By Kat Chang '22
I’m wearing a black turtleneck and mom jeans with a pair of slip-on heels. My hair is thrown up in a bun, but in a West-Village kind of way, not strictly neat, but not entirely careless. I laugh after tripping over the cobblestone walking up to Cafe Cluny’s eggshell facade and sage green door, right on the corner of West 12th and West 4th. The hostess, dressed in black, greets me warmly and asks if I’m waiting on someone and, of course, I am. As I wait, I find my way to one of two taupe benches right outside their outdoor dining. It's a nice touch, considering that smaller restaurants are usually swarmed with people waiting around, hoping their friend can make it in the 15 minute grace period.
Though we sit outdoors, I make it a point to stroll along the corridors of what felt like my grandma’s house, in the most comforting way. The walls are a butter yellow, similar to a beige, and the dim, almost romantic lighting could have manipulated my vision. The restaurant is charming, with simple sketches in navy and bronze frames. A small part of me wishes I was sitting in the dark navy, wood-structured chairs. They characterized so much of the restaurant’s charm that it almost felt like dining indoors was an essential part of the experience.
Our waitress approaches us in a sort of waldo-esque look, paired with khakis. I understand the mock-Parisian attempt, but it felt second-rate, clashing with the indoor ambiance the restaurant had worked so hard to create. We started with the Caesar salad and parmesan fries. There were two reasons for this choice: one, in light of adjusting to the palette of my purist friend, and two, if a restaurant cannot master the basics, perhaps the value of the artistry in their more complex dishes diminishes.
The parmesan fries were solid. Worth $12? No. But, they were salty and crispy, bordering on soggy, with enough garlic and parmesan to satisfy the average customer. The Baby Kale Caesar Salad was decent but slightly underwhelming. Sweetgreen may have been a better choice. Most of my excitement was steered toward the parmesan crisps.
Do not be alarmed, though, as the rest of the meal was better. The Squash & Mascarpone Tortellini was phenomenal, completed with roasted root vegetables, sage, and parmesan cream. The dish was buttery and silky, the sauce an adequate thickness. The filling was creamy and nutty; the combination of the mascarpone and squash was ingenious. The beets, carrots, and acorn squash were beautifully soft. Combine that with the crisp sage, crumbling perfectly atop the tortellini. I did find myself wishing for a scrunch of black pepper and a wider variety of textures. A garnish of crushed pistachios or walnuts would have only added to its brilliance. Perhaps the sauce could have been deeper infused with sage, and the portions bigger, but it's French, and I’m being inordinately critical.
Now, I always get dessert. Always. Superb dessert is an indicator of fine dining-- the cream needs to be fresh, the chocolate needs to be of quality, and the fruit crisp and ripe. But similar to the dinner menu, it felt faintly uninspired, with heaps of creative capacity to fulfill.
Although my expectations were low, I will admit that the sticky toffee pudding humbled me. It was everything sticky toffee pudding should be--and more--leaving a brown butter sort of taste lingering in my mouth after each bite. The butterscotch was a luxury synonymous to heaven; the pudding was perfectly sticky with a tight crumb, indicating a moistness and texture so refined it made my mediocre salad feel okay.
However, a crucial part of the dessert menu was missing--the drinks menu. Specifically, the coffee. I wish I could elaborate on the full-bodied, slightly bitter mouthfeel pairing perfectly with the sticky toffee pudding, but the $4.50 beverage was about as good as a cup of Folgers, with granules left on the bottom.
In a separate review, it was said that Cafe Cluny was the embodiment of the West Village. This is true. It’s nothing extraordinary, but if you’re looking for a dining experience that is reliable, slightly above average, and in celebration of something small, making an 8 pm dinner reservation here on a Wednesday night is one I would recommend. Only if you’re willing to drop a Benjamin or two.
All photos courtesy of Kat Chang '22
Editors: Brooklynne Roman '23, Natalia Cseh '23, Ms. Brilliant
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