3 Must-Tries in the West Village

One of the most beautiful spots in New York City is without a doubt the West Village. It has been, for the most part, restored to its original beauty. These days it’s housing some of the most prestigious restaurants and shops in the city. At any given moment you are just steps away from some pretty good grub!

Barbuto

If you watch enough food TV, you have definitely heard of Jonathan Waxman. Winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef in New York City in 2016, HIs restaurant is not one you want to skip! Barbuto is a spacious eatery with garage-style walls/windows/doors that open up in the warm season. When I went for lunch, it was a beautiful atmosphere, airy and fresh.

Our appetizer was Bruschetta made with housemade ricotta, summer squash and basil, which was amazingly refreshing and light. We shared our main dishes in order to be able to taste it all. We ordered the Pizza Salsiccia, made with soppressata, shallot and fontina, a seemingly ordinary pizza, but at first bite you realize it is something special. Our second entree was Bucatini Alla Carbonara with pancetta, egg and black pepper. It was another simple dish taken to a new level. This lunch was so rich and plentiful, it had us skipping dinner! Amazing spot!

Umami Burger

Umami stands for sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness. Based on this concept, this burger restaurant surprises us with something off the beaten path. I recently dined at their location in the West Village in search of a new burger, and I was pleasantly surprised by their uniqueness.

We ordered some Japanese style wings with a soy glaze and shichimi, and some caramelized Brussels sprouts with bacon lardons, glazed carrots, roasted garlic, shallots and a truffle glaze. How delightfully different and colorful! Our side order was an order of French fries with the catchy name “make ’em manly”,consisting of fries, beer-cheddar, onion strings and chives. Finally I had the Sunny Side Burger with Parmesan Frico, a fried egg, truffle thyme compound butter, truffled arugula and truffled aioli (if you love truffles, this is your place!). I loved the burger, it was cooked well, and everything is better with an egg on top. My lovely daughter had the Slider Trio, which included small version of the Hatch Burger, the Manly Burger, and the Truffle Burger. Her favorite was the Hatch Burger with roasted Hatch Chiles, House Cali Cheese, and roasted garlic aioli. Whatever you do, don’t leave without trying one (or all) of their ice cream sandwiches, they are amazing! All in all this restaurant goes out of their way to offer you something different, and I greatly appreciate that!

Murray’s

Need some cold cuts? Cheese? Fresh milk? Murray’s Cheese on Bleecker Street has all that and more. This specialty store has been around for decades and has absolutely everything you need from a deli plus then some. Walk in, and the aroma of fresh produce has you salivating. You are required to take a number (I love that) and wander along the seemingly endless deli counter of fresh cheeses and meats, local and imported, forming your long shopping list in your head until your number is called. I bought a bunch of stuff, some of which reminded me of my childhood in Germany. You can order sandwiches, and there is a myriad of specialty foods available. A couple of doors down is Murray’s Cheese Bar, where you can sit down and have lunch, Brunch and dinner. It’s a good, old fashioned Deli of impeccable quality.