If you will forgive the sexist expression, this restaurant is a 3 dressed up as a 9. The service is first-rate, the room warm and welcoming (though by no means smartly designed or decorated). But the food is mediocre, disappointing at even half the price point.

My party ordered both the March and the Chef's tasting menu. The problems were consistent throughout all the courses. The dishes were fairly well conceived, but the flavors were shockingly unfocused. When serving small plates, every morsel on the plate -- from the tiny quail's egg to the wild mushroom garnish to the underlying bed of quinoa -- needs to pop. But, alas, the quail's egg was cold and unseasoned, the wild mushroom tasteless, the quinoa bland. And I'm just talking about the supporting players. The featured proteins were mostly even worse: a much too aggressively salted sablefish; an undercooked, chewy quail; a dry, mealy-textured tenderloin and shortrib ("aged and cooked sous vide"!).

The consistent inferiority of the food piqued my curiosity about the kitchen. So between barely touched entrée and dessert (marginally better than the savory dishes) I went to observe the cooks at work through the giant looking-glass window. Then it all made sense. It was difficult to identify the chef. No one was tasting anything. Plates were being fired and assembled perfunctorily, according to instruction. No pride, no concentration, no love.

We may have caught West on an off night (did the chef call in sick?). But I'm guessing this resto is in some sort of disarray. The whiff of decline is in the air (perhaps the service was a tad too ardent?). Does any one know the inside scoop?