Justine’s On Hudson

Some restaurants are like well-worn flannel pjs—revisited often, and best paired with an old T-shirt. Others are like fussy silk sets with pearl buttons down the front. Luxurious-looking but slippery, and less practical for eating in than something with a nice, slack, elasticated waistband. 

Justine’s on Hudson seems like a silk pajamas restaurant at first: a small, elegant wine bar in the West Village with heavy silverware, dainty wine stems, and a Murano chandelier suspended above a table in the window. It’s easy to get a reservation and, passing by, you might wonder if it’s like that special occasion sleepwear you never really reach for—beautiful, but languishing in a corner. But if you do wander in, you'll find a meal that's sophisticated and satisfying, and far from boring. 

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

Even before you taste the food—all French precision, lit up with Filipino flourishes—there are hints that Justine’s is both highly polished, and very personal. From the plush, comfy bar seats around the open kitchen, to the servers who spout startling amounts of information about the wine and its growers, every detail seems geared towards ensuring that you leave delighted by an unexpected pairing, fuller than you anticipated, and possibly a little flushed. 

The kitchen runs on supplies from the owner's family farm, and gourmet ingredients from the family import business, and as a result, the dishes can feel more ephemeral than the 72 micro-seasons of Japan. Even the grassy olive oil that comes with the free bread varies, with the entire menu switching up twice a week or more. You’ll typically find around eight smaller plates and five larger entrees, and we’d recommend leaning into anything with peak-season produce, and the meatier mains. 

photo credit: Kate Previte

But plenty of restaurants embrace seasonality and terroir. What makes Justine's stand out is a sense that the family enterprise goes beyond the owners' businesses to the people working here. Beyond incorporating in-season fruit and vegetables, the cooking also reflects the diversity of its staff, particularly the Filipina chef and sous-chef. 

A pork chop might be served in a pool of dinuguan, the reduced blood fragrant, almost floral, and topped with preserved lemon and almond. A crisp-skinned, flaking whole branzino may come with barlotti beans and crunchy lardons, but also chopped century egg. Curry leaf, calamansi, and shirako mingle easily with salsa verde, ginseng vinegar, and farm-fresh manouri cheese. An approachable, fluctuating list of European wines ties everything together.

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

Occasionally, a dish is more challenging than delicious (a too-briny octopus carpaccio inspires only a few bites), and the menu's unpredictability makes it difficult to give unqualified recommendations. But mostly, each generously portioned, attractive plate seems composed by hands that have a fundamental understanding of how flavor works, beyond any specific cuisine.

We've seen this room fill up with people and conversation, broken by little hushed moments when a new dish appears, but Justine's isn't a trendy spot. It is, however, uncommonly welcoming. Sit under that chandelier, sharing a bottle of wine with friends who appreciate the finer things, and it might even feel like a silk pajama party.

Food Rundown

Fried Snacks

We’ve had an artichoke fritto with cod roe aioli, as well as fried gordal olives, each stuffed with shrimp mousse. Both snacks are great with Justine's expertly mixed cocktails.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Mad Rose Lettuces

With bright greens or red chicories, and various herbs, the house salad is freshly plucked from Mad Rose, the family farm in Dutchess County. This isn’t an essential order, but if you’re into salads with little surprises, get one.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Seasonal Vegetable Carpaccio

Our favorite carpaccio is the first one we tried, green tomato, but you might find golden beets, cucumber (pictured), or pear and radish on the menu. Expect very fresh, very thinly sliced vegetables, herbs, and some kind of crunchy element, like pepita or peanut praline.

Seasonal Root Vegetables

In the cooked vegetable department, you may find charred carrots paired with jackfruit jam and brazil nuts, or roasted beets with quince, ginseng vinegar and cashew tahini. This small plate is like coming across a farmers market with an exciting specialty condiments stall.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Other Small Plates

The small and mid-sized plates menu is a chef’s playground, with things like lengua toast (pictured), duck liver mousse with pineapple relish, salmon tartare with pork floss, and fluke crudo with lychee and wasabi tobiko. Get at least one of whatever sounds good to you, and keep in mind that portions tend to be on the bigger side of small. We haven't seen it often, but if they have the oyster omelet, get it. Like a treasure chest at the bottom of the sea, it's topped with sparkling trout roe and fried shallots, and infused with lemongrass. As you cut into it, plump oysters spill out.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Spicy Crab Risotto

The one dish on the menu that supposedly never changes, this risotto actually started out as a spicy crab spaghetti (which we slightly preferred). If crab plus carb is your jam, go for it.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Fish

We’ve loved a whole branzino with beans, scallops, century egg, and lardons of bacon, but any fish entree you get here will be perfectly cooked, with some interesting flavor combinations.

photo credit: Dillon Burke

Roast Chicken

There's always a half roast chicken available, served with potatoes and seasoned with garlic and things like sesame and dill jus. We'd take the duck or pork dish over this, but it's perfectly good chicken.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Duck

There’s often a duck entree available, with pineapple-fennel chutney, curry leaf salsa, or another punchy relish. It'll be tender and flavorful, and better than your usual au poivre.

photo credit: Dillon Burke

Beef and Pork

You’ll find beef, pork or both on the menu each night. We’ve loved a bone-in pork chop with dinuguan sauce, and a zabuton steak with sate-like peanut sauce. Though you could make a full meal of small plates, definitely get something from this part of the menu too.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Dessert

The desserts change as often as the rest of the menu, but you should always get at least one or two. Besides the chocolate cremeux with boba (pictured), some of our favorites have included a matcha tart with calamansi curd, peaches with parmesan ice cream, and goat cheese mousse with amarena cherries, orange blossom and pistachio. There's also an indulgent affogato with vanilla ice cream and chocolate pudding.