Buvette, A Charming Restaurant

Last Friday night I had the chance to dine at Buvette in the West Village. I'd read about this little restaurant in Martha Stewart Living back in February and had heard some buzz about its innovative menu of small plates. Unfortunately, my sweet husband detests small plates menus, which, to be fair, I can understand. So, it wasn't until I'd planned a night out with one of my dearest friends that I had a chance to try it myself. From my first glimpse of the exterior on Grove Street, I knew I would like it. (How cute is that vintage bicycle parked out front?)

The restaurant had just opened their "petit jardin" a few days before -- and petite it was! The whole deck can't measure much more than 8 x 12, but they've squeezed in a few tables for two. Despite the warm weather, we were happy to dine outside in this charming space.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the owner conceived of it as a "gastroteque," place that you could eat all day long -- a sort of hybrid cafe, wine bar and coffe shop. For dinner we ordered the pesto di Parma tartinette (literally a "pesto" made from finely chopped proscuitto -- it was amazing), octopus salad with celery and olives, roasted beets with walnuts and ricotta, the special crudo for the night, which I think was a black cod, and the night's special heirloom tomato salad. Everything was yummy, but to be honest, so much of what I loved about this place was how damn charming it was.

Case in point: The illustrated wine list, which is an entertaining and attractive little book (I read the whole thing waiting for my friend to arrive while sipping a glass of rosé):

I also love the innovative chalkboard wine list:

I hope to make many more visits to Buvette in the future. If you find yourself hungry in the West Village, do stop in. All photos from ILoveBuvette.com, Buvette's website.