The West Branch
This restaurant is closed!
Contact Info:
Address: 2178 Broadway (77th St)
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10024
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 777-6764
Website: http://www.thewestbranchnyc.com/
Food Info:
Menu: View the Menu
Chef:
Tom Valenti
Cuisine:
American
2nd Cuisine:
European
Cititour Review:
In opening Ouest some years back, chef Tom Valenti did more than just about anyone in resuscitating the Upper West Side as an area for serious dining. Now, with The West Branch, his casual new spot just a few blocks down for Ouest, he’s created another worthy go-to destination. As its name implies, Valenti is playing with the formula he perfected at Ouest, mixing challenging French cooking with more bistro-like staples. The décor, while reminiscent of Ouest, is a bit more subdued (yet still comfortable) and entrée prices are in many cases $10 (or more) less expensive, though a three-course meal can still add up to a fairly hefty tab.
Indeed, had the complimentary cheese bread and herb bread not been so addictively delicious, we might have followed our charming waiter Kevin’s suggestion to indulge in some cocktail-friendly nibblies, including cheese gougeres, mushroom-infused arancini, or oysters and clams from the raw bar. Instead, we dove directly into more traditional appetizers, including a trio of bite-size blini, each topped with excellent smoked salmon and a dollop of caviar-crowned crème fraiche, and a beautifully composed salad of roasted beets, fennel, hazelnuts, and goat cheese in a light yet flavorful vinaigrette.
Entrée selections offer something for every taste from a hamburger and steak frites (a popular item at many tables) to fish and chips, trout, and skate, and a variety of pastas. Still, even after one visit, I am officially “hooked” on Valenti’s truly supernal choucrote: a bowl filled with an absolutely perfect leg of duck confit, a link of fabulous housemade pork-and-fennel sausage, practically ethereal sauerkraut studded with slab bacon, and three surprisingly excellent boiled potatoes (and all accompanied with first-rate Dijon mustard). My dining companion, who helped me polish off my dish, was equally pleased with his excellent cod topped with a delicious tapenade and served atop fine ratatouille. And we both agreed that a side order of creamy polenta – one of my favorite comfort foods – simply redefined the word “creamy.”
While it might have been wiser (health-wise anyway) to forego dessert, we charged ahead. A classic “tarte basque,” in which a flan-like custard is encased in sugary, flaky party was perfectly executed, while there could be nothing more seasonal than the “egg nog gingerbread pudding” – essentially a warm ginger cake lightly covered in custard and topped with whipped cream.
The restaurant does have a few drawbacks: the noise level can be fairly elevated, there’s not much space up front to wait for tables or coats to be retrieved (though there is a very nice bar), and wine and cocktail prices are slightly on the high side, especially compared to the food. But all in all, The West Branch is one more excellent reason to visit the Upper West Side.
Review By: Brian Scott Lipton
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