The Upper West

"Baby" baby back ribs, fried sweet potatoes, ahi tuna tacos, steak and carrot cake ice cream sandwiches were all phenomenal! Strawberry gin cocktail was delicious and I don't even like gin. My friend had the sea bass and key lime pie tart and said both were phenomenal. She especially liked the ice cream that came with the tart.

**Yelp 100 Challenge 2017 27/100**Was lured here by the $39 DineLA menu, as it's been on my list to try for a while.Walking in, I was surprised by the overall trendiness of the space - it's practically under the freeway overpass on Pico, and then you walk inside and get a totally cool vibe. Quotes on the walls about the love of food and whiskey, and pulsing music in the background, made me feel like I would look over and see Sarah Jessica Parker and the rest of the Sex an the City gang sipping Manhattans at the next table. Probably could be toned down a little bit, but I LOVED the high beamed wooden ceilings and lighting. Space felt very open.Was feeling indecisive about beverage selections, and the waitress was very sweet to bring me a couple of heavier options to taste. Chose the Windmill Cab ($16/glass) and it was yummy. They also have WHISKEY FLIGHTS (!!!), including a Macallan one, so next time I will not be driving.Alright, the important stuff: FOOD. We chose octopus carpaccio and the pork belly served over baked beans. The octopus was my least favorite dish of the night... the crispy chip they served with the thinly sliced octopus tasted very sharp, almost cheesy, and did not complement the delicate octopus well. Though the octopus itself tasted fairly fresh, the dish just didn't work. The pork belly was a different story entirely - the meat was tender and delicious, and the baked beans were a fabulous touch. Flt a little like dinner-on-the-range (especially combined with the wood beamed ceilings overhead), and I mean that in a great way.For main courses, we chose pork tenderloin and the flatiron steak. The pork tenderloin is served over potatoes and with apple sauce over the top. My friend and I clearly didn't look hard enough at the description, and the sweetness of the apple sauce was surprising to us. In the end, I loved the surprise flavors it gave with the pork, while she said she couldn't decide. Did not taste the goat cheese in the potatoes, and honestly, with everything else going on (pork/applesauce) didn't really eat much of them. The steak was good, but a much more straightforward dish. However, given the pork curveball we were grateful for something standard as our other option.Dessert was delicious. My friend, a chocolate fiend, very much enjoyed the chocolate tart. I feel like a "tart" was not the right description; the way it was presented made it look almost like a slice of cheesecake, and it was rich and had the texture of fudge. We weren't complaining, but definitely not what we were expecting based on the menu. Brioche bread pudding was heavenly, with rich caramel/maple-y flavors. Service was fine, but nothing spectacular. Dishes came out promptly and waters were refilled often.

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Looked great in reviews, my BF thought it was too close to freeway overpass...however, once inside it was hip, energetic, and fabulous.<br />The food is creative and different from all the other foodie spots, even the veggie sides are upped by a couple notches. I loved the bold paintings on the walls, as well as the huge window that looks into a private party room and through to the outside, very creative to create the inside vibe while downplaying the outside which is nothing to look at. All our food was awesome, met the owner, the chef, and the beauty at the front, all we&#039;re great and made sure my birthday celebration was very nice with kindness that I think they were showing all their guests. New server gets 4*, he&#039;ll come to speed no doubt

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."-George Bernard ShawOne of my all time favorite quotes - on Upper West's Patio's Wall. It also seems a good space for corporate events and birthday (long table that can host all lovely friends.)I have tried THE GISELLE (Crab Toast) and it's one of my favorite crab toast in the city. Light, flavorful, fresh but not too heavy (and guilty!). It's beautifully plated on the wooden cut board, with a spicy refreshing salad on the side. Super delicious!They also have amazing dessert - both ice-cream and bread pudding have this delicate, rich taste that you cannot help but finish the entire thing. Overall, great place to chill and hangout with friends, enjoy some small plates, and have a good evening!

*** Review for new dish tried **** GET - The Cubano = This delectable, flavorful, oh-so-messy-to-eat sandwich is a new add for 2013 and I am a fan~!  Granted it wasn't MY choice (yours truly went with the 'ol Veggie Burger con frites) but my dining companion's meat-filled slab was oh-so-tasty!  Pastrami + ham + savory carnitas mixed together into a melty gooey mess?Yes please.

*(4.5 stars)*When first I signed up on Yelp I told myself I'm going to refrain from writing reviews. However, I was born &amp; raised in LA, have been to nearly 1000 establishments, and feel it's finally my duty to pass along my knowledge &amp; opinion of good food, healthy food, and great service. As you know, Yelping can be very time consuming, but I am going to try to write more reviews now that I've finally broke my vow of silence :)Very rarely do I go back to a newer place I hadn't been to before, because nowadays there's so many new places I don't have time to try. But I was so impressed with Upper West, I had to go back for more! My 1st time was for a lunch meeting a few months ago...and since then I took one of my BF's for his bday dinner last month. My friend lives in Valley Village, and he loved the food/room/vibe so much, he went back a couple weeks ago with his wife...so it must be good if they drove all the way from the valley! ;)-1st visit:(lunch)(shared)One of the best Veggie Burgers I've ever had (and it's hard to top Houston's) (shared)Short Rib Melt (only served at lunch) is one of the tastiest sandwiches I've had in a long time...and this is coming from an ex vegan! Both were hearty &amp; prepared to perfection period. French Fries are very good (and I'm a FF snob who takes French Fries very seriously :) We arrived as they were opening...service was fast &amp; friendly...and we were in &amp; out within 45 minutes.-2nd visit:(dinner)*Roasted Veggie Burger*No substitutions or deletions. housemade veggie patty, grilled pineapple relish, avocado, piquillo pepper, smoked tomato aioli, toasted brioche bunThought about a burger...but I since I only had half of a veggie burger on my previous visit, this time I wanted one all-to-my-self! I'm famous for making substitutions or deletions when ordering food...but I must say, it's very rarely I eat something that's just perfect the way it is...and their roasted veggie burger is just perfect! The pineapple relish is delish...the flavor of the smoked tomato aioli took my mind off my need for BBQ sauce on the side (how I like my veggie burger @Houston's) and the brioche bun is fluffy &amp; soft, and doesn't get soggy halfway into consumption. My buddy had a standard burger and said it was right up there with one of the best he's ever had. I took a bite and it was good...but need to eat one myself to fully evaluate &amp; compare it to my favorite burgers.My friend ordered a Beer Flight (choice of 4 beers) our waiter recommended the 4 selections &amp; my friend was very happy.-Appetizer(shared)*Ahi Tuna Crispy Tacos*Plantain shell, rice cracker, orange-chipotle vinaigrette, jicama-cucumber salsaIt only comes with 3 so we added 1 extra to make it easier to share. It was good (not great) the tacos were very small/tiny &amp; didn't have too much Ahi inside. Overall, it was tasty but at $16 ($13 for 3) for 4 tiny Ahi Tacos, I probably wouldn't order it again.-Dessert:(shared)*Key Lime Tart*Blueberry syrup, basil-coconut sorbet, lavender whipped cream.OUTSTANDING! The tart was not overly sweet &amp; had just the right contrast of citrus. I love all flavors of sorbet, though I'm not really a coconut guy...but I must say, it was sooo good I could of eaten a pint! The service is excellent &amp; friendly and so is the entire staff. Apparently, the entire waitstaff have been working there since Upper West opened, and they know the menu &amp; food very well -- according to our waiter, every week/month they have employee tastings so they not only know about what's 'on the menu' they know how good it is.I really like this place &amp; will return more so for lunch than dinner. They get very busy at night &amp; a lot of the tables are very close to each other, it gets very loud, and it's it not very private. Generally, when I'm dining out at a nicer place, I don't like to feel I'm eating with strangers at tables surrounding me. If you feel the same *HERE'S A TIP*: if you're able to make reservations, suggest "a quiet table" which I did &amp; they sat us at a great table.

**EXCELLENT FOOD, SERVICE, AND COCKTAILS**Five stars alone when I saw Star Wars playing in the banquet room. We came here for a Happy Hour dinner and the staff was very accommodating with our drink orders.I loved the $6 watermelon mojitos and the pear caprinihas. I was buzzing after a few of those.ORDERED:*ROASTED CORN SOUP ($7) - Perfect temperature. Fresh roasted corn. Flavor was fantastic.*PORK CHOP ($23) - Moist, good portion, and cooked perfectly. Wish I could have more room in my tummy to finish it.I had bites of the grilled cheese sandwich, the mushroom ravioli, and mashed potato. All amazingly good.Service was on point. Food came out in orderly fashion.One of the owners stopped by our table and greeted us.Loved this place.HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

********!!!!FIRST EVER YELP!!!********I figured since I use Yelp a lot for my restaurant decisions, I'd go ahead and make my contributions. And since I usually just glance through these reviews, I will make ever review I make as easy to read and as detailed as can be.I've been here once only with a couple friends for dinner one night.Here it goes:ATMOSPHERE: 3.5/5- very "casual", though there were a lot of people coming in after work in their business attire, but no one really cares. Jeans, T-shirts, and flip flops are good.- Big screen TV in "outdoor" patio = good- a lot of people, but not crowded (it was a Thursday night)FOOD: 4.5/5- okay portions- tremendous quality! I got the BLT- really tasty. My friend's burger was really juicy, too.- presentation = cool. They put your food on a wooden board. I thought it was cool.- beer list was okay, but they have a good selection of winePRICE: 3.5/5- for being in Santa Monica, price was good. Burger/BLT was around $11, and beer is what you expect it to be.Overall:You will like this if you....- are looking for something casual, i.e. just hanging out with friends or after work- like the "New York" type bars- not looking to break the bank

"What will you be having today?""I'm having trouble deciding between the burger and the steak."Chef Nick: "Get the burger... it's a sexy burger."Me:  "Sold. I'm having the burger, apparently it's sexy, and to drink..."Chef Nick:  "He'll have the Allagash."My suggestion: GET THE SEXY BURGER and pair it with the ALLAGASH beer!!!  Friend at the table: "Why have you only taken one bite of your burger?"Me:  "Because I feel like I would be cheating on the first bite with the second!"***Note: I averaged about one bite every 3 minutes.  Everyone at the table would stop and watch every time I took a bite.  Quite possibly the most amazing thing I've ever eaten.  Oh, and the chipotle fries... get those.