More details tomorrow but here’s the menu! Lively neighborhood place similar to Village Social but more seafood focused.
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Can’t wait to hear.
Hey - how was it???
Sorry, I was busy all day yesterday and didn’t have time to post!
So, Pub Street (or Pubstreet-- not sure which is correct)is in a great central location in Pleasantville, right next to the train station and near Jacob Burns which I’m sure will provide them with a steady stream of customers. Inside it is stylish and airy but there are some acoustic problems. When we got there at 6 it was about a third full (though the bar was packed) and by the time our salad came every table was taken. So it got quite loud as there are a lot of hard surfaces for the din to bounce off of. Some places seem to want a buzz like that so maybe it was intentional, maybe not, but it is definitely not a place for a quiet romantic dinner. There were also quite a few kids so it’s not a grown up place as much as Village Social is (and also the bar is smaller than Village Social so not as much imbibing happening). Not sure if it becomes more of a date spot later on. I’m not clear on whether they take reservations as we were walk ins.
Service was extremely together for such a new place but the management clearly is experienced given the number of other places they operate. The hostess especially was on her game and was circulating and handling issues that the wait staff may have missed. Someone who seemed to be an owner or manager was circulating as well. Our waitress was really sweet and as at Village Social they seem accustomed to particular (read: picky) customers and were patient and friendly.
The menu has a heavy seafood focus which works for me and my husband but definitely give it a glance if you’re not a huge fan as Village Social has a larger and more varied menu.
We started with a beer (my husband) and a cocktail and the beer was an interesting Sour Session that my husband hadn’t had before and really enjoyed. It was dry and had almost a musky champagney flavor but wasn’t too funky… definitely sessionable. My bourbon cocktail with blackberry was better than any cocktail I’ve had at VS, very well balanced and not too sweet, quite boozy.
We shared a whole bunch of small plates for our meal. I think we probably could have done a better job balancing which ones we ordered but we enjoyed everything.
- Salmon poke sushi fritters-- these were one of our favorites-- fried sushi rice (I guess) with a risotto-ish creaminess with salmon and avocado on top. A really intense sauce that was a little spicy but worked well with the fritters.
- Tuna tartare-- a bit too similar to the fritters but my husband really wanted this-- the restaurant excels at textural playfulness-- the tuna was very fresh and there was nice interplay of acid from citrus and richness from the avocado and a really fun crunch from something fried that I couldn’t identify.
- Pubstreet wings-- we went for the Vietnamese lime glaze-- I’m not sure how “traditional” this glaze is but we devoured these wings and our fingers smelled like fish sauce for a long time after, haha! A really intense, complex glaze on these wings that were a bit spicy and really addictive. They also have buffalo but I think this is the way to go.
- Grilled oysters-- we were hoping for something reminiscent of NOLA style chargrilled oysters, but these were different (in a good way) with a very parsley-heavy (almost tabbouleh-like) chimichurri. Four to an order and all fresh and meaty.
- Crabcake sliders-- my husband picked these-- I could have done without them as the crabcakes were deep fried. These were the least interesting/special but the crab tasted fresh and there wasn’t a lot of filler.
- Caesar salad-- this was an excellent salad, and huge. Fresh crunchy greens and a nice fishy (anchovy I presume) vinaigrette with more textural fun from crushed garlic tortilla chips on top.
- Poutine-- my husband had to have this-- he loved it but I could do without it. The fries were skinny and I don’t love how poutine makes the fries soggy. But he liked it.
There’s a lot of fun stuff on the menu and like I said we would probably order a little smarter next time just in terms of not overlapping-- I thought we ordered too much fried food (my husband did not. 
)
Dessert was not printed on a menu and so the waitress’s basic descriptions didn’t really inspire much confidence in them but we went with a brownie sundae that ended up much more delicious than I thought. A deep, dark fudgy brownie (sadly microwaved… a little a la minute skillet one like they have at North and 3 Westerly would be better) with vanilla ice cream and a deep chocolate butterscotch (I think) sauce with a mountain of crunchies on top (I asked the waitress what it was and she wasn’t sure but it tasted like Cocoa Crispies cereal) that provided a really fantastic textural contrast to the smooth ice cream and chewy brownie.
Aside from the noise which I hope they remedy (but again I suspect they may want it this way) this was a really great meal and the chef is clearly creative and into bold flavors borrowing from many cultures and is having a ball playing with texture. I will definitely be back.
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Great write up, thanks. I’m not a big seafood fan but my husband will love the raw bar, which I heard they have. We will,give it a try. Hope they take reservations but none of their other place do, so I’m not optimistic.
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There are definitely non-seafood options on the menu. If the burger is as good at VS, that is a good carnivore option. If I’m remembering right, you had a salad when we went to VS and based on how great this caesar salad was I definitely want to try the other salads!
I am a salad for lunch person and I do love that chopped salad at VS. We will check out PS.
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I went back for dinner again a couple weeks ago. This time we tried some raw oysters. They have an interesting selection and they tasted very fresh. We also had the beet salad which I wish had more goat cheese and something crunchy for texture (surprised it didn’t given how well they did with texture in our first meal) and the baked clams which had plenty of fun texture from rice crispy crumbs on top.
For entrees I had the tuna burger which wasn’t very attractive looking on the plate but was made with very little filler and loads of fresh tuna with amazing yuzu pickles on top-- so creative. The fries were excellent. My husband wante dthe hanger steak but they were out of it that night so he went with the black cod. It came with rice and nothing else and for almost $30 you’d think they could throw a green vegetable on the plate if only to make the plate look a little more colorful. My husband liked it but it was a bit spicy for me. I think next time we’d replicate our first visit’s strategy of sharing multiple small plates instead of going for full blown entrees.
Dessert was their huge sundae but absent was the tantalizing sounding “whipped peanut butter custard” described on the menu.
I really liked the summery watermelon cocktail made with vodka and pureed watermelon. It packed quite a punch and wasn’t too sweet.
I like having this place nearby. Parking at the train station is free after 3 pm I believe.
I liked their vietnamese wings I had the first time so much I found a recipe and made my own. I daresay mine were pretty close to theirs…
Boy, this place is popular! Since I’m allergic to noisy crowds, I’ve only gotten to go in once, in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, and just for a drink and a snack. Happy to see all these useful comments, and I’ll respond when I finally do get to try something beyond the poke fritters and the shishito peppers (both of which we enjoyed).
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As am I!
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The poke fritters were a favorite of ours! I’m looking forward to trying their happy hour sometime. I am thinking about going there for my birthday next month.
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I had another really good meal here on Friday. It’s loud I guess but not really any louder than the Cookery so if you can handle that you’ll be fine.
Standouts are the apps-- wings, sushi fritters, any salad, clams, calamari. Several of the entrees were outstanding-- my salmon with pomegranate, cous cous with dates, and cilantro in a delicious sauce, the scallops, and the burger. One inconsistency is portion sizes and random things that come without sides. But they are turning out really creative and delicious food here in a convivial neighborhood atmosphere. I’m going back this weekend again!
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Sounds great. Still have to get there. Was there a long wait for a table?
We went with a group so we were able to make a reservation. I am pretty sure they only take reservations for more than 4 people but I will double check. This is the less clubby, more neighborhood-y Village Social. The menu is smaller but still has plenty of choices.
Thanks!!! We may go Saturday.
I saw they have poutine on the menu. I adore the stuff (aka the “big mess!” ). Maybe they have takeout…
@winecountrygirl Did you end up going? We actually went back again after I posted.
I’m not saying this is a destination place but it’s really close to us and basically our new favorite local easy meal out.
We went on a Saturday night this time and the waiter was nowhere near as competent as the last few we’ve had. But the food across the board was very good and some things even excellent. They even honored a half-serious request to try an interesting sounding component of a dessert, sending out a little taster.
We will continue to return.
We did no go. Honestly, when we think about going to Pleasantville we get lazy and hit Village Social!! I’m sure we will. When VS first opened they had issues with inconsistent service too. We ar anxiously awaiting the opening of Locali pizza at the Mt. Kisco train station. I understand there are issues because Metro North owns the space. But Locali in New Canaan has great pizza, and it will be run by Frank Bueti -he was the chef at Cafe Strega in Pleasantville when Joe owned it.
Especially in this weather I understand not wanting to trek anywhere far. We ate so much rich food over the holidays (between multi course family feasts and then being in Bermuda eating out most meals) that we definitely aren’t getting out as much. This Saturday we have some family and friend special event obligations so we will be having two meals out-- will report back on those!
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We went back here a couple weeks ago. I still like their salads-- we had the caesar. I had the salmon which is a holdover from the winter menu-- a more summery preparation would probably be appropriate at this point (it came with pomegranate and dates). That said it was really delicious but much spicier than I remember it a few months ago. My husband’s fish tacos were pricey at $17 and really should come with some rice or something but they were good. We had delicious peanut butter pie for dessert that was well balanced in terms of flavor (not too sweet, definitely for a grown up palate).
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