Location: 302 Bleeker Street
Cuisine: American Steakhouse
Best Dish: The Seafood Fettucine is a seafood lovers dream filled with several tasty well prepared morsels.
Overall: This small unassuming space and exceptional food make Village Prime an impressive venue for a quiet romantic dinner or a night out with a few friends.
I spent the better part of my teenage years wandering around the west village. Having spent so little time there in the last few years, it was a pleasant surprise to find my next assignment just off of Seventh Avenue South, a few short blocks from the famous Christopher Street smoke shop. There just beyond the throng of bar crawlers and pedestrians is Village Prime, an elegant yet unassuming steakhouse. The outside is bright white a brilliant contrast to the surrounding grays and brick. The interior holds simple white linen tables within a rustic space of soft browns and blacks. The host led us a nice booth in the back and we settled in and prepared to order a round of premium cocktails.
The moment I saw fig vodka as one of the ingredients I had to have the “Fig Blossom”. This refreshing beverage is made with fig vodka, elderflower, orange juice, and just a splash of cranberry juice. My companion could not resist the temptation of the “Cranberry Margarita” an interesting and equally tasty mix of corralejo reposado tequila, grand marnier, cranberry, and fresh lime juice.
While enjoying our drinks we sampled the lump crab from the raw bar portion of the menu. The buttery chunks of fresh crab were divine. They truly revved up our appetites for the next course.
We also ordered a hot appetizer, the baked clams. The clams are shucked and the meaty interior is seasoned and combined with spinach, sweet peppers, panko breadcrumbs, topped with burre blanc and served in the shell. The savory flavor was reminiscent of comforting homemade stuffing, but much lighter.
Next up were our entrees. For this review we chose two cuts of premium meat: the skirt steak and the veal chop. The 16 0z skirt steak arrived piping hot with a generous helping of house made steak sauce on the side for extra flavor. The meat was tender and well seasoned with just a light char on the outer layer.
Veal chops are a rare find these days and luckily Village Prime has them. Veal can be a controversial meat since it involves a young calf, but the meat is fall off the bone tender with a fresh crisp quality you don’t find in other cuts.
To accompany our meat duo we ordered the lobster Mac and Cheese and the mixed seafood fettuccine. The lobster mac was creamy and filled with succulent and cheesy topped with buttery breadcrumbs and filled with bits of lobster meat.
The mixed seafood fettuccine is actually an entree, so it is the perfect size for sharing. The al dente pasta is lightly coated in sauce and tossed with a seasonal assortment of fresh seafood. On the night we went the pasta was served with clams, shrimp, scallops and calamari.
We ended our meal with two sweet treats. I love chocolate but my companion prefers more fruit based desserts so instead of arguing we ordered two, the molten lava cake and the banana bread pudding. The lava cake was a decadent treat served warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
The banana bread pudding was an interesting take on a classic dessert. The caramelized banana provided an extra hint of sweetness without overpowering the dessert.
Village Prime provides fabulous food made with time honored techniques and first class service. In fact on the night we went there was a major emergency and the staff did not miss a single beat. The kept their cool under pressure and continued service with the respect and dignity one should expect at all times. Though work and other obligations keep me away from my old stomping ground Village Prime gives me a reason to visit more often, especially after viewing the brunch menu.