Reviews & Ratings for Braeburn Restaurant

08/19/10

Love the pickled watermelon!

by yaelleah

I've recently begun a love affair with the West Village. In my almost two years here I must admit that I've neglected this neighborhood, but I have recently given it my full attention and I utterly and faithfully can't get enough. So when the opportunity presented itself (cough, Twitter contest, cough) for me to visit Braeburn on Perry Street at Greenwich Street, I jumped.

Braeburn is another restaurant to hop on the Twitter giveaway bandwagon and I think it's pretty much one of the smartest marketing tools ever. With so many wonderful eateries in this city, some find a way to stick out above the rest and Braeburn is one. Like Supper, Braeburn does the "First person to retweet this gets a free ____." Well, I retweeted and the next day my roommate retweeted as well. We both were offered any appetizer we wanted on Tuesday night. I'd heard their menu was fantastic from some Restaurant Week suggestions, but I wasn't prepared for the awesomeness I enjoyed.

It was Tina's birthday and we had plans to meet up with other people later, so we arrived at Braeburn on the early side. Some could see this as bad timing, but I saw it as us getting the best service possible - we had 3 people waiting on us, all exceedingly sweet and wonderful. The dining room is decorated peacefully and clean with dark wood lining the sunflower yellow walls and a long pastoral painting hanging on the North side of the dining room. I could see this place being very romantic after the sun sets and the candles really glow.

We were started off with pickled watermelon in mint oil. I'm an adventurous eater, but even I was a little scared at first. It sure looked pretty but the thought of watermelon, mint, oil and pickled all in one bite was a bit too much for me to imagine meshing. In the end, this daring creation was fabulous. So many flavor profiles all at once, it was like a refreshing summer picnic explosion in my mouth!

Braeburn has a reputation for serving some wonderfully creative cocktails. My roommate ordered the Gin 'n Juice - Bombay Sapphire gin, cucumber juice, elderflower and lime - while I opted for a glass of the Sparkling Apple Cider 'Antoinette' Duchee de Longuville (hey, the place is called Braeburn!). Both were very refreshing and I'd like to return to try more of their mixology creations.

After enjoying some fresh-out-of-the-oven herb rolls (I believe there was cheese or something else awesome in them), we began salivating for our appetizers. I settled on the Hand Cut Black Pepper Fettucine with blistered cherry tomato, preserved lemon and sheep's milk ricotta while my roommate ordered the Day Boat Sea Scallop with roasted cherry tomatoes, marjoram, toasted bread crumbs and black olive crust. I never knew fettucine could taste so amazing. Again with the many many flavors you're not sure will go together, but the combination of the pepper, the lemon and the ricotta (you can never, repeat, NEVER, go wrong when eating ricotta) left me speechless. The scallops were cooked to perfection, buttery in texture, and the bread crumbs added a nice crunch to the dish.

After we finished eating, I don't think either one of us wanted to leave. The entrees were a bit pricey for a regular dinner out, but I would highly recommend this for special occasions (especially of the romantic kind). I'll definitely be bringing my parents here next time they come to town.

If I had to sum up my entire experience at Braeburn in one word, it would have to be fresh (honestly, did you count how many times I used that word or one like it in this post?). The second word would be awesome. Gold star for you Braeburn, I will be back!

02/01/10

Neighborhood Gem in the West Village

by jimandinla

Nice ambiance, great service, intriguing wine list, limited but interesting menu superbly executed. More a neighborhood than a a destination restaurant, perhaps, but certainly warrants a visit if you're local or otherwise find yourself in the West Village. A bonus: No corkage charge on Sundays and Mondays.

• Pros: No attitude, just great food and warm hospitality
• Cons: A little hard to get to if you're not local

06/10/09

Awesome!

by Foodie75

Love their pre-fixe menu and watermelon margaritas...

Professional and courteous staff.

A preferred spot and breathe of fresh air especially compared to the touristy and over-priced Spotted Pig next door.

Loved Braeburn, will definitely become my regular spot!

• Pros: Food is brilliant.

11/28/08

I wanted it to be good

by cheetohsaddict

As a west villager, I so so so wanted this place to be good. It's in a great location, with a cool looking exterior, but that's where it ends. The menu is short, which isn't a deal breaker if every item is special (take August for example), but this one was just dull. The ambiance could have been good, were it not for the incredible volume...with nothing on the floor or the walls, voices escalate to a level where screaming at your friend across the table is the only way to communicate. Not an enjoyable experience.

11/20/08

finally!

by 9thStFoodie

FInally a really good and not pretentious restaurant in the west village. Everything about Braeburn is a delight. The staff is cool and friendly. The decor is warm and contemporary. THE FOOD IS EXCELLENT. I had the pork which was juicy and delicious. It can with a prune/potato thing that was really good, too...and I do not like prunes. and the desserts...oh, the desserts....I will be back soon and often.

11/20/08

Superb food, lovely room, do not miss!!!

by bklynksh

As a fan of Bistrong's from the Harrison days, I was excited to see what he would do at the helm. I was not disappointed. The restaurant has a great location in a historic corner building in the cozy West Village. The food and room compliment the locale perfectly. I dined there with 4 companions and we all agreed it was a memorable meal. Standouts were the short rib appetizer (was that dill?) and the pork entree. Simple yet surprising... both hearty and elegant. The room is casual and inviting with a rustic country flair (Martha Stewart... not kitschy). Oh and lest I forget... the banana pudding was to die for! The service was confident and attentive. I will most certainly be visiting again!!

• Pros: Elegant yet hearty food, beautiful and cozy room

Cozy and comfy, rustic and elegant, a farm-themed New American restaurant with a French twist in the West Village.

by Josh Ozersky

In Short
The West Village specializes in restaurants like Braeburn: twee, rustic, romantic little holes in the wall whose chef produces expertly plated, conspicuously seasonal dishes. Braeburn has the whole drill down to a T: The room is a soft yellow, and decorated with tree branches, walnut floors, and even paintings of chef Brian Bistrong's farm. The food, less predictably, is more robust and full-flavored than one might expect, with a corned short rib appetizer, a mushroomy Amish chicken stew, a roasted rib-eye with cipollini onions and porcini, and even a hearty braised rabbit leg stew for those cold winter nights on Perry Street.