518 West - any good?

Carla wrote:
>I'm thinking of taking a group of friends to 518 West for dinner in a
>few weeks.  I've never been there, so if anyone can tell me about the
>place, I'd be appreciative. Whats the price range for entrees? Can
>they handle a group of about 18? Do they have a bar?

It's basically a converted warehouse.  Very open inside which leads to quite a bit of noise.  But, for a group of 18, that shouldn't be a problem unless one person needs to address the entire group (which isn't going to happen without amplification!)  The food is good.  I would say above average for both quantity and quality.  Wait staff is the same level (although I don't have experience with aa group larger than 4).  Entrees range from about $9 - $18.  Very reasonable for what you get.  Desserts are very nice and are generally made in-house (including the ice creams and italian ices).  They do have a bar, but it's generally full after about 6:30.  I would definitely call in advance for a group your size.  I have not seen anything over about 8 in there thus far.

Someone wrote:
> I'm thinking of taking a group of friends to 518 West for dinner in a
> few weeks.  I've never been there, so if anyone can tell me about the
> place, I'd be appreciative.

Same deal as 411 West in Chapel Hill: Their own brand of Italian.  (keep your flames about real Italian to yourselves. No-one cares)

I highly recommend both restaurants.   One of the drawbacks of both is parking though it is slightly better at 518 (parking in the rear, no meters to feed) but it still fills up early.  With 42nd Street Oyster Bar just across the RR tracks I imagine its worse on Friday and Saturday nights.

> Whats the price range for entrees?

$8-$15 on average I think.  The pasta dishes come in a small and large size giving you even more choices.

> Can they handle a group of about 18?

Not from what I saw when I was there with a group of 12 (with reservations).  The staff was very accommodating and shoved several tables together.  The tables were round however making it a bit awkward.  Once the food and wine came out, nobody cared.

> Do they have a bar?

Yes, a beautiful one.