Ouest

[macrosan]

What a great report, Jaybee - actually had me salivating

Ouest is on my definite list for my trip to NYC next month, specially as I am avidly reading Valente's cookbook (although I haven't yet done one of his dishes) which I won here a while back

[Wilfrid]

I thought I was invited.

Thanks for the report. Shame no-one had the braised tripe.

[jaybee]

My tripe has been braised for a while. I'm seeing the proctologist next week.

Oh and the dinner was an eGulleter's affair, since I was there.

[Fat Guy]

Next time you see Valenti ask him when he's going to finish answering the questions on his eGullet Q&A.

[Wilfrid]

"an eGulleter's affair"

I think that's okay because of the apostrophe "s" making it a possessive noun referring to an individual member, isn't it? Whereas "an Egullet affair" wouldn't be? Just so long as we're clear.

[jaybee]

Next time you see Valenti ask him when he's going to finish answering the questions on his eGullet Q&A

Not a chance. I don't want to get him pissed at me.

[Fat Guy]

Okay, then you probably don't want to ask him why he gave such perfunctory answers!

At least mention to him that you read and were absolutely fascinated by his eGullet Q&A. Perhaps it will serve as a gentle reminder.

[jaybee]

At least mention to him that you read and were absolutely fascinated by his eGullet Q&A. Perhaps it will serve as a gentle reminder.

Much better approach.

[bean]

we went to oest a few months back and thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the service. ...lately, i have been not thrilled with many restaurants and their service. went to babbo last week and while the meal was fabulous, the server couldn't bring herself to actually crack a smile. and we tried! it was obvious we weren't corporate types but were out for an occaision. at oest a few months ago, we were also celebrating and the server's style was warm and welcoming but professional.

bean

[southern girl]

Anyone know if they have a website...

[neverfull]

had brunch at Ouest on sunday. i called ahead to see if we needed a reservation, but the hostess told us to just come in. when we arrived around 1:30, we were quite surprised that the dining room was only about half full. a look at the menu revealed the most obvious reason - the the only brunch option was the $24 prix fixe menu that didn't even include a free mimosa/bloody mary or dessert.

but still ouest was one of the most enjoyable dining experiences i've had in the city in awhile.

*amazing and still warm, freshly baked bread basket - minis of blueberry coffee cake, cranberry scones, sesame mini baguette, raisin walnut brioche

*choice of appetizer- we had the spicy tomato bisque- noncream based tomato soup with a small perfect kick, drizzled with a bit of cream and chives sprinkles (other options: fresh house made granola or yogurt)

*choice of entree- i had the spinach and gruyere egg souffle which was rich, decadent and enough for 2. it was served in a beurre blanc sauce and i was pleasantly surprised to find a bit of shitake mushroom in it as well. my companion had the fried poached egg with smoked duck carpaccio. the contrast in textures was amazing. it was served with a bit of ruffage (frisee, i believe) and drizzled with a light balsalmic vinagriatte.

and the service was fantastic!

[Schielke]

When you get hungry, you must Click It!!

[southern girl]

Thanks Schielke...but I was looking for the website of Ouest in NYC.

Have had the pleasure of two dinners at Ouest in Vancouver...I am hoping this on is as good!

[cabrales]

robert and Susan brown and I had a wonderful time catching up on things last night. We had dinner at Ouest, which I thought offered an average meal.

I began with an oyster stew that also featured oyster mushrooms and Yukon potatoes (in very small cubes). The broth was thin and tomato-based, and the dish was average.

Susan and I sampled the appetizer of duck, "crispy egg" and parmesan that robert had ordered. It was nicely composed, but suffered from significant flaws in the "crispy egg". The batter coating the egg white was heavy and dense and did not exhibits signs of having been recently deep-fried. Also, the batter was not particularly good in taste. However, inside the firmed-up white of the egg was a runny yolk. This dish was the subject of some discussion as to how it had been made.

I ordered the signature dish of lamb shanks, which are available only on Mondays and Tuesdays (query whether only for dinner?). The dining room team member assisting us wanted to rush our order to the kitchen, as this item was apparently on the verge of selling out for the night (it was around 8:45-9:00 p.m.). Later, she was to note that spare ribs constitute the other signature dish of Ouest. Apparently, the lamb shanks have a different accompanying base from time to time. Last night, it was a ragout-like mixture of white beans, arugula and small roasted carrot slices. On other occasions, it could be polenta, or risotto, say.

I have never had Valenti's lamb shanks, although I had visited Cascabel on more than one occasion. They were a significant disappointment. susan and I agreed that a mature lamb specimen appeared to have been used, as the taste of the lamb was rather strong. The lamb shanks were marred by at least two key problems. First, the utilization of garlic was so heavy-handed that the bitterness of the garlic overwhelmed the meat. Second, the lamb, while moist in many places, had some dry areas. Due to these reasons, I took in perhaps 1/3 of my dish (helpful to my ongoing diet).

Edited December 4, 2002 by cabrales (log)

[Ron Johnson]

Cabrales,

Do you feel a "mature specimen" was used because of the lamb flavor? It is my understanding that to be called lamb, the meat must come from an animal under a certain age.

My lament is usually that my lamb does not taste lambish enough.

[cabrales]

ron -- I'm uncertain how mature the lamb was, but it tasted considerably more mature (i.e., with lamb flavors) than most lamb I have sampled in the US. Its aromas also suggested a more mature specimen. (?)

[yvonne johnson]

Interesting note from one source: "A particular difficulty in marketing sheep meat is that the distinction between lamb and mutton is only whether or not the animal had any permanent teeth when it was slaughtered, and therefore in some circumstances the distinction between lamb and mutton is not detectable post slaughter"

http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:VHJkL...&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

I love mutton, and wish there was more of it in the US.

[Bux]

I'm with Ron on this. I prefer more lamb flavor from my lamb. I would more likely order mutton than lamb in a braised dish if only because it was less commonly found in NY menus. On the other hand, as Yvonne suggests, lamb and mutton are likely to be mislabeled.

I haven't been back to Ouest in a while, but I was a big fan of Valenti's when he was on the east side. I've really loved his cooking. It was a French chef working in a top haute cuisine restaurant who first took us to eat at Butterfield 81 when Valenti was there. Although my friend had considerable experience on both sides of the swinging doors at haute cuisine luxury restaurants in both the US and France, his enthusiasm for Valenti's hearty food was unbridled.

[Wilfrid]

Was the braised tripe on the menu? I don't suppose anyone sampled it?

[cabrales]

Was the braised tripe on the menu?  I don't suppose anyone sampled it?

Wilfrid -- I was rather intent on sampling the lamb shanks, but I vaguely recall that there was no tripe on the menu (??). No member of our dining party took in tripe.

[baruch]

my thanks to the "fat guy" for his continuing to follow-up re: valenti. i was also disappointed with valenti's lack of professionalism with his less than euthusiatic attitude in answering qustions...

[robert brown]

I saw honeycomb tripe on the menu. It is available everyday. It was made with tomato, but that's all I remember. Tomorrow night you can have tripe at Babbo, Wilfrid.

[Wilfrid]

Thanks for the info, Robert. As for tomorrow, I would if I could but I can't so I shan't.

Edit for slow-moving memory; I have eaten the tripe at Babbo. It was pleasant but I believe I can do better .

Edited December 4, 2002 by Wilfrid (log)

[Pan]

Hi, everyone, and Happy New Year to all!

I'm back after a prolonged absence, which was partly due to a busy semester of teaching. I'm on vacation from my teaching schedule now, and will make a series of posts to catch up a bit.

First, I'll tell you a little bit about my trip to Ouest on Thursday, Dec. 26, my father's birthday. We were a party of 3: Me, my mother, and my father. My father is on a special diet low in both carbs and protein, so he had only a main dish, a very nicely-cooked sliced roast pork. Unfortunately, the green vegetable that accompanied it, some very high-quality spinach steamed very nicely with garlic, is something he can't eat because of its high potassium content. The kitchen was out of the cabbage side dish. Word for the wise: If you arrive late (we arrived around 9 P.M.), the kitchen will have started to run out of things.

I started with the smoked duck appetizer. Excellent smoked duck, accompanied by some nice green leaves I couldn't identify, and something surprising: A friend soft-boiled egg with a runny yolk. It was perhaps unorthodox, but I liked it.

My mother got the confit of duck. It was very good confit. She felt it was too fatty, but I pointed out that it doesn't really make sense to complain that confit is too fatty. One of the accompaniments to it were slices of excellent beets.

For my main dish, I got sturgeon that was accompanied by an excellent risotto with a generous amount of truffle oil in it. It was a solid dish.

My mother did not have a main dish, but got the potatoes with garlic side order. I didn't try it, but she liked it.

For dessert, my mother was very satisfied with the cappucino sundae (I found it too bitter, not like a tiramisu or something, but I also don't drink coffee because it's too bitter for me). I had a terrific bread pudding with prunes and a delicious clove sauce. My father did not have dessert.

Service was very slow, making the experience reminiscent of dinners we had in France last summer (I'll post to the France board about some of those experiences).

While waiting for my parents, I had a glass of Chinon ($9.75) to reminisce about that same trip.

Appetizers were about $8-12, main dishes mostly in the low $20s (some were listed in the high teens), and desserts about $8 - by no means out of line.

To sum up: I was in no way blown away by the experience. Based on one dinner, Ouest is not comparable to Jojo at its best several years ago (which I would have rated 3 stars), but it is a solid 2-star that will give you value for your money. And I almost forgot to mention that their bread is very good sourdough, and the dip they give you for it is excellent hummus.

And just a reminder: They run out of things. For example, they had no more of the "game" special, which would have been cornish hen. Actually, we didn't believe there was any game on the menu because we consider both cornish hen and squab to be poultry. Anyway, if you care deeply about having your choices limited, try going early rather than late. Also, they have walk-in tables if you didn't get a reservation.

[yvonne johnson]

Pan, it's great to see you back. I missed your posts as you give very good recommendations especially on the more out of the way and less written about places--Col Legno comes to mind. Happy New Year to you too.