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All Reader Reviews of...

August

359 Bleecker St., New York, NY, 10014
nr. Charles St.
212-929-8727

Avg. Rating

6
Food: 6
Service: 6
Décor: 7
"Mixed Reviews"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

50% would go back.

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A truly deplorable dining experience.

By nysky38 on 1/27/2013

  • Overall Rating: 1
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

My party was seated in the covered patio area in the back of the restaurant, which was absolutely freezing. One pathetic overhead heat lamp provided warmth to the whole space, which I certainly did not feel the effects of. Our waiter had a poor attitude, and was not helpful in the least. The menu is completely bland, uninteresting, and certainly not on par with other dining establishments in the West Village. That night after consuming my unattractively prepared meal, I received the worst case of food poisoning imaginable. The whole 9 yards. It was by far the worst dining experience of my life, and additionally caused me to be more ill than I have ever felt. Avoid this establishment at every possible cost.

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3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Do Not Waste Your Time.

By slowplayit on 7/6/2011

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 1
  • Service: 4
  • Décor: 6
  • No, I would not go back!

An influx of medieval hodge podge (and possibly made up) spices piled together in what appears to be a culinary walk of shame. The meat I tried to eat was called "Goat Leg." It was accompanied by mystery greens and a viscid little ball the menu called "Dumplings." The Oxtail Ragu was pretty much inedible. And please, don't even ask about the spaghetti squash and chorizo sudoku puzzle "Camarones a la Parilla." (Added Bonus: black garlic and squid ink dipping sauce. ?) But don't worry, the dish lends you a couple crawdads whose beady little eyes gaze upon you as you eat. As if to say "You will sit at this table until everything on your plate is finished, or I'm telling your father." Strong points? The wine was good, the backyard was charming AND if you move the table around enough, it will stop wobbling. This is New York City - THE WEST VILLAGE, no less. Do not waste your time.

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28 out of 53 people found this review helpful.

Great service, terrible food

By RealStuff on 8/7/2010

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

I had read some good reviews about this restaurant and was looking foward to enjoing dinner in the outdoor garden. The service was great from the start. The hostess seated me and my 3 friends immediately and our waitress was friendly and helpful throughout the meal. She was enthusiastic about several dishes, including the tart flambe, the tomato salad, the trout and the white cheese anchovies lasagna. Unfortunately, except the tart flambe and a whole dourade entree, most of the dishes were tasteless. The tomatoes in the tomato salad were dry and not even ripe. Even addding salt and pepper didn't help. The tomatoes were accompanied by fried mozzarella balls, which I usually love but they were overfried and the cheese didn't taste like anything. They were so bad (how on earth do you make fried food bad?) that we left them on the plate. The same goes for the cold pea soup, the anchovies lasagna and the trout. The only palatable dish was the whole dourade, but even that wasn't earth shattering. After our disappointing meal, I headed down to the stairs to the restroom and passed the kitchen. Half of it is at the top of the stairs on the other half at the bottom of the stairs. Both are infernos and I think the disjointed and extremely uncomfortable kitchen probably contributes to the poor cooking that comes out of there. The ambience was nice and, like I said, the service great. But the food is so bad I had to write it up. Avoid this place at all costs.

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42 out of 75 people found this review helpful.

Are you cool enough?

By maggie1980nyc on 9/25/2009

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 7
  • No, I would not go back!

We were excited about going here and made a reservation for outside...but when we arrived we were told that they no longer had room and sat us iside. We had been volunteering all day at Children's Aid so we were dressed in jeans and nice sweaters but not suits(we didn't look B&T ). Unfortunately she sat us next to the place where you check in so we watched people walk in minutes after us and be seated outside that said they didn't have reservations. When we approached the manager about it she just laughed. It made us angry because we had just ordered $220 worth of food. It's too bad because this place could be really cute. I would advise you bring your money elsewhere. PS-The food sucked and the fish that they filet for me was over cooked and filled with bones.

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86 out of 165 people found this review helpful.

Skip it!

By pvillar1 on 8/31/2009

  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Food: 3
  • Service: 1
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

Our experience here was such a disappointing one. I was intrigued by the menu and was looking forward to our diner but the food was mediocre at best and the service was horrible – my cod was overcooked and it wasn’t crusted with bone marrow as the menu indicated but with breadcrumbs that were supposedly mixed with bone marrow (I didn’t taste it). Nobody seemed to want to be there and it was very evident in their attitudes - from the hostess to the wait staff. To make matters worse, we were charged us an extra $25 for an entree that was already part of the prix-fixe menu. When I pointed out the mistake, our waitress begrudgingly made the correction. There’s no reason to waste your time or money visiting this place.

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82 out of 163 people found this review helpful.

A personal favorite!

By samschatte on 4/3/2009

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

An absolutely charming restaurant with a great staff. Make sure to get a reservation because space is minimal.

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72 out of 161 people found this review helpful.

Couldn't stomach some of the food or service

By kerrmd on 3/30/2009

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 6
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 5
  • No, I would not go back!

My husband and both enjoyed the salad and delicious cauliflower soup. However we were shocked when our lemon gnocchi came with tripe. The waiter wanted me to order something else, but I didn't like the eclectic offerings such as lamb belly and opted for dessert instead. The other waiter also snapped at me to wait for my husband to finish, which I didn't insist on it anyhow? My husband also ordered a second dessert, which we normally don't do but felt we were insulting the chef with the entrees. When dessert came out, the waiter made a point of saying my untouched entree would not be comped nor dessert Whatever, I never asked but how nice to make a point of it. By the way, the menu listed the lemon pasta on one line, and on the second line said parsley with t ripe. Guess we thought it was a misprint with the spacing and meant something was ripe. Our mistake, but how they made us feel, was totally unprofessional and left a bitter taste in our mouth and memory.

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68 out of 143 people found this review helpful.

Food not worth the decor

By Divya6 on 10/7/2008

  • Overall Rating: 5
  • Food: 5
  • Service: 3
  • Décor: 10
  • No, I would not go back!

We went for brunch expecting a unique menu, particularly the Welsch Rarebit. The server informed us that the menu has changed because they now have a new chef. I ordered a coffee and my friend a tea. She brought coffee and told my friend she forgot what he ordered. I asked for sugar, which she actually never brought, so I borrowed my neighbors. The food lacked salt, and they didn't have any salt or pepper on the table and it would have been a mission to request it of our forgetful waitress. They didn't have steak that day, apparently they "ran out because so many people ordered it." It was only 1:30pm. When we asked what else was good in terms of meat, she pointed to eggs instead of a burger. The decor was beautiful, but the meal was mediocre and the portions were small. There was a fishy stench in the Swiss potatoes and I'm a vegetarian. So, forget the decor and go somewhere else.

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72 out of 147 people found this review helpful.

Excellent stop during the day

By Keyes on 8/25/2008

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

My husband and I just moved to the city and have been enjoying trekking around exploring. During our foray into the Village, we passed August, walked a million blocks, and suddenly we were voraciously hungry. I thought in the back of my head ....'hey that place looked quaint'...so we doubled back. This was a sunday, around 12. So we probably got lucky getting a table for 2 outside on a nice day during brunch but who cares. The menu, service, decor, and experience was phenomenal. I had baked eggs provencale; the husband had a burger. Both were delicious. I returned with my mom later; lunch was yet again phenomenal. Rustic, yet refined. The spring pea soup with creme fraiche was refreshing and filling. The onion tarte was delish. I actually think their 1/2 sandwich/soup combo is a best bet! Highly recommended. We may not be from around here, but we've eaten across the world, and we'll be returning to August.

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74 out of 152 people found this review helpful.

a delicious gem

By leeniest on 5/25/2008

  • Overall Rating: 10
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

everything is near perfect at warm and welcoming august. the only dilemma i ever have is whether to go for both brunch and dinner. my favourites: the flatbread and lamb. the smoked salmon brunch or the alsace brunch.

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73 out of 141 people found this review helpful.

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