Immaculate Infatuation

You obviously know by now that we’re not vegetarians. At times, this site feels like little more than a lengthy discussion about skirt steak and pork parts. Why then, are we giving so much love to a restaurant serving only raw food? Because while we may not be vegetarians, we are devoted hedonists, and Pure Food and Wine is all about pleasure. That and every musician we know talks about the place like it’s the Carnegie Hall of restaurants.

A few years back, Sarma Melngailis decided to show New York that a raw food restaurant doesn’t have to mean serving carrot sticks and lentils to a soundtrack of Ben Harper songs. Pure Food And Wine opened, and in the process she’s become an icon among those passionate about the raw lifestyle. Her restaurant, cookbooks, and One Lucky Duck takeaway business have all been extremely successful, and it’s because, raw or not, the food is incredible.

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Straight up, if you and I don’t see eye to eye on Westville then we need to end this relationship immediately. Like, now. And I don’t think we can “just be friends” either. My go to of all go tos, I literally eat here or get delivery three times a week. It’s permanently entrenched in my weekly routine and I don’t know what I’d do without it. It’s worth the 15 minute wait during prime time and they usually deliver within 20 minutes (granted, I live around the corner … but still). Westville is the ultimate utility spot that delivers the goods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and does it in affordable fashion. It’s not necessarily cheap, but it won’t break the bank and you get top quality plus respectable quantity that’s sure to fill you up. Let’s talk food, shall we? I’ve pretty much eaten everything on this menu twice, so this could be long …

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Oh Brooklyn. You’re so close, yet so far away. It definitely takes extra motivation to get Immaculate Infatuation to venture to BK, especially Dumbo. How anyone can live there and not go completely insane from the constant noise accompanying living under two bridges is beyond me. It makes you empathize with the troll from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”. However, when we heard that a couple who met on the job at Freemans (one of our all-time favorite restaurants) opened Vinegar Hill House (V.H.H.) in Dumbo, we took it as a sign that it was time for Infatuation to expand out of borough. So without further ado … drum-roll please … we present our first Brooklyn review.

The first thing that will hit you when you walk into V.H.H. is the heady smell of smoldering firewood coming from the wood-burning oven in the open kitchen. V.H.H. has a more rural feel to it than Freemans, although they are definitely cut from a similar cloth. Feel like you’re eating in an eccentric friends dining room filled with vintage chotchkies and old family treasures? That’s because you are. The owners actually live in the house directly behind the restaurant and use the tree laden patio in-between for quaint garden dining. The old time vibe is cool, but they might want to look into some new outdoor furniture. We witnessed a fully plated table across from us crumble to the ground, spilling fine food and wine everywhere. It was kind of nuts.

Despite their lack of functioning furniture, the Hill House is well worth the trek to BK. It’s hip without giving off that “too cool” vibe some restaurants can have. The food is outstanding and, for a change, affordable.

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Tree has an unassuming exterior that may cause someone to walk by hundreds of times without realizing that there’s anything worthwhile inside. I, for instance, live right around the corner and never paid much attention to the joint. Luckily, my pops insisted we go one night thanks to a very high Zagat rating. After that fateful night, Tree was promptly added to my local rotation. During the winter, it’s warm and cozy interior is the perfect place to take your girl or guy on a cold Friday night. The large backyard garden is the perfect place to dine alfresco on those balmy spring or summer evenings. There’s something a little more mature about Tree than the majority of the restaurants in the area. It’s not filled with young hipsters; the crowd tends to skew a little older. I counted five tables containing guests with gray hair the last time I was there. Basic rule of thumb when it comes to the menu; stick with the heavy sauce dishes and you’ll be a happy camper. Tree kills it with their sauces. Resist the temptation to order the steak frites and stick with the good stuff served in bowls. For the food rundown, I’m sticking with my go-to dishes and nothing else … all served in bowls.

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More so than any other section of NYC, West Village restaurants have a common neighborhood feel to them. Like the people who flock to them, these spots are understated, stylish and well groomed. The current king of the scene? Cafe Cluny. It doesn’t get much cuter (did I just say that?) than this place as it’s nestled on the ideal corner of W. 4th and W. 12th. Cluny is money for breakfast and a reliable option for lunch and dinner as well. It’s pretty much a can’t miss for all kinds of Infatuation “Perfect For” categories including Chronic Brunch , Neighborhood Hang , Date Night and After Work Drinks & Dinner. Next time you’re grabbing food in the WV, avoid the two hour wait at Joseph Leonard, don’t even consider The Place next door and get your Cluny on.

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