Claudette

Claudette Restaurant Review:

From the team behind Bobo and Rosemary’s in the West Village comes Claudette, set in the former wine-centric Cru space. Claudette is more casual than its predecessor and serves southern French and northern African fare. The cooking has slightly healthy leanings; the menu’s “du Jardin” offerings include fresh vegetable dishes such as the fennel salad spiked with almonds for a textural crunch. Charred baby octopus with chickpeas looks across the Mediterranean for inspiration, as does the truffle hummus flatbread, while saffron butter-laced chitarra pasta could become a kitchen signature. Desserts look underwhelming on paper but the pistachio cake is loaded with flavor. By-the-glass, half bottle and bottle selections on the all-French wine list are not inexpensive, but look close enough and there are a couple bargains to be had.