to liquid form. It's like they are trying to punish you for taking advantage of the complementary bread.
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2009.