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The New French, an unassuming little spot in the West Village, cannot fool the Underground Gourmet, who, having studied the language in junior high, is pretty astute about these things. French it is not. By way of its menu, its unpretentious cooking, and especially its superfriendly (some might say anti-French) service, the New French is an American bistro, and a good one at that. Yes, it’s possible to consider a dish like pho kind-of-French since the noodle soup originated in the former French colony of Vietnam. Steak-frites and moules-frites? Sure. But then there is vegetable curry, pulled pork with mustard raita, and a brisket sandwich on ciabatta to consider.

And so the room—formerly Le Gamin—has been stripped of its Gallic knickknacks, although the familiar faux-rattan chairs remain. The Venetian-blinded space is square and plain, offering a view of the open kitchen and of the whimsical mural painted by Hoffman’s friend, the artist Maira Kalman. Those familiar with her work (her handwriting also serves as the font for the menu and the paper place mats) will sense a similar quirkiness in the New French’s ambience and food, a blend of homey welcome and adventurous spirit.

Take that pulled pork, for example. Chef-partner Livio Velardo, who has worked at Tabla and Resto, slow-roasts the shoulder cut with chiles and beer, then arranges it in tender clumps over strips of toasted Sullivan St Bakery pizza bianca, drizzled with mustard raita. It’s a terrific starter, and one you’ve never seen before. The pizza bianca itself, a sort of lumpy flatbread, gets top billing as a nightly special, grilled until the corners crisp up and variously topped with ingredients like a pungent mingling of spring onions, Gruyère, goat cheese, and red-pepper relish. The kitchen exhibits a similar devotion to beets, multicolored versions of which show up slivered raw in salads, or cubed, roasted, and slicked with a light Parmesan cream in another winning appetizer. There is care taken in the smallest of details, like the adroitly dressed arugula-and-fennel salad that garnishes a trio of crisp crostini spread with a chicken-liver purée sweetened with dates, and the lively herbs that punch up pristine mixed greens. — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

Note

There’s a $12 half-pho-half-sandwich special at lunch.

Ideal Meal

Pulled-pork appetizer, pan-roasted halibut, chocolate cake.

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite's Full Review (5/12/08)

Best of New York Awards

• Best Neighborhood Bistro (2009)

Featured In

• Adam Platt's Where to Eat 2009 (1/5/09)
• Cheap Eats 2008: The Cheap List (7/28/08)