Camaje

Three weeks ago, I held my best friend's bridal shower at Camaje, and had a wonderful experience. After spending weeks researching bistros and cafes in the W. Village, I was excited to work with Chef/Owner Abigail Hitchcock. She generously answered my many questions and was a pleasure to work with, engaging me in a planning process that had been intimidating and aggravating with others.

We were able to reserve the entire restaurant and the space proved ideal for a party of approximately 22 people - the front, floor-to-ceiling windows opened out, creating a warm, spacious, yet intimate feel. The food was delicious - the fruit salad was made from fresh, seasonal berries, the entree was rich without being overpowering, and the meyer lemon tart was incredible. In addition, the front house staff was friendly and charming, and overall, our experience was rewarding. I'd HIGHLY recommend Camaje to anyone interested in having a similar event and I look forward to returning on my own for a quiet dinner.

I have been here quite a few times and have never had a bad experience. The food is consistently very good and I have found the wait staff quite helpful. I notice that the menu seems to change quite often, probably seasonally, so don't fall in love with any of the dishes.I once had an awesome Lamb Tagine there but it hasn't graced the menu since.The smoked mac & cheese is a mainstay and there's a very good reason for that-it's really good. It is a quiet little place with no attitude or pretentiousness. It's a great Sunday afternoon spot to dine al fresco in the nicer weather. I highly recommend giving it a try.

We went to Camaje after spotting it on Citysearch and had a wonderful experience. We really liked the cozy atmosphere and I spoke with a very nice woman whom I believe was the owner/chef. Oh yeah, the food was great too. Definitely recommended!

I recently attended one of the dark dining events at Camaje. Dark dining is an event where you are blindfolded and served four courses with wine pairings, and listen to some sort of theatrical performance in between courses. At $120/person, I had pretty high expectations.

As the diners don't get to choose what they eat, they must let Camaje know in advance if they have any dietary restrictions. Despite the fact that I emailed the owner/chef more than a week in advance with specific dislikes of each of the people dining, the restaurant managed to mess up my friend's meal. He was incorrectly pegged as a vegetarian and missed out on having meat in the first two out of three courses that he received. When I brought this to the waiter's attention and asked for it to be rectified, he only assured me that from that point on, my friend would receive meat. As for the meat from the earlier courses, tough cookies.

Furthermore, the portions were tiny. The first three courses were like having three appetizers, and we were not alone in this sentiment. The people at the table next to ours felt the same, and we even discussed going to get dinner together after dark dining was over. The waiting between courses was infinite, and by the time we realized it was dessert time, we were itching to leave and rip our blindfolds off.

To add insult to injury, when I emailed the owner to let her know about the mess-up, in addition to having a glass with a chipped rim, she dismissed it all, saying that she apologized, but that it wasn't a common occurrence. That is all well and good, but IT HAPPENED TO ME AND I DON'T CARE IF IT IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. I felt that some free drinks or something were definitely in order. While the food wasn't terrible and there were some interesting aspects to dark dining, I was unimpressed. I'd rather spend $120/person on something other than 3 veggie appetizers and a mediocre dessert at a restaurant with no concept of customer service.

Stumbled upon Camaje by chance, strolling through the Village with friends. The people there are very friendly and the food is delicious. I like the quaint ambiance.....makes me feel like I'm at home hanging with friends & family