Village Belle Manhattan grub gets brotherly loved

New York has given plenty to Philly, from delicious bagels, to an overwhelming sense of happiness once the Yankees' offense seized up and their pitching collapsed, keeping the Phillies from facing them in the World Ser...oh wait. Crap. Now bringing some serious Manhattan resto expertise to Queen Village is Village Belle.

VB's an Italo-Spanish 90-seater from the minds behind NYC's beloved Little Owl, hopping into the former Frederick's site and employing French doors, park views, and rustic tiles among different areas: a Euro-ish cafe, an outdoor dining room, and a bustling bistro -- throwing more looks than the Eagles D, only it's lit up by antique pendant lights and NOT Kenny Britt. Little bites at the century-old, Swedish boat builder-crafted bar include sugarhouse clams and tomato arancini while starters involve a tomato risotto w/ burrata and basil, and a potato/caramelized-onion-stuffed cheese frico, also what everyone called him after the release of his video, Frico Fuave. Pastas include Mascarpone/citrus/turnip green sausage raviolis and a crespelle w/ ricotta, onion & pignoli, while the specialty list is chock full of eggplant timbale w/ concasse, kalamata olives, and aged balsamic, plus a pan roasted chicken w/ Marsala & pepperonata...dats'a spicy Hyundai!

Taking advantage of that old-ass bar is a 75-strong wine list and a specialty cocktail program with a harvest pear/ginger/vodka Ginger Pear Caipiroska and the mulled rye/sweet & dry vermouth/cherry bitter Village Manhattan, which has as good a chance at winning a championship as Midtown Manhattan. Haha, the Knicks blow.