West Bank Café – The Second Coming
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Mark Twain
In September 2021, I wrote: “Were it not for the selfless efforts of producers Tom and Michael D’Angora, the venerable West Bank Café/Laurie Beechman Theater would have been forced out of business after 43 years of feeding and entertaining the community. (This is not hyperbole.)… Talking to the white knights renews one’s faith in human nature, no small feat these days. Both are self acknowledged theater geeks who came up through the ranks…” West Bank Cafe is directly across the street from the couple’s apartment. “It’s kind of like our Cheers, where everybody knows your name.”
The occasion of my piece was West Bank’s first virtual fundraiser, enabling it to stay open. By summer, reports were dire.
Michael and Tom D’Angora
When push came to shove, the D’Angoras wouldn’t let it happen. ”It just naturally progressed,” Tom laughs. “At first we were gonna be partners with Steve (Olsen), then he decided he wanted to retire. We were already so involved and didn’t want our efforts or those of the community to go for nothing. And honestly we really wanted to.”
Tom met with the landlord, Related Companies, who run Manhattan Plaza. “They’ve been a joy to work with and are committed to the success and longevity of West Bank Café. With all that positivity in a room, a great deal was made. They were generous, helpful, and are a great resource on a daily basis.”
The dining room so far
“Have you ever run a restaurant?” I ask. “For many years we produced shows in Provincetown on top of a restaurant and worked very closely with them. This is just the reverse,” Michael answers. (The Laurie Beechman Theatre is downstairs.) “Luckily the general management, all the kitchen staff and waiters stuck by us. We love them.”
Tom loves to cook. The spaghetti and meatballs now feature his grandfather’s meatball recipe. Avocado toast on the weekend brunch menu (it’s terrific) is also his concoction. Mocktails are tasty. Alternatively,
a bottomless alcoholic drinks option is available for $15. Saturday morning there are (soundless) cartoons behind the bar. Old movies play evenings. Prices remain moderate, except for a $48 filet mignon on the dinner menu. “It’s $56 across the street,” Tom points out. “And this is the best.”
Tom shaking his namesake drink
Michael came up with turning the iconic risotto balls into hash. When biscuits and gravy were added to the menu, it was discovered that dish’s gravy worked wonderfully with the new hash. On Taco Tuesdays, The West Bank sells out. Tom is usually behind the bar making D’Angoritas. “When a joke gets stale in a musical, you change it. The same for a menu item…”
The kitchen currently closes at 11 p.m. “People want us to have late night hours, but that means the community has to show up. We’ll try it at some point,” Tom prudently tells me. West Bank is closed Mondays. It will open for lunch starting March 5, 2025.
The Bar
“What I realized pretty quickly is business is business – budgets, leading a team…We’ve all been to many, many restaurants. It became a no-brainer, a cakewalk compared to an off Broadway Musical”, Tom comments. “The big things is learning the rules and regulations. You think, oh great, let’s do this and find out it’s against the law. I love rules,” Tom says. “Shockingly,” Michael interjects grinning.
“It’s been great. Everybody from Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theater and Theatre Row, Calista Flockhart (currently in Curse of the Starving Class), the casts of Redwood and The Outsiders have come in…Jinx Monsoon who had a two year residency downstairs recently had their Carnegie Hall debut and came in with 80 friends for an unofficial after party…”
Valentine’s Day
At Christmas, there were carolers. On Valentine’s Day, a harp player was on premises. Every customer
was handed a valentine. There were “tons” of balloons. As it falls on a Monday, West Bank will be closed St. Patrick’s Day, but watch for the Easter Bunny! Tom: “We’re all about community and neighborhood. Hopefully, this will be a place for artists to come when they don’t go home for the holidays.”
The Laurie Beechman is getting a complete facelift. Style is described as “eighties/nineties decadence and glam.” A new sound system and lighting will be installed. “The bones are good, we’re just dressing it up. It honestly boils down to how long does it take to get things.” Tom emits a small sigh.
The “before” picture of the Laurie Beechman Theatre
“Coming from the Off Broadway world, we’ve always been very scrappy,” Michael notes. “We’re industrious and undaunted. I learned Photoshop to save money on graphics. Tom relates really well
to numbers, facts, and legalese. I relate to colors, shapes, fonts.” Tom: “If the theater was really smart,
they’d try to steal Michael from me.” Meanwhile, Tom’s leaning Spanish to communicate better with
kitchen staff.
Tom and Michael are palpably excited about building a genuine dressing room. “Poor Joan Rivers got dressed in a hallway and did her make-up sitting on the toilet…That’ll be a huge game changer with booking major talent.” Tom remarks almost giggling. The D’Angoras are among producers of Queen of Versailles. Tom: “So we have a line to Kristin Chenoweth. What if, in some world, she agreed to perform here? We can’t tell her, it’s gonna be such fun, you do your make-up on the toilet…”
Charity is in the white knights’ DNA. “Sunday nights are kinda slow. I want to do Broadway Bingo,” Tom says. We’ll get prizes donated and raise money for a cause. Once things settle down at The Beechman,
I wanna to support Broadway Cares, The Actors Fund, Broadway Barks, and The Manilow Music Project
(Barry Manilow) which establishes scholarships at music programs.”
Michael’s favorite responsibility; Note the bartender gets billing
Tom and Michael D’Angora can be found at West Bank Café almost all the time these days – doing anything that needs to be done. Enthusiasm has risen to zealousness. Were the pair not smart, indefatigable and joyfully determined one might worry. Atmosphere is welcoming. The venue runs well. Its current iteration is only a preview. Watch for THE GRAND OPENING on social media.
All photos courtesy of the D’Angoras
West Bank Café
407 West 42nd Street
