Restaurant Review : Buvette for a French Breakfast Experience

Despite having thousands of eateries, not many places in New York City offer a pristine breakfast experience.  Brunch, yes.  Breakfast, no.  Few possess a cozy allure.  That's why Lewis and I were excited to bring friends to Buvette in the charming West Village.  
     We sauntered through sun-splashed streets featuring curbside gardens and well-maintained townhouses and brownstones.  

Buvette Gastrotheque (seen below) sits on Grove Street. 

It is located where the zigzags of the city's "grid plan" affronts the non-numbered streets of the historic neighborhoods.  

It's a cute area, with birdhouses hung on every tree, and a small bed of flowers encircling each of those trees.

Seeing the cars parked there, you can discern that it's also a posh area.

And yet, this cozily intimate eatery puts out a lovely spread, from 7am (8am weekends) until 2am daily.

     Buvette doesn't take reservations.  Their website doesn't show the menu--only pictures of it, amongst pictures of their food.  Chef/owner Jody Williams started the business in 2011.  A self-professed storyteller, she wants all of the décor and serving pieces/accessories to evoke a memory/story from your imagination: creamers, platters, cake pedestals, urns, footed dishes, bar stools, and "kitchy" kitchen implements.

It's working!  The staff readied for a full day of full tables!  The place fills up fast, with a line forming out the door.

They found every nook and cranny to put a patron!  A cozy alcove allows a single diner to nosh on a stool, propped against a thin marble shelf that overlooks the sidewalk.

An identical spot (for two) exists on the other side of the entrance door.  If you don't mind sitting at the end of the long bar, you eat and can share the corner with stacks of plates.

Part old-world café, bistro, and neighborhood luncheonette, it has the bustle, energy and coziness that is magic. 

After a 10 minute wait (for a space for 4 people), Lewis and I sat at the busy bar.  Everything happens there.  The apron-wearing team mixes drinks, pulls/tamps lattes, slices tarts, sizzles food, and makes waffles.

Lewis ordered freshly-squeezed orange juice (in a chilled carafe), and I asked for an espresso (beans freshly ground).  But first, I descended to the lavatory to wash my hands.

Amidst the wine cellar, the restrooms are behind vintage/frosted-window doors.  Carefully-positioned bushels of fruit reminded Lewis and I of a Manhattan farm-to-table restaurant called Friend of A Farmer (we ate Easter dinner there, as well as a Thanksgiving feast).

In addition to the authentic "vintage feel" of the restroom, I was impressed with the luxurious hand soap and hand lotion ($40 per bottle).

Back at the counter, our drinks awaited us.  

Solo or duo diners might enjoy the clatter of crockery at the bar, but a group of 4 might dislike the noise (unable to talk to each other), and waiters reaching for "ready dishes" in front of you.

Perhaps sensing this, the hostess came over, informing us that part of the "communal table" was free, if we preferred to sit there.  Our friends, Yvonne and Patrick opted for it.

Buvette has three sections: the front tables (and bar), a garden area, and a back room (communal table and a few smaller tables).

Patrick admired the room's chandelier (above), a scrapheap of "reclaimed" things that you'd find at a garage sale.

We passed our peepers over the menu, cutely designed with a pop-out graphic!

All of the servers and bussers were well-trained and efficiently polite.  Food arrived swiftly and was cleared promptly.  Any turn of my head brought our waitress to see if she could assist us further.  However, we were never rushed.  This is a place for long meals of shared dishes.

We started with two orders of croissants.  Each $7 portion involved two mini croissants.  I didn't like the smidgen amount of butter/jam that I got.  It was so meager that both amounts fit on a teaspoon! (see above).  Disappointingly, the croissant dough wasn't very good.  To read about a truly flaky croissant experience, go here:
http://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2016/08/dining-in-beverly-hills-part-2-of-3.html

Our lattes were expertly ground/tamped/foamed; the shallow "saucer" cups lacked handles (like an Asian teacup).

Below was the mulit-grain bread toast that we ordered, with radish yogurt salad and avocado.  It was quite tasty.

I didn't try it, but the berried waffle looks lovely.

Their specialty is steamed eggs.  They shaved prosciutto and cheese as toppings.  Love the freshness!

Voila!

     In true brasserie style, we poured our own water.  We actually enjoyed the communal table dining.  Familiar with typical NYC communal tables--usually full of loud yammering people, I was initially skeptical of having to sit amongst two other groups of people.  BUT, Buvette is popular with locals AND tourists.  Our communal table put us in between Germans and Englishmen--who know how to behave respectfully at a communal table: quieter conversation, respecting the shared space, and politely passing salt/pepper.  That made all the difference.  No wonder that Europeans and Asians--who have communal café society--enjoy the close-knit hubbub of Buvette.  

     For dessert, I couldn't resist a slice of their moist-looking apple tart.  What I thought was a scoop of whipped cream was actually sour cream.  I didn't care for that combination.  None of us did.  They ought to mention it, so customers can opt out of the sour cream.  The crust and filling was well-made, though.

The eatery remained busy, even as we departed at noontime.

Buvette keeps hopping, even until twilight.  Folks enjoy the dinner menu and cocktails/digestifs.  

So few places in all of New York City have such coziness, bustle, and charm.  (It's quite common in Europe and Asia).  Indeed, this is a winning place--from sunlight to candlelight!