West Village (Mini) Restaurant Reviews

Tartine, 253 W. 11th St at corner of W. 4th St, New York, NY (212) 229-2611 [TOP PHOTO]

Cowgirl Hall of Fame, (519 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014 at 10th St. 212-633-1133)

The Spotted Pig (314 W. 11th St, New York, NY 10014 212-620-03930

We love the quiet leafy streets of the West Village. Cobblestoned and cooled by breezes from the Hudson, this shady enclave of historical buildings and luxury homes seems miles away from the bustle of (1 block away!) 8th Avenue. And while weekend crowds can spoil the mood (steer clear of the pedestrian-clogged likes of Bleecker or Christopher streets), there are plenty of unique restaurants and bars that capture the mood and laidback ambiance of the neighborhod. Only 3 establishments will be discussed here today, but check back soon for Part 2 of our West Village dining survey.

Tartine is the sort of place New Yorkers love to take out-of-town guests as much as they love to pop in themselves, on a weeknight or lazy Sunday afternoon. So beloved is Tartine among the area's denizens, a line outside the door for a table seems inevitable. We've been going on and off for 15 years and have never walked in to be seated immediately. Have a little patience (helped along by a bottle of wine, which you can bring yourself - Tartine is so old skool they don't insult patrons with a corkage fee) and know that your wait will be justified. Everything is good on the small menu, but recently top accolades went to a starter of endive and roquefort ($8.95) and the spicy fried chicken with guacamole and french fries ($17.95). Fried chicken and guacamole in a French joint you ask? Why not? The kitchen at Tartine isn't interested in global fusion; they just have an open mind. Now if they could only convince some of the tired neighboring bistros, still turning out retreads of their 1998 menus.

Former mayor Rudy Guiliani's masterplan to turn Manhattan into a theme park always had a few antecedents, none more gauche perhaps than Hudson Street's Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Long before Disney evicted the former colorful theaters and strip clubs of Times Square, Cowgirl Hall of Fame was serving fried miscellania to West Village residents in its family-friendly take on Coyote Grotesque. Resembling nothing so much as a deep fryer decorated with wagon wheels and dusty props from the set of Bonanza, this tourist trap, we are sad to report, is as horrific as remembered. Seems the years of both food presentation innovations and a return to simple, pure ingredients have not been kind to this strip-mall relic; we doubt we'd eat there if it was the only cafe in a one-horse town! In a mistake typical to all not familiar with America's South, the menu combines East Coast pulled pork bbq and catfish and fixins with Texas-style Mexican standbys, as if the two regions had anything in common other than being at the bottom of North America. We sampled from both cuisines: chicken wings in an jalepeno tomato sauce ($5.95 for a half order), Texas beef ribs ($15.95) and Georgia fried catfish ($14.95). The latter was the strangest of the bastardizations; the fish arrived coated with a dark brown crust of thick and pastey fried flour. Quick ya'll - Long John Silver's is missing their batter! Sides of rice and brocolli were bizarre and unwelcome; if aunthenticity were an issue the fish would have been lightly dusted with cornmeal, quickly deep-fried and served alongside coleslaw and hushpuppies. Consolation points however go to the complimentary basket of chips served with house-made black-eyed pea salsa. Bright flavors of chile pepper and cilantro marry well with the creamy earthiness of the beans in this original take on an old standby.

Saving the best for last, The Spotted Pig still lives up to all of its earlier hype . . . and criticism. The seating is insanely crowded, the clientele obnoxiously ostentatious (and not particularly attractive or well-styled), but the service and quality of the food outweigh any complaints you may register. Prices are steep, but every dish arriving from the kitchen is so well thought out, so stellar in quality of ingredients, so intelligently seasoned it seems stingy to fault the sticker shock sure to arrive with the check. A starter of Smoked Haddock Chowder ($12.95) was welcome even on an infernally hot day, laced with lardons of bacon, creamy potatoes and rich chunks of impeccable fish. An unexpected twist renders the soup with a fish stock base and not a spot of cream in site (or missed). So addictive are the tiny house-made soda water crackers served on the side, we've renamed them "crack". The burgers ($15.95) are perfect and served rare (unless requested otherwise) and come with tiny shoestring fries and a brioche bun. Roasted rabbit ($24.95) is the very definition of tender and subtle, with most of the flavor coming from the moist meat and pan au jus. A cheese plate ($12.95 for 2 choices) is on the small side but a lovely end to a hearty dinner. Many wines are available by the glass, including a bargain sparkling rose ($8) and a deep, complex California Pinot Noir ($12).