Steakhouses are pricey, but as we say, when steakhouses do well, the economy is doing well. However you do not need to spend hundreds to have a good steak, maybe not the best you ever had, but a good one. West Side Steakhouse is a good example of that. Located close to Times Square, but on the quiet 10th avenue, often not considered as an area to look for restaurants, West Side Steakhouse serves decent steaks.
We went on a Friday night and the place was not that crowded, but still. Decor wise, it is not the heavy decor you find in lots of places, with leather banquettes and dark wood. I think the most noticeable thing there is would be the bottles of wine hanging on the walls.
They have a nice cocktail list so I could not resist ordering the Old Fashion, made with Bourbon, Muddled cherry and orange, sugar, Agnastora bitters. I admit that I was a bit disappointed because it tasted a bit diluted.
The bread basket was low key I would say, having only small rolls and butter, but the bread was at least good. I mention this because, often, steakhouses have different kinds of breads (white, pretzel, sticks, etc. ) and I am always looking forward to it, even if I know I should not eat too much of it considering the amount of food coming.
For appetizer, I hesitated between the slabs of bacon and the crab cake. But, being health conscious as you can imagine (???), I chose the later. There were two of them, made probably with the claw, not lump meat. Despite that, I liked it and thought that for $13, it was good, not full of breading or any other filler.
Next were the steaks. Jodi went for their 12oz filet mignon that was well cooked medium, tender and juicy.
She also ordered the béarnaise sauce that was good. Know that one order suffices for two people.
On my side, I went for a bone-in ribeye, cooked medium rare. There again, it was tender and juicy, without tons of fat but delightfully fatty. For $35, this 16oz steak was a good deal.
For sides, we went for the sautéed mushrooms
And the three cheese mac and cheese.
The mushrooms were quite good, not too garlicky, but the mac and cheese could have had a thicker cheese sauce. Despite that, I liked it.
Last was dessert and we chose the key lime pie that was quite good and not too sweet as it sometimes is.
It was overall decent, especially for the price points. West Side Steakhouse is for sure not the best Steakhouse in New York but a good alternative if you are craving steaks but do not want to break the bank. Other alternatives are Le Relais de Venise that has this amazing secret sauce and delicious fries. Another one is Chex Jacqueline in Soho that proposes a $15 steak on Wednesdays: you cannot beat that!
Enjoy (I did)!
If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share it or post a comment. Merci!