In The Press
Yelp Reviews
We took my niece out for brunch to West on Center and just loved it!
We were greeted by a very friendly host who then made last minute arrangements to add an additional person to our large party of 9. The food was fantastic. A perfect place for families!
“A Billion Acts of Green”
By Eleanor Greene
As published in The West Roxbury Transcript
Thursday, April 21, 2011
“A Billion Acts of Green” is the theme for this year’s Earth Day, April 22. Recognizing the power of millions of individual actions, the campaign aims to inspire personal, organizational, and corporate pledges to act sustainably. But billions of acts begin with one small act—so, with that in mind, I’d like to share some recycling ideas that our small restaurant business, West on Centre, believes are small acts that lead to larger benefits.
Not only are restaurants the highest consumer of electricity in the retail sector, but our industry’s waste numbers are staggering—a single restaurant can generate up to 50,000 pounds of waste a year. Aiming to reduce ours at West, we took a hard look at areas where we could implement change effectively: recycle or reuse more and throw away less.
Recycling for our restaurant began with a simple request back in 2001 from the owner of a “French Fry” car: could he stop by every Friday to collect our used frying oil so that he could reuse it to run his car?
Since it was costing us roughly $75 a month to have a company collect our oil, we readily agreed to the arrangement. Soon, we were getting other requests for our used oil. Recognizing the potential profits involved in used cooking oil, it was not long before a larger company agreed to collect the oil at no cost.
“French Fry” cars acted as a catalyst for the restaurant business to take a look around and see what else could be recycled or reused. In our case, we hired the recycling company Save that Stuff to collect all our cardboard boxes, stainless steel and aluminum cans, plastic, and office paper products. We also looked to recycle our used printer cartridges and return plastic bags to the supermarket. We send empty beer bottles back to the distributor and recycle wine bottles. No more do we dispose of wine corks; they go to the ReCORK natural wine cork recycling program (except for those that have been turned into beautiful arts-and-crafts projects by our staff members!). We send the coat hangers that our chef’s jackets return from the cleaners on back to our linen company. In addition, we replaced our takeout containers and to-go bags with brown paper and biodegradable cardboard, eliminating the use of Styrofoam, which is not recyclable and clogs landfills for years and years. And these efforts are beneficial to our bottom line, not just the environment.
Our most enjoyable recycling project at West on Centre takes place in spring, when the patio garden starts to wake up and show signs of life. We save our coffee and tea grinds and work them into the soil in our herb and vegetable beds as well as into the tree pits that are in front of our restaurant. Tree-pit soil is usually deficient in nutrients because it’s surrounded by cement, so the coffee grinds and tea leaves add richness. Once in a while, we crush our brunch egg shells and work them into the soil as well. It is also worth noting that the bamboo fencing on our patio was not only an aesthetically appealing choice but, environmentally, a sound one for us.
Our goal at West is to one day become a certified green restaurant. The 2011 Earth Day theme of “A Billion Acts of Green” reminds us to at least make small acts every day and that doing so is an easy and simple way to make a difference.
Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich – Boston Globe’s “Greater Bostons Best Sandwiches”
Check out the Greater Boston’s Best Sandwiches! West’s new Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich made the cut!
Sparkling Wine: A Beverage for All Occasions
By Serghino René
Valentine’s Day is near and it is an appropriate time to pull out that special bottle of sparkling wine or champagne. However, there is a good chance that your bubbly will not see the light of day until another special occasion, like a wedding, graduation or birthday. That is just what Mary Masters of United Liquors is trying to change.
“The United States is about the only wine producing country in the world that doesn’t embrace sparkling wine as an everyday beverage,” said Masters. “My job is to try to get Americans to embrace sparkling wine outside of celebratory occasions.”
Masters hosted an educational 5-course food pairing with sparkling wines and champagne at West on Centre this past week. Executive chef Ryan Byrne prepared the 5-course meal.
Prosecco, a Massachusetts sparkling wine, a couple sparkling wines from Napa Valley and finally champagne, from Champagne, France, were the star beverages of the evening.
Masters stressed that only wine grown and produced in Champagne, France can be called champagne, even though several wines are made the same way.
“Stylistically, they all have the bubbles in common, but you will see how each one has a different personality and how they bring out certain flavors in a dish,” said Masters.
“Melon & Brie” was the first course of the evening, consisting of serrano ham and a puff pastry filled with vanilla custard and melon pieces. It was conveniently paired with Zonin Prosecco, which accentuated the spicy, sweet and fruity flavors of the dish.
Local brand Westport Rivers Blanc de Noir of Westport, Mass. accompanied the “Sizzling Buttered Shrimp Popcorn.” Tinted with a hue of pink, the sparkling wine went well with the richness of the lightly battered shrimp and extracted the bold flavors of the cheese and parsley garnishes.
Mumm Napa Brut from the Napa Valley went with the “Lobster Salad” and the “Golden Lox.” The salad consisted of avocado, maple bacon, crispy onion ring and dill aioli wrapped in romaine lettuce. The “Lox” was made with house cured salmon, pancetta crisp, poached organic egg and toasted brioche.
The Brut Prestige, a soft blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier went best with the lobster. It eased the richness of the lobster and cleansed the pallet for the next bite. The Brut Rose paired perfectly with the salmon, served best with dishes like seafood, ribs, Thai and Curry dishes.
“There is nothing that doesn’t go well with sparkling wine,” said Masters. “Had you eaten the poached egg with a still wine, it would have been a very unpleasant experience. The still wine would throw the pallet off with a metallic taste, enhancing the acidity of the egg and negating flavor all together.”
The event was a success, attracting a full-house of attendees who wanted to try something new and expand their knowledge on sparkling wine.
Doreen Papsadore of Dedham experienced her first tasting at the restaurant that evening. For her, this was a fun opportunity to learn more and explore other wines.
“My favorite is pinot noir, but I think it’s about time I try other wines and incorporate some sparkling wine in the mix,” said Papsadore. “There is so much out there.”
This was Kathy Merritt’s third tasting event at West on Centre. The Randolph resident, although a proud picky eater, enjoys new experiences.
“It was fun tasting all the sparkling wines and the foods that go well with them,” said Merritt.
Executive Chef Max Peterson featured in Transcript
See Executive chef Max Peterson featured in the West Roxbury/Roslindale Transcript. This article also features a photo link of our new private event room.
West Roxbury/Roslindale Transcript
Fox 25 Zip Trip
Check out the Fox 25 Zip Trip coverage from West Roxbury featuring West On Centre’s own Ray Gowing and Chef Max Peterson. Even Boston Mayor Tom Menino has great things to say about the food at West!
See the event video by clicking the”West on Centre” link under the Taste of the Town Section after clicking the link below: