Classic French cooking and an eye for quiet modernity shine bright at West Village newcomer Dominique Bistro. An architecturally grand space boasting 12-foot ceilings and a copper-plated bar, the 40-seat bistro fuses Parisian nostalgia and dramatic scale into a broad menu highlighting traditional French dishes from Chef Dominick Pepe, making his first foray as an executive chef.
Conventional appetizers like the Onion Soup ($10), and a frisee salad ($15) lend a familiar balance to more contemporary fare like the sumptuously plump Ahi Tuna Tartare ($19) and velvety Chicken Liver Mousse ($11), a delightful spread that’s whipped into a cloud-like consistency with brandy and cream. Escargots ($13) and a gamey charcuterie board ($21) are also on hand, but it’s a modish interpretation of Foie Gras ($21)—served atop a Belgian waffle and showered in a sour cherry reduction for a tantalizing explosion of sweet-and-savory decadence—that showcases Chef Pepe’s greatest strength: subtle reinvention at its finest.
;A hearty selection of entrees includes a vegan Ratatouille ($19), Steak Frites ($32) and homemade fettuccine with portelini mushrooms ($31), an inviting pasta lathered in a luscious vegetable broth fondue and sprinkled with black truffles, shaved table-side. The impeccably executed Duck Cassoulet ($29) yields joyously tender duck stewed in a warm tomato broth with salty pork lardons, and a succulent Beef Bourguignon ($27) proves delectable, with an 18-hour red wine demi glaze that’s unabashedly bold.
A subterranean piano bar provides further entertainment, as does an ample assortment of wine and beer and a simplistic dessert menu, which could use some spunk. But while Dominique Bistro undoubtedly achieves its classic ambitions, its greatest potential lies in its flair for elegant ingenuity.