What to Eat at Chez Sardine, Now Serving Tuna With Chicharrónes in the West
Gabriel Stulman’s constellation of West Village restaurants includes Fedora, Joseph Leonard, the forthcoming Montmarte, and Perla. There’s Jeffrey’s Grocery, where a chef supergroup presides over menu-planning and members take turns on the line, and now here’s Chez Sardine, an izakaya built out with a retro, Pan Am–era décor of finished wood and Fedora chef Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly in the kitchen. Some dishes, like the chopped scallop with quail egg and trout roe sushi bar starter, seem traditional. The main course foie gras and smoked-cheddar grilled-cheese sandwich, on the other hand, sounds so funky and ominous it should probably be accompanied by a sinister-looking man playing low notes on a baby-grand piano every time the kitchen sends one out. Either way, we’re excited. Check out the space and the whole menu, straight ahead.
Menu [PDF]
Chez Sardine, 183 West 10th St., at W. 4th St.; 646-360-3705
The restaurant may first come across as some kind of gonzo izakaya.
Photo: henry@henryhargreaves.com
The dining room is filled with finished wood.
Photo: henry@henryhargreaves.com
Pat Morita, as Mr. Miyagi, keeps watch.
Photo: henry@henryhargreaves.com
Fish and other creatures from the deep adorn the walls.
Photo: henry@henryhargreaves.com
Seating for four at the chef's counter.
Photo: henry@henryhargreaves.com
Finished-wood banquettes look out on West 10th and West 4th Streets.
Photo: henry@henryhargreaves.com