Powerhouse chef Jody Williams (Gottino) calls her tiny, Gallic-leaning bistro a "gastroteque," a made-up word encompassing, she says, "your early-morning coffee, your luncheonette, your stand-up, sit-down dinner." And this rings true: Buvette is the sort of place where you pop in for a glass of wine and a snack—hunks of creamy Noble Road Brie; slices of saucisson sec fished from jars filled with herbed olive—and three hours later realize you've stayed for a full meal, either polishing off a delicious cocotte of falling-off-the-bone coq au vin, or the exceptional fluffy brandade (house-cured salt cod emulsified with garlic-steeped milk), or the rustic hand-cut steak tartare anointed with frise, capers and cornichons. The best seats are at the marble bar, which is spacious compared with the cramped two-tops in the intimate space. Come nightfall, the queue for a seat often extends out the door, the long wait list scrawled on a chalkboard inside.
