brunch.org > Steak au Poivre > Reviews > New York > Demarchelier
 

	Meat quality Meat preparation Sauce French Fries Garnishes Sides

50 E 86th St
(at Madison Ave)
New York, NY
212.249.6300
 

The initial presentation of the dish was encouraging: a thick steak dripping with sauce and dozens of whole green peppercorns next to a clump of watercress and a baked herbed tomato, with a side bowl of fries.

Unfortunately, the flaws in the dish were quickly made apparent, and only the sauce fully lived up to the presentation. The sirloin was nicely thick but surprisingly tough, a “6 for looks but 3 for taste.”

The separation of fries and steak was unnecessary, and the fry management required to transfer fries to plate and wait for them to soak up the sauce was annoying. The fries themselves were acceptably tasty, but were not quite crisp enough to begin with.

The sauce was plentiful but thin, with a nice pepper aftertaste. It was clearly the highlight of the dish, but still could have benefited from a touch more reduction and a touch more flavor.

Submitted by DOJR & JHC
March 26, 2001

Editor’s note: I first heard about Demarchelier late one night at Blue Ribbon Sushi, when my friend and I started up a conversation with the couple next to us. Which of the Demarcheliers it was, I'm not sure, but he left us with a card for his eponymous restaurant and a second bottle of sake he couldn’t finish.