Restaraunt Reviews: Ouest Restaurant
 by Justin August
 Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
 New York, NY
 Views: 11,264

	Share

Being new to New York, I have yet to fall into the idea that there are certain places in NY for certain things. Of course, I have started noticing a trend; East Village is dive bars and crappy college kids. Williamsburg is artsy broke kids that should have gone to college and need even divier bars, they are so broke, but it's all for the art. And most people think of West Village as the place for fine dining, or so I have been told. But, stuck in the Upper West Side, holding onto their spot for these past 9 years now, is a place you may not have heard of before, and let me tell you, if you haven't, you are missing out, it's Ouest(pronounced, west)

Ouest is owned by it's also executive chef Tom Valenti. Tom is a native of Ithaca New York and started working in the kitchen as a teenager. Fast forward to 2001 and thru several awards, he opens Ouest on Broadway at w.84th. Last night I was able to stop by and General Manager Chris Peterman walked me thru a few of the most amazing dishes, he dubs as Haut American Cuisine, that I have tasted in quite some time, let me just give you the highlights;

1st Course: A housemade Salmon gravlax over a perfectly toasted, fluffy and warm chickpea corncake, and surrounded by a trio of caviar, Sturgeon, Salmon and Flying Fish row…delectable!

2nd Course:  A roasted bone marrow, now what they do here is actually push the bone marrow out of the bone and roast it , then they take the bone and stuff it with a  short rib onion marmalade combo topped with a shallot, parsley apple salad… all over the top of a crispy brioche...Oh man, this was by far the best bone marrow dish I have ever had!!!!

3rd Course: Once again, a house smoked (they do everything in house) Sturgeon, over a home made crouton with a perfectly poached egg setting on top and covered with a Frisee salad, surrounded by gorgeous chunks of Lardon

4th(and Final) Course (I was so stuffed!):  A pan roasted Squab, cooked to the perfection that is medium rare, complimented by the duck liver risotto it lay gently upon.
This was the best meal I have had since living in NY. And I have had some damn good dinners! The staff at Ouest is wonderfully educated and presents your food with a grace and demeanor that only enhances this dining experience. My server Ashley was not only gracious and beautiful, but also very knowledgeable about what she was serving and had no qualms about describing the dishes to me.

The G.M Chris, doubles as not only the G.M, but also the house sommelier and beverage director, his passion is wine and he made sure to keep his original role as director of this program when being offered the G.M. position. In his words, "Wine is meant for everyone, and that is what we try to keep in mind here when building our list, wine really is a time, a place and a celebration."

The wine list is well placed amongst the menu; there are old world and new world styles, not very esoteric, but also stepping out of the box.  The cocktail list is a throwback to traditions of yesteryear, and the 10oz martinis definitely pack a wallop.

Having a love for food makes this restaurant a new favorite of mine, and it should be a favorite of yours as well, and really, it's not that far away, just a little jaunt up the one train which let's off at 79th, a mere few blocks away.

Getting hungry, looking for a new dinner spot, head to the upper west side and experience Ouest!


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Last updated by Justin August - Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 -  New York, NY