Below 14th Street
Two great French bistros in the Village and the New York City Diet ...
Some restaurants just have a really great vibe. When you pair that vibe with delicious food, you’ve got a place that’s a hit. So it is with Libertine, one of two French bistros in today’s Below 14th Street newsletter. One is new and hot, and, therefore, difficult to get a rez (one of the banes of West Village dining life). The other is an older, very cozy spot where we can usually be seated without a reservation, no small thing down here.
Cody Pruitt and chef Max Mackinnon opened Libertine last May in the west West Village on the NW corner of Greenwich and Christopher Streets. It’s a small, unprepossessing little boite with tiled floors patched with concrete, tin ceiling, and a lovely bar.
This was my second meal there, Ann’s first. We were joined by two friends, so were able to taste a good portion of the menu, which is written on two chalk boards: 8 starters and 6 entrees, 2 desserts.
It is a classic bistro but fresh—no onion soup in tired crocks. Here you will get a reimagined Coquille St. Jacques, though it’s simply called Scallops and Seaweed on the menu. Sliced raw scallops set on a bed of seaweed and covered in sauce then gratinéed, the scallops just warm but still raw.
Our main courses included, clockwise from top, sausage with potato purée, roasted trout, roast chicken with mushrooms and a chicken crepinette, sautéed magret duck breast, and in the center, also part of the duck entrée (which is a whopping $72), duck confit topped with potato.
I’ll let our friend Taylor Kattukaran describe her highlights, which are right on target.
—Scallop + Seawood: Super unique dish in an actual shell; the crispy crust with the fresh scallop underneath was a delicious bite.
—Poulet a Crème: We both loved this dish. The chicken breast was cooked perfectly and tasty with the sauce. Yum!
—Chocolate Mousse: a deliciously light chocolate mousse with the unique cream, flavored with Chartreuse, on the side.
I have to put in a word about the chicken’s cream sauce, which uses a technique I’d never even considred. Mackinnon braises the chicken legs and thighs in cream and wine, with aromats (onions, garlic, button mushrooms, thyme, black peppercorns, and bay leaf).
Once the chicken is completely cooked and shredable, it’s removed from the liquid (the picked meat will be served in the crepinette). The braising liquid becomes the base for the sauce. It’s strained, reduced, a liaison of yolk and creme fraiche is whipped in, then chunks of foie gras are buzzed into the sauce, which is passed through a chinois and seasoned with salt and vinegar.
Brilliant!
The classic French bistro dish, Oeuf Mayonnaise, is fantastic. Beautifully cooked eggs beneath a loose mayo with chives and more eggs—trout eggs—which pop against the palate. A truly modern variation of the classic dish.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Ruhlman's Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.