The Village Den

The Village Den
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedSeptember 2018 (2018-09)[1]
Closed2021 (2021)
Owner(s)Antoni Porowski, Lisle Richards and Eric Marx
Street address225 West 12th Street
CityNew York
StateNew York
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°44′16″N 74°0′6″W / 40.73778°N 74.00167°W / 40.73778; -74.00167
Websitewww.thevillageden.com

The Village Den was a restaurant located in the West Village neighborhood of New York City. Previously a neighborhood diner, the restaurant was re-designed by Antoni Porowski and partners Eric Marx and Lisle Richards in 2018.[2]

The restaurant served breakfast, salads, bowls and smoothies, and has been described by Richards as vegetable-forward, and free of gluten, soy, and red meat.[1]

History

Porowski, Richards, and Marx met in 2012. Their joint workout routines inspired them to create a "health and wellness concept that was still delicious and flavorful, but not super precious or not too much of one thing." Porowski and his team spent three weeks testing recipes with chef Chris Shea before re-opening the restaurant.[3] The restaurant permanently closed in 2021.[4]

Reception

Reviews were mixed, with Eater's Robert Sietsema calling the restaurant an "interesting experiment" but professing disappointment "that little specific nutritional information was provided in a place supposedly devoted to nutrition."[5] While Junkee describes the restaurant to be "artfully approachable, quirky but not weird, aspirational but not intimidating,"[6] Jezebel found the restaurant to be a "glorified Dig Inn catering to sweaty Equinox attendees from across the street."[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Fabricant, Florence (September 25, 2018). "Village Den, From Antoni Porowski of 'Queer Eye,' Opens in West Village". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  2. ^ Dun, Christina (October 3, 2018). "Antoni Porowski's First Restaurant Menu Represents "Weekday Antoni"". Refinery29. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. ^ Whitney, Alyse (September 28, 2018). "Antoni Porowski Is "Nervous as Hell" for You to Try His New Restaurant". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Ong, Bao (August 20, 2021). "A Favorite Columbia Hangout Shutters on the Upper West Side — And More Closings". Eater NY. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Sietsama, Robert (October 22, 2018). "'Queer Eye' Food Guy's NYC Restaurant Excels at Lukewarm Bowl Food". Eater NY. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  6. ^ Richards, Jared (November 14, 2018). "We Went To 'Queer Eye' Food Guy Antoni's Restaurant And Fell Into An Existential Spiral". Junkee. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Cills, Hazel; Hope, Clover; Reynolds, Megan (October 4, 2018). "'Seems Like It Needs Flavor': 3 Jezebel Queer Eye Experts Review Antoni's Dry New Restaurant". Jezebel. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.


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