The West Village is home to some of the city’s best restaurants, so its fitting that Chef Vincent Chirico opened up Coarse right in the heart of it. The restaurant is covered with graffiti-style faces drawn by Noëmi Manser, along with street photography by Amon Focus, giving it a cool New York City vibe. The space seems to center around a big concrete ‘floating’ communal table in the middle of the space, with smaller banquettes and tables surrounding it. Even the restroom will bring a smile to your face, with more of its cheeky artwork within.
Now, Coarse isn’t your typical restaurant –guests who make a reservation for the tasting menu paired with beverages ($79) or without ($59) will dine at the aforementioned chef’s communal table. An a la carte menu is available for those not seated at the communal table. When we had the opportunity to dine here, we tried out the tasting menu without beverage pairings. Each course seemed to be better than the last.
We enjoyed a couple of courses before we got to a dish comprised of oyster mushroom, soft egg and white truffle. The chef came to our table and shaved fresh truffle on top – it was outstanding. The presentation was wonderful and the combination of ingredients made for a mouthwatering dish.
The Alaskan king crab with chili was a tease – it was just enough to get a hankering for more, with fresh, tender crab meat, garnished with a spicy kick of sauce.
The hands down favorite of the evening was the beef short rib with parsnip puree. It was unfair how tender the meat was. We could have had a few more plates of this baby.
For something a little outside of the box, Coarse is a sound choice for a fun, intimate dining experience. We might just be back for more.
Twisted Talk: Are you a fan of tasting menus? What’s your favorite restaurant in the West Village? Discuss below!
