"It's really where I became a comic...
If I could live there, I would"
- Lewis Black
Owner Steve Olsen began working in the restaurant industry at age 16 and opened West Bank Cafe when he was all of 24. He is a passionate collector of California wines and holds vinification, viniculture, and blind wine tasting certificates from the American Sommelier Association. In keeping with West Bank Cafe's close ties to the theater and film worlds, Mr. Olsen has nurtured young actors, writers, and directors—including Lewis Black, Sean Penn, and Side Man playwright Warren Leight—many of whom appeared in and staged performances at the downstairs Laurie Beechman Theater, on their way to accomplished careers.
Kenny Bell holds the titles of both Special Events Co-ordinator and
Theatre manager, a native New Yorker, he has come a full circle, starting
as a musical theatre performer which led to performing in industrial
shows and ending up in special events. He has worked in event, catering
& convention planning in New York City, Chicago & Las Vegas. Kenny has
represented many New York Restaurant Corps. in the past 15 years as a
special events director and has worked with such clients as ABC, Sony,
Price Waterhouse Coopers Radio City Music Hall and MTV. Kenny has been
with West Bank Café and The Laurie Beechman Theatre since January 2006.
Opened in 1978, West Bank Cafe was a pioneer of fine dining on far-west 42nd Street at a time when
Hell’s Kitchen still lived up to its name. (The restaurant’s early clients even included
the notorious Irish gang, the Westies.
In 1980, The New York Times awarded West Bank two stars, which increased its visibility and
attracted a wider range of diners. In her review, Mimi Sheraton described the restaurant as
“a spirited, attractive [place] with…a number of exceptional dishes memorable for both originality
and excellence.” The original Continental menu included dishes such as crudités and
sole amandine—a window into the culinary times.
During this period, West Bank’s owner, Steve Olsen, opened the downstairs Laurie Beechman
Theatre, which staged plays and hosted events nightly. A young Lewis Black was named
playwright-in-residence; Howard Stern aired his third-annual live birthday broadcast from
the theater; and the restaurant’s regulars included Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and
Bruce Willis, among others.
Meanwhile, the redevelopment of 42nd Street spread further west, bringing new businesses and
residents to the area. Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, the restaurant was a leader in the growing
Theater District and Hell’s Kitchen dining scenes. As new theaters opened in the area, the
restaurant’s connection to stage and screen remained strong as well. The Laurie Beechman
Theatre continued to regularly stage the work of emerging writers, actors, and singers
(many of whom later became stars) as well as established acts: The Who even gave four live
performances at the restaurant while their musical Tommy was running on Broadway.
In May, 2005, West Bank named Joe Marcus its Executive Chef—only the fourth person to hold the
position in the restaurant’s 27-year history. Mr. Olsen and Bill Telepan, a three-star chef who had
been consulting at West Bank for the first part of the year, hired Mr. Marcus to bring a new
level of creativity and seasonality to the contemporary American fare. Mr. Marcus has already
proven himself to do just that: he has completely overhauled the menu, adding dishes that reflect
his elegant-but-approachable style (winning the coveted James Beard Award),
and developed an inventive late-night bar menu.
After 35 years, the restaurant’s surrounding neighborhood and America’s culinary tastes have
changed dramatically (to be sure, the crudités and sole amandine are no longer on the menu).
West Bank Cafe has also continued to evolve, all the while maintaining a commitment to
serving high-quality food in a unpretentious setting where both theater-goers and
theatre stars feel at home.
407 W. 42nd Street, NYC 10036 | 212.695.6909