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“BLT Steak”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Midtown	Break the Bank	Great

BLT Steak is a place to relax, tuck a napkin into your collar, raise a glass (the wine list is 700 bottles long), and quite simply, feast. Owned by Jimmy Haber (Pazo, AZ), its name stands not for Bacon Lettuce and Tomato, but for Bistro Laurent Tourondel, the gifted chef known for his luxurious seafood dishes at Cello. At BLT Steak, the menu is American Steakhouse meets young French guy (that would be Laurent) with a passion for terrific ingredients and a way of bringing beef to the realm of dreams.

You can start with sparkling wine and a platter from the raw bar, or if you are feeling a need for meat up front, get going with the signature BLT ($22), a toasted sandwich fashioned from slow-roasted tomatoes and arugula, with Tourondel’s foie gras terrine standing in for bacon. I prefer my BLTs with bacon, an ingredient that gives the sandwich a smoky accent and some textural contrast, but I guess he is doing to the BLT what Daniel did to the burger. Sad that some people can’t leave well enough alone. (The BLT at Union Square Café however is served the way it should be, and is the definition of “well enough alone,” done to perfection.) But despite his need to spruce up the BLT, Tourondel knows his way around a kitchen. He is a talented chef and he offers a wealth of options to sample said talent. While I think we need another tuna tartare on a menu like we need another iteration of Average Joe, he does make a case for this overexposed dish. His is a glistening, rough cut mound of super fresh tuna dressed in a soy-lime dressing ($14) as bright and lively as a perky cheerleader on opening day. I was also taken with his crabcakes—they are fat, golden-crusted, and filled with lots of sweet crab meat, and nothin’ else ($15).

After apps, you must undertake the daunting task of selecting a protein—Hanger Steak ($24), Kobe Flat Iron ($26), Braised Short Ribs ($28), Rib Eye ($58 for 2), Lemon Rosemary Chicken ($22), Moulard Duck Breast ($27), Grilled Swordfish ($30), Grilled Tuna ($28), or Dover Sole ($34), among others—then add a sauce—Bearnaise, Peppercorn, Red Wine, 3 Mustards, Blue Cheese, or Horseradish for the meats, or Soy-Citrus, Caper Brown Butter, Tomato-Bearnaise, Cilantro Mayonnaise, Ginger Ketchup for the fish. Then, in classic steakhouse form, you must pick a few sides ($7-$9)—like the cloud-like Parmesan gnocchi, or his crispy wedge cut French fries, or perhaps a pile of ... [more, click below]

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Posted: March 12, 2004

Other restaurants in Midtown :
+ Lever House   + Aquavit   + RM   + Joseph's (formerly Citarella The Restaurant)   + Town   + Artisanal   + The Oyster Bar   + Geisha   + David Burke and Donatella Restaurant   + Riingo   + Amma   + Cafe Sabarsky   + The Stone Rose Lounge   + BLT Steak   + V, The Steakhouse-- Closed   + Bar Masa   + Cafe Gray   + The Bar Room at The Modern   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + The Cafe at Aquavit   + Bistro du Vent-- Closed   + Shaburi   + Xing   + The Modern   + Bar Americain   + Alto   + Park Blue   + Mainland-- Closed   + Nobu 57   + Quality Meats   + Dona-- CLOSED   + Daisy May's   + 7Square-- CLOSED   + Amalia   + Fireside   + Anthos   + Patroon   + BLT Market   + Toloache   + Mia Dona   + Park Avenue Summer   + Convivio   + The Oak Room by guest reviewer Julie Besonen   + At Vermilion by guest reviewer Elaine Weiner   + Lunching at Inakaya, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Marea, by Guest Reviewer Susan Kane Walkush   + Le Bernardin   + New York Central -- A Reason To Eat at the Grand Hyatt Again   + Pampano Botaneria by Dara Pollak   

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