After years of pushing steak-frites at places like Odeon and Quatorze, Stephen Lyle has more than mastered the bistro idiom. At Village, Lyle widens his range in dishes like shrimp-and-lentil samosas and an oyster pan roast with chipotles; for more buttoned-down bistro tastes there’s a warm frisée salad, steak au poivre and potatoes sauteed in duck fat. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
Brunch
Sat.-Sun., 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., $18.50; a la carte menu also available
Recommended Dishes
Pan roast of oysters, $11; dry-aged steak au poivre, $32.50
8.0
"Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10
Village has a wonderful neighborhood vibe with a knowledgeable and unpretentious staff, very hard to find amongst all the uppety restauarants the city has to offer. We started at the bar where we had cocktails and the special app of the night, a delicious beet carpaccio with a grilled leek topped with melted fontina cheese. Then we moved to a small table by the front windows, very cozy. Our waitress was attentive and very friendly but not overbearing. She suggested the Tuna marinated in miso and seared rare with pickled cucumbers and shitakes, and wasabi mashed potatoes. The tuna melted in my mouth and the flavors were perfect together. My date had the Steak au Poivre medium rare with steak frites. The meat was succulent, the sauce delectable and I couldn't stay away from his fries. We finished dinner with port and a warm chocolate espresso cake that i ate entirely on my own. The service was great, the food wonderful and i would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. Its great to go with friends, a date, and with the very nice (and cute) bartender, even alone to sit at the bar.
It's in our neighborhood, had the inviting look of a French bistro and the prices are fair (dinner can run under $30), but my roast chicken was so overly salted and the fries didn't make up for it, so I've never returned.
It's got an uninspired menu and the food preparation wasn't special enough to override that.
Sorry for them, sorry for us.