Binghamton Restaurant Week Review: Cafe West 46

I was amazed when I walked in to Cafe West 46 for dinner last night.  The last time I was in the quaint little building at 46 Seminary Avenue, Binghamton, was a landmark bakery in it's former life.  Do you remember Wagner's Bakery?  Today, you would not recognize the place, as the owner told me how they gutted the entire building, complete with a dining loft and a roomy seating area on the main floor.

You can't help but be excited to eat at Cafe West 46 as you are greeted warmly by the owner and wait staff.  The scents and smells of homemade food fill the air.  The dinner menu for Binghamton Restaurant Week is simple and everything seems made-to-order.  I like that.

Cafe West 46 is more of a lunch place right now.  However, plans are to offer a themed International menu this Fall.  For now, they are getting excellent feedback on their Restaurant Week offerings.

If you're planning on doing the Restaurant Week menu (ends tonight), you'll be treated to a nice selection of entries, starting with course 1 with some great app options.  I really enjoy crab stuffed mushrooms and the ones I had at Cafe West 46, were some of the best I've ever had.  Usually the stuffing is full of bread crumbs.  Not these.  I found crab as the star of of this appetizer.  I'm sure you've had spinach and artichoke dip at some of the parkway chain eateries and wondered where the spinach and artichoke were hiding.  Here, you will see lots of both and served with homemade chips that are out of this world.

The main course was very tasty.  Both of my friends loved the fried chicken with cornbread french toast, finished with chipotle maple syrup.  Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds.  I very much enjoyed the slow cooked pork tacos with fire roasted tomatoes and pickled onions.  Very fresh.  Very good.

Desert was a choice of 2 cakes.  How could you pass up chocolate cake?

In all, a fine evening and I should mention it's BYOB if you choose.  I'll be back to Cafe West 46 for lunch during the week for sure.  I look forward to word on when they might open for dinners on their Facebook page.  I'm definitely going to "like" Cafe West 46.  I already do, very much.

A portion of proceeds of Binghamton Restaurant Week will help the Binghamton area CHOW food bank.