Steak Frites Bistro Opens in Hell’s Kitchen

BY LAUREN SCHUSTER

Looking for a little piece of Paris in the streets of Hell’s Kitchen? Look no further than newly opened restaurant Steak Frites Bistro, the latest offering from Chef/ Owner Adam Schop. The classic French fare and thoughtfully curated wine list and cocktail program transport you to the streets of Paris. This is certainly not Chef Schop’s first foray into Parisian bistro fare. When creating the menu, Schop drew from his background working at Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale, Arizona and Washington D.C.’s famed Le Diplomate, a Starr Restaurants Organization restaurant.

While Steak Frites Bistro’s dinner menu may be concise, it provides options for everyone, from those looking to indulge in a traditional multi-course French meal to those who are just in the neighborhood and looking for a quick, delicious bite.

The Hors D’œuvres section of the menu highlights French classics such as Escargots de Bourgogne, Burgundy snails cooked in parsley-garlic butter with croutons, which is served in a shallow dish rather than the traditional snail plate to make it easier for guests to soak up the remaining sauce with their bread; Steak Tartare, hand-chopped prime beef served with cornichons and grilled country bread and Pâté de Campagne, country style pâté of duck and pork served with cassis mustard.

Dishes on the Salades and Tartine section of the menu can be eaten either as a second course or as a meal all on their own. Highlights include the Salade Lyonnaise (frisée lettuce, bacon lardons, poached egg and fingerling potato crisps with sherry vinaigrette) and the Croque Madame (a classic French sandwich made with grilled ham, gruyère cheese and mornay sauce on brioche, topped with a fried egg and served with pommes frites).

The Plats Principaux (main dishes) include Gratin de Gnocchi à La Parisienne, Parisian gnocchi made with flour and eggs rather than potatoes, cooked in butter and served over mushroom fricassée, roasted garlic with mornay sauce and topped with black truffle pecorino, and Burger Français, a dry-aged prime beef blend patty topped with gruyère, dijonnaise, shallots and cornichons on brioche with pommes frites.

Of course, you cannot have Steak Frites Bistro without including the classic dish itself. Steak Frites Bistro provides a unique offering: it serves its namesake dish in four forms. First, diners must choose between Traditional Steak Frites and Spécialités De La Maison, steak for two. The Traditional option is then available as either a nine-ounce Hanger steak or an 18-ounce Dry Aged New York Strip Steak. Available for two are a 28-ounce Côte de Boeuf and a 20-ounce Chateaubriand served with house made Béarnaise sauce, both served with a petite salade and presented to diners whole before being finished in a 900-degree broiler to add the perfect amount of char. The sauces available to be served with the steak are classic Au Poivre, Béarnaise and Bordelaise, to which diners can even add bone marrow to upgrade the flavor.

Desserts include Riz Au Lait, a French rice pudding and Soufflé Au Chocolat, baked to order with chocolate sauce poured over the top tableside.

Steak Frites Bistro’s rye bread, sourdough bread and baguettes are all sourced from C&B, a café and bakery from Chef/Owner Ali Sahin (Daniel). The breads are organic and are pre-fermented for two days using high hydration flour.

For guests looking for the perfect wine pairing with their meal, Steak Frites Bistro offers an exclusively French wine list designed by sommelier Alexis Percival. The wine list is composed of a generous selection of natural wines and unique selections from lesser-known producers that are not likely to be found elsewhere. The wine selections are avail- able both by the glass and by the bottle.

In the mood for a cocktail instead? Thanks to Alex Cajuste, the French-Canadian beverage director of Miss Lily’s 7A Café, you’re in luck. Cajuste has created a beverage menu full of creative cocktails using French spirits as the base. Highlights include Deux Vies (Citadelle Gin, Lillet Blanc, Mathilde Orange XO, Absinthe Mist and lemon), Lavender 75 (Lavender-infused Citadelle Gin, St-Germain, and lemon, topped with sparkling wine) and Madame Guillotine (whiskey, Calvados, Cassis, lemon, egg white and bitters).

Steak Frites Bistro has also recently launched a special Weekend Brunch menu. Brunch-goers will not want to miss out on the buttery, flaky Viennoiseries (baked goods) such as Butter Croissants, Pain au Chocolat and Almond Croissants, which are also sourced from C&B. Other classic French brunch highlights include the Salade Niçoise, confit tuna, haricots verts, niçoise olives, potatoes, with lemon vinaigrette; Moroccan Baked Eggs, with peppers, onions, chickpeas and charred tomato sauce; Quiche Lorraine, with melted onions, bacon, and gruyère cheese and Eggs Benedict, poached eggs with French ham and hollandaise sauce.

The interior was carefully designed by Tiff Porter and Evan Collier of Arch Production, who set out to evoke the feeling of an authentic Parisian bistro for their customers. However, they did so with an important added goal: sustainability. Sustainable décor and furniture pieces found inside Steak Frites Bistro include a table made of wood reclaimed from a bowling alley, furniture upcycled from Tavolina (which previously occupied the space), walls adorned with hand-painted signage, hand-scratched mirrors and carefully curated photos and prints meant to evoke the spirits of both New York and Paris.

Looking ahead, Steak Frites Bistro is also set to launch lunch service this spring.