Minetta Tavern
Old saloon decor, framed caricatures, and extremely limited space and seating... this feels like New York City but from another time. Minetta Tavern has been on Macdougal Street since the 1930's, but it was recently revamped as an upscale restaurant serving one of the best steaks in Manhattan.
I went with my family over my spring break because I've been dying to try the infamous cote de boeuf. It's a $124 ordeal for 2 and it comes with a 32oz steak, marrow bones, and a sucrine lettuce salad. We started with a smoked salmon galette served with a fried egg and salmon roe. It was a delicious fried egg with salmon topped with roe and served in an airy doughy crepe-like galette, and I wish I could have it for breakfast every Sunday morning. We also had the roast baby beets salad and a mesclun salad that came with an amazing toast that was smothered in goat cheese. With our cote de boeuf, we got the pommes aligot, cheesy silky mashed potatoes, that was so dangerously addicting, that I had to physically move it out of my reach to restrain myself from overeating. My brother also insisted on getting the pommes punched because rosemary roasted potatoes with duck fat just sounded too appealing.
The cote de boeuf? It was marvelously marbled, medium rare, and oozing with juice. In all seriousness, thinking about it now is making me salivate. The generous portions of bone marrow left me in pure ecstasy. And can someone please let me know if there's a civilized way to eat meat straight off a bone? Much thanks. Also, we ended up sharing between four people; I cannot imagine a pair of people who can actually finish the monstrous serving of steak themselves.
We ended the night with a delightful apple tart that was not enough for all of us to share and a Grand Marnier souffle. I have yet to have a souffle in America that makes me feel like I'm eating clouds, but it hit the spot, nonetheless.
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| Smoked salmon galette |
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| Dry Aged Cote de Boeuf |
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| Grand Marnier Souffle |
It took me two tries over three months apart to book a table for 4 at a normal dining time (not 5pm or 10pm), so make your reservations now if you want to eat there next month!
And I keep hearing things about their french dip, so I guess I'll have to meander back soon.
| Minetta Tavern 113 MacDougal Street New York, NY 10012 |
