August

I had dinner with some friends tonight at August and was blown away by the food and by the service. Everything we ordered tasted impeccably fresh and local. We ordered pasta with shrimp and the most amazing melted tomato sauce with a touch of bacon (?), skate with kale ragu and hamachi tartare. The tartare was served with a "smear" of black sesame sauce that was out of this world. The bartender made me a special "hot toddy" cocktail because I was coming down with a cold, the waiter was gracious and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere was date/family/contemporary, all at a welcoming volume. Everything radiated being hand-selected without being pretentious. A+.

The cozy garden lured us to this restaurant. Unfortunately, it is all downhill from there. The food was abysmal and the service a little too pretentious, especially for such poor food! There are plenty of other garden restaurants in the area, go to those instead!

I would have to agree on all the issues the previous reviewer had mentioned after tonight's dining experience: The best things about the restaurant is the cozy atmosphere. Unfortunately, at the same time service and food quality were extremely poor. The portions were small - an entree of $20+ could fit inside your palm - and the food came out cold. I had the mushroom risotto which was great in flavor and could have been so much better with the right temperature. The desserts were good but not overwhelming, and again very pricey. The service was simply rude. We were a group of six and before the last person arrived the waiters tried to rush us to order. While that one chair was still empty the waiter kept pushing it under the table (out of his way) right into my knee several times. And he "accidentally" bumped into me several times while serving the drinks - no "I am sorry" - simply rude. The worst thing was the check: Groups be aware that they take the "liberty" to add 20% tip to your bill without any announcement (not mentioned in the menu or by the waiter upfront). We asked that the tip was reduced which was denied. If you are impudent enough to charge 20% tip, the food should be excellent as should be the service. We felt ripped-off and will not return or recommend this place!

The best things about the restaurant are the W. Village location and the cozy atmosphere. But they don't make up for the high prices, subpar service and food that was only passable and came out cold.

Even though I'm a vegetarian I really enjoyed the food. Pumpkin soup was pretty special. Make sure you get there early or make a reservation don't bother going after 7pm it's too packed. Service was nice, well timed and not pushy, the way i'm sure many other restaurants would have been in order to maximize turn over. Only blip was mediocre over priced wine list

Definitely worth the money! Wonderful atmosphere. Very quaint homey feel. Wished I lived in NYC so I could frequent here more often. Friendly staff and wonderful service. We went two nights in a row!

Unknowledgeable service. Food arrived very late and cold. Used to be a good place, but for the hefty price tag it is just insulting now!