Opting for something a little different, we decided to go to
a later opening restaurant, 87 West at Crocker Park. Very hungry due to waiting until 2 instead of
noon, we showed up and took our seats as the only customers at the wine
bar. There was a sign inviting us to sit
anywhere, so we made our way to sit directly in front of the fireplace to keep
warm. We waited for a while until waited
upon, and soon after chose drinks off the Happy Hour menu, and then our late
lunches.
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Shannon:
Last week my boyfriend and I stopped in 87 West for a drink
after a shopping trip to Crocker Park. I noticed how
many vegetarian options were on their menu so I inquired when they opened. Since they opened at 2, I was slightly put off based on our usual routine, but soon after I consulted with Grace she said she had
looked at their menu recently and decided we should go for it. Grace noticed that during Happy Hour martinis
were $6, so I chose the Blood Orange martini.
This was zesty and vibrant, and the fire helped keep me warm despite how
chilly the drink was. My favorite component was the slice of orange I nibbled on after finishing the dregs of my drink.
I decided on having almost every vegetarian option
before finally settling on the Wild Mushroom flatbread. I was uncharacteristically hungry due to the later hour and wanted to ensure
my choice satiated this. After chatting
over our martinis for a bit, our food arrived.
My flatbread sat on a white glossy plate with warped edges, reminiscent
of art-deco. The flatbread had melted
mozzarella and asiago cheeses, roasted garlic aioli, wild mushrooms, topped
with crisp arugula. The mixture was
perfection. The aioli was buttery and
softened the plump mushrooms while the cheeses melted around the arugula,
keeping everything together for a perfect bite every time. I unabashedly finished the whole thing,
having after all been very hungry and was found quite satisfied.
After finishing our lunches, Grace and I decided to sit over
another drink and soak up the warmth from the fire. We both chose the Strawberry Shortcake
martini, which was frothy pink and syrupy sweet. I preferred this martini, as it tasted just
like its namesake. I will definitely be
ordering this again when I go back! 87
West is a very cool place to lounge over a drink after running some errands. I suggest any of the flatbreads, they all
sounded amazing!
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Grace:
I had looked at the 87 West menu weeks before actually
choosing it, but I had eliminated it because I didn’t think Shannon would be up
for a luncheon starting at 2:00. When she told me she had gotten a drink at 87
West after shopping one day, and also suggested I look into it, I realized I
had already looked at it! I found the menu online and, since I gave up meat for
“Lent,” I figured the many vegetarian options would be fabulous for both of us!
Shannon told me she would gladly eat a late lunch and that we would just blog
another day since our boyfriends would be off work nearly soon as we were done.
Once the waiter finally peeled his eyes away from his laptop screen and came
over to us, he gave us the menu I had already seen online. Let me put it this
way: everything sounds so good at 87
West. From the deviled egg plate that the ladies by us ordered, to the flatbreads—literally,
everything sounded good to me. Since Happy Hour started at 2:00, Shannon and I
decided to indulge and get martinis. I ordered the one called French Pear, and
after some time, decided to try the Grilled Four Cheese Sandwich.
The drinks came and mine was a little tart because of the
champagne, but other than that, what you would expect a pear-flavored martini
to taste like. When we were waiting for our food, I saw our waiter climb a wall
ladder in the back part of the preparation zone for employees and saw him enter
into what must be a loft-like room. I wondered, verily, what that secret room
was! After around fifteen minutes, our waiter brought us our delectable plates.
I really liked the very modern décor and the dining-ware. The silverware was
really bulky and thick and my plate was triangular and the sides folded up
slightly, like a bowl. I didn’t end up using my silverware, but I still
remarked on how cool the fork and knife were.
Being from Lakewood, I am used to extravagant grilled cheese
sandwiches (like those from the incredibly innovative and Food Network-famous,
Melt Bar and Grilled). My sandwich consisted of four cheeses: gruyere, goat
cheese, smoked gouda, and Irish cheddar. I could not WAIT to please my taste
buds with this meal. The “frites” on my plate were thin, lightly fried, and
also covered in the melted cheese from my sandwich since my sandwich was placed
on top of them. The bread of my sandwich was very panini-like and, undoubtedly,
burnt to a crisp. I always have an apprehension when eating food that burnt,
but this time around, I understood that it was definitely supposed to be like
that. The bread added a very smoky flavor with every bite and paired very well
with the cheese, especially the smoky gouda. I was absolutely in love with
everything about this meal.
When I finished my last fry, I sighed because of how pleasant and filling that meal was. We decided to have just one more martini, and this time we got the same one. The Strawberry Shortcake martini was a fabulous end to a fabulous meal. I’ll definitely remind myself to come back to 87 West whenever I have time to take a break from shopping at Crocker Park.
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Cool chandelier
Bar and kitchen area
More cool chandeliers
Fireplace keeping us warm
Neat icons on the back wall
French Pear and Blood Orange Martinis and our cucumber waters
Wild Mushroom Flatbread
Grilled Cheese and Frites
Strawberry Shortcake Martinis
Neon sign with our goofy reflections
Side sign
Outside 87 West
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87 West is aptly located and should be frequented
often. What we had was amazing and what
we haven’t ordered yet sounds too enticing to stay away for long. We’ll definitely be back in the summer when
the side windows can open up and let the warm air flow through!
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