West Bank Café
Photo: Cititour.com
Contact Info:
Address: 407 W 42nd St (bet. 9th & 10th Aves)
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10036
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 695-6909
Website: http://www.westbankcafe.com
Food Info:
Menu: View the Menu
Cuisine:
American
Payment:
Amex Visa Mastercard
Cititour Review:
As devoted readers of this site know, I spend a lot of time in the Theater District. And so, not surprisingly, I’m frequently asked for dining suggestions in the area, and I often recommend the West Bank Café. But when I recently realized I hadn’t actually eaten there in many, many months, and having heard that a savvy young chef named Joe Marcus had spruced up the menu, I figured it was time for an encore visit. Fortunately, I haven’t been giving people a bum steer. In fact, Marcus has added a layer of sophistication to the menu -- with dishes such as braised veal cheeks and duck two ways -- that makes the West Bank worth a visit for foodies. Indeed, even if you’re not catching a show, you might want to visit just to sample Marcus’ tuna tartare, which ups the ante on this often mundane dish by mingling the crunch of green apple and pine nuts with the silky fish. A salad of shaved artichokes and fresh crab meat in a lemony dressing is light and flavorful, a perfect starter on a hot summer night. Heartier souls will be pleased with a pair of bell-shaped zucchini flowers that practically ooze delicious house-made ricotta, all napped in a smoky tomato sauce. Marcus handles cooked fish just as well as raw, at least based on a fine (and surprisingly generous) salmon fillet, its skin wonderfully crispy, accented by Japanese eggplant and tomato. A first-rate duck breast (which arrived rare as requested) gets just enough tang from a sauce studded with sour cherries; it’s smartly paired with a square of yummy herbed polenta. (I only wish the accompanying bed of spinach were a little less cooked.) Those with a truly sweet tooth will be thrilled with the dessert options, which include a chocolate trio (complete with a white chocolate milkshake) and a butterscotch caramel parfait. But we wished for something a little more adult to finish our meals, and were duly rewarded with an excellent rhubarb tart and a lemon tart that arrived with a dollop of “soft meringue” on the side of the plate. (We were tempted by the idea of a pistachio crème brulee, but when we saw it another table and discovered it was green inside and out, we took a pass. But it may be delicious.)
Review By: Brian Scott Lipton
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