Quality Meats

Quality Meats is a new entry in the sub-genre of luxury steakhouses, a niche occupied by itself, BLT Steak, BLT Prime, and Craftsteak. Characteristic of the category, the décor is significantly more upscale and chick-friendly than the typical steakhouse, the wine list more serious, the side dishes more carefully thought out, and the prices are several dollars more per entree than the already expensive standard set by NYC steakhouses.

My friend and I gave Quality Meats a try last night. We found it a tad superior to Craftsteak, although with a few reservations. The restaurant offers a 64 oz. double bone-in rib steak for two, for $110. We’re both fans of the ribeye, so we gave it a try. This was enormous, sliced tableside, with more of a “prime rib” taste than usual for a solo ribeye steak. We asked for a preparation between medium and medium rare, which the kitchen executed perfectly. We brought the ample leftovers home.

The amuse bouche was a deviled egg, which struck us as unusual at this type of restaurant, but the kitchen did a fine job with it. They also sent out freshly baked dinner rolls, which were sinfully good. For appetizers, my friend had a salad, while I ordered the bone marrow ($9), which was excellent. While we awaited our steak, a server came over and prepared a terrific home-made steak sauce tableside. I don’t normally use steak sauce, but for this I made an exception.

For side dishes, we ordered the crispy potatoes ($7), which came in a hot pan, over which garlic butter was poured at the table. The effect was upscale potato chips. An order of grilled asparagus ($8) was wonderful. To go along with this, I found a very reasonable pinot noir. The total for two, before tip, was $215, which for a meal of this quality in New York was quite reasonable.

If the story ended there, I’d give Quality Meats a solid three stars. But there were a number of glitches with the service. When we asked for the double ribeye, we initially did not want appetizers, as we knew we were in for something huge. Our server warned us that the ribeye would take 90 minutes to prepare, and asked if we wanted to reconsider the appetizers. We were baffled as to how a steak could take 90 minutes, but we took her word for it and ordered appetizers. In the meantime, our steak appeared 35–40 minutes later.

We would also like to have been told that the steak came with about a pound of mushrooms and glazed onions, in which case we wouldn’t have ordered two side dishes on top of that. Lastly, we were subjected to unctuous upselling at dessert time. We were full at that point, but the server tried to break our resistance: “Are you sure you don’t want any dessert? Perhaps an ice cream to share?” On an already expensive bill, this bordered on offensive. We held our ground, but it was annoying nonetheless.

For a restaurant of this size, the noise level was manageable. The AvroKO décor is spectacular, but the tables are small and close together. Indeed, there was not room on our table for everything we had ordered, and our server had to commandeer the next table over, which fortunately was not yet occupied. I don’t know what they would have done had it been a full house.

I’m sure I’ll be back to Quality Meats — a steakhouse this good deserves to be on everyone’s list. I sure hope they’ll get their service team knocked into better shape.

Quality Meats (57 W 58th Street, East of Sixth Avenue, West Midtown)

Food: ***
Service: *
Ambiance: **
Overall: **

Toqué

A friend and I spent the long weekend in Montreal. That gave us two dinners to splurge on. We chose Au Pied de Cochon (reviewed in the last post) and Toqué (pronounced “to-KAY”), which seems to be the dean of Montreal’s fine dining restaurants. We hadn’t reserved in advance, and our hotel concierge was skeptical of our chances on a Saturday night at short notice. However, he managed to secure a 9:30pm reservation, which was just fine for us.

We chose chef Normand Laprise’s seven-course degustation menu ($88). The printed menu doesn’t tell you what you’ll be getting — it’s “an elaborate mystery menu of seven inspired courses.” To the best of my recollection, this is what we had:

• Amuse bouche of cold tomato soup with a cucumber foam, and a crisp mozzarella stick with a chive running up its spine.
• Scallop with strawberry foam. This was the one unsuccessful dish, as the strawberry foam totally overwhelmed the scallop. My friend, who doesn’t eat scallops, was given a seafood ceviche instead, which she enjoyed.
• Tuna tartare on a tortilla, with an avocado puree. This combination of tastes was the second most successful course, after the bass (see below)
• Grilled striped bass, which my friend and I considered the most successful course
• Pork belly, served in a sealed glass jar. This presentation was amusing, but frankly the taste of the pork was completely forgettable.
• Duck breast in a mild pepper sauce, which we noted was an ample sized portion for a tasting menu
• Goat cheese sorbet, which was excellent
• Dessert, which I have entirely forgotten

I apologize for the Spartan descriptions, but that’s about as much as I remember after a long and exhausting day. Service was terrific. The restaurant has a strange affectation of laying all the silverware at a 45-degree angle to the diner, and laying knives on their edge. It presents no inconvenience, and it is even a bit witty, but we wondered about the point of it. The restaurant is enormous and well appointed. Tables are both large and very generously spaced.

This was a very strong degustation menu, and for the $88 price a very compelling dining choice for the visitor to Montreal.

Toqué (900, place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal, Québec)

Food: ***
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***
Overall: ***

Au Pied de Cochon

My friend and I spent last weekend in Montreal—the first visit for either of us. Au Pied de Cochon (“The Pig’s Foot”) was tops on our list of restaurants to try. We were totally delinquent in making reservations, so we were pleased that our hotel concierge was able to book us in at 9pm on the night of our arrival (Friday), and Toqué (see the next post) at 9:30pm the following evening. In New York, we probably wouldn’t have had such luck.

Perhaps a better name for the restaurant would be Au Pied de Cochon et Canard, because the signature ingredient is foie gras. A whole section of the menu is dedicated to foie gras, and it figures in many other dishes as well. Several of the foie gras selections are clearly meant to be humorous riffs on popular comfort food normally served without it, such as foie gras poutine, foie gras grilled cheese, and foie gras hamburger. (A recent article in Gourmet said that Au Pied de Cochon goes through 300 pounds of foie gras per week.)

Poutine is a popular fast food dish (even McDonald’s has a version of it), consisting of french fries, cheese curd, and gravy. Foie gras poutine, naturally, is the same thing, but with a huge hunk of seared foie gras as the centrepiece, and a hint of foie gras in the gravy. We thought it was terrific.

Many of the dishes have cryptic names, of which the most humorous is “duck in a can.” There is no explanation on the menu, but our server explained that it’s duck breast and foie gras cooked inside a can. We didn’t order this, but we saw a serving of it delivered to another table. Sure enough, the server brings a medium-sized soup can to the table, opens it with a conventional can opener, and then pours the meal onto the diner’s plate. Who would think of such a thing?

During the summer, the menu skews towards seafood. We saw massive raw bar platters being delivered to the tables, priced anywhere betwen $45 and $320. Pork, lamb, and venison also remain fixtures on the menu. Au pied de Cochon’s steak frites is made with venison all year long.

We ordered the pied de cochon foie gras, which again would be obscure if the server didn’t explain that it’s a whole shank of pig’s foot with foie gras, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. It was indescribably good, and the kind of dish you’re not going to find anywhere else.

Portion sizes were enormous—not just the things we ordered, but also the servings we saw delivered to other tables. Our server kindly advised that one order of poutine foie gras and one order of pied de cochon foie gras would be ample for two people, as this wouldn’t have been apparent from the menu. That pied de cochon was $48, but when served for two it is a bargain.

The apple pie was the only thing we ordered that was listed as a portion for two on the menu. Naturally, it was big enough for three. It came freshly baked, and was about the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted in a restaurant.

The chef, Martin Picard, has made a reputation with his button-down shirts (never tucked in), wild hair, and three-day-old beard. While we were there, he was all over the place — cooking some of the food, drinking beer and wine, and chatting up the customers. He said “Bon soir” to us as we left.

The space is informal, with tables fairly close together. The restaurant is only about 20 feet wide (although it is fairly deep). To get to the men’s room, you actually have to pass through the open kitchen. However, service was friendly and attentive. Our server recommended a superb wine at about $48 that went perfectly with our foie gras festival of a meal.

Au Pied de Cochon (536, rue Duluth Est, Montréal, Quebec)

Food: ***
Service: **½
Ambiance: *½
Overall: ***

Delmonico's

In my never-ending search for perfection in steaks, I gave Delmonico’s a try last Thursday night. Delmonico’s has been operating at its present location since 1838. It is presently configured as a steakhouse, which is a wise choice in the financial district, because it seems bankers can never get enough steaks. The menu is pretty much the standard fare, at the standard prices. I tried the ribeye ($38), which is my benchmark for excellence in steaks these days. It was one of the better ones I’ve tried, though not on a par with nearby Nebraska Beef or Strip House.

The restaurant does get brownie points for ambiance, though. It is a comfortable and well-appointed space with white tablecloths and handsomely-dressed waiters, that makes you feel like you’re having a special night out.

My only complaint was with the wine service. When I asked for wines by the glass, the server said, “We have a merlot, cabernet, pinot noir, shiraz,” etc. This seems to be a peculiarity of steakhouses, where they don’t have a written list of wines by the glass, and you are only told the grape—not the producer, the region, or the year. At steakhouse prices, why can’t they tell you what they’re serving?

Anyhow, I was pleased with Delmonico’s overall and would be happy to visit again.

Delmonico’s (56 Beaver St, at William & S. William Streets, Financial District)

Food: *½
Service: *½
Ambiance: **½
Overall: *½

Aquavit

Note: This is a review under chef Marcus Samuelsson, who no longer cooks at Aquavit. (He remains a minority partner.) Marcus Jernmark is his replacement.

My friend and I had a terrific meal at the Aquavit Cafe in April (report here), so we were tempted to try the main dining room. Our dinner there a couple of weeks ago was peculiarly underwhelming.

We had the three-course prix fixe ($80). My friend started with the Herring Sampler, which came with a glass of beer and a shot of what must have been 100-proof potato vodka. I had a foie gras starter, but the accompanying strips of bacon stole the show.

For the main course, my friend had the bacon wrapped New York strip, and again, she found that the bacon stole the show. Spice rubbed venison loin came in a peculiar apple-pine broth that turned the dish into a swimming pool. I found the dessert choices underwhelming, and settled on a selection of three scoops of ice cream.

Aquavit is, of course, capable of great things, but on this occasion we weren’t wowed. The design is supposed to suggest Scandinavian minimalism, but my friend, who has spent a lot of time in Sweden, found the space sterile.

Aquavit (65 E. 55th St. between Park & Madison Avenues, East Midtown)

Food: **
Service: **½
Ambiance: **½
Overall: **

Woo Lae Oak

Note: Woo Lae Oak closed at the end of May 2011, when it lost its lease.

*

A friend of mine absolutely swears by Woo Lae Oak, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Soho. At her suggestion we gave it a try last week. The space is large, the vibe dark and sexy, the tables generously spaced. Though there were just two of us, we were seated at a four-top, with partitions separating our table from those on either side of ours. It almost felt like a semi-private room.

She steered us clear of the appetizers, based on past experience. There are some 17 barbecue choices, priced $18–39, of which we selected two: black tiger prawns and sliced beef rib eye (both $24). Cook-it-yourself food is always plenty of fun. We were particularly impressed with the rib eye’s intense flavor.

She selected a rice dish, Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap (steamed rice with vegetables in a hot stone bowl) ($18), again based on past experience, which was a spicy delight. Dinner also comes with a salad and garnishes, and with the two barbecue dishes this probably would have been enough.

But we also ordered the black cod and daikon radish in a spicy, sweet garlic soy sauce ($28), which was superb, ranking right up there with Nobu’s famous preparation. I would run back to Woo Lae Oak for this dish alone.

We didn’t drink alcohol. Dinner for two was $102 including tax, before tip. I don’t believe I’ve tried Korean barbecue anywhere else, so I can’t make comparisons, but Woo Lae Oak was plenty of fun, and we were quite happy with our meal.

Woo Lae Oak (148 Mercer Street between Prince & Houston Streets, SoHo)

Food: **
Service: **
Ambiance: **
Overall: **

Pastis

Note: Pastis closed in February 2014, as the building it occupied closed for renovations. Owner Keith McNally claims it will re-open in 2015. We shall see.

*

A colleague and I visited Pastis a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t my choice. I have nothing against the place, but I’ve seen the long lines plenty of times, and I doubted that it would be worth braving the crowds. However, he made a 7pm reservation, and at that hour the restaurant was only just beginning to fill up.

My colleague mentioned that Pastis seems to be one of those iconic New York restaurants where you’re supposed to see celebrities—or that’s the theory, anyway. We didn’t spy anyone famous. He mentioned that he’s watched Sex and the City only four times, and twice the characters dined at Pastis.

Well, what about the food? I had a mediocre steak tartare and a decent grilled sea bass. A not unhappy experience, but certainly nothing to justify the restaurant’s reputation. Tables are both small and uncomfortably close together, the noise level is loud, and menus double as placemats. At least the prices are reasonable.

You won’t eat badly at Pastis, but we could hardly see what all the fuss is all about.

Pastis (9 Ninth Avenue at Little West 12th St, Meatpacking District)

Food: *
Service: okay
Ambiance: fair
Overall: okay

Duvet

Note: Duvet closed in late 2009 after multiple run-ins with the State Liquor authority.

*

At Duvet, there are plenty of signals that food is not the real attraction. This is one of those restaurants where most of the “tables” are beds. Their OpenTable profile warns in bold-face type that there is a two-hour time limit on all beds, as well as a two-appetizer or one-entree minimum per person. In other words, what they don’t want is for the Chelsea/Flatiron party set to occupy the beds and drink the night away.

Mind you, there is plenty of bar space for those who do want to drink, but the restaurant’s centerpiece is 30 very large beds and the vast space that accommodates them. The space is decorated in soft whites and off-whites. Programmed lights project a rotation of constantly changing hues on the walls. Wide-screen TVs show soothing videos. You’re encouraged to take off your shoes. Slippers are available at each bed. For our relatively early reservation, the space was still relatively empty, but I would imagine it gets packed later on.

For those who wimp out at the idea of eating in bed, as we did, there are a small number of tables available. We noted that the vinyl banquettes are somewhat worse for the wear, including even a cigarette burn (surprising, since the NYC restaurant smoking ban long pre-dates Duvet’s opening).

Duvet’s staff are obviously taken with the beds. Earlier in the day, when the reservation agent called to confirm, she asked if we wanted a bed or a table. “A table,” I replied. When I arrived, the host insisted that we try a bed. I knew my friend didn’t want to eat in bed, but I said I’d give it a whirl. It felt funny, and while I probably wouldn’t mind snacking in one of their beds, I don’t think I’d enjoy it for a full-scale meal. Trays are available, but the balancing act could be awkward. When the server comes by to take your order, he actually gets onto the bed with you. There’s plenty of room, of course, but it seems wacky.

The cuisine is described as “Modern American with global influences.” One of those influences is Japanese. Flights of sushi, sashimi, and hand rolls are available at $55, $85, or $125. I started more modestly with the Spicy Yellowtail Roll ($14), which was competently executed. My friend had no joy with the Salmon Ceviche ($9), which she found mediocre and did not finish.

For the main course, we both had the Peking Duck ($26), which comes with “sweet and sour” cherries. We didn’t detect any Peking or sweet and sour in the dish, but it was a modestly enjoyable performance.

Duvet is more about a sexy vibe than fine dining. You won’t eat badly, but you won’t eat memorably either.

Duvet (45 W. 21st St. between Fifth & Sixth Avenues, Chelsea)

Food: okay, but nothing special
Service: *
Ambiance: *½
Overall: okay

Robert's Steakhouse

Note: Chef Adam Perry Lang has since left Robert’s Steakhouse.

Robert’s Steakhouse has gotten some good press lately, including a prominent mention in the Times. One night in early June, I decided to find out for myself if the fuss is justified. The restaurant is located in the Penthouse Lounge, although it is a separate section of the club. Most men go there, I think, to drink at the bar, to look at the strip show, and perhaps to visit a private room with one of the models.

Steakhouse pricing is fairly consistent in the city. The steaks at Robert’s are over-priced beyond reason. There are three options for the solo diner: filet ($51), t-bone ($51) or bone-in strip ($53). All of them are at least $10-12 more than most NYC steakhouses would charge. The porterhouse and ribeye, both available only in portions for two, are similarly over-priced.

The server recommended the strip. At this price, it had better be a strip steak to die for. It wasn’t. Yes, it was a huge slab of meat, probably two inches thick before cooking. And yes, it was expertly broiled. But it was slightly tough and over-salted. Later on, one of the Penthouse models told me that she thinks Del Frisco’s is better — a remarkable admission.

Needless to say, Del Frisco’s is more sensibly priced. It’s also in a far more hospitable part of town — 49th & 6th, rather than Robert’s perch in the hinterlands at 45th & 11th. Indeed, I could easily name a dozen steakhouses serving better steaks at better prices in better neighborhoods than Robert’s.

The over-priced fare was not limited to the steaks. On the wine list, there were no bottles below $75. When I asked for wine by the glass, I was offered “cabernet or merlot”; no indication of vintage or winery. A glass of the unremarkable and unnamed cabernet was an outrageous $17.

Service was merely average. There was an excellent selection of warm bread rolls, but they were brought to the table long after I sat down. My check was brought to the table before I had finished ordering. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Robert’s Steakhouse (603 W 45th St at 11th Avenue, Hell’s Kitchen)

Food: *
Service: fair
Ambiance: fair, but not a place you could take a date
Overall: okay

Brandy Library

Brandy Library is a delightful lounge for brandy, cognac, armagnac, calvados, whiskey, rum, and the like. The quiet, comfortable room is ringed with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Naturally, instead of books, those shelves are stocked with liquor.

One night a few weeks ago, I took a seat at the bar and immediately stumped the panel. I asked for “Macallan 1988 15 years 86 proof Sherry cask MacKillop’s choice” ($16). After searching the shelves for several minutes, with no fewer than three staff members consulting, they determined that my choice was no longer in stock.

I asked for somthing similar, and funky. “Funky we can do,” the hostesss said. They recommended Glenrothes 1992 86 proof. Glenrothes is a smaller highland distillery, but they promised I would taste a sherry flavor, just like the Macallan. This was a whiskey so powerful that I started to get intoxicated merely by waving the glass under my nose. It was served in a wide-mouth Riedel glass that gives the drink plenty of room to breathe. It was extremely smoothe, with a long, comfortable, only midly burning after-taste.

On another visit, I once again made a selection that was out of stock, but this time the spirits sommelier was in the house, and he quickly suggested an excellent alternative at a lower price than the one I’d picked. “The list of whiskeys we’re out of is longer than the list that most restaurants serve,” he quipped. On a third visit, I put myself in his hands, and he again made an excellent suggestion. Chivas Regal was doing a promotion, and a couple of attractive models came over with free glasses of Chivas 18. I also tried a basket of the gougères on that occasion. They are hopelessly addictive.

A few months later, I brought a friend, and we ordered a brandy tasting called Spirit of Gascony ($36). That buys you eight shot-glasses with splashes of different brandies. It’s more than enough for two people to have a good taste of each. (Any more brandy than that, and you’d have to be wheeled out the door). The gougères ($8) made a terrific accompaniment.

The room is clearly configured for drinking, but there is a respectable food menu that includes everything from those gougères to burgers.

Brandy Library (25 N Moore at Varick St, TriBeCa)

Food/Spirits: ★★★
Service: ★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Overall: ★★★