Girls’ Night in the West Village

ever sit down at a restaurant for the first time and just know you’re going to have an absolutely fantastic experience?

that’s how i felt last night at The Little Owl, an intimate little tuck-away of a restaurant on one of the quaintest, most charming streets corners in the West Village (my favorite area of the city), Bedford & Grove. it’s a tiny, rustic, simple little spot that does everything right: classic, elemental, delicious, healthy, and with wonderful service to boot. you just feel welcomed and cozy and totally taken care of.

photo: nycgo.com, courtesy of The Little Owl

this establishment is a popular favorite and always full, so it’s rather difficult to get in. we lucked into only an hour wait — many nights you can’t get a table at all — and set out for a pre-dinner drink at a fun nearby speakeasy, Employees Only, which is known for its top-notch bartenders (they have to go through a serious training of several years to become a Principal Bartender, and then they all get tattoos of the bar’s logo — i kid you not) and delicious concoctions. the doorman/bouncer (are they still called bouncers at speakeasys?) looked at the three of us and goes, “oh hey, Charlie’s Angels, come on in.” so that was a fun way to start our night. 🙂

am i Drew? i think i must be Drew, right?

i mean, look at their list of EO Classic cocktails. not too shabby.

our drink choices (we were all very happy with what we chose):
Shawna: West Side
Loan: Provencal
Amber: Fraise Sauvage

side note, before i continue with this review: Amber and i connected this time last year when she was in town from Seattle and Loan introduced us, and we bonded over our loves for travel, adventure, and blogging — this little PNW fashionista, foodie and world traveler writes a sweet fashion blog called Avec Amber. check her out! it was such a fun treat to have her in town and be able to catch up last night after a year. she’s also friends with a girl in Seattle whom i was good friends with in high school — how funny is that?! small (big) world.

speaking of small world: the girl who took my phone # for the reservation at Little Owl commented on it being an upstate number and said her parents live up there outside of Albany, so i replied that mine did, too. she then goes to say the town — which is where mine live — and i say the name of the lake — and hers live on the same lake. (insert shocked face here.) like, what?! how does that happen in NYC?!

so, Little Owl. i can’t say enough about this place. one look at the menu and my friend goes, “this menu is perfect for you.” so much seafood, all the veggie starters, fun app choices –> perfect.

we ordered a bottle of a Pinot Grigio that ended up being so light and delicious, and the girls had their signature meatball sliders (no red meat for me). we also started with their Bibb & Beet salad, which i really liked.

for entrees, we each ordered a different fish dish: broiled halibut over veggies (me, pictured below), the special, which was an arctic char (Amber), and the whole fish with lobster risotto (Loan). they were deliciousssss.

we were all so happy with our choices and agreed this was the perfect little girlfriend catch-up date. we turned down dessert because we were so full from all the good stuff, but then the sweet staff surprised us with three freshly baked, still hot little beignettes with raspberry sauce (and stuck to the plate with nutella), and three little glasses of red dessert wine on the house, “for the upstate connection.”

it was absolutely charming and appreciated and elevated this darling little place even higher in our books. A+ for service and attentiveness, and making us feel so appreciated. it’s always the little things that add that extra value to any experience, isn’t it? you don’t forget those tiny gestures; those unexpected moments of kindness or connection.

we had a phenomenal time, and it was just so good to catch up with lovely friends in such a sweet setting. i left last night with a full heart, feeling very thankful for the people and experiences that make my life such a beautiful place.

xo.

Best restaurant you’ve been to lately?
Do you consider yourself a “foodie”? i wouldn’t say i am, but those two ladies are, so it’s fun to go out to eat with them! if you’re a foodie, you’ll love Amber’s blog. 🙂

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