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Famous for their breakfast, I planned to visit Buvette on this beautiful sunny yet cold Saturday morning in amazing New York. A lively place with French notes and natural sunlight, Buvette welcomes you for breakfast, lunch and dinner in their small but vibrant cafe.
Opened in 2011, Buvette Gastrotheque is inspired by the European traditions that honor a history of craft and design - where each detail evokes a sense of story, place and delight. A restaurant, bar and café, Buvette Gastrotheque combines the elegance of an old world cafe with the casual nature of a neighborhood eatery. It is a light filled space for an early morning espresso. Buvette is “a place committed to the pleasure of good food.”
Occupying a beautifully renovated store in West Village, I visited Buvette for breakfast. A high ceiling covered with white squares, a long bar loaded with glasses, another covered with wine bottles and a place loaded with tiny tables a plate can't fit on. Bricks for the walls, black wood and a big chalkboard on which the wine route of France is written.
Wearing white and black aprons, the staff runs on all sides to cover the orders. It was nine after sunrise and the place was packed! Staff are nice, if too noisy, and I expected a better attitude from the manager who didn't accommodate giving me a bigger table despite the fact that I was going to order enough food for four!
Sitting at the bar, I had the pleasure of hearing the manager's comments: she repeated a few sentences as well as a few unacceptable gestures... "Go to the table take away her coffee because it's done" which in my book means 'get her to pay and leave so we give the table to someone else'. "Your additional coffee will be charged", *pushes the wine bucket closer to us just to accommodate more customers*...
She was too negative and arrogant.
Sitting at the bar, facing a stack of plates, and enduring the circus of noises, I started enjoying the food.
You surely don't come here for the service but the food is good!
- The eggs are exceptional, moist, loaded with flavors, covered with olive oil and mixed with dried tomatoes on a bed of toasted French bread. It's beyond good food, it's one of kind. I never imagined enjoying eggs with goat cheese or even olive oil. Every ingredient adds perfection. Two thumbs up chef! A pinch of pepper and salt, a light crunch, and some love... and voila.
- Croque monsieur is the closest thing that tastes like my wife's, which to me is the world's best. It's toasted to perfection, leaving its heart soft, and is topped with melted gruyère, loaded with cream and enchanted by small bits of ham. Pepper, oregano... yummy! It's addictive, it's finger licking good!
Dessert followed:
- Now for the scone, served warm on a silver stand with butter on a spoon and covered with jam. Soft premium butter, non sweet jam, excellent scone with a soft heart and crunchy crust. I couldn't stop until it was completely devoured.
- The waffle... it looks like magic and took me 10 minutes of photo shooting. You take a bite, wait, and the ingredients fill your senses one by one... the smoothness and the after notes of this creation are a marvel. The waffle is not crunchy and looks unique, the load of fresh fruits, the Creme fresh - a la Francaise - and much much more. I believe this chef deserves a Michelin star.
- Crepe, not just Nutella but much more than that. Nutella here tastes different, add to that the powdered sugar the crunchy hazelnut, the molten butter on top... you could write a book about this place called "how to turn normal day to day food into marvelous masterpieces". Thin crepes with crunchy edges, Nutella that's warm and adequately sweet, the butter... Oh my Goodness!
Every plate is uniquely imagined; starting with the presentation, then the ingredients, then the flavors... The food deserves a 30/30!
