Tartine

Living in the West Village and having the opportunity to exerpience so many of the wonderful restaurants the area has to offer I still don't quite understand why the lines at Tartine are always so long. Okay, so it's a BYOB and BYOB's are rare in the city and almost non-existant in the West Village, but that alone just isn't a reason for me to frequent a place. Yes I like to save money, but the money I do spend I'd rather have it be on good, quality, inventive food, none of which I found at Tartine. The only good part, was the outside seating. Everything else was just poor. Our waiter was rude and unhelpful. His suggestion for a main course, which I ordered was the trout special and unless you like bones in every bite of a really dry piece of fish it was not good. The salad appetisers we ordered were okay, nothing other west village joints couldn't do much better and our wine got warm because in the dead heat of summer they didn't have an ice bucket for us. I understand to each his own, but I just don't understand why anyone would like this place. I rarely write reviews, but this place just urked me. Sorry.

While the food is quite tasty, the place is so cramped and uncomfortable that it is very difficult to enjoy a meal. My suggestion is to call for delivery if you live in the area.

Having arrived in NY only in January, my fiance and I finally got the chance to go to Tartine last night - after all the build up and positive reviews / recommendations, we were both greatly looking forward to it. But what a disappointment. The bread was stale, the steak was so tough and impossible to cut that it was inedible (according to our waitress all steaks are always like that) and the service really poor for New York standards (think rude, unhelpful - pre steak issue! - and unfriendly). The rest of the food was nothing to write home about and from someone who spent a year living in France, nowhere near French standards. Maybe an off night, but it's certainly put us off returning again.

Okay, it's incredibly cramped, your finished plates may sit on the table for a good while, the napkins are paper, there'll probably be a wait, and the staff is harried. But the food's good for the price, and above all, you'll save a lot in the BYO policy which undoubtedly is why Tartine is so busy.

I have eaten here a dozen times or more, almost always opting for the croutons with goat cheese, roasted red peppers and balsamic vinaigrette followed bu the mignonettes of beef with the fries and pepper sauce. Very tasty fare. Buy a bottle or two at Crossroads before heading over to this perfect Village corrner. The servers can at times give you a mini-bum's rush, but given the length of the lines at this no reservation sardine can of a place, that is understandable. A solid, reliable in-neighborhood-restaurant. Recommended.

One of my favorite spots in the city! Great food, value and BYOB is a terrific option. Service is slow but nice that you don't feel rushed, especially since there are always tons of people on the street waiting to get in. Arrive early!

This place has some of the most delicious desserts in the city. It also has a great, old Village atmosphere and it's on a wonderful street, so it would be nice to sit there and eat the cake instead of ordering it to go. The problem is, I rarely have room for a full brunch or dinner and THEN the cake, and the (harried, not particularly attentive) staff won't let us sit for coffee and dessert without ordering a meal (of unspecified size.) I know they're crowded, but they really ought to institute a per person table minimum like at Tea and Sympathy...if we each get coffee, soda and cake, we spend more than if we'd each gotten a sandwich and brought our own wine.