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| The elegant, yet accessible dining room at Bobo, hidden away in Manhattan's West Village. |
I love dining out in Manhattan, but it can be so tricky to find a restaurant that marries wonderful cooking with terrific design and stellar service. Lately, it seems that top-notch food and design are easy gets, but the service component has been tricky. I have had several meals recently at much-vaunted eateries where the waitstaff treated me like I was an illegitimate child at a family reunion.
If I wanted to pay top dollar to be treated so poorly, I would brave the velvet ropes at a downtown nightclub. And I did plenty of clubs in my 20s, so that chapter is now closed.
Happily, my dinner last night in Manhattan’s West Village satisfied my passion for great food and spot-on décor along with my desire for engaging, gracious service. Bobo, tucked away into an almost-unmarked townhouse on the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 10th Street, is a charmer. Spread out across several floors, the restaurant feels like the pages of that gone-but-not-forgotten design publication Domino magazine come to life. The eatery calls to mind an über-chic, yet wonderfully comfortable living room. It’s like attending a rollicking dinner party at the most gorgeous home. Plus, the staff is so lovely and charming!
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A cozy corner of Bobo. You will want to purchase every décor
item and take the staff home with you. |
Settle in at a cozy banquette and sip a Norwegian Wood cocktail, a mix of Hendrick’s gin, cucumber, rosemary and bitter lemon soda. Then dive into the selection of canapés—perhaps the fried oysters or the comfort-minded deviled eggs with pickles and capers. Move on to the crispy duck with Swiss chard, radishes and cilantro or trout amandine punched-up with fave and pea leaves, almond and mint. Finish the meal with an elegant cheese plate before descending to the ground-level lounge for postprandial libations. Divine.