Houseman
“We share lots of delicious starters–lately the grilled tongue, roasted carrots and always the anchovy toast–then eat around the menu.”
“The roast chicken dish was probably the best roast chicken I have ever tasted.”
“Comfortable butcher block tables, nice clean space, attentive staff simple good food.”
Houseman
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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This is my second time here and both were for lunch. I still need to come back to try this chicken dish that everyone raves about.
One thing that stands out is their fries – an absolute must. Has to be top 2 in the city! Today I had their crispy pollack sandwich and it was DEVINE! The fish was cooked to perfection!
This place has potential… but we certainly wouldn't return. Let's start with the 30 minute wait for a table even though we had a reservation. I understand the group in front of us was just taking their sweet time, but at least do something to make us feel better about the wait (maybe a complimentary cocktail or two)… but whatever…
Service overall was efficient but not that friendly… the overall ambiance of the restaurant was a turn-off for me. The place is loud, topped off by loud, annoying music of a particular taste (not mine).
This could have been easily overcome by the food. But there just too many mistakes. Out of all of our dishes I think the beef sausage was the most successful. Things that fell in the mediocre category: the fried fava beans, the "hummus", and the pork terrine… not sure why they burned the delicious bread they sent out, but this goes to the main issue I have with this place. Just too many mistakes…
Okay, so the beef tongue was probably prepared how they wanted it, but it wasn't my friend's cup of tea (too mushy). The roast chicken- perfectly cooked, and the taste was there. Waaay too salty… Speaking of which, my burger was great, but again waaaay too salty. And while we're on this theme, the mushroom dish, waaay, waaay, too salty.
What the hell?! Either the chef has a heavy hand with the salt, or someone in the kitchen was just not paying attention. Either way, too many mistakes. None of our party of four would ever come back here… even though the food really does have potential.
I feel like Houseman was perhaps unfairly built up (amazing burger, seasonal menu, Prune alums), but I don't know that it is worthy of the (considerable) hype. Atmosphere/ambiance was nice – very warm and welcoming. I think the environment is a bit casual relative to the prices – open wooden tables with a relaxed, beer-hall vibe – but then again, this is Tribeca so I suppose the prices are a given. Food wise, we went with the roast chicken and the burger, and glasses of the Rioja featured on the menu which were priced at "$8" but then were $14 on our check? We both enjoyed our meal, but I do agree with Pete Wells' NYT review, which noted that the burger is too good to be served on a rather cold, unwieldy and large bun. If I lived in the neighborhood I'd probably return but as it is, I don't think you need to make a special trip.
A great new addition to southern West Village or northern Tribeca (whatever you wanna call it), houseman delivers a simple menu with merely a few choices that are well-executed in a comfortable space, reminiscent of New England.
I came in one day and sat at the bar, even though the restaurant was remarkably empty. Maybe it was due to the fact that the place had just opened only three months before. In any case, the menu was a sight to behold: boxes within boxes, with drinks intermixed with entrees on one side, a curious weather report on the top, and wines by the bottle and beers on the reverse. A surprisingly short list of entrees (only three) with a fairly long list of appetizers were all the food they served, and when asked about the specials, the staff member I spoke to simply replied that they didn't have any that day.
I ended up deciding on the beef tongue with tomato salad as an appetizer (a perfect late summer starter), and the famous roast chicken with parsley salad as a main. As anyone who's had tongue before, it is either hit or miss, but the gamble proved to be worthwhile as houseman's lengua was deliciously tender, as if the cow had a glib penchant for linguistics. The famous roast chicken was a contradiction — the crisp skin somehow betraying the succulently moist meat, which was perfectly flavorful, but simple and downright homey in its seasoning. The breast meat could've been a little more moist (perhaps by brining or sous vide), but it was probably the most tender white meat I've ever had at a restaurant. A pickled onion relish and parsley salad rounded out the plate nicely.
Desserts are presented via a chalkboard, but I ended up getting an espresso, which was perfectly agreeable. The atmosphere is relaxed, but the owner is the opposite, visibly buzzing around nervously from table to table. Perhaps it's because it's the first few months. Nonetheless, the service is professional, cute, and made me feel right at home. I'm eager to see how their menu changes with the seasons as the restaurant matures into the winter.
I really wish I could give 3 1/2 stars or maybe just rate different things different stars. I give the decor/atmosphere 4 1/2, the bartender 5, the waitress about 3 1/2 the wine list 4 1/2 and some of the food 4 1/2 and some 0. I was meeting some friends for dinner and one of them suggested Houseman. I had been wanting to try it so I was excited. We walked in for an early 6:30 reservation and as stated, the atmosphere was very chill and relaxed. We sat at the bar to wait for the rest of our party and ordered a few cocktails. The bartender was great, explaining drinks and making suggestions so I went with the gin and cucumber drink, light on the sweet stuff and it was amazing. The Pimms' cup has a major kick given the extra gin they add and that was very good as well. They have a great Sekt by the glass, something you don't see enough of. We were seated when the last of our party arrived and we were very chatty which I think annoyed the waitress a bit. I ordered the fried fava beans to start, they're nothing like the fried chick peas you get at places like Tia Pol so feel free to skip them, a bit bland. For food I ordered a plate of french fries, yes seriously, and the charred broccoli with hummus and fennel. The fries were great as was the broccoli, it's served with toasted bread that makes this a pretty hardy dish. My bf ordered the burger which is the way to go here. Even though I'm not currently eating meat I had to take a bite and it was well worth it, order it. The other two people ordered the chicken. Neither of them ate very much of it so as I was walking home I asked one of them how their food was and his response was, "probably the worst chicken I've had yet" Whaaaat? They're supposed to be known for their chicken? I didn't try it, I'm currently not eating chicken either so I can't comment but my friend said that it was super rubbery. He didn't mention it to anyone because he didn't want the person that suggested this place, the other chicken orderer, to feel bad,. I have no idea how she felt about it but I was disappointed that his meal was so awful, I really was digging this place! I would definitely recommend Houseman for the cocktails, interesting wine list; the cab franc is fab, the burger and fries…maybe steer clear of the bird?
Yeah, no. Supposedly one of the best burgers in town. Supposedly super innovative and delicious menus. Nothing was bad but nothing was inspired either. The burger patty itself was very tasty and umami-filled but the overall concept was lackluster (just caramelized onions and cheese) and I really don't like smushy potato buns which just sop up juices and turn into a soggy mess in your hands. I also much prefer raw onion to caramelized onions on burgers.
The fried fava bean snack was literally just a handful of fried fava beans (and tastes the same as the kind you can buy in a jar at an Asian/Burmese market) and the sort-of-deconstructed deviled eggs were not even close to a substitute for actually-deviled eggs. Little gem lettuces salad wasn't bad but really… it's just some leaves and dressing smeared on the plate.
And then there was the dessert menu. Laughable was the first word that came to mind. Did your pastry chef go on vacation and the best you could come up with was a scoop of vanilla ice cream with sliced cantaloupe? The vanilla ice cream was actually really nice but I have no idea if this was brought in or actually made in-house.
It's a cool space but this is definitely in the category of places to be seen and be trendy, and not places to be wowed and satisfied by the food.
KenScale: 8.0/10
I visited Houseman last fall and had a lot to like about this unassuming place that serves really solid New American dishes. One of my acquaintances had been eager to check out this place for a while, and I figured a revisit was in order after more than six months since my last visit. The second visit was also quite a delightful affair.
The daily changing menu at Houseman doesn't wow you with any fancy ingredients or techniques, but I can tell that the kitchen has put a lot of thoughts to the dishes. It's really hard to find a bad dish at this restaurant. Spicy shrimp with peas, herbs and radishes had the mild spicy flavor that worked quite well with the vegetables around it for a nice appetizer, and the spread of roasted sweet garlic (and some anchovies on top) all over the grilled bread somehow worked better than I had thought the moment I saw the dish. The roasted half chicken, which I had tried on my first visit, was just as good as I had remembered, with moist and juicy meat that worked nicely with dandelion greens and anchovies for a very satisfying meal. The big surprise was the burger. Nowadays, every restaurant in New York City seems to have a burger as a crowd-pleaser, but that doesn't mean the burger is done well even though it's hard to screw up. The one at Houseman had that awesome texture of beef with surprisingly nice balance of flavor without too much seasoning. It is really the seasoning that distinguishes a good burger from a great burger. While I'm not ready to call Houseman's burger the best in the city, it was definitely one of the better ones I've had recently. Among the dessert options, we weren't really sold on any of them on the menu, and decided to go with the off-menu dish of sour cream ice cream with candied almonds and strawberry. Turned out to be a great call as we thoroughly enjoyed the delightfully sweet dish.
As I noted in my previous review, Houseman really epitomizes the type of neighborhood restaurant that I want to see more of, with minimalistic décor and warm and welcoming vibe that, combined with well-executed food from the kitchen, would make for a pleasant dining experience at any given night.
I knew I had to try this place after reading the NY Times' review, where the writer could not stop raving about the roasted chicken dish. I must admit, I don't generally order chickens in restaurants, as it is not my favorite protein. Although, I do love, LOVE the chicken dish from Balaboosta, but let's not get sidetracked. Generally, when other people highly recommend a dish, I tend to be very susceptible to their suggestions, in short, I am an advertiser's dream.
Long story short, I wasn't blown away by the chicken, it was just average. I liked the texture of the crispy skin, and the accompanied salad, particularly the fava beans. But I thought the dish itself was too bland, I wish they would season the chicken more before roasting it. We also tried the Pork Terrine, which was just mediocre, and I honestly can't recall much details about the dish.
Dessert was my favorite part of the meal, we tried the salted peanut tart and the chocolate molten cake, both of which were great. I though the peanut tart was unique with an interesting mix of saltiness and sweetness, although it would be too heavy for one person to finish. The chocolate cake was perfection, I love the bitterness of the moist dark chocolate, and ice cream is always the perfect companion to chocolate.
Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience, our waitress was very nice and had great suggestions for the wine. The restaurant is not very conveniently located and it is quite close to the entrance of the tunnel. I am not sure I would trek all the way out there to try it again. If you love chicken, I would highly recommend for you to try Balaboosta instead, you won't regret it!