Bistro du Vent

411 W. 42nd St. (bxn 9th/10th Ave.)
212-239-3060

This restaurant is quite possibly in the noisest part of the whole city—about one block west of Port Authority—but once inside, it was serenely quite. We went for lunch, so it was early and uncrowded. The restaurant was pretty, if unremarkable.

My only real complaint about the meal was that our waiter was a little bit odd. He looked like Michael Madsen (nothing wrong with that) and didn't seem like he'd been doing this for very long. When we asked if the iced tea was unsweetened (a legitimate question since I hate sweetened tea) he looked at us like we were Martians asking for directions to Coney Island. And then he totally blew us off with "I don't know; I guess so. Probably." But he got better as the meal progressed, so maybe he just has some repressed memory about iced tea abuse or something.

The iced tea was actually delicious. I find this beverage very hit or miss around the city. Sometimes it's too strong, or else it's flavored with some sort of herb or flower, only no one ever tells you that. The worst, though, it when it is poured from the same spout as the coffee, which is the surest way to ruin it. This was perfectly brewed black tea, served in our own little pitchers, so we needn't ask for refills. I'm willing to trek out to Port Authority just for this tea alone.

I started with a white bean soup with prawns. The soup was delicious; more of a broth than a cream, which was a pleasant surprise. The prawns were fine, but I found them unnecessary, especially as they were served whole and, for me at least, ruined the consistency of the rest of the soup. I also tried another prawn appetizer, crusted with fried quinoa. As far as I can remember, this was my first time trying quinoa, and it kind of skeeved me out a little bit, because I have a weird phobia of bumpy things and the prawns were covered in brown, round bumpy things. Overall, this appetizer was fine, but nothing more.

My main dish was actually also an appetizer, the frisee aux lardons salad, which to my mind, is the best bistro concoction ever. This was probably the best frisee aux lardons salad I've had, though I might have liked the poached egg a little less done. Still, the frisee was fresh, the lardons were chewy and salty, the vinaigrette was light, and the croutons were chewy and buttery.

The baguette they served to start with was wonderfully crusty and chewy. The latte was strong, but enjoyable. The cheese plate was also very nice, served with quince paste and more bread.

Overall, was this my favorite Batali restaurant? Of course not. Anyone who's been to Babbo can't say otherwise. I wouldn't even say Bistro du Vent is my favorite bistro. But it was very good and as long as Michael Madsen isn't our waiter next time, I wouldn't mind going back at all.

Grade: B/B+