West Side Steakhouse is indeed your neighborhood steak shop

I reported on West Side Steakhouse in its Plywood stage, but it's been fully open for a month or two now. I finally made it over there to check out the goods a couple of weeks ago.

The dining room is spare but comfortable, and the service is efficient but friendly. The bread to start consisted of olive and what looked like cheddar ciabatta; it was quite good, marred only by the rock-hard cold butter (a few minutes of softening would have done wonders for that).

Might also want to get cloth napkins to kick the "paper napkin in a basket" vibe up a notch...

My dining companion ordered the crab cakes to start. They looked slightly on the flaccid and soggy side to me, but he said that although they were a bit doughy they were still quite good and were packed full of crab. They were also made in-house, which is key to getting crab cakes of quality.

Lots of crab here

The crab cakes were followed up by a rib-eye steak, which was also pronounced delicious and was well-cooked. Note that, as is standard at steakhouses, all the meat here is a la carte, so if you order a steak you'll get just a steak unless you order sides separately.

Big ol' steak on a plate

That's where I came in. I ordered a trio of sides, starting with the grilled asparagus, which was surprisingly delicious, attractively caramelized and drizzled with a bit of reduced balsamic vinegar, which took the dish to the next level. I only wish there had been a few more spears here; seven pencil-thin pieces of asparagus is a tiny bit stingy for $7.50.

Asparagus FTW!

My other main veggie was the sauteed mushrooms, which were also quite flavorful due to their garlicky, peppery sauce. These weren't too greasy, which was merciful, and the portion here was plentiful. Note that these were cooked relatively lightly, which means they retained their spongy mushroomness, so if you're looking for the caramelized, almost-burnt mushroom consistency, these aren't for you.

Lots of different types of fungus here

For good measure, the final veggie was creamed spinach. I took a tiny bite of this, and it was rich and tasty. I'm no creamed spinach connoisseur, but this seemed to do the job.

Green plop

While we were there, the liquor license at WSS was pending, so there was neither booze sold nor BYOB allowed. Once the license comes through, I think the addition of alcohol to the mix will add some festiveness to both the food and the atmosphere. In the meantime, however, the food at WSS is surprisingly good and reasonably priced, and it's worth a try if you're looking for a low-key, genuine meal in the neighborhood.

West Side Steakhouse
597 Tenth Avenue, between 43rd and 44th Streets
212-564-4803

More info on West Side Steakhouse

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a new steakhouse coming to 10th Avenue. Well, the owner of the plywooded restaurant recently wrote in to deliver some more details. As such:

1) West Side Steakhouse will feature "traditional steakhouse fare" with "one distinct difference: You will not feel like you got clubbed over the head when you ask for the check."

2) Full bar and reasonably priced wine list.

3) Looking to open in June.

4) Again, the goal here is "fine dining at a reasonable price."

It certainly will be an interesting addition to the eclectic 10th Ave dining scene. More details as they come this way, and a full report forthcoming when the place opens in a few months...

West Side Steakhouse looking to shake up Tenth Avenue

There's a lot of movement going on in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, with restaurants and shops closing down and new places growing phoenix-like in their wake. The newest tantalizer is on Tenth Avenue, between 43rd and 44th, taking the place of the former and humerously-named "Gourmet Wok."

Yep, gourmet.

There's definitely construction going on there, but what's most interesting is the small public notice located beneath the three building permits:

West Side Steakhouse wants booze!

Could it be? A steakhouse, coming to Tenth Avenue? Any more reports, send them my way.