I come at this from the perspective of someone who dines out, when I do dine out, at unglamorous establishments like Benny Tudino's or No. 1 Hoboken Chinese, or even Rutt's Hut. If you see me in a high-end restaurant, someone else is usually picking up the tab. Usually a relative or a close friend. Not that I'm a freeloader, or especially indigent. When I try to pay my own way in these establishments, the relative/friend, knowing of my relative penury, will invariably say, "Your money is no good here. Put your money back in your pocket." I protest...honest...but it's almost always in vain. After thanking them, I'm tempted to say, "Ok, but next time we grab something at the White Manna, or Grubbs Take Away, I'm picking up the tab."
I don't know if 3 West would be considered "high-end" by midtown Manhattan standards, but it's pretty "high-end" by my more prosaic ones. It's located in a mini-mall style location called "Riverwalk Village," not far from where I live. There's a Starbucks in the mall, which may have been enough to elevate the mall to "high-end" status all by itself back in the day. (Starbucks seems kind of commonplace and ordinary at this point in time). I should note--- the parking at this mall is horrendous. If you're not coming here during an off-hour, you're taking your life into your hands walking from your vehicle to the store/restaurant of your choice. There's additional parking in the back, but you're liable to get clipped walking from the back to the front of the mall. Take it from me; I speak from experience.
Inside, the restaurant is dark. And when I say dark-- I mean, very dark. Still, the setting isn't off-putting. I found the crackling fire place charming, even if it didn't provide much in the way of illumination. My night-vision sucks, but as long as I can see the menu, and the food on the plate, what's the problem? No problem at all.
I knew if I offered to pay, I was going to be refused (with love, of course-- I don't have a ton of friends, but those I have are very good ones), so I decided to order the cheapest item on the menu, which was a "3 West Cheddar Burger," served with "Harvest Rib-eye Blend, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Rosemary Aioli, Brioche Bun, Frites." (I'm still not sure what "Aioli" is...sounds like "Rosemary Aioli" might have been the chef, or perhaps a romance novelist...but for the other proletariats out there like me, "Frites" is French for "French Fries." Mom didn't raise a total idiot. Although I'm not entirely sure what a Brioche Bun is. Maybe she raised half an idiot.) It was tasty. Nice flavor. Best cheeseburger I've ever had? Probably not. The fanciest? Maybe.
I didn't pay too much attention to what my friends were eating. I don't know that I could have seen what they were eating if I tried. One friend ordered the Harvest Pork Chop (which I considered ordering, until I saw the price), thought it was a bit undercooked, and sent it back. When it was returned to our table, it was still a little too underdone for her liking, but she decided not to say anything further. The friend whose birthday it was ordered the "Colossal Lump Crabcake" (the $15 appetizer) and described it as "delicious." Everyone else seemed more than satisfied with what they ordered. Another friend doesn't eat meat, and I think she might have made a meal out of the Cucumber Rolls. Dessert consisted of tiny donuts with a choice of dipping sauces-- raspberry or chocolate. Different, for sure, but my chronic weakness for sweets was kicking in big-time and tiny donuts didn't really cut it. I had my avaricious eye on the Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Sundae. But with an $11 price tag-- I decided to stick with one of the mini donuts we all split up between us.
Like a heroin habit, an avaricious sweet tooth can be tamed, if only one is strong enough.
Our waiter (not sure what his name was, unfortunately) was very good, very pleasant and accommodating.
I don't know that I partook of enough or sampled enough of the restaurant's cooking to be able to classify myself as a "fan." If you're looking for (what I consider to be) high-end dining in Basking Ridge, 3 West seems like a good choice. It certainly was packed with people when we finished our meals and made our way out the door (thankfully, no one stumbled in the dark). If my friends invite me again, I certainly won't say no.
But I guess, as a regular matter of course, I feel more comfortable eating at Benny Tudino's or No. 1 Hoboken. At 3 West, you "dine." At Benny Tudino's, or Mr. Wraps, you "eat."
But I say that not in a negative way. I liked my experience at 3 West. I recommend the restaurant. read more