Steak Frites — Dumpling Diary

A couple friends and I usually meet up for a meal once or twice a month - typically we go to dim sum, so I usually refer to them as the dim sum crew. This time we decided to head to Steak Frites on 9th ave. It was pouring out, which was on par with the last time we had dinner; seems to be a recurring theme, although this time I had an umbrella. Anyways, after enjoying some Stella Cidre and red wine while waiting for our other friend (perpetually late? probably), we finally got started. We lucked out and it happened to be Restaurant Week in NYC and for the most part, everything I was looking to order was there, so a 3 course meal for $45 was a great deal. In my experience, Restaurant Week is not always all it’s cut out to be due to limited items on the menu, but Steak Frites had a great one.

I chose the Pate de Campagne as appetizer. It was very meaty and well seasoned - came with 2 pieces of toast, some watercress & sliced radish and a couple mini gherkins that I promptly gave away.

The rest of the dim sum crew chose the Escargots de Bourgogne. They were alright, I thought the texture was a little chewier than I expected. it was served with sliced celery, which is not one of my favorite veggies.

The three of us all ended up choosing the Steak Frites… for obvious reasons. It had a nice crust to it and was tender inside. I think my only issue is that some of the tendon that they left on was very tough and chewy and I was not able to eat it - a shame since i do like tendon a lot. The sauce was plentiful and went really well with the steak. The “frites” were shoestring fries, which I definitely prefer to steak fries; long, thin and crispy with the right amount of salt.

I split dessert with one of my friends so we could try a couple different desserts. The souffle was light and airy and served with a side of chocolate grand marnier ganache; the grand marnier really came through. There was a fun table side presentation with cutting and pouring in some ganache… here is the finished product.

For the other dessert, I chose the Pot de creme. It was nice and chilled and thick and creamy yet not too rich. For those who have not had it, basically is like a chocolate custard. This one was topped with fresh whipped creme and some crispy chocolate candy on top for texture.