CAFE CLUNY – NYC
284 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014
Rating 7.5
Cafe Cluny is one of my most frequently recommended restaurants in the West Village. Cluny is always packed (but the wait never terribly long for walk ins) and it sister restaurants to The Odeon and equally cute uptown Cafe Luxembourg. Cluny is one of those places that has a very relaxed, homey atmosphere and really solid food for any meal- great brunch classics, sandwiches, burgers and seasonal dishes. The food is technically French and the waiters all wear their traditional Breton stripes adding a bit of authenticity. Since I have been here so many times (without ever being disappointed) I’ll review dishes from a combination of meals.
Brunch:
Cluny has a really classic brunch menu with everything that you might be craving. The frisée salad is one of my favorites because the dressing is so good. It is sort of a mix between a caesar and a blue cheese dressing so it tastes mustardy and blue cheesy with big chunks of blue cheese. The poached egg on top also adds some creaminess to the salad but the firm frisée is able to stand up to it all. Of course the big chunks of crispy lardons and croutons only add to the deliciousness.
Frisee Salad with Lardons
The short rib hash is a nice play on your traditional hash. Also topped with poached eggs and a little bit of hollandaise, you can just imagine how rich and yummy this is.
Short Rib Hash
I always seem to crave smoked salmon and a bagel when I go out to brunch so I will try to convince anyone to split it with me. My only complaint about Cluny’s salmon plate is the bagel itself. First of all they only have plain bagels and secondly, with NYC being the epicenter of bagels, there is really no excuse for a mediocre bagel.
Salmon Plate
Dinner:
Dinner is equally great at Cluny and with dim lighting and candles the space becomes a bit more romantic making it a perfect date spot.
A friend and I recently went for a long leisurely dinner to catch up after she had returned from a month of medical study abroad.
We started with the special squash blossoms which were stuffed with ricotta and fried. They were served with a beautifully stacked column of fresh colorful vegetables.
Stuffed Squash Blossoms
We also had the broccoli and cauliflower with toasted almonds as an appetizer. These were really nicely prepared and flavorful – a worthwhile side order.
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Cafe Cluny has a pretty decent burger which is cooked very nicely (medium rare) and serve with enough fries to share with your neighbors on both sides.
Cluny Burger
Cluny Burger
Cafe Cluny is the ideal spot for a low key meal with a friend, a date or small group at any time of year.
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