Friday, May 25, 2012

Decoding Buvette's Wine Storybook


Buvette's wine list is a book with maps and illustrations depicting tiny farmers with hoes and horse-drawn carriages. Inspired by vintage almanacs and other old, twee things, chef Jody Williams has assembled an adorable "Petit Répertoire Illustré" or, "An Illustrated Guide" to wine.
She describes herself as a wine novice, and the book as an ever-evolving snapshot of what interests her at the moment. What makes it so appealing, though, is Williams' wide-eyed enthusiasm and ability to communicate the allure of wine—the places, movements, and histories that draw people to it—through the wine list. It's the sort of thing that will make anyone who has come to know wine well wish they could start all over from the beginning again(...)
It's the sort of place that isn't about high-end wine, or fancy glassware—it's a place you go to drink Beaujolais, or Bugey-Cerdon on ice, maybe talk a bit too loud, and eat rillettes. It's perpetually packed and there's an authenticity to the clank of glassware and conviviality of the place that reminds you, as you look out on to a tree-lined Grove Street, that the West Village can often rival the best of what Western Europe has to offer. (...) 

But the list's great achievement isn't really about the selections or the adorableness of book (which, by the way, comes courtesy of designer Max Poglia), but how it proves, confidently, that a wine list can be much more than just a list.


From Eater by Talia Baiocchi.




Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Bee’s Knees: A Classic Cocktail with Catskills Honey...

buvette, west village, ny, nyc, cocktail, honey
A prohibition era blend of honey, lemons and gin, "The Bee’s Knees” is the perfect cocktail for a sultry spring evening. Chef Jody Williams uses local, raw honey from Catskill Provisions as the base for this elegant yet simple beverage.

buvette, west village, ny, nyc, cocktail, honey
Located in Long Eddy, New York, Catskill Provisions harvests and hand packs this beautiful honey from bees that feast on alpine flower nectar and sip from fresh mountain streams. Their tawny colored wildflower honey marries the floral characteristics of high quality gin while softening the acidity of freshly squeezed lemons.

buvette, west village, ny, nyc, cocktail, honey
If you’re a busy bee and can’t escape to the Catskills, come join us and relax with a cocktail that is as equally transportive.  Buvette’s version of this refreshing classic is really the Cat’s Meow!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Come share a bowl of Spring...


What is Scafata? Find out on Food(ography) Season 3 - Olive Oil Segment from Lauren Deen on Vimeo.

Our scafata is a hearty sauté full of spring vegetables like favas, artichokes, peas, escarole, basil and mint. It is delicious served under a poached egg for breakfast or lunch.

Take a peek at Chef Jody Williams' scafata recipe on the Cooking Channel.

You can tune in and watch the full episode this week!
The Food(ography) Episode titled “Olive Oil”, featuring Buvette and Chef Rita Sodi of I Sodi, airs on April 19, 8:30 PM (EST), April 19, 12:30 AM (EST) and April 21, 7:30 PM (EST).

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Best new Gallic charmer: Buvette

Photograph: Daniel Krieger

TimeOut Food & Drink Awards 2012: Critics' picks
... Jody Williams has fallen under the Gallic spell,  trading in Chianti and arancini for Côtes du Rhône and brandade at her diminutive West Village “gastroteque, ” Buvette... Williams made a compelling case for reviving old-fashioned French country cooking. Her immaculate renditions of coq au vin,  goose-fat rillettes or intense,  lacquered wedges of tarte Tatin arrived on tiny plates,  in petite jars or in miniature casseroles,  her time-warp flavors recalling an era when there were still classic bistros on every corner. Amid an artful clutter of antiques and ingredients arranged in precious still lifes,  it added up to the year’s most enchanting new restaurant.

From TimeOut

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Poisson d'Avril

Traditions Françaises: April begins in France with the playful holiday,  Poisson d'Avril (April Fish),  when school children sneak images of fish onto each others backs. In Paris, sweet versions of the 'fools' fish share the shelves of chocolatier shops with bunnies and bells until Easter Sunday.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The best egg breakfasts

best eggs, Chef Jody Williams, Buvette, breakfast
 Photograph: Virginia Rollison

Steamed Eggs with Prosciutto at Buvette
It’s all about the details at Jody Williams’s precious West Village “gastrotheque,” from the slender cutlery to the delicate scramble, which is steamed gently with an espresso wand. A loosely packed pile of the pillowy eggs arrives heaped on a miniature plate, showered with Parmesan cheese, black pepper and thinly sliced curls of prosciutto. Make an open-faced sandwich with the accompanying olive oil–drizzled Royal Crown bread, then go ahead and eat it with your hands. 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Celebrate spring with berries, cherries and bitters...

spring, buvette, cocktails, nyc, ny, sparkling
and, of course, sparkling wine!

spring, buvette, cocktails, nyc, ny, sparkling
Buvette welcomes the new season with three shades of beautifully hued sparkling cocktails... Framboise, La Rosette, Classique.

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Framboise: Cremant with raspberry liquer from famed Cognac producer Jean-Luc Pasquet.

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Rosette: Cremant and sour cherries Chef Jody Williams uses slightly sour Amarena cherries from Piedmont to add a bit of blush to this refreshing beverage. 

Classique: A playful take on the classic Champagne Cocktail, Jody prefers Cremant de Alsace with organic sugar cubes soaked in bitters for Buvette's 'Classique'.

"Come quickly, I am tasting the stars!" -Dom Perignon

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Brandade by Chef Jody Williams

PHOTO: MARCUS NILSSON

A mixture of salt cod and olive oil,  this has its origins in France,  Italy,  and Spain.

Prep Time
15 minutes,
Total Time
45 minutes,  plus 3 days soaking
Yield
Makes 4 1/2 cups brandade, Serves 8

Ingredients
1/2 pound salt cod, 1 cup whole milk, 2 cups heavy cream, 5 garlic cloves, 2 large russet potatoes,  peeled and chopped, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, Salt, Slices of toasted or grilled country bread.

Directions
Soak cod,  skin removed,  in water,  covered and refrigerated,  for 3 days (change water twice daily). Drain,  and cut into small pieces. Simmer milk,  cream,  garlic,  and potatoes until potatoes are fork-tender,  10 to 15 minutes. Add salt cod,  and simmer until tender,  about 15 minutes. Reserving 1 cup liquid,  transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add olive oil in a slow,  steady stream,  stirring until mixture is almost smooth,  and adding liquid if needed. Season with salt to taste,  and drizzle with oil,  if desired. Serve with warm bread.


Friday, March 16, 2012

Introducing our whimsical guide to eating and drinking...

... known as the "Petit Repértoire Illustré", a new approach to wine created by Max Poglia and Chef Jody Williams.

Jody combines the savior faire of a farmers almanac with the character of a storybook and the transportive texture of a travel guide to inventively present Buvette's cocktails, wines and recipes.

"Ordering wine should be as pleasureable to order as it is to drink" says Jody, curator of the list.


Page by page, her illustrated guide takes you on a journey across France and Italy with stops along the way to teach you how to make a proper martini or discover how many grapes fill a bottle of wine.

The wine list is made to entertain and inform; combining hints like "how to remove a red wine stain" as well as side notes about inspiring vignerons like Olivier Cousin. By the way, Olivier's cab franc partners perfectly with Buvette's Rabbit Confit.
Come discover wine in our petit livre, and don't forget to toss a good luck cork into our bicycle basket.  A Santé!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Chef Jody Williams Pomodorini Tartines

PHOTO: MARCUS NILSSON

The savory topping of pomodorini, or marinated sun-dried tomatoes, is paired with a fresh, soft cow's-milk cheese called Stracchino, which is also known as Crescenza.

Prep Time

10 minutes,
Total Time

1 hour 40 minutes,
Yield

Makes 1 cup pomodorini (enough for 8 slices of bread),

Ingredients, 

10 sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, 2 teaspoons salted small capers,  rinsed, 1 peeled,  grated whole medium garlic clove, 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 6 to 8 ounces Stracchino cheese, Toasted or grilled country bread, 


Directions, 
Make the pomodorini: Soak sun-dried tomatoes in warm water for 1 hour. Drain,  and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Mix tomatoes with sherry vinegar,  oregano,  capers,  garlic,  and olive oil. Let stand for 30 minutes., Make the tartines: Spread a generous amount of Stracchino cheese on bread,  and top with pomodorini.

from Martha Stewart Living

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Ooh La La...Buvette finds fans among Martha Stewart!





A big thank you to Martha's incredibly talented team from Martha Stewart Living.

Text by Lucinda Scala Quinn & Photographs by Marcus Nilsson

Monday, December 26, 2011

Nuit Blanche: New Year's sleepless night!

Join us for a New Year's Eve celebration lasting until sunrise. Enjoy lentils, truffles and champagne... breakfast starts at midnight until sunrise staring cappuccini, croissants and fresh orange juice. Buvette will be open Saturday, the 31st at 3h00 pm until  6h00 am on Sunday the 1st. 
No reservations or prix fixes. 



Saturday, December 24, 2011

Thursday, November 24, 2011

TABLES FOR TWO

Jody Williams has gone Gallic with Buvette, a wine-and-small-plates establishment in a cozy sliver of a space that once housed the bare-bones Southern institution the Pink Tea Cup...The room, styled to evoke a Provence kitchen—with carefully arranged baskets, rolling pins, mezzalunas—is romantic, at times verging on precious...


A barrage of little things with big flavor followed: a glass jar of salty, creamy chicken-liver mousse; a crock of brandade de morue, also salty, and just a tad fishy; poireaux en vinaigrette, leeks laced with mustard; savory, meaty lentils with kale. After a while, you get used to the diminutive proportions and start to look forward to having just a bite or two of everything—such as the exemplary “viandes,” which might include creamy rabbit potpie; coq au vin, deeply infused with wine, soft and tender; and perhaps the smallest cassoulet in the world. 
A buvette is a place to eat or drink at any time of the day, and that is exactly what Williams provides. In the mornings, it’s a casual meeting place for neighborhood folks looking for a little politesse and Gruyère (not to mention a La Colombe café au lait). At night, what Buvette lacks in floor space it makes up for in good will. After an extended round of musical chairs at the back communal table one evening, a charming waitress made amends, telling a group, “Dessert is obviously on us.”

from The New Yorker
by Shauna Lyon


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving to all...


Buvette will be closed on Thanksgiving Day...please join us on Friday 
starting at 8  o'clock am to 2 o'clock am.


Monday, October 3, 2011

Fall Flavor: Cassoulet


Thursday, September 29, 2011

Pitchounet



 Allen Allier’s dynamic “Pitchounet” is part of the vins naturales movement; a school of viticulture thought that goes beyond organic farming practices often relying on ancient techniques. This earthy and elegant wine is made from old vine cariganne. The growers that produces these wine don’t “make them” rather, they allow them to occur naturally. The kind of wine that stays on your mind long after the bottle is gone. 

Monday, September 26, 2011

photos: m&j

"We’ve spent our summer enjoying this Parisian-inspired West Village gem, artfully created and lovingly curated by chef Jody Williams In the former Pink Tea Cup Space at 42 Grove Street (just off Bleeker), airy and full of wonderful detail and a fabulous menu of glorious dishes. For us, the standout is breakfast, preferably on a weekday when one has a chance to linger and, perhaps read the paper (they don’t take reservations and lines are now forming outside on the street on week nights and weekends). This is a very special place."

from margaretandjoy.wordpress.com

Monday, September 12, 2011

Nous Buvons: Domaine de l’Aigle a Deux Têtes, Côtes du Jura '07



From the often over looked hills of France’s Jura region comes this rare chardonnay; mineral driven, slightly oxidized, and full of natural yeast flavors.  This is a wine representative of a style unique to the Jura, where wines are allowed to occur naturally, not coaxed artificially through modern techniques. 


These naturally low yielding fifty-year-old vines produce only four hundred cases of wine a year, making it one of the rarest on our list. Currently at Buvette we are enjoying this unique regional wine by the glass, or better yet by the bottle.


Monday, August 29, 2011

Oui! Buvette’s Gift Card are available

Just contact us by phone 212.255.3590 
or write to fyi@ilovebuvette.com  
Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Why Bibonade?

When I was an "aiuta cuoca in Reggio Emilia we had fantastic family meals of fried rabbit or risotto.  Always present to wash down the meal was something called "bevande", a glass of half water and half wine. This bevande has inspired the "bibonade", my made-up French word to describe the delectable concoction of summer fruit infused wines topped with cremant and ice.
Chef Jody Williams



Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Chef Jody Williams charms at her latest microeatery

Photograph: Daniel Krieger


Chef Jody Williams may have designed her intimate, Gallic-themed eatery with friends and neighbors in mind, but the food here is too accomplished to keep gastro-groupies at bay. Those who wait for an evening table are treated to excellent small plates, which arrive all at once like an indoor picnic: exceptional fluffy brandade (house-cured salt cod emulsified with garlic-steeped milk), rustic hand-cut steak tartare and a delicious cocotte of falling-off-the-bone coq au vin (the closest thing to an entrée here). Every detail of the place is thoughtfully curated, leaving you to revel in the chef’s very good taste as you linger over fat slices of perfectly caramelized apple tarte Tatin. By Jay Cheshes



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Enjoy our little french star... the Croque Madame!

Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson

Vintage curios—picnic baskets, rolling pins—fill every inch of Jody Williams’s charming new venture. The homey vibe extends to the menu of French-leaning small plates, which can be cobbled together to compose an excellent and affordable meal. A classic croque madame features thick-sliced ham and a piping hot, slightly runny sunny-side-up egg, while the brandade  is a featherlight pot of whipped salt cod, ideal for heaping onto crusty grilled bread.


From TimeOut

Take a look also at Critic's Pick: Jody Williams charms at her latest microeateryBy Jay Cheshes

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Snap to it!

Thank you Eric for popping in and snapping these great photos...



By the glass or bottle here the wines are sorted by varieties

Fresh here means F-R-E-S-H...from à la minute squeezed oranges to.... 

...Berkel shaved prosciutto melting over steam eggs & parmesan, 
served daily