The Dessert Files: A Second Look at the Village Tart

[Photo: Kathy Chan]

We brought you a first look at Village Tart in Soho two weeks ago. And now we're back for another sweep through. Baked goods have been tweaked, the savory dishes have been added. And the madeleines—remember those Olive Oil Madeleines? Now there are Olive Madelines with Maldon Salt Spotted with slices of green olives, these are salty, savory treats.

Then there's the Seville Orange Pound Cake ($3.50). Each slice is smeared with a bit of marmalade, a little extra moisture to seal in each piece. Dense with a citrusy zing.

Another breakfast sweet: Coffee Walnut Cake ($3.50). Fans of Pichet's former bakery, Batch, might recall a Vietnamese Coffee Cake that was on the menu. It's the same idea here, minus the ca phe su, and with the addition of walnuts. Pichet's coffee cakes have a very distinctive texture, crumbly and moist with loose crumbs—I swear I could pick out his coffee cakes blindfolded in a line-up.

Any Pizzetta ($6.95) makes a light lunch meal, cappuccino on the side. Sweet, savory, a tangle of both, there's something to please most eaters; there's even one with pumpkin, ricotta, and Parmesan. The bacon with caramelized onions, scallions and bechamel is most popular but I'm quite fond of the fig and blue cheese—nothing too wild, but immensely satisfying, especially when warm with cheese melting into each fig-laced bite.

On a day that calls for something richer, head for the French Onion Soup Tart ($5). The foundation is an extra-buttery brisee pastry, which serves as both tart shell and soup bowl. Inside, a filling of onion soup-soaked baguette topped with caramelized onions and herbs. Gruyere, melted and bubbling over, seals the deal.

After a lunch like that, you'll need only a nibble for dessert—perhaps the Baci Sandwich ($1.95) with ground hazelnuts mixed into the cocoa-rich dough. It's an ideal two-biter for those occasions when you need something sweet but very tiny. Two cookies held together by slick dark chocolate ganache: classic, but compelling.

Related: First Look at Village Tart

Village Tart

86 Kenmare Street, New York NY 10012 (map) 212-226-4980
villagetart.com

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