Jack’s Wife Freda is one of those phenomenons to me. You throw a bunch of fashion bloggers in there, and it’s packed for the rest of it’s time. I do give the restaurant more credit than that. It’s the kind of place that everyone can find something they want to eat whether they feel like a salad that day or something a little more heavy like a pasta of the day. All of starters are outstanding particularly the Salt & Pepper Eggplant that I dream about regularly. These crunchy bites make french fries look like the saddest thing on the planet. It’s also the kind of restaurant where you just get what you want out of a meal. Nothing fussy, you can understand every ingredient on the menu, and you can find exactly what you want. If you’re craving a healthy salad, it’s all about that Greek Salad with kale, cucumber, chopped tomatoes, pickled red onions, and feta. If you want fish, you have one option and chicken one option. Sometimes these restaurants have so many options on the menu it makes it so hard to decide, so props to Jack’s Wife for just giving the people what they want!
Eggplant
The new West Village location on Carmine is much bigger than the original in SoHo. It’s a bit more spacious and comfortable, and it feels like your neighborhood spot. This is totally like The Max in Saved by the Bell to these West Village folks except it caters to the champagne caliber. The Roasted Cauliflower Salad is fun because some of the pieces are raw and some are cooked. Any vegetable dish with raisins steals my heart. You could easily just order a bunch of starters and be a happy camper. The portion sizes are quite nice and also make for a great snack if that’s what you are looking for. The night we went the special pasta of the day was Macaroni and Cheese. Lucky us! It’s amazing.
I understand the charm and love everyone has for Jack’s Wife Freda. You can come here and get your favorite salad every time or pretty much try something different each time.It’s reliable, they understand you, and they make the kind of food you just need on the reg. No shrills, nothing crazy, and a bonus is that it’s great for big groups at dinner time as you can make reservations for 6 +.
Lamb