Fedora has long been on my list of restaurants to visit but somehow the right opportunity didn’t come about. One of the longer members of Gabriel Stulman’s little empire in West Village, the restaurant has been perpetually packed with its speakeasy vibe and active bar area. I’ve been here once just for drinks while waiting for a table at another restaurant nearby, but not the food with New-American bent. I finally had a chance to come to Fedora for dinner at the bar area; overall, a solid experience but there wasn’t a show-stopper that I would remember for a long time.

The menu at Fedora is more on the concise side and contains a variety of interesting dishes. Deviled eggs with American caviar were certainly a very good start to the meal (although it is hard to mess up deviled eggs). I was a fan of egg in a hole dish that had tripe ragout and cheddar. It was a decadent dish with richness that I found to be quite pleasant even though tripe is probably not my favorite dish in general. The entrees, however, were a bit more pedestrian. Crisped duck leg that came with escarole, lardons and fingerlings was nicely cooked, but seemed to be missing that wow factor. Hampshire pork chop with Tokyo turnips, spaetzle and honey mustard also had nice balance of flavor, but I felt the meat could’ve been more tender and juicy. There was nothing wrong with both dishes; it’s just that I was looking for something extra that would make each dish more special than a typical duck leg or pork chop dish and New York City has a ton of restaurants that can give a bit more flair to both. Key lime pie was a nice ending to the meal, with delicate sweetness that I enjoyed but again would this be something that makes me come back to this restaurant? I wasn’t quite sold yet.

The restaurant has that awesome old New York speakeasy vibe that draws a ton of crowd just to get drinks at the busy bar area. Getting a reservation in advance is a must. Fedora is one of the growing number of restaurants in the city that have eliminated tips. I would definitely come back here for drinks, as the restaurant offers a lot of inventive cocktail selections (although my preference has always been Old Fashioned when it comes to cocktails, which the bartender makes quite well too). If you are not inclined to do a full dinner, Fedora is certainly a nice place to visit for drinks after work with some bites to go along with them.

KenScale: 7.5/10

• Creativity: 8.0/10
• Execution: 7.5/10
• Ingredients: 7.5/10
• Flavor: 7.5/10
• Texture: 7.5/10

Address: 239 West 4th Street, New York, NY 10014

Telephone: (646) 449-9336

Website: http://www.fedoranyc.com/