I”™m a sucker for crisscross griddle lines on a juicy, underdone steak, preferably one served with French fries so golden you”™d swear they”™d spent a month on the Riviera. And the steaks and fries at five-month old Manhattan transplant, Brasserie Le Steak in Larchmont, do just that. If you”™re looking for filet mignon, New York cut ribeye, New York cut sirloin or dry-aged porterhouse ”“ or simply a classic steak frites with mustard sauce ”“ you”™ve come to the right place.
For 25 years, Le Steak was a magnet for Francophiles and other carnivores on the Upper East Side before shuttering at the start of 2021and relocating to Westchester County. The Sound Shore”™s large French expat community must be thanking their lucky étoiles, although a great “new” restaurant benefits us all.
Our visit certainly gets off to a good start, as owner Nick Jakupi welcomes us, inviting us to sit at a large “four-top” table, even though we are only two. “We want you to be comfortable,” he says considerately. And we are very comfortable indeed, in this large, inviting room ”“ around 80 covers over two levels, with just three steps between ”“ with its clean lines, tables dressed with white tablecloths and classic bentwood chairs. Those large mirrors and potted palms; those ever-so-French, half-length net curtains that remind you of that charming little bistro in Montmartre you were so excited to discover on a romantic trip to Paris; that pair of schmaltzy watercolors ”“ you know, the kind you buy as newlyweds walking along the Left Bank, as thrilled with the purchase as if you”™d just bagged the Mona Lisa, and that spend the next 30 years languishing in your garage as you can”™t quite bear to throw them out? They all contribute to the atmosphere.
Acoustics that could be hell, what with the wood floors and the low ceilings, are in fact sympa, as the French say, helped by music ”“ Françoise Hardy, Joe Dassin, some snippets of Celine Dion ”“which is kept at considerately low volume.
What do I want from a brasserie? A touch of oom-pah-pah and ooh-la-la. Big brassiere food in generous portions. Great fish and shellfish and slabs of red meat. Garlic, for sure. Truth be told, I wouldn”™t mind the whiff of a Gitanes cigarette either, but let”™s not get into that. At any rate, apart from the Gitanes, at Le Steak I get it all, the garlic courtesy of the escargots by the way, reassuringly plump gastropods served in their shells with garlic butter and parsley.
Other classic brasserie starters include an onion soup that seems to contain an entire onion field in the heavy earthenware bowl, along with bread and a canopy of stringy Gruyère, which is impossible to eat elegantly. (Do not attempt it on a first date.) There are shrimp and crab appetizers, too, and a wonderful wild organic mushroom strudel, served warm, with crumbled goat cheese and a rich Port reduction. Heady stuff.
As for the entrées, although you may come here for steak ”“ and the 10-ounce classic steak frites and the 16-ounce New York-cut ribeye were both long on flavor and cooked exactly as requested ”“ you may end up ordering something else altogether. There are a handful of chicken dishes, as well as several fish and seafood options, including moules marinières (mussels in white wine, a classic French dish); scallops with jumbo shrimp; and a delicate almond-crusted fillet of sole. There is a also straightforward, top-quality hamburger, or a “machete” burger, with all the trimmings.
Desserts are homemade and portions are generous. Le Steak”™s flourless chocolate cake is a best seller, with the lemon tart not far behind. We especially enjoy an old-fashioned chocolate mousse, rich and thick with a touch of texture from the flecks of unabsorbed chocolate and a generous swirl of whipped cream on top.
As for drinks, we start with that great cocktail, a French 75 (rude not to). The wine list, meanwhile, sensibly confines itself to French reds and French and Californian whites, with a few other domestic vintages and a couple of Italian interlopers. You wonӪt find too many treasures, but a Lalande de Pomerol Ch̢teau Siaurac 2014, at a reasonable $59, seems typical of the modest markups you can expect here. At our table, we drink a house C̫te du Rh̫ne, big in the mouth if a little thin on the finish, but typical of any inexpensive wine you might drink by the carafe in any Montparnasse brasserie.
Service, overseen by the quiet owner, is light and unobtrusive, adding to the guest”™s enjoyment. And there is no need of that well-meaning but vacuous question, beloved of restaurant staff everywhere, religiously asked at regular 10-minute intervals, “How is everything?” Perhaps that”™s because at Le Steak, they know everything is just fine.
For more, visit brasserielesteak.com.
