Saturday, November 15, 2008

Devin Tavern in Greenwich Village


A week ago I went to Devin with four friends. It was about 8pm on Friday night. There wasn't much going in the neighborhood near the place, but the place itself is very nice. It feels like a colonial time tavern redone in a modern way. There is lot's of exposed brick and soft lighting. I was expecting it to be jam packed, being a bar in the village on Friday night, but this wasn't the case at all. There was space at the tables near the bar for me to wait for my friends. (I later found out there is a large bar downstairs as well.) Once they all arrived, we got seated without a reservation immediately. That's pretty amazing for 5 people on a Friday night. The host, bartender, waitstaff and wine guy were all very polite and accommodating.

On to the food. We ordered the House Made Bacons for the table. This consisted of veal, duck, and mushroom bacons. The mushroom bacon tasted like meatloaf and was a bit of a miss for me, although others at the table liked it. The Veal and Duck bacon were awesome! Everyone at the table was clamoring for that stuff. I could have easily eaten all that they served us myself. I ordered the steak frites as an entree. The steak was well executed with a crispy exterior and a red, melt-in-your-mouth middle. It was not quite as hot as I would have liked it - maybe it sat in the kitchen for a few minutes before being served. That was a bit odd because, as I said, the place wasn't all that crowded. The frites were good, not great, but good. The wine list was extensive with many choices, both affordable and high end.

In a nutshell, if you're in the village and need a decent spot for good sized group with no reservations this is your place. Don't miss out on the duck and veal bacon. As I said in a previous post, a good restaurant needs to be able to allow you to have a good time with your friends. This place certainly does that since there is no waiting and no pretense. The food was good, but not great.
Devin Tavern on Urbanspoon

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