James Okonkwo
January 25, 2026
Sky-High Dining That Earns Its Altitude
Rooftop restaurants with views often coast on scenery while the kitchen coasts on mediocrity. Eleven West is the exception. Chef Park's tasting menu is rigorously seasonal — my winter visit featured a parsnip soup of startling purity, a venison loin with juniper that tasted like a cold forest, and a Meyer lemon dessert that was sunshine in February.
The minimalist plating is deliberate and effective. No garnish exists for decoration alone. The wine pairing, curated by sommelier David Park (no relation), moved confidently from Chablis to Barolo with logic and flair.
My one caveat: the room's acoustics are challenging when full. Request the window table for the best combination of view and relative quiet. At four stars, service was impeccable but fell short of Le Comptoir's poetry.
The minimalist plating is deliberate and effective. No garnish exists for decoration alone. The wine pairing, curated by sommelier David Park (no relation), moved confidently from Chablis to Barolo with logic and flair.
My one caveat: the room's acoustics are challenging when full. Request the window table for the best combination of view and relative quiet. At four stars, service was impeccable but fell short of Le Comptoir's poetry.