A bargain in midtown Manhattan? Astonishing but true, and pretty darn tasty as well. (Cheap is easy; cheap and good is hard.) Le Relais de Venise is one of six restaurants, the original in Paris, two in London, one each in Barcelona, Bahrain and now on Lexington Avenue at 52nd Street. The premise and the menu are very simple. One meal is served for a fixed price. Drinks, dessert and cheese are extra. But for $24, a diner receives a green salad, slices of an entrecote steak with sauce, and fries.
Yes, $24. For the same price, vegetarians miss the steak but receive dessert and a choice of cheeses. And for the steak and fries, or, more properly, frites, there are seconds if desired. Yes, seconds. In Manhattan. Perhaps we should have warned you to read this sitting down.
The room itself is more open than the usual French restaurant in New York, brasserie rather than bistro, with waitresses in black who know their business and move like they're shot out of a circus cannon. Sam Sifton in the New York Times advised that if you're interested in a leisurely meal, order a drink or wine before you order your food, and that's what we inadvertently did with our New Yorker pal who'd been there before and put her stamp of approval on the evening. The crowd was almost entirely locals, including a table of big guys who clearly knew the drill and politely didn't clean out the kitchen before leaving.
The salad is more than pleasant, a creamy vinaigrette on good greens, tossed before arrival, but not much before, leaving the salad glowing and unwilted. The walnuts add a little crunch and their own mild flavor.
But what about the beef? That's what everyone wants to know. First of all, it's American beef; those who have been exposed to French beef will smile. The meat arrives sliced and with a mysterious sauce whose ingredients have been the subject of much conjecture. Mustard, for sure, almost certainly some butter and shallots; probably some tarragon. Beyond that we will not go. It's not prime beef, not at these prices, but it's a far cry from the old Tad's Steaks in Times Square where inexpensive beef was definitely beef, but full of gristle and fat. Lots of excellent flavor, and as tender as can reasonably be expected. An entrecote, technically speaking, is usually a boneless, trimmed version of a rib steak. And the frites? Oh, my. Killer frites, crisp and hot and really excellent, hard to resist an overdose.
For those who have inspected the dessert cart while waited to be seated, self-control will be easier. Some classic French choices, like crème brulee, Mont-Blanc and vacherin, plus several ice cream choices and a couple of cakes. Also profiteroles, which we cannot resist, and these were classic, fresh and crisp outside, with a good chocolate sauce drizzled over the pastry and its ice cream filling.
For a New Yorker used to walking in the city, this is walking distance to the Theater District. For the rest of us, if a curtain is looming, hail a cab. Eating early may be an advantage; the restaurant doesn't take reservations, but on a summer Saturday night, we walked directly to a table.
No romantic walks along the Seine afterward, but you can't have everything.
Le Relais de Venise
590 Lexington Avenue, New York
212-758-3989
Lunch & Dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $24
