Steak Frites

[cloax]

Long time lurker and nyc transplant in search of the DC's best steak frites. It's a good friends birthday and unfortunately he's not a foodie. ( Shock and awe, I know ). Two of his food groups being steak and french fries, I figure I'd treat him to the best steak frites this city has to offer. My only lament is not knowing where this dish lies here in DC.

So, I throw myself on the mercy of DR.com and look forward to the responses.

PS - I had originally planned on taking him to NYC for the kobe beef hot dog @ old homestead ( hot dogs being his mainstay food group ), but they've removed it from the menu in favor of a kobe burger. Heresy!

best,

Joe

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Four places to try, in no particular order:

1. Cordury-the bar menu. Flat iron steak and frites, $18. Hard to beat.

2. Firefly-get the truffle frites, you won't be disppointed

3. Bistro Francais in G'town.

4. Les Halles. Res ipsa loquitor

And welcome to DR.com cloax.

[CrescentFresh]

I dig 'em at Bistrot du Coin.

[hillvalley]

The only painful part of the Circle Bistro dinner was when I ran to the bar to get a drink and got a whiff of Chef's fries. Them some good fries

[Barbara]

Four places to try, in no particular order:

1. Cordury-the bar menu. Flat iron steak and frites, $18. Hard to beat.

This is truly all you need to know. Even though the restaurant is called "Corduroy."

[Jacques Gastreaux]

This is truly all you need to know. Even though the restaurant is called "Corduroy."

Sorry, I don't have a dictionary next to my computer.

[alan7147]

I dig 'em at Bistrot du Coin.

second that. Especially for the atmosphere in which to enjoy it

[cloax]

hmm... I've had them @ corduroy.... might go with that then....

ps - ask clayrae

pps- recovering corduroy addict

-joe

[Waitman]

If you go to Bistro du Coin DO NOT GET "LE STEAK MAISON," their basic steak frites. The steak sucks. Get either the onglet or the Ribeye.

Also worth checking out: Montsouris on P Street and 20th.

[jparrott]

Contrastingly, the regular Steak Frites at Les Halles is quite passable, whilst the onglet has shrunk considerably over time and the higher-end cuts are pretty shabby. I often get a lamb steak here, actually.

[Heather]

The last time I had the steak frites at Les Halles both were poor (onglet rather than the regular) but that was at least a year ago. Bistrot du Coin is good if you're going for tartare, Bistro Francais used to be reliable but I have no recent report, and Corduroy is always a good bet especially for $18.

[Escoffier]

Sorry, I don't have a dictionary next to my computer.

Slightly off topic, but ... www.dictionary.reference.com - copy and paste, ergo, instant dictionary.

[mdt]

And as for the user guide there is a little Help link right next to the Search link that contains general Invision instructions. Is this really that much harder then ordering tickets from Orbitz?

[Heather]

My goodness, could we all just take our pedant hats off?

[xcanuck]

I've enjoyed steak and fries at Les Halles, but would recommend that you stick with the NY Strip or steak au poivre (as opposed to the hanger steak which was oily and overdone the last couple of times I tried it there).

So Corduroy is THE place for steak frites, eh? I was gonna go to Restaurant Kolumbia for a pre-show snack/cocktail but maybe I'll venture to Corduroy. I've never been there - are jeans acceptable in the bar area?

[Jacques Gastreaux]

are jeans acceptable in the bar area?

Yes.

[hillrat]

I've also had an excellent Steak Frittes at Bistro Bis.

[The Doctor]

Corduroy for best quality, especially on the steak side. Outside of Ray's it's the only steak I really crave.

Bistrot Du Coin for a better party atmosphere, and I might even give them a slight edge on the fries -- they're somewhat unique. Plus you have the option to drown everything in Bearnaise.

[Waitman]

I've also had an excellent Steak Frittes at Bistro Bis.

I like Bis, but it's pretty dang expensive for a place calling itself a Bistro: $31.50 for steak frites, vs. $17.95 for the onglet at du Coin. It is, I'm sure, a better cut of meat, but it makes it pretty much impossible to get out of the place for less than 60 or 70 bucks if you want wine, too, which means that it is no longer (to my wallet) a spur-of-the-moment pleasure.

[TSE]

Ah...the national dish of France. I'm not really going to add any value here, but here are my opinions, anyway...

Bistro Francais: nice steak that usually has a strong, beefy flavor. Skinnier, crispier fries than most traditional french places

BdC: I love this place, but second the call for not getting the basic steak. Fries are hit or miss.

Bis: Great quality, but not better than other, cheaper places.

Les Halles: This is the ultimate hit-or-miss re frites. Onglet had shrunk, eh?

Curduroy: why oh why haven't I had it here yet?!

Montmarte: would do a good job, I bet, if only they made fries...

[Waitman]

The last time I had the steak frites at Les Halles both were poor (onglet rather than the regular) but that was at least a year ago. Bistrot du Coin is good if you're going for tartare, Bistro Francais used to be reliable but I have no recent report, and Corduroy is always a good bet especially for $18.

"Last time I was at Les Halles, with HillValley, both the steak and the frites were excellent. Of course, we were having dinner with Tony Bourdain, so that may have affected the quality," he bragged shamelessly.

[Heather]

"Last time I was at Les Halles, with HillValley, both the steak and the frites were excellent. Of course, we were having dinner with Tony Bourdain, so that may have affected the quality," he bragged shamelessly.

Is he as big a dick in person as he is on TV?

Montmartre doesn't do fries? <crosses it off her list...>

[Waitman]

Is he as big a dick in person as he is on TV?

Montmartre doesn't do fries? <crosses it off her list...>

He actually seems to be a really nice guy. Polite, intelligent, tolerant of fans, solicitous of Grill Bitch, polite to the help. Gives good autograph.

Don't get him started on Trotter, though.

[TSE]

Montmartre doesn't do fries? <crosses it off her list...>

I could be totally dense (and I've been accuse of that many a time), but I've neither seen them served nor referenced on the menu in any of the times that I've been there.

[DonRocks]

Montmartre doesn't do fries? <crosses it off her list...>

Montsouris does, and they offer up several steaks. Based on one visit, I would go with a medium-rare butcher steak ($19) over the more-expensive ribeye. The steak tartare is coarse-chopped (a good thing), but make sure you order it without the sauce on top.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Heather]

Montsouris does, and they offer up several steaks. Based on one visit, I would go with a medium-rare butcher steak ($19) over the more-expensive ribeye. The steak tartare is coarse-chopped (a good thing), but make sure you order it without the sauce on top.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Thanks Don, Montsouris is on my short list for this weekend, after a visit to the Phillips. Bearnaise?

(Steak tartare: sauce? what kind of sauce? )

[DonRocks]

Thanks Don, Montsouris is on my short list for this weekend, after a visit to the Phillips. Bearnaise?

(Steak tartare: sauce? what kind of sauce? )

The butcher steak comes with a red-wine shallot sauce by default, but you can probably request it with the bearnaise sauce, which has a strong tarragon component.

The steak tartare is topped with a belle maman sauce, which is essentially mayonnaise with a little mustard, oil, salt, and pepper. I was surprised to see this, but some people might like it I suppose.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[dwt]

Since there has been no mention of it, I will witness for the onglet with red wine and shallot sauce at Lavandou. in Cleveland Park. I thought the steak was very good and perfectly cooked, the sauce intense (hmm, a little demi glace in there? can I have a bucket of this to take home?), and the fries excellent.

NB: I think the chef may have changed since I was last there, though it's hard to believe that they would mess with their execution of this classic dish.

[Heather]

He actually seems to be a really nice guy. Polite, intelligent, tolerant of fans, solicitous of Grill Bitch, polite to the help. Gives good autograph.

Don't get him started on Trotter, though.

Really? I love it when celebrities exceed my expectations. (And he's totally right about Trotter)

Don, thanks. Mayonnaise on tartare would be on my "turnoffs" list. Egad.

[hillvalley]

"Last time I was at Les Halles, with HillValley, both the steak and the frites were excellent. Of course, we were having dinner with Tony Bourdain, so that may have affected the quality," he bragged shamelessly.

Is he as big a dick in person as he is on TV?

He actually seems to be a really nice guy. Polite, intelligent, tolerant of fans, solicitous of Grill Bitch, polite to the help. Gives good autograph.

Don't get him started on Trotter, though.

I wasn't going to say anything, but since Waitman opened the door.......his ego is as big as you think, and he is taller and skinnier in person, if I remember correctly. He treated us as regular people though, not the drooling fans that we were. WM didn't mention that we got the "special" autograph. I think the most shocking part of the whole evening for Waitman was the fact that I barely sputtered a word throughout the whole meal.

[Roger Troutman]

They are great at Bistrot du Coin, but I would recommend avoiding this place at all costs because the service is beyond horrible.

[cjsadler]

Since there has been no mention of it, I will witness for the onglet with red wine and shallot sauce at Lavandou. in Cleveland Park. I thought the steak was very good and perfectly cooked, the sauce intense (hmm, a little demi glace in there? can I have a bucket of this to take home?), and the fries excellent.

NB: I think the chef may have changed since I was last there, though it's hard to believe that they would mess with their execution of this classic dish.

The onglet and frites tonight at Lavandou were very good. Combine that with no corkage and you've got a good way to forget the beginning of another work week.

[baczkowski]

We utilized a gift certificate to Mon Ami Gabi Friday night and I rather enjoyed my hanger steak and frites. Even if it hadn't been free, I still would have happily paid the $17 and enjoyed what I got for the price.

Pax,

Brian

[DonRocks]

Again, like the "Asian Dumplings" thread, so much has happened since this post was last updated - think of Medium Rare, for example. And steak has gotten *so expensive* - DC used to be thought of as a steakhouse town, and in many ways, that sobriquet is still well-justified, although it's mercifully being diluted.

Finding a steak frites for under $20 was *easy* nine years ago; now, it's next to impossible - even a skirt steak, which often now comes sliced in just a few pieces (as opposed to the giant, floppy thing that used to hang off your plate), is often in the low $20s for only a fraction of the meat. 

[Kev29]

7 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Again, like the "Asian Dumplings" thread, so much has happened since this post was last updated - think of Medium Rare, for example. And steak has gotten *so expensive* - DC used to be thought of as a steakhouse town, and in many ways, that sobriquet is still well-justified, although it's mercifully being diluted.

Finding a steak frites for under $20 was *easy* nine years ago; now, it's next to impossible - even a skirt steak, which often now comes sliced in just a few pieces (as opposed to the giant, floppy thing that used to hang off your plate), is often in the low $20s for only a fraction of the meat. 

Le Steak Maison at Bistrot du Coin is now $22.95. I remember back in the days when I used to be able to leave home/work (the 2000s) it was more like $17.

The Wayback Machine confirms: Menu in 2005