Buvette: Popular West Village Brunchin'

My girls and I were in the mood to try something new for brunch and venture to a neighborhood that we don't normally brunch in. We decided to check out Buvette (42 Grove St., New York, NY), which is located in the West Village. It is a cute French Cafe with some outdoor seating that is known for its major lines at brunch and wait times. Also, they don't take reservations! Make sure you go early if you are going to check it out! We were seated in about 40 minutes.

Bike Full of Corks outside

Tiniest, Cutest Menu!

When we were finally shown to our table, we were sat in a tiny corner table, where normally a restaurant would put 2 people, but we were 3, and let's just say, it was nice and snuggly!
The menu we were given was adorable because it was tiny in size. Maybe this restaurant specializes in small things since our table was so tiny??

The Brunch Menu

The menu was pretty straightforward and didn't give many details. I tend to like to find out from the waitress their thoughts on the selections and ask a few questions. Our waitress was extremely unhelpful and basically repeated back to me what the menu said. So much for answering my questions?! When I couldn't decide between the Croque Madame and the Croque Forestier and wanted to combine some of the ingredients into my own kind of Croque for one of those "best of both worlds" experiences, the waitress basically told me no substitutions. Nowhere on the menu did it state this. I also don't understand what is so difficult about adding mushrooms to the Croque Madame, or adding ham to the Croque Forestier?! I guess Buvette doesn't cater to their customer's wishes and serves what they want instead!
I ended up ordering the Croque Madame because it was the more savory choice out of the two, but would have loved to enjoy a few mushrooms added to it!

Cafe American

The Cafe American was perfection. It was much better than your standard coffee at brunch. It was darker, richer, and stronger. It also had that frothy layer that only freshly made black coffees have when made correctly. It was almost like espresso. I loved it!

Bloody Marys

The Bloody Marys we ordered were good and spicy but I regretted ordering them after seeing other tables with Kir Royals, a much lighter drink selection. The Bloody Marys were on the thicker side with horseradish pieces floating around which made drinking with a straw more difficult. This drink was almost a full meal!

Mousse de Foie de Canard - Duck liver mousse

The Mousse de Foie de Canard, which we ordered for the table to share before the meal, came out with the meal instead. We were so disappointed in this, since we were sitting for a minimum of 30 minutes waiting for our food, and wondering where our starter was. When we asked the waitress to check on the mousse and mentioned how we really wanted it ahead of our meals, she returned to the table with our meals and the mousse. How disappointing! To add to the frustration, you could tell that the mousse was prepared in advance because of how the fat was congealed on top of the mousse. Based on it being ready ahead of time, it would have been at our table immediately! On a positive note, the mousse was tasty, rich, and creamy. It spread very nicely on the toasted that accompanied it, and a perfect item for sharing. Although, none of us liked the fat layer on top, and could have done without it.

Les Croque Madam

The Croque Madame was delicious! The bread was toasted perfectly for extra added crunch and topped with a heaping amount of gruyere, a sunny side up egg, and ham! I think there was definitely more than enough room to add mushrooms to this dish though...
I loved how some parts of the gruyere cheese were burnt, since I do love entrees like this a tad on the well done side. The sunny side up egg yolk added the needed moisture to the toasted bread.
My only complaint for this dish was that it came to the table on a saucer plate. It was very difficult to maneuver cutting it without pieces of it falling onto the table. My other friends who also ordered one of the Croques on the menu were served with a slightly larger plate than mine, which made things a little easier. I think Buvette may need to update their place setting inventory a little and get some real plates. Additionally, it is a little surprising that the Croque did not come with anything on the side like vegetables or potatoes. It was served all alone on a tiny plate.

Kir Royal

When we finished our Bloody Marys we decided to order another round of drinks, but switch to Kir Royals! This was definitely a good decision because it added some sweetness to the end of the meal and also was a much more refreshing pairing to our meals. These Kir Royals were probably one of the best ones that I have had. They were made with all the right proportions of Champagne and Creme de Cassis.

Chocolate Crepes

For dessert we decided to order chocolate crepes for the table. Luckily they came three in an order, which was perfect for the three of us sharing! These crepes were small and just the right amount to finish a meal with a taste of sweetness. The chocolate was melted and gooey and so rich! The outer layer was thin, doughy, but crunchy all at once, and made to perfection! Buvette definitely excels in dessert!
All in all, my experience at Buvette was mixed. It was a cute place with delicious food, but definitely lacked in the customer service category. I would still consider returning for brunch, but perhaps dinner time may be less chaotic, where the waitress may be a little more flexible and helpful. I am interested to see how their dinner menu is, since I am sure it tastes lovely. I can say that Buvette definitely would be a place to take a date for crepes!