The salade de laitue features bibb lettuce, radish, fines herbes and banyuls vinaigrette.
Tell us about the ambiance.
The restaurant was designed by Ralitsa Kombakis of Studio Rallou. This was our second collaboration, and it was great to work with her again. The idea for the space is obviously to make it feel Parisian, but we also want to make sure it feels like it belongs in the neighborhood. She designed it to feel lived-in and comfortable; I wouldn’t say it’s precious in any way. She took the idea of indoor-outdoor to heart in this space—the corner windows open to the neighborhood, allowing that energy from the street to flow through the restaurant. It’s lush and bright but also feels really moody after the sun sets. The private dining room is one of my favorite spots. The glass floor looks down into a terrarium floor below, designed by Julie Kirk of Flower Frenzy. There’s this whole magical world she made, and it makes the room feel like a jewel box.
How would you describe the restaurant’s cuisine?
The menu pays homage to French fundamentals while filtering them through the distinctly bold, fire-driven lens that has come to define our restaurant group. Every dish begins with technique—codified, precise and time-tested—but is pushed further with more acid, more flavor, deeper seasoning and the influence of live fire. It’s brasserie dining as the team loves it: lively rooms, busy bars, raw bar towers, charcuterie boards and hearty plates that invite both casual drop-ins and celebratory dinners.
What are some must-try dishes and cocktails on the menu?
For food, I would say the steak frites. It’s a classic, reimagined by us. Rather than preparing a pan sauce to order, we developed a deeply reduced sauce built on great stock, three types of peppercorn, cognac, bone marrow and sherry vinegar. The result is a glossy, concentrated sauce with consistency and depth that’s rich and sticky. Guests can choose their cuts—a New York strip, wagyu eye of rib or a hanger steak sourced from Snake River Farms (my favorite)—adding an interactive, choose-your-own adventure element borrowed from our steakhouse, Rare Society.
For cocktails, Jess Stewart, our beverage director, would point to our martini service. From left: The Leisure-Lee cocktail is a flavorful mix of white rum, Earl Grey, lime, mint and soda; the signature steak frites is a must-try dish at À L’ouest.
The Leisure-Lee cocktail is a flavorful mix of white rum, Earl grey, lime, mint and soda.
“The menu pays homage to French fundamentals while filtering them through the distinctly bold, fire-driven lens that has come to define our restaurant group.” –BRAD WISE
Each martini is designed around one of the five basic tastes—sweet, salty, savory, bitter and sour—giving guests an intuitive way to choose what suits them best. Served ice-cold in a sidecar-style presentation, half the drink arrives in the glass, with the remainder chilled on ice alongside it.
What are you personally ordering?
The French onion soup is really great. Instead of relying on traditional chicken or veal stock, the onions are cooked with a broth built from braised oxtail. Madeira, quality vinegar and thyme round out the base, while the finish— an in-house baguette crouton topped with gruyère and Cooper sharp—adds richness and familiarity with a subtle nod to the East Coast.
Dining and Cooking