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“Braeburn”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	West Village	Moderate	Good

per). If you notice your biscuit plate is empty (because you’ve wolfed yours down to quickly), do have another. To punctuate the country setting even more, waiters are dressed in cotton plaid button down shirts, like they might be coming from the farm or from a coffee shop in Williamsburg for that matter.

While there have been mixed reviews of Braeburn (and for some reason its artwork), I have no problem with what it is—a very good neighborhood restaurant. Is it a special occasion restaurant? Not in the traditional sense. It’s more casual and comfortable than pretentious and fussy. Is the food on par with the Gramercy Taverns of the world? No. But it doesn’t need to be. The chef and owner, Brian Bistrong (most recently of The Harrison), runs Braeburn with co-owner John-Paul O’Neil (the former General Manager at The Harrison who was previously the GM at Blue Hill) and the pair have envisioned a seasonal American bistro for the neighborhood and beyond. The food is solid and satisfying, more on the level of a Cookshop, an Irving Mill, a Savoy, Telepan. And in this economy, it’s probably a better group to be in.

I had dinner at Braeburn last week. I was meeting a couple of friends for dinner and finally made it after a crowded subway ride from Brooklyn in which not a single person offered me their seat. I don’t know what’s wrong with people, but it seems to me that when there’s a woman who’s about to give birth standing in front of you, you get off your kiester and offer her a seat. You don’t just pretend you don’t see her or her rotund belly.

Honestly, I used to think it was because I was wearing a heavy coat and people could not tell I was pregnant, but there’s no heavy coat anymore. I am 8 months pregnant, ready to pop in a month. It’s not that people can’t tell I am pregnant, it’s that people just don’t care. I am shocked. It’s really disgraceful and does not reflect what I thought of New Yorkers, which is that we really are a great group of people. But I am trying not to stereotype our entire society. Maybe it’s just people who ride the F train? Maybe not.

In any case, after an exhausting subway ride, I was ready to relax and enjoy an evening with my friends and that’s exactly what I did. (And I to ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 17, 2009

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

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