West Side Steakhouse

Manhattan

The order drew two questions: whether I had a preference of alcohol, and whether I wanted it up or on the rocks. Neither should be asked. The bar should pour to its own default, and a Manhattan is up; a guest with a non-standard preference will say so. It came in a martini glass where a coupe belongs, with a Mendocino cherry already sunk to the bottom and no pick across the rim. The color was “a bit light” and the taste “diluted.”

Shrimp Cocktail

Three small shrimp hooked haphazardly around a gravy boat full of cocktail sauce. They had no snap. Not quite “mealy,” but the same soft, “almost mushy” texture you get from a grocery store without a good seafood counter. No horseradish alongside to adjust the strength of the sauce.

Filet Mignon

Cooked to the medium rare I ordered, which is the part that went right. The rest was not. Several pieces carried noticeable fat, and on a few cuts the fat “stringed out”; one end was more fat than meat. The cut was flat and wide rather than tall, and there was no crust. I’ve had comparable steaks on an airplane.

Creamed Spinach

The best thing on the table. Good texture, “saucy, but not too saucy,” and light enough that it never turned heavy over the meal.

New York Cheesecake

The texture was “almost mealy” and there was no taste to it. The crust was dense and soft, “like dense hardened gelatin.” No berries. The whipped cream was literally “wet.”

The Room

Somewhat “rough around edges,” closer to a neighborhood casual Italian place than a steakhouse, with very little character. It seemed like a diner that had been taken over and converted. The bussing area is open and very close to the seating. The acoustics are the virtue: I held a conversation without straining to hear.

Service

Just “Ok.” The water server’s accent was thick enough that I couldn’t understand what he was asking. The primary server took roughly ten minutes to appear. I asked for a side of horseradish with the steak and it never came. After we finished, clearing the plates took a long time.

Extras

Bread was rolls, warm and good. The presentation let it down: about ten pieces of packaged butter under the rolls in the basket. The steak knives had narrow handles and small, relatively dull blades.

Value

The five items came to $109: the Manhattan at $17, the shrimp cocktail at $17, the filet at $55, the creamed spinach at $8 and the cheesecake at $12. That is $109 before tax for the order. For a meal where only the spinach and the bread earned their keep, the value is marginal.