August

359 Bleecker St., West Village, NY

8.0

map & more

Neighborhood
West Village

Cuisine
Mediterranean
Sandwiches

212-929-4774‎

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
June 30, 2010

When Gail Simmons hit us with her Friday Fives, she listed August as her Chronic Brunch pick. Smart woman. She made us realize that even though August has long been a staple in our lives, a review seems to have slipped through the cracks. It’s time to rectify this situation right now.

Everyone loves August. It’s impossible not to. The same way I’m always down to watch those movies that are endlessly on TV like Any Given Sunday or Empire Records, I’m also always down for brunch at August. This little European bistro is perfectly located in the heart of all the good West Village action. The friendly space smells of firewood and has an awesome glass enclosed garden that gets tons of sun. August is really a better brunch/lunch spot than it is a dinner spot. The dinner entrees are never as exciting as the eggs, sandwiches and pizza you get during the daytime hours. Plus, the prices on the dinner menu are a little steep. One dinner option we do like, however, is the Sunday night “Pizza & Peronis” meal: one pizza and four Peronis for $25. Not necessarily the Gray’s Papaya recession special, but we back the idea and the pizza is really good. Speaking of pizza and beer, dudes, listen up – August is a great First/Early In The Game Date spot. Considering that her and her friends already love it, you’ll score extra points right off the bat by taking her to the location of her last Book Club meeting. Trust me; it’s a better option than the new Dos Caminos in the Meat Packing district.

Food Rundown:

Wood Oven Baked Eggs en Cocotte
The big ticket item here are baked eggs, cooked up in their own iron skillets. August divides up the different varieties by the European region they’re inspired by. You really can’t go wrong with ordering any of these, but our favorite is absolutely the Alsatian (bacon and onion with crème fraiche) with the Andalusian (chorizo and blistered peppers) coming in a close second.

Challah Bread French Toast
So good. If you’re big on challah bread French toast, definitely calorie splurge on this one. The key to making the outside so crisp is that they finish it in the oven.

Asparagus Mimosa
One of my favorite things to order here, the asparagus mimosa is on both the lunch and dinner menu. A breaded ball of fried egg that looks like a croquette served over a heap of cold asparagus stalks with dijon dressing. Full of bold flavors, but also crisp and refreshing.

Burger
The only thing fancy about this burger is the fried egg you can elect to place on top of it (which you should do, obviously – check the twitpic). This burger is a dead ringer for the one I’m going to make on the BBQ this weekend: ground chuck, lettuce, tomato, pickles and raw onions on a nice kaiser bun. High quality and straight forward. We dig this burger.

Grilled Chorizo Sandwich
For chorizo fans who like a little spice in their life, definitely check this sandwich out. Chorizo sausages served on a super soft bun with baby arugula, blistered peppers, and spicy smoked mayonnaise. Yes.