Cuisine

Neighborhood

CUISINE: American (Traditional), French, Steakhouse
NEIGHBORHOOD: Greenwich Village, West Village

photo: NyTimes.com

113 MacDougal St at Minetta Ln

(p) 212-475-3850

Minetta Tavern has been around for almost a century, but last spring Keith McNally turned it into a trendy steakhouse, attracting foodies and scenesters alike. Living up to its namesake, the space is very tavern-like: checkered floor, red leather booths, wooden bar, all very dark. But the McNally touch is obvious. Though not as hip as when it first opened, it's still a scene, housing models and trendy older people and loud-mouthed girlfriends from New Jersey trying to get a table. The walls are creatively littered with caricatures of strange men — regulars like 'the well dressed truck driver.'  House cocktails, like the Murray Sour (whiskey, cardamom, nectar, fresh lemon and orange) add to the overall effect of the place, and they taste pretty darn good. The bar itself is a grand beauty; rows of shiny liquor bottles and cocktail glasses line the cherry-wood shelves like something out of a Mad Men episode. CONT'D

The dinner menu, crafted by executive chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr (of Schiller's and Pastis), sticks to the classics.  Four gigantic bones, charred and seasoned, arrive with slices of toasted baguette for the bone marrow appetizer. There's also fois gras and chilled gulf shrimp to go with your whiskey cocktail. Entrees include the much hyped Black Label Burger— dry-aged beef cuts with caramelized onions and pommes frites. The $26 hamburger isn't the largest, but it may be the most moist, succulent and luxurious bread-and-meat combo I've ever tasted.  A selection of 'Grillades' include the usual suspects: dry aged beef, New York Strip, Veal Chop and Filet Mignon, ready to pair with some 'legumes' and 'pommes.' A seared pork special, with morels and squash, was a seasonal wonder. For dessert, a souffle for two took twenty minutes to cook and two to eat.  

I wouldn't wait outside for three hours to get a table (like some others I saw), but it's worth attempting to get a reservation at McNally's newest meat-haven. 

Posted in FOOD on November 2, 2009 11:43am by Jena Steinbach | 13 comments

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