Sunday, March 06, 2005
In Search of the Perfect Steak Frites
No, this isn't the latest edition of my semi-regular ingredient blogging feature. I'm finding myself with a bit of a soft place in my heart the archetypal French Bistrot fare - Steak Frites. As in a piece of grilled beef served with sauce and a heaping portion ofFreedom French Fries. Twice now in the past few weeks David and I have ended up at a Bistrot-like place in San Francisco and I've been forced to sample the steak frites. Comfort food at its finest.
So 2 weeks or so ago it was at the Cafe de Paris - L'Entrecote on Union Street in the Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights area. I have to say the accordion music blaring onto the sidewalk outside the restaurant was the most charming aspect of the place. The live karaoke-quality music indoors was a feature I would rather forget. I think the restaurant really needs some quick work with an ambiance consultant.
In any case, the steak frites dish was a rib steak served in an herb sauce which is some famous secret recipe that comes out of Geneva, Switzerland, and presented on its own heated platter. The steak was pre-cut by the kitchen and continued to simmer in the bubbling sauce throughout the meal. The frites presentation was actually pretty nifty, with the maitre d' walking through the dining room carrying the freshly prepared frites on a serving platter, dishing out generous portions to the customers as needed. Seconds and thirds allowed. A nifty way to ensure that your frites stay fresh and crisp from the beginning to the end of the meal. Unfortunately, serving frites in this manner requires a degree of attentiveness to the customer's needs that is nearly unheard of in Amercian restaurants, and Cafe de Paris was no exception.
The frites themselves were very good. Crisp, but still with a healthy potato flavor and flexible enought to sop up some of the herb sauce. The herb sauce, garlic-parsley-butter based, was a bit too heavy for my taste. And wasn't in the best accord with the steak, in my opinion anyway. The entrecote is a very good cut of meat, and very tender, but seemed a bit out of place in this dish, what with the heavy sauce and all. A bit like making hamburgers with filet mignon - defeats the whole purpose.
Last night we went to Le Zinc, a 2-3 year old bistrot on 24th Street here in Noe Valley. I'd not been to this place yet, but it had been on my "to do" list for quite some time. The decor is fabulous - a real zinc bar, small, round wooden tables, tasteful French-inspired designs, chalkboard menus. The menu is limited, but that's not really a bad thing, since it allows them to focus on just a few specialities.
The Steak Frites is, of course, one of those specialties. A hanger steak, so a bit more challenging, but which I think is more appropriate for a dish of this sort. A touch overcooked, so I suppose I should have asked for it rare as opposed to medium rare. It was served with a light sauce of caramelized shallots (tasty, but not spectacular) and a pile of crisp frites tossed with a little parsley. I actually thought the frites were a bit of a disappointment - a little too crisp, lacking in potato flavor, and too well salted.
So no, I don't think I've yet found the perfect Steak Frites. I'm pretty sure I've ordered this dish at Le Charm in South of Market and also at The Left Bank in Menlo Park, but I don't really remember it well enough to write about it here. I suppose I'll have to return to those places, as well as visit places like Chez Papa in Potrero Hill and Cafe Bastille downtown.
So the grades for Cafe de Paris - L'entrecote
Ambiance - D
Steak - C
Sauce - D
Frites - A
Service - C
Overall - C
And for Le Zinc
Ambiance - A
Steak - B
Sauce - B
Frites - C
Service - B
Overall - B
No, this isn't the latest edition of my semi-regular ingredient blogging feature. I'm finding myself with a bit of a soft place in my heart the archetypal French Bistrot fare - Steak Frites. As in a piece of grilled beef served with sauce and a heaping portion of
So 2 weeks or so ago it was at the Cafe de Paris - L'Entrecote on Union Street in the Cow Hollow/Pacific Heights area. I have to say the accordion music blaring onto the sidewalk outside the restaurant was the most charming aspect of the place. The live karaoke-quality music indoors was a feature I would rather forget. I think the restaurant really needs some quick work with an ambiance consultant.
In any case, the steak frites dish was a rib steak served in an herb sauce which is some famous secret recipe that comes out of Geneva, Switzerland, and presented on its own heated platter. The steak was pre-cut by the kitchen and continued to simmer in the bubbling sauce throughout the meal. The frites presentation was actually pretty nifty, with the maitre d' walking through the dining room carrying the freshly prepared frites on a serving platter, dishing out generous portions to the customers as needed. Seconds and thirds allowed. A nifty way to ensure that your frites stay fresh and crisp from the beginning to the end of the meal. Unfortunately, serving frites in this manner requires a degree of attentiveness to the customer's needs that is nearly unheard of in Amercian restaurants, and Cafe de Paris was no exception.
The frites themselves were very good. Crisp, but still with a healthy potato flavor and flexible enought to sop up some of the herb sauce. The herb sauce, garlic-parsley-butter based, was a bit too heavy for my taste. And wasn't in the best accord with the steak, in my opinion anyway. The entrecote is a very good cut of meat, and very tender, but seemed a bit out of place in this dish, what with the heavy sauce and all. A bit like making hamburgers with filet mignon - defeats the whole purpose.
Last night we went to Le Zinc, a 2-3 year old bistrot on 24th Street here in Noe Valley. I'd not been to this place yet, but it had been on my "to do" list for quite some time. The decor is fabulous - a real zinc bar, small, round wooden tables, tasteful French-inspired designs, chalkboard menus. The menu is limited, but that's not really a bad thing, since it allows them to focus on just a few specialities.
The Steak Frites is, of course, one of those specialties. A hanger steak, so a bit more challenging, but which I think is more appropriate for a dish of this sort. A touch overcooked, so I suppose I should have asked for it rare as opposed to medium rare. It was served with a light sauce of caramelized shallots (tasty, but not spectacular) and a pile of crisp frites tossed with a little parsley. I actually thought the frites were a bit of a disappointment - a little too crisp, lacking in potato flavor, and too well salted.
So no, I don't think I've yet found the perfect Steak Frites. I'm pretty sure I've ordered this dish at Le Charm in South of Market and also at The Left Bank in Menlo Park, but I don't really remember it well enough to write about it here. I suppose I'll have to return to those places, as well as visit places like Chez Papa in Potrero Hill and Cafe Bastille downtown.
So the grades for Cafe de Paris - L'entrecote
Ambiance - D
Steak - C
Sauce - D
Frites - A
Service - C
Overall - C
And for Le Zinc
Ambiance - A
Steak - B
Sauce - B
Frites - C
Service - B
Overall - B
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