West Bank Cafe

I came in around 1:30 yesterday afternoon with a large Meetup group of around 20. We had called ahead, so they were expecting us. We were seated pretty much right away, which is impressive considering how large our group was.
Now I should say that I was very disappointed when I found out that they were not serving brunch. I saw several pictures on Unilocal of breakfast food, so I was confused as to why we were given a lunch menu. I was then told by the waiter that they only serve brunch on Sundays :(
I’ll try not to hold it against them, but I was caught off guard.
The lunch menu had plenty of good options, so I settled on the Croque Monsieur because it was the closest thing to breakfast I could find. It was very tasty, and quite a big portion. The waiters were attentive and we were served quickly and allowed to hang out after we paid our bill.
I guess I’ll return to check out their brunch offerings one day.

My friends and I arrived just before a downpour. Our group of 7 had made a reservation just 2 hours before on a Friday night. We had tickets for the burlesque show downstairs later that night.
We were seated at the front of the restaurant. It was extremely stuffy, and the hostess kindly opened the ceiling to floor windows. Minutes later, the rain began to leak past the outdoor overhang. Alas.
Not to worry, we all secured boozy beverages quickly. None of the cocktails seemed to blow anyone’s mind, but the melon mule was certainly acceptable. Even better were (a) the service and (b) the food. Our waiter was cheerful and on point.
A friend and I split first the kale and octopus salad. It was delicious. The octopus was tender and flavorful. I loved it. Who knew, then, that the linguini would be jsut as good. We next shared the black linguini with rock shrimp. Not sure which was better, the tomato confit or the shrimp. Let’s go with the entire dish. It was lighter than expected and delicious.
Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals. I also had one of my friend’s risotto balls, an accurate foreshadowing of the satisfying meal to come. Good job, West Bank Café, the bachelorette party was off to a great start.
Just one caveat: the truffle mac and cheese, which we ordered downstairs but came from the same kitchen obviously, was awful. It’s orzo, first of all, and had way too much truffle. Nothing good or balanced about this dish. (The stinky cheese plate, on the other hand, while not stinky, was tasty)