Village Stick

“One does not seek drama at Village Stick. One seeks fries. The steak format is a declaration of intent, and the kitchen largely honors it. The crispness is commendable and largely sustained. The potato flavor emerges mid-experience, which is somewhat later than ideal but not without its own logic. The grease content is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. The napkin earns its keep. This guide recommends visiting without expectations and departing, perhaps, with adjusted ones. Return visits are not a matter of choice but of inevitability.”

“Not every establishment in Murray Hill understands its own fry. Village Stick understands its fry. The steak format, triple-fried in duck fat, produces a crispness that is commendable and largely sustained and an interior that is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. Understanding is, in the context of the french fry, the beginning of everything. The fry alone merits the journey to Murray Hill.”