NYCReview
photo credit: Kate Previte
Justine’s On Hudson
Included In
Some restaurants are like well-worn flannel pjs—revisited often, and best paired with an old T-shirt. Others are like fussy silk sets with pearl buttons down the front. Luxurious-looking but slippery, and less practical for eating in than something with a nice, slack, elasticated waistband.
Justine’s on Hudson seems like a silk pajamas restaurant at first: a small, elegant wine bar in the West Village with heavy silverware, dainty wine stems, and a Murano chandelier suspended above a table in the window. It’s easy to get a reservation and, passing by, you might wonder if it’s like that special occasion sleepwear you never really reach for—beautiful, but languishing in a corner. But if you do wander in, you'll find a meal that's sophisticated and satisfying, and far from boring.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
Even before you taste the food—all French precision, lit up with Filipino flourishes—there are hints that Justine’s is both highly polished, and very personal. From the plush, comfy bar seats around the open kitchen, to the servers who spout startling amounts of information about the wine and its growers, every detail seems geared towards ensuring that you leave delighted by an unexpected pairing, fuller than you anticipated, and possibly a little flushed.
The kitchen runs on supplies from the owner's family farm, and gourmet ingredients from the family import business, and as a result, the dishes can feel more ephemeral than the 72 micro-seasons of Japan. Even the grassy olive oil that comes with the free bread varies, with the entire menu switching up twice a week or more. You’ll typically find around eight smaller plates and five larger entrees, and we’d recommend leaning into anything with peak-season produce, and the meatier mains.
photo credit: Kate Previte
But plenty of restaurants embrace seasonality and terroir. What makes Justine's stand out is a sense that the family enterprise goes beyond the owners' businesses to the people working here. Beyond incorporating in-season fruit and vegetables, the cooking also reflects the diversity of its staff, particularly the Filipina chef and sous-chef.
A pork chop might be served in a pool of dinuguan, the reduced blood fragrant, almost floral, and topped with preserved lemon and almond. A crisp-skinned, flaking whole branzino may come with barlotti beans and crunchy lardons, but also chopped century egg. Curry leaf, calamansi, and shirako mingle easily with salsa verde, ginseng vinegar, and farm-fresh manouri cheese. An approachable, fluctuating list of European wines ties everything together.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
Occasionally, a dish is more challenging than delicious (a too-briny octopus carpaccio inspires only a few bites), and the menu's unpredictability makes it difficult to give unqualified recommendations. But mostly, each generously portioned, attractive plate seems composed by hands that have a fundamental understanding of how flavor works, beyond any specific cuisine.
We've seen this room fill up with people and conversation, broken by little hushed moments when a new dish appears, but Justine's isn't a trendy spot. It is, however, uncommonly welcoming. Sit under that chandelier, sharing a bottle of wine with friends who appreciate the finer things, and it might even feel like a silk pajama party.
Food Rundown
Fried Snacks
photo credit: Kate Previte
Mad Rose Lettuces
photo credit: Kate Previte
Seasonal Vegetable Carpaccio
Seasonal Root Vegetables
photo credit: Kate Previte
Other Small Plates
photo credit: Kate Previte
Spicy Crab Risotto
photo credit: Kate Previte
Fish
photo credit: Dillon Burke
Roast Chicken
photo credit: Kate Previte
Duck
photo credit: Dillon Burke
Beef and Pork
photo credit: Kate Previte