Ouest

[Aaron T]

Admin: The currrent discussion thread for Ouest may be found here

I had dinner at Ouest, Tom Valenti's much praised (in the press) restaurant in the Upper West Side on Sunday night and overall I don't think it deserves its hype.

We sat upstairs and not in one of the dramatic red booths so maybe I was missing some of the effect. I thought it was a nice looking restaurant - dark wood and red leather - a tavern look.

Service was ok - water glasses were never refilled without prompting and one time when I asked for more water my glass was refilled, but not my dining companions whose glasses were also empty. I know this place isn't going for the refill your glass after every sip, but we felt ignored except when they came to take away a course and bring the next one.

I started with the gravlax on pancake. It was delicious and there was also some salmon roe on the plate which was a nice touch and completed the dish. There was a small amount of sour cream between the salmon & the pancake. The other app was a salad that I didn't try.

For mains I had short ribs. They were very tender and came with some cooked veggies but the dish was nothing to get excited about. It was fine, but not nearly as tasty as what other chefs around town have been doing with short ribs. The waiter did recommend a grilled chicken dish, which was juicy, and tasted better than my short ribs.

For dessert we split a lemon dessert which had a strange name I had never heard of. It was a lemon mousse with caramelized sugar on top (like the top of a creme brulee) and with some rasberries underneath the mouse and a red rasberry sauce around the circular dessert for a nice color contrast plating. The lemon flavor was strong, a plus, and every bite of this was eaten.

I thought my meal was good, but nothing worth going out of my way for. I think if this restaurant was in a different nabe I don't think it would have been raved about so much. The prices were fair, but at that range there are a lot of places downtown I'd rather go.

Valenti's famous lamb shanks are only available on mondays & tuesdays. A friend had recommened the sunday special of meatloaf, but I didn't order it as it contains pork, which I generally don't eat.

[yvonne johnson]

Thanks for the report Aaron. Speaking of ribs, I'm heading off to Blue Smoke tonight. I'll report back tomorrow. If the reviews are to be believed they won't be worth getting excited about either.

[Lreda]

As for The Blue Smoke reviews, both The Post & News has very medicore reviews but I have heard from 3 different people who all said it was either good to very good. None said it was horrible, none said it was great. Just average barbeque. Main complaint being there was little marinade or sauce served with the BBQ'd items. Wish you well with dinner tonight.

[yvonne johnson]

Main complaint being there was little marinade or sauce served with the BBQ'd items. Wish you well with dinner tonight.

Interesting the comments on lack of sauce. If Asimov got the place right, that would've been on days the meat wasn't dried out. His complaint was they smothered the meat in sauce when they needed to disguise the meat's being way over done. Oh, well, off I go.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Two things. Ate at Ouest recently and the menu read better than the food tasted. Had the house smoked sturgeon served with a poached egg, frisee lettuce and lardons. Sturgeon was superior and the way they had it coddling the egg was good presentation and worked well tastewise. The frisee was, well frisee. I've been over frisee for years. And the lardons were overcooked to the point of their being almost black, which made them extremely chewy. Mrs. P complained that her salad was out of balance with too much roquefort. My roasted, lightly smoked salmon was a thick piece that because of it's shape was overcooked on the edges even though it was rare as I requested in the center. But I couldn't taste the smoked flavor. And it was served with fingerling potatoes which weren't cooked to be as soft as they should have been to compliment the salmon. Salmon since it is a firm and flakey yet silky fish needs a softer potato like mashed or maybe just smashed for the textures to blend. These fingerlings were sort of "al dente" and I had to work too hard to get a forkful. And there were small slices of braised green onion served in the dish that just didn't blend with everything else. The whole thing just didn't work. Oh well. Mrs. P ordered the soft shells and two teeny weeny crabs the size of two silver dollars showed up. She wasn't impressed. I had the "Lemon Chiboust" for dessert. It was sort of a combo lemon meringue pie/creme brullee. It was really sweet, like my teeth were hurting. It might be my first and last chiboust! I would go back to try the place again, only because so many things on the menu looked interesting. But it wouldn't surprise me if they were busts as well. Maybe I'll try some of the meat dishes when it cools down.

I have to add that I brought a bottle of the 1999 DRC Vosne-Romanee Duvault-Blochet. For those of you who do not know the provenance here, 1999 was such a large harvest in Burgundy that Romanee-Conti declassified grapes from Grand Cru vineyards, blended them together and made a bottling with a 1er Cru (that's premier cru) designation. Supposedly, most of the juice comes from the La Tache vineyard. Maybe someone whose a big wino like David Russell could add to this and post about what the exact blend is. Anyway, I had heard the wine was delicious from multiple sources and I'm glad to report they were all correct. It had the same type of balance and flavor profile that reminded one of La Tache. It was a bit tannic, but after being open for about 45 minutes the wine came together beautifully. It ain't cheap selling for between $110-$150 a bottle but, it's a keeper and will give superior pleasure in 8-15 years. Worth splurging and laying a few away especially since the 1999 La Tache is selling for $800 a bottle.

As for Blue Smoke, the story about not enough sauce coming with the food doesn't make any sense. How about just asking for more sauce?

[MartyL]

Hey Steve, what was Ouest's attitude about corkage? Thanks.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Marty - They charged but I don't remember how much. Dinner was $104 for everything which we thought was cheap for what they were offering. But I guess not too cheap for the way it tasted.

[Felonius]

I live on the UWS and have dined at Ouest several times. I concur with previous posts that the food is competent, and fairly priced for NYC, but nothing to write home about. I probably wouldn't bother visiting the place if it wasn't in my backyard.

On that note, I am still amazed that there are so few decent restaurants on the UWS that the arrival of Ouest was greeted with such fanfare. One would have thought Alain Ducasse had been kicked off of CPS and set up shop in my neighborhood. Why can't the UWS support the diversity and quality of restaurants found in other upper-income neighborhoods such as Soho. the Upper East Side and Tribeca?

[Steve Plotnicki]

"Why can't the UWS support the diversity and quality of restaurants found in other upper-income neighborhoods such as Soho. the Upper East Side and Tribeca?"

That's easy, people just don't want to spend that type of money to go out in their neighborhood. The UES has the same problem. Except we have a couple of big attrractions like the Met and the Whitney and when you pair them up with The Carlisle and The Mark Hotel, you can get Cafe Boulud and Cello. But otherwise? Most of the areas in the city that have numerous restaurants that do well are destination neighborhoods. But one comment my wife made about Oeust when we were there is that she thought the people didn't look like New Yorkers. And I am wondering since its on the wat to the GWB that is gets a disproportionate number of Jerseyites who stop there on there way home.

[Lesley C]

Steve, don't give up on chiboust. When properly made, this pastry cream and Italian meringue combo is amazing, especially when cooked like a soufflé. Baked grapefruit chiboust with a caramelized banana sauce is heaven.

[Steve Plotnicki]

"chiboust with a caramelized banana sauce is heaven"

Lesley - Well when you come to NYC for the Gramenon, bring some grapefruit chiboust with you. What type of dessert wine does chiboust go with?

[Lesley C]

Ready for this: a Carte d'Or Muscat de Beaumes de Venise.

Lovely wine, quite light and not cloying like the stuff they import here. I tasted the 2001, deeply chilled, which was very nice.

[Felonius]

"Why can't the UWS support the diversity and quality of restaurants found in other upper-income neighborhoods such as Soho. the Upper East Side and Tribeca?"

That's easy, people just don't want to spend that type of money to go out in their neighborhood.

Interesting....I never thought of it that way. I always thought of it as a matter of either demographics (high percentage of wealthy residents = greater number of high-end restaurants in a given neighborhood) or of proximity to major hotels or businesses (i.e. proliferation of restaurants in midtown).

I for one would be thrilled to eat in my own neighborhood, vice having to truck it downtown for an interesting meal.

[Bux]

I am thrilled to eat in my neighborhood, thrilled that is to eat a thrilling meal in my neighborhood. Let's just say it is a double thrill to eat well without leaving the neighborhood. Currently, Blue Hill comes closest. That is, it is the thrilling restaurant that's closest to me--walking distance, in fact--if not actually in my neighborhood. If it were not there, I'd probably go uptown more often.

I've only eaten at Ouest once and I loved my meal. I'd eaten at BUtterfield 81 when Valenti was cooking there and I loved that too. Somehow the Upper East Side seemed less remote as a destination, although the Upper West Side is just as close. I always mean to make the trip and I suspect we will. In spite the mediocre reviews here, my meal was good enough to keep Ouest on my list. I sense that Valenti does good hearty cooking best and Ouest may be most enjoyable in cooler weather. I loved the strugeon version of frisee salad. The decor was not a factor in my enjoyment of dinner, one way or the other. 11 Madison Park is one of the few places where the room itself actually gives the restaurant an advantage when I think about it.

[Felonius]

I too am a fan of Blue Hill - great food and a sophisticated yet laid back atmosphere. Interesting wine list too. I'd say it's a level beyond Ouest.

I also agree that Ouest is a better option when the cold weather returns. In my experience, the more satisfying dishes are on the heavier side, such as the short ribs and other red meat items.

[mogsob]

I ate at Ouest a few months ago. We were early, and our table was late turning over, so we had a few too many at the bar while waiting. This all goes to say that I was somewhat less than sober sitting down to dinner and the wine consumed from that point on didn't help matters. That said, I do recall having a fantastic rib steak. Perfectly cooked, nicely charred and well seasoned. The beef was well aged and had both a deep minerally flavor lacking in so many steaks these days and a very firm texture (wet-aged fans need not apply).

BTW, I am told that the service was horrific (e.g., pouring red wine into the same glasses used for white). The waiter also practically laughed in my face when I asked him if the Kracher beerenauslesse was numbered (both rude and displaying remarkable ignorance of the wines of one of the world's best producers).

[Mao]

I am actually considering taking a date to Ouest next weekend, though rereading this thread I am having second thoughts. Are there certain things that one should order?

Felonius-amazing that in our 5.5 hour dinner at ADNY last night this topic never came up.

[Felonius]

Mao-

I haven't been to Ouest in a while, as I've finally decided I'd rather take a cab and dine outside my neighborhood than spend the $$ at Ouest.

However, I would recommend their short ribs. They also used to have a salmon appetizer that was pretty good.

The wine list is worth a perusal as well. It's limited in scope, but there are usually some good buys on American pinot noirs from top producers such as Testarossa, Etude and Calera.

And I suppose one of us should post a review of our ADNY dinner. I'm still thinking about the foie gras and that bottle of Chardonnay!

[cabrales]

Mao -- While I have not yet visited Ouest, I read somewhere on the board that Valenti's lamb chops are only available on certain specified days of the week. If you're interested in that signature dish, you might want to check with the restaurant.

[jaybee]

Six of us enjoyed a superb meal at Ouest tonight. Starters included a truffled "omelette souffle" with mushrooms, charred lamb carpaccio with red peppers, gravox. Mains were roast guinea hen, squab, tuna, shortribs and breast of capon. All were tasty, well sauced and well presented. I'm a little too soussed to describe the desserts or the mains in detail. Suffice to say the meal was far better than some posts here had led me to expect. We were seated at a round banquette facing the kichten which was both comfortable, intimate and interesting for me, as I sat in the center seat facing the pass. Service was prompt, attentive and careful. I have no hesitations about going back.

[awbrig]

how was the service, what were you drinking and what was the cost...

[jaybee]

$160 per couple, included one round of coctails and a bottle of wine plus $70 tip.

[Wilfrid]

Strolling by the other day, I see Valenti has put a braised tripe dish on the menu. Maybe time for my first visit.

[jaybee]

Walk in dinner with two companions tonight. Excellent and super-sized Bombay martini straight up. Ordered Squad with foies gras agnolotti. A two star dish at the least. Medium rare slices of squab succulent and flavorful, little drum sticks and wings all crunchy, with a nice livery, gamey taste, all swimming in a light creamy leek sauce surrounded by pillowy soft pasta filled with foies gras that set off the gamey taste of the squab. A few chanterelles scattered about for punctuation. I sopped my plate dry with the best ficelles I've ever had. Dessert was a pistachio-fig tart covered with cirtus creme frais with chopped pistachio nuts in little piles at the sides of the plate. The "cookie" was a warm soft, sort of oatmeal and walnut shortbread. This was like Fig Newton died and went to heaven. A glass of sweet cold Gewurztramminer was ambrosia with this tartlet. Everything tasted great all the way.

Tablemates had roasted sturgeon with a chantarelle risotto and sweet peas (great) and roast ginea hen (also great). I am very happy this place is three blocks from my apartment and now accessible for walk in at 6:30. Maybe Aix up the block will make it even more accessible. Tom Valente was sitting at the table next to us doing an interview and said he hoped it didn't make us nervous to see him there and not downstairs cooking our food. By the time we ordered he was. Service was always there and invisible.

[awbrig]

very nice...