My friend and I revisited Boucherie in Union Square recently as we were craving steak with a classic French bistro atmosphere and fare. The slight justification to have a substantial steak is the fact it’s one of the incredibly freezing sub-zero nights in New York City.
We started off with a floral Amelié cocktail made with Grey Goose vodka, maraschino, rosé brut, pomegranate, lime and rose water (quite appropriate for Valentine’s Day, thinking in retrospect) and I had the classic Boulevardier that is both strong yet sweet enough to round the bitter edge out.
We shared a really solid niçoise salad made with steamed fingerling potatoes, blanched string beans, mixed greens tossed in a vinaigrette and topped with slices of perfectly seared Ahi tuna.
The Hudson Valley foie gras mousse is a classic French bistro dish and executed well here too. The dense, creamy foie gras mousse wasn’t too liver-y in flavor and the incredibly soft, sweet-tart onions were a great foil to the mousse.
The star of the evening was the côte de bœuf pour deux – a large fifty ounce Tomahawk for two people, sliced to the requested medium-rare. The slices rest on top of the two halves of roasted bone marrow and bordelaise sauce pooled on the bottom of the large serving pan. The steak was seasoned and cooked to the desired temperature but interestingly felt a little too lean on the palate when eaten solo or with the bordelaise. The bone marrow was luscious and added to the missing bit of intramuscular fat when topped on to the steak.
As for dessert, we split their simple looking yet delicious crème brûlée. The kitchen does it well – creamy custard with just the right amount of sweetness and the delicately caramelized sugar. The fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries add just enough sweet acidity to balance it all out.
To see more photos of this visit, please click here or view the gallery below:
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