Upper West

The address for Upper West has changed hands at least three times in the last five years, so when I saw this place stay without changing names for more than a year, I thought it was time to try the latest incarnation.

I went for lunch ad was surprised to find diners filling nearly half the space; it's always a good sign when a restaurant known for bar food and happy hour has a lunch crowd. I asked my server if the salad plates were a meal or a side serving and he said if I ordered a salad, it was probably enough by itself (he was right). I chose the organic baby spinach, dill mustard vinaigrette, blackberries, goat cheese, red onions and edamame ($8) topped with a grilled skirt steak (+$7).

The portion was huge, completely filling the 14" plate. Happily, the steak was tender and done as I had ordered it (rare), unfortunately the salad did not have either the red onions or the edamame, and the drizzled sauce (meant to accompany the steak) on the salad made the salad a bit too salty. I also ordered a glass of the special lunch sauvignon blanc ($5), which was a generous pour and very passable as a house white.

Would I go back? Maybe. They have a great happy hour menu from 5-7pm with menu items like Thai Calamari, Lamb Nacho bites, and jalapeno hummus, all for $7 and wine or beer from $4, so perhaps I will try them for their strong points and hopefully they will still be Upper West by the time I go back for another try.