Fedora

When I go to a restaurant for a quick bite to eat and end up leaving two and a half hours and four courses later, I owe it to the palce to write a review. Step forward, Fedora... Located in the ever-racing heart of the West Village, I cannot praise Fedora enough. Just writing this is making me long to be there to indulge in another delicious dinner and soak up the outstanding , refined atmosphere. My companion started with the arctic char and I decided to opt for the chicken liver toast. Taste sensations. Both of them. It was at this point that, without hesitation, we decided that this was going to be a long dinner, not a culinary pit stop. And what a decision that proved to be. After sharing, devouring and savouring every mouthful of the appetizers, the wonderfully extensive yet not overwhelming entree menu was staring us in the face. After the qualitty of the starters, everything looked great and the Chianti Reserve we were drinking at an admirable rate was the perfect accompaniment. One tough but necessary delibearation later and an order for the roasted duck leg, wagyu,, sirloin flap steak and a cheeky side order of oysters was ushered into the kitchen. Another glass of wine down and we were tucking intp everything as though our life depended on it. That said, we did take the time to appreciate just how special the taste, presentation and overal experience was, especially after a couple of sub-standard meals the days before this. I suspect that, whatever we would have ordered (especially as we were blatantly eyeing other patrons' food as it came from the kitchen) our enjoyment would have been the same. Sometimes, you just know that a place does everything to perfection. One decadent though shared cheesecake panna cotta and plate of almost indescribably delicious malvarosa cheese later and we were done. Wine finished, food demolished, hunger satisfied and a new restaurant on our list of favourites. From the starter to the coffee, everything at Fedora was simply stunning. Our waiter was attentive, knowledgeable, cheery and ready to be there for our every need. Timing of the courses was perfect and the wine selection, much as I cannot see beyond my beloved Chianti, clearly offered something for all tastes and, perhaps most importantly, all budgets. If you fancy an authentic, no-fuss and entirely satisfying night of Italian food and hospitality, you won't go far wrong with this West Village spot. Having been back since, all I can say is, it just keeps getting bettter. Ciao.