Ouest

We were visiting the UWS having lived there for 3 years and we were excited and looking forward to going back to Ouest as it was one of our favorite brunch spots, absolutely gutted it has closed.
Extremely accommodating staff, truly excellent food and sublime décor. I hope the staff/​chef/​team have moved on to bigger and better things, I’d just love to know where!
Thanks for the great food and service, best of luck!

So sad to hear they are closing. One of the best top quality gourmet restaurants.
We came here a while ago on Restaurant Week and the experience was superb. Great food, lovely ambiance and quality service.
It’s (or it was) one of those unique restaurant with traditions like the old times. You sit and enjoy a nice dinner, so comfortable.
I remember the food was extremely tasteful. Well prepared dishes with a lot of thought in them. The salmon, the skirt steak and best of all the sides they came with. Petite plates but since it was a three course dinner it was plenty of food, and the bread basket with hummus was just out of this world.
At least I can say I’ve been to Ouest…

6÷13÷2015 was Ouest’s last day of service after being open for 15 years.
We started with mussel and artichoke salad. There should have been more of that fantastic fried artichoke in this dish. Frisee took away some of that heaviness in the dressing. But there were couple pieces of mussel that were sandy and not fresh.
For main I got to try both the quail and the lamb shank. The legendary lamb shank was tender and hearty. Quail (cooked medium rare) was moist and flavorful. I personally thought the stuffing was unnecessary. But the dish as a whole with lentils and savoy cabbage boasted good spice and acidity.
The atmosphere was extremely vibrant for the last day of service. Chef Valenti was walking around greeting regulars with a big smile on his face. He should be proud of what he built. The food is rustic, technique is traditional, but flavor is new. As I made my exit I saw Enrico Miguel Thomas doing another painting of the façade. (
)
Ouest has been UWS’s favorite spot for 15 years and will remain irreplaceable. I wish Chef Valenti best of luck and hope he opens a new spot soon.

Went there for a special occasion and received the worst service I’ve ever experienced anywhere! We ordered our meals at 7:50 and the appetizers came by 8:00 but our entrees arrived at 9:25 and only because we asked what had happened to our dinner. When we complained they just sent us a different waiter — no apologies, no manager to speak to us and the food was mediocre partly because it had clearly been sitting under warming lamps for an hour whilewe were forgotten about. And it was a $ 75+ meal per person!!! I could go on and in about the problems rxperienced. A disaster — stay away. Completely overrated. No stars in my book!

1. Décor was nice. A first impression that may raise your expectations, only to be faced with…
2. Bad service here. It’s either they all pass the buck to someone else or they just don’t do it.
3. Food is not worth the price in my opinion. The salmon was delicious but the fusilli was mediocre.
4. I have to echo another post. The bread is really the only redeeming factor. Really good, hot, and fresh. I’d eat only the bread.

Great neighborhood spot for an elegant meal or drink. A friend and I came here recently for just cocktails and desserts, and the waiter was fantastic. I love how large the restaurant is, and you never feel crowded. Noise level is perfect for having a long conversation. We come here often for work breakfasts/​lunches, and I definitely recommend it. Food is tasty and the portion sizes are terrific. The drinks are a little pricey, but they have very generous pours!

We had a party of 6 attend dinner at Ouest recently. On the one hand, the food was excellent. a number of different dishes were served, including appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts. Everyone at the table was very happy with the flavor and preparation of everything that was served.
However, the service left much to be desired. A number of mistakes were made, include a forgotten appetizer, a drink from the menu that was not as listed, a tray of drinks being spilled at the table, no offer of additional drinks, and a «large party» automatic tip that included a tip on the tax. The service was a bit too slow as well. There was no attempt to compensate the table for these errors, though one member of our party did speak to the manager at the conclusion of the meal.
Frankly, for the cost and location we expected much better.

Honestly the best thing about coming here for brunch was the complimentary bread. The food was 2 – 3 stars worthy. three stars if you think of only the food and not the price tag. Had the flat iron steak as my entrée which was cooked well and the side of greens I had with it tasted nourishing. I usually never rate a place so badly but I totally agree with other reviews. The service was bad to the point that I got annoyed. I won’t go into the details but I would have preferred to place my own order on the computer and serve our table instead of dealing with the person we had assigned to us. It’s worth mentioning that they did have a very nice playlist which our whole table enjoyed.

That beet salad!
We had a lovely dinner at Ouest for Restaurant Week.
My friends and I love Restaurant Week. We love trying new restaurants, and love the great deal that gives us the chance to try these new places. Sometimes restaurants mail it in during Restaurant Week with substandard menus, and smaller portions, and rushed service — not too bright, if their purpose for participating in Restaurant Week is to introduce new customers and entice them to return and be loyal customers. Not a problem at Ouest though. Great menu, great service, great food.
The beet salad was phenomenal. I have made beet salad with goat cheese many times, but never had the imagination to cream the goat cheese… brillant! Every now and then I visit a restaurant and find a dish that I drool over everytime I think about it, and am dream of the day I will return to eat it again. This was it. beets and chevre purée. Amazing.
My friend had the steak and she loved it. I had the Moroccan spiced salmon and I loved it. We both also had the chocolate cake (um, duh! Of course!) and it was wonderful.
The restaurant very graciously allowed us to use a
gift certificate with the Restaurant Week menu. For $ 10, I purchased a
gift certificate, essentially saving $ 15 on the bill. The process could not be easier… I have an app on my phone, and handed the phone to the server, who validated it and applied it to the bill. In addition, I used my American Express card, which has a Restaurant Week promotion right now of $ 5 off a Restaurant Week bill. In addition, I made an easy-​peasy reservation on
, and got 100 points credited to my account. I wish all restaurants were on
! So easy to make and modify reservations– I love it! So all in all, a great incentive to try a new restaurant, that we have decided we love and would love to return to.
The restaurant is gorgeous. The red banquet seating. The cool bar. Very romantic! This would be a great date place!
The food was delicious. Fantastic.
The cocktails are yummy. I highly recommend the Cote Rhone wine and the Bourbon mash… I can’t wait to drink this again– outstanding!
The service was lovely.

The food is awesome! Everything was delicious, no complaints. Sunday was my 3^rd visit to Ouest over the course of 4 years. I live just around the block but never think to stop in more often. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll ever go back. The service was APPALLING. The chef/​owner would be embarrassed; I certainly hope he wasn’t in the house because if this is his idea of service, its pretty sad.
First off, I’m quite aware that this is an establishment that is meant for a slower meal and savoring your time, but the snail paced service was awful. We sat down at 5:30 and there were only 4 other tables at this point. Our server took forever (I timed 12 minutes) to come over and actually never greeted us. Bussers and runners were a plenty but no one bothered to offer us water. Upon actually coming over, she stared blankly at us and I finally asked for water. When she came back, more black stares and my date asked me what I would like to drink. She took our orders and came back 10 minutes later. She finally asked to take our dinner order and I specifically asked if there were any specials. I was informed there were none, but I would think this would have been a prime opportunity to tell us the soup of the day, which I would have ordered if I had known. About 30 minutes later, I learned this information when she greeted the table next to us with bread and water. I was quite disappointed (and we still didn’t have bread). After this things mostly ran smoothly, as we didn’t have much contact with her. She delivered the check without asking if we wanted anything else, which was unfortunate because we did want to order more drinks, but we left for a bar with much better service.
My second gripe, besides the server were the unfriendly food runners. They delivered our food without so much as a peep as to what the dishes were or to check if we needed anything. They came off as being too good to serve, wrong industry for that attitude. (They were all English speaking, it wasn’t a language barrier)
Lastly, the front of house. Scattered and flustered, they were anything but graceful. The female hostess, was friendly but the male host was a bit rude. No «goodbyes», no «how was your meal?». He told me «oh, you just ate, you’re all set» with a move to the side motion.
Clearly, I’m very upset with the service. It was hard to enjoy what was suppose to be a nice end to a romantic weekend. Both myself and my date have worked in the food service industry and understand the difficulties, but this restaurant wasn’t overly crowded and we didn’t ask for much. Good service should never be put on the back burner. That impression lasts longer than the tastyness of the food.

Made a reservation based on a friend’s recommendation. Indicated it was a birthday celebration and we were sharing with friends. Seating was mediocre. Service slow. Apéritif ordered had only one bottle available, already opened. No kidding. Indicated we had show seats. Service still slow. Ordered salmon, got trout. Ordered wine. Vintage different than the wine list. Ordered biscotti for dessert. Got one little candle on the plate. Happy Birthday dear! Ordered French press coffee, not…
Furgetaboutit!

Well it would have been 5 stars if not for the other people in the restaurant.
Came in early on a weeknight with a reservation on open table.
Hostess is pleasant and seats me immediately. Waiter comes over quickly to take drink order. I ordered the vesper, which was refreshing and delicious. My complaint with the drink was that I didn’t get a fresh garnish (lemon and orange peel) with my second drink and it was served in the same glass, now I’m all for saving the environment and reusing dirty glasses, but if I’m paying $ 16 a drink, I sure as sh*t do not want to drink out of the same dirty glass.
Our water glasses were never empty, and the service was prompt and quick. There were a lot of people working for a Tuesday night.
Food: superb. Beet salad with goat cheese purée, awesome. Trout: amazing. The food was really well done.
The other peopke in this restaurant however, remind me why I never come this far uptown. Across from us at the beginning was a couple and two preteen boys, the woman (much younger than her companion) left the table 2 times in hysterics. Two times.
Then, a man and his wife sat 2 tables away from us (why they were sat there with almost no one else in the restaurant is a mystery). He saw it necessary to scooch over to my table, so that I could speak less loudly. Really? Even our waiter gave me a look at this point, I wasn’t yelling or being loud and you can’t expect eatery to be quiet. It was just completely off putting.
So if Ouest opens in a less pretentious neighborhood, I will return. Otherwise, not. a. chance.

Not sure why so many bad reviews. Our server, Richard was very good. One person in our party had a few food allergies and he was very helpful in guiding her.
I shared the gravlax and endive salad. For dinner the pork chop with spazle was huge and terrific.
Good place.

Ouest is large, classy restaurant on the UWS that would seem like the perfect place to bring your parents.
My husband and I tried this place out to use our
gift card and I would say it was well worth it for brunch. Sunday brunch is $ 29 per person for one appetizer and one entrée.
The meal started out great with a delightful bread basket (containing corn bread, muffins, and probably the tastiest blueberry scone ever). Truth be told, I love a good bread basket and often judge a restaurant by whether they provide good bread.
We both had the soup of the day — the mushroom soup. It was just right, except that my husband would’ve preferred it to be hot, and it was lukewarm. Just his preference.
My burger entrée was actually quite size able — being 8.5 months pregnant I was still able to pack half my burger home. My complaint is that the party itself was smaller than the burger buns. I’m not sure why that was when the buns were not of particularly large size. As to the patty itself I had to have it well done, which is not how I would normally order it.
My husband was not entirely impressed with his eggs. He is particular about having his eggs over easy. They were more «over medium», and as a yolk lover that did disappoint him.
Otherwise we found the restaurant scent with great service and great ambience. Perhaps one day we will be back to try their dinner menu.

Nice room, good (but not great) service. Highlights were the endive/​roquefort salad and the massive pork chop. Also loved the chocolate cinnamon pot de crème.
Bartender made me a great Old Fashioned to start the night off. A nice, «upscale» option on the UWS.

More like a 3.5.
We decided to go regular dinner menu and not Restaurant Week menu, despite it being the last week of RW.
Service was really odd. Our server mixed up our drinks (he poured the wrong drink into the sugar-​rimmed glass), apologized profusely, said he would get us new glasses to fix the mistake… but then never got us new glasses. It wasn’t a huge deal, but the sidecar — and not the gin drink! — should have had the sugar rim. Our appetizers came out on time, but our entrees took forever to arrive. Again, not a huge deal that night because my party was engrossed in conversation, but I got pretty antsy. And at least they acknowledged the delay and apologized for it.
The food was pretty yummy. I thought there were some misses, but overall the food was good.
— I loved the duck appetizer with the crispy poached egg.
— The egg soufflé (?) was meh. I could have done without it. It tasted like a weird pancake with truffle.
— Stewed honeycomb tripe was dee-​licious! I’m used to having tripe prepared Asian-​style, with ginger and garlic, so this was different, and in a good way.
— The lamb duo was tasty and perfectly prepared. I am not too crazy about lamb, but I enjoyed the sample I did have.
— The cavatelli with short rib was good, but I thought the pasta was too hard. Or maybe I just don’t like cavatelli?
— The mashed potatoes were good but nothing special.
— The creamed spinach was OK, and it wasn’t what I expected! It didn’t taste like creamed spinach at all — it was more of cream of mushroom soup with spinach. It was quite runny and it was weird. Tasty, but weird.
If everything was a few dollars cheaper, I would have been much happier. Overall, a good experience though.

2.5 stars, but I’m erring on the low side because the service came with a fair amount of attitude. (So 2.49 stars, I guess.) Nothing special or unusual at all about this place, frankly, except the prices.
Service: we had a reservation for 6 on a Friday evening. We arrived right on time, and the restaurant was maybe 75% full. The hostess said «we’re prepping your table now.» It took 20 – 25 minutes to get seated, and no party of more than 2 left during that period — I have no idea what took so long. I wouldn’t give a hoot normally for something like this, but it was a special occasion, we had a reservation, and the hostess/​manager acted like we were somehow imposing on them by standing in their (empty) bar and staring at them. At least be a little apologetic. Once seated, the waiter, an older man, was pretty snooty and disinterested.
Drinks: sugariest/​sweetest old-​fashioned I’ve ever had. They might be sustaining the maraschino cherry industry singlehandedly.
Food: Huge prices (entrees all around $ 35), but nothing special. I had squab — well-​executed, but I can get it elsewhere. A couple others had hanger steak — well-​executed, but I can get it lots of places. The sides were all pretty generic, low-​effort type things (polenta, sauteed veggies… snooze). Nothing outstanding, nothing bad either.
No one bothered to order dessert.
There are several better options in the area for a special occasion-​type meal if you’re feeling spendy (Dovetail, Ocean Grill, among others)…I wouldn’t bother if I were you.

Had a Sunday brunch for 18 people. Got to sit in our own area in the balcony. The environment is great; lots of semi-​circlular booths for small groups, and the overall vibe of the place is classy without being stuffy.
Sunday brunch consists of a 2-​course pre fixe for $ 29, which includes coffee or tea. The yogurt was very good, and the spinach omelette soufflé was very filling — a little too rich, perhaps, but full of flavor. No complaints from any others from the group.
The service was very good; friendly and efficient.
For a 1:30pm reservation, the place was pretty empty. Then I realized that the place closes on Sundays around 2pm or so. When we left around 3:30pm, we were the only ones left.
If you’re looking for a cost-​effective brunch, this is not for you. But for a special brunch occasion, this was terrific.

Wow, every single thing was absolutely delicious!
I came here for my birthday because it also happened to be restaurant week and I checked out their restaurant week menu online and thought it looked perfect.
First, the bread. I know, I know. Why am I talking about the bread? Well, because the bread was absolutely amazing. They were these miniature baguettes hot out of the oven with a hummus and olive oil dip. Wow. I couldn’t stop. My dad and I ate the entire basket, just the two of us!
Now, on to the meal. Every single thing we ordered was absolutely delicious. There was not one thing that I didn’t enjoy and we left completely stuffed!
The highlight of the meal was definitely the goat cheese ravioli. Oh man, it literally melted in your mouth.
The only problem was that the restaurant week menu that was available online was not the one they use. They said that they change it up all the time. So, don’t use the menu on the restaurant week website as your guide. It’s not always accurate.
I would definitely recommend Ouest for restaurant week or any special occasion! (it’s a little pricey for me to eat there on the reg…)

I have been to Ouest three times now. Overall a very nice option for an UWS restaurant. I seem to like this place, because I keep coming back here. :)
The food is EXCELLENT. Fresh, tasty, cooked to perfection. We started with the escargots, the corned beef tongue and a beet salad. All starters were superb. Our entrees were porcini crusted tuna and tasty juicy duck.
Crowd: Typical upper West side people. Smart. Well raised, well mannered, properly dressed.
Décor and ambiance: Warm, cozy ambiance. The comfortable round leather booths are very suitable for small groups, wishing to enjoy each others’ company. The lighting is pleasant. Not too bright.
The kitchen is most definitely holding up its end of the bargain. They take pride in their work. It’s nice that you can look into the kitchen from the restaurant.
Please stay around.