Like Le Bernardin Without the Pomp and Circumstance

Linda Carrion / Senior Staff Photographer

The chic couple sitting next to me at Alexandra looked skeptically at the menu. “I think we should do it,” they said, and they flagged the waiter over. “We’re not ordering the usual today,” they told him. “Switch the mussels for the beets.” He laughed with them and headed off, and before tasting a single bite of food, I understood that Alexandra is all about community, a theme that hits close to home for many a Columbia student as of late.

You’d be hard pressed to find a tourist dining at Alexandra, a hidden gem in the West Village. Whereas most people walk east from the Christopher St. 1-train stop, Alexandra lies just west of the station on quiet but charming Hudson street. The restaurant brightens up the block with its lit-up trees and outdoor seating, but the real warmth is inside where Chef Liz Arana runs the show.

The menu is eclectic, rooted firmly in American bistro tradition and incorporating flavors from all around the world. It reflects Arana’s experiences and heritage. She’s spent time in Spain, Miami, New York, and California. She is part Puerto Rican and French-trained, and she has worked in kitchens as famous as that of Le Bernardin.

An appetizer of baby back ribs ($8), for example, comes slathered with a seemingly Asian-inspired chili and citrus-based glaze. The dish is successful on many levels—the glaze is fragrant and intense in flavor, and the fact that it sticks to your fingers means you have to lick them (not a problem). The meat is lean, but it doesn’t fall right off the bone. It seems a bit out of place that you’d have to use your hands to eat a ribs appetizer at a nice place like Alexandra, but in some ways, this is the embodiment of the Alexandra experience: down-to-earth, relaxed, and finger-licking good.

The same applies to the mussels ($10). After hearing the raves from the couple-next-door/table, my dining companion and I could not pass them up. It’s no wonder that the dish is a favorite of regulars—it’s a tremendously plentiful portion with a sauce that’s unlike any other. Although it’s made with red curry and coconut, it’s buttery and rich and complements the mussels wonderfully. If it were up to me, I’d never have mussels any other way again.

Whereas many chefs use rare ingredients and flavor pairings to concoct over-the-top fusion dishes ridden with arrogance, Arana does just the opposite. The mussels and the ribs prove that she is capable of creating interesting but humble dishes, and it is in even subtler details that we see her true knowledge of food.

A cheese plate ($12), for example, comes bearing selections that the knowledgeable (though sometimes sluggish) waiters must read off of cue cards. One hails from Cyprus—a crumbly, ashy, almost volcanic tasting goat cheese. Another is a varietal of Emmentaler from France, but softer and with less tang. An English Stilton and a fresh chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano round out the platter, creating a well-balanced course that is as educational as it is tasty.

Arana also offers a number of unusual wines, both by glass and by bottle. Although there aren’t many cheap bottles on the list (few are below $60), any diner should be content with the affordable list of wines by glass, which includes such interesting finds as an Austrian Gruner Veltliner—crisp like a Riesling, but fruitier and more acidic.

But Alexandra is not as strong when it comes to the main course. An order of gnocchi with mushrooms and sausage ($16) came mushy, and I didn’t encounter any sausage until I was nearly finished with the meal. The Moroccan-style lamb was tender and delicious, but a bit fatty and less inspiring than the other dishes. It didn’t matter—the appetizers had been so large and filling that they rendered the main course superfluous.

Indeed, it’s possible to visit Alexandra and order just cheese, appetizers, and dessert. It’s the perfect romantic date in the works, and Alexandra’s warm brick-walled interior only adds to the charm. It also doesn’t hurt that the desserts are great. Arana’s choices are simple and unadulterated classics like brownies and cheesecake (both $5), but made to very comforting perfection. They taste like home, while Alexandra itself feels just like home.

It’s not that the restaurant has the best food in the city. It doesn’t. The food is good, but the atmosphere is what makes the place so wonderful—there are regulars, and there’s a reason for that. Arana will come and sit at your table if you welcome her, and everything about the restaurant is designed to make you feel like you’re part of the family, whether for the first time or for the 100th. It’s a sense of community, and whoever feels that they’re missing out on this at Columbia can take a short ride on the 1 to fill that need.