Outdoor Garden Restaurants - West Village, NYC
Extra Virgin - NYC
At Extra Virgin, the lovely and charismatic Michele Gaton takes charge of the front of the house every evening while her business partner, Joey Fortunato, helms the kitchen. Together, Michele and Joey have finally realized their life-long dream of owning a restaurant. And what a fine place it is. With years of experience in the restaurant business as general manager and chef, respectively, Michele and Joey live by the old adage that the customer is always right. Hospitality is their middle name and this talented couple are excellent hosts.
Customers will find a lot to like about Extra Virgin, from the warm and personable service and cozy, intimate dining room to the inventive and tasty dishes that are on the menu. Not to mention, Extra Virgin's French bistro style sidewalk café. The menu is Mediterranean, with French and Italian influences. Chef Joey and his sous chefs utilize different varieties of extra virgin olive oil, from around the world, to enhance their dishes. Their signature extra virgin salad, for example, is dressed with a superb Chianti vinegar and evoo. Fish plays a major role in your evening at Extra Virgin. You can choose between simply grilled Mahi Mahi, seared yellow fin tuna, lemon crusted Chilean sea bass or potato-crusted cod fish.
Every day, chef Joey tempts your taste buds with his take on a different traditional classic dish. On Mondays, the kitchen offers baked lasagna, while on Tuesday, the special of the day is Bourbon-glazed meatloaf. On Thursdays, Chef Joey prepares a herbalicious roasted spring chicken that is stuffed with basil risotto. Every Sunday, Joey gives your Italian grandma a run-for-her-money with his traditional spaghetti and meatballs dinner accompanied by house-baked roasted garlic flatbread.
Location and Hours
259 west 4th street
New York NY 10014
(212) 691-9359
www.extravirginrestaurant.com
Hours
Monday to Thursday 12 PM to 11 PM
Friday 12 PM to 1 AM
Saturday 11 AM to 1 AM
Sunday 11 AM to 11 PM
B. Bar and Grill - NYC
This cozy bar and grill has a decidedly casual and chic vibe to it. The bar area and dining room is decorated with brick work and various photographs. The club room is a great place to hold a party or office gathering. The large backyard area has a Southwestern feel to it. High walls with open doors enclose the patio. A group of trees occupy the middle of the space. Planters that hold flowers and greenery are strategically placed around the walls and tables. At night, colorful, hanging lanterns cast a romantic glow upon the scene. The effect is almost like something out of a movie and the ambiance is unbeatable. As is the food.
The kitchen offers a large selection of salads and burgers, including their signature Bowery burger, which is served on a brioche bun, with Black diamond Cheddar and a side of herb fries. The B. Bar Cobb salad is a meal in itself. Your bowl is filled with all of the good stuff: romaine lettuce, avocado, blue cheese, grilled chicken, eggs, red onions and, yes, bacon. They do a pretty neat personal pizza, if that's your style, as well as a savory mushroom and goat cheese flatbread. There is a great deal of variety as far as entrée selections. Most popular menu items are the eggplant ravioli, cauliflower penne and steak frites.
Location and Hours
40 east 4th street
New York NY 10003
(212) 475-2220
www.bbarandgrill.com
Hours
Monday to Thursday 12 PM to 12 AM
Friday 12 PM to 4 AM
Saturday 10 AM to 4 AM
Sunday 10 AM to 12 AM
Crispo - NYC
An Italian trattoria, Crispo will seduce you from the moment that you walk through the door. Charming and full of character, Crispo is exactly what an Italian restaurant should be. Everything about the place, from the atmosphere to the artfully presented dishes, is on point. You will delight in the romantic ambiance of their grotto-like indoor garden. In the winter, Crispo's garden roof remains closed. But the transparent roof allows the room to be flooded with sunlight, giving it an open-air feeling. You feel as though you could reach out and touch the blue sky. The restaurant also has a front patio area for dining during the warmer months.
The culinary theme here is Northern Italian fare and they do it very well. Prosciutto di Parma appears frequently on the menu, both in appetizers and entrees. And why not, prosciutto is one of the tastiest and most savory cured meats around, no matter what part of the globe you hail from. For a delightful appetizer, pair your prosciutto up with black mission figs and Parmigiano or with pears. The signature dish at Crispo is the Spaghetti Carbonara 3 P Classic. This dish consists of a light cream sauce, pancetta, smoked pancetta and, of course, prosciutto. Besides their signature classic, regulars rave about the kitchen's black truffle ricotta ravioli, the spinach ricotta gnocchi as well as the spaghetti and shrimp Fra Diavolo.
Unlike many Italian restaurants, which tend to be rather limited in their dessert offerings, Crispo has an extensive menu of sweet endings to your evening. Highly recommended are the Creme' Brulee and bittersweet chocolate pudding, the fresh berries with vanilla mascarpone cream and the almond anise or chocolate hazelnut biscotti. These addicting and scrumptious cookies will certainly test your willpower. As will everything that they serve here. Owner Frank Crispo has created a restaurant that has stood the test of time. A neighborhood favorite, Crispo's will become your go-to Italian place, as well.
Location and Hours
240 West 14th Street
New York NY 10011
(212) 229-1818
www.crisporestaurant.com
Hours
Monday to Thursday 5 PM to 11 PM
Friday and Saturday 5 PM to 12 AM
Sunday 3 PM to 10 PM
Hudson Clearwater - NYC
In a neighborhood that has more than its share of beautiful restaurant gardens, Hudson Clearwater has one of the finest of them all! The garden area is enclosed by a tall wooden fence and thick shrubbery, giving it a secluded air. To enter the garden, customers simply walk to the back of the dining room, descend a few steps and you are in another world far removed from the noise and crowds on the city streets. This spacious area may well have been a private garden, intended for the brownstone's previous residents, many years ago.
Even if all of the tables in the backyard are occupied, you are still in luck. Just grab a table and chair by the restaurant's rear windows and you'll have a fantastic view of the garden. The kitchen turns out some very tasty new American cuisine. Forget the usual run-of-the-mill lettuce, tomato and not much else salads you are used to eating. Their craft salad choices include lobster with purple potatoes, English peas and snap peas with radishes, wheat berries and feta cheese along with a grilled asparagus and arugula salad. Long Island breast of Duck, Jalapeno-coriander roasted short ribs and roasted NY State lamb, with faro and whipped goat cheese, are the kitchen's most in-demand entrees.
Backyard gardens were made to enjoy a delicious cocktail. The barkeeps at Hudson Clearwater have just the cocktail you want, whatever your mood. But the Duchess is so good, it will cheer anyone up. This heady concoction is comprised of gin, Averell damson plum, Earl Grey tea, lemon, agave and blackberries. Outstanding desserts include a fresh baked blackberry and blueberry pie with vanilla gelato and the warm chocolate pot with, get this, peanut butter gelato.
Location and Hours
447 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 989-3255
www.hudsonclearwater.com
Hours
Monday 7:30 AM to 12 AM
Tues.-Thurs. 7:30 AM to 1 AM
Friday 7:30 AM to 2 AM
Saturday 9 AM to 2 AM
Sunday 9 AM to 11 PM
Bar Pitti - NYC
Bar Pitti's spacious sidewalk café is great for people watching. But the food is so good at this casual but cool spot you will probably be too busy eating to keep up with the fashion trends that pass by on the street. When it gets really, really hot out, though, you'll be thankful for the huge Bar Pitti awning that provides needed shade from the sun. Even though their menu is on the small side, there is a rainbow of diverse flavors and dishes available. Grilled country bread comes with a variety of options such as chicken liver pate, prosciutto or simply dressed with garlic and olive oil. Eggs in tomato sauce make for a delicious, if slightly out-of-the-box appetizer.
Pasta selections range from Rigatoni Pitti (with turkey sausage, peas, tomatoes, cream and Parmigiano cheese), Penne with a classic meat sauce and Taglierini with artichokes and leeks to papardelle with smoked bacon and tomatoes. Foodies, please take note, all of the pastas are homemade.
Location and Hours
268 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10014
(212) 982-3300
Hours
Monday to Sunday 12 PM to 12 AM
Palma - NYC
At Palma, you feel as though you are an honored guest at an exquisite Italian villa. There is an upscale yet rustic feel to the restaurant. The intimate, warm atmosphere, attentive service and superb cuisine all paint a picture of how life should be lived. The décor is as relaxing as it is eye-catching.
The white, stucco walls, beamed ceilings and salvaged chestnut wood doors give the restaurant its personality. You are dining inside a snapshot of Italy, as it were. Palma's masterpiece is the garden, which is bedecked with flowers and greenery. Even the walls are covered with Ivy. There's even a small herb garden, which is put to good use by the chef. The dishes that you will enjoy here are all derived from family recipes that have been handed down through several generations.
The restaurant specializes in private parties and catering. No matter how big or small your event may be, the restaurant's carriage house, built in 1810, is the perfect setting for any type of celebration. The carriage house contains two floors as well as a small library. Secondi or main courses include grilled Italian sea bass, grilled Colorado lamb chops, free-range chicken Milanese and grilled NY strip steak with arugula, salsa verde and Parmesan cheese. Their signature dish is the indescribable (but we will give it a try), Spaghetti Al' Astice. This dish consists of half of a Maine lobster, with housemade pasta in a sauce composed of lobster juices, cherry tomatoes and brandy. Another must-try dish is the pasta with slow-roasted lamb, olives, rosemary and pecorino Romano cheese.
The kitchen offers gluten-free fettuccine pasta, as well.
Location and Hours
28 Cornelia Street
New York NY 10014
(212) 691-2223
www.palmanyc.com
Hours
Monday 5 PM to 11 PM
Tuesday - Friday 12 PM to 11 PM
Saturday 11:30 AM to 11 PM
Sunday 11:30 AM to 10 PM
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