West Side Sleepers: Naka Naka, 'ino, Crispo, Blaue Gans

Earlier this week Zagat published a list of restaurants in a post titled Sleepers in the City That Never Sleeps. While the list included some solid recommendations I couldn't help but notice that all of the picks were on the East side, from the LES (Brown Cafe) all the way up to Harlem (Charles Southern Style Fried Chicken). In the name of fair and balanced reporting, here are a few West side sleepers for your consideration.

Naka Naka

458 West 17th Street at Tenth Avenue
The very definition of serene, Naka Naka serves traditional Japanese homestyle cuisine in a tiny space in Chelsea.

'ino
21 Bedford Street between Sixth Avenue and Downing Street.

Not all of Jason Denton's places ('inoteca, Lupa, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria) are this sleepy and 'ino can get jammed pretty quickly, but we love it for a late afternoon lunch and glass of wine.

Crispo
240 West 14th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues

Joey Fortunato of Extra Virgin  turned us on to Frank Crispo's place a little while back. We love the consistently excellent Italian cooking, the welcoming atmosphere and the rather large collection of meat slicers on display on the back patio.

Blaue Gans
139 Duane Street between West Broadway and Church Street

Sure, Kurt Gutenbrunner is a bid deal chef, but this relaxed "German bistro" stays off the radar for the most part. It might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of sitting at the bar to enjoy a glass of crisp white wine and a half dozen oysters, but its as good as any we've  been to recently.