Les Halles
411 Park Avenue South, Flatiron, NY
It has come to our attention that surprisingly few people that we know, know about Les Halles. Even card carrying Infatuation Platinum Diners rarely speak of the place, which is curious, because it’s our kind of restaurant. It’s simple, it’s inviting, and what they do, they do well.
Now, ask anyone with basic cable and spice rack about Bobby Flay and they should be able to spit out something about Mesa Grill…maybe even Bar Americain. But ask those same people about Anthony Bourdain, and unless they read Kitchen Confidential, I doubt you’ll hear much about Les Halles. Bourdain spent many years as the restaurant’s executive chef, and it’s still his “home base” according to the restaurant. So, if you count yourself among those who haven’t been, allow us to elaborate.
If what you know of Bourdain is entirely based on No Reservations, you might expect that a restaurant under his watch would be all about ethnic food, random animal parts, and booze (which, now that I think about it, would be amazing). But Les Halles is a straightforward French bistro, and it’s all about the steaks and the fries. The important thing to know if you’re going is this: don’t fuck around. Don’t go if you’re planning to skip the red meat and order a salad and a piece of salmon. Don’t go if you’re expecting four star French service and finger sandwiches. Go if you’re hungry for a steak and feel like working on a mid-day wine buzz. That’s how you do it.
Food Rundown:
Gratinée Des Halles
This is an excellent French onion soup. Second only to L’Express, but that might be because we’ve rarely eaten at L’Express sober.
Onglet à l’Échalote
A hangar steak with shallot sauce. The shallot sauce is quite a bit more delicate than some of the others you’ll find with other cuts of meat, which can be nice. We like this, but we like the skirt steak better.
Bavette de Boeuf
A favorite of ours, this is skirt steak with just enough bleu cheese to keep things interesting. Delicious.
Steak au Poivre
Chances are you’ve had this somewhere, but you need to have it here.
Pommes Frites
Possibly the most important thing in the whole restaurant. Bourdain has actually boasted that his fries are the best in the world. I don’t know if we’ll give him that, but they’re pretty unbelievable, especially sitting next to your steak soaking up all the meat juice and sauce.
Mignon de Porc “Maison”
I suppose if we’re writing about something that’s not steak after my diatribe above, it should be pork. This was a reccomendation from a waiter, and a good one at that. Very tender pork medallions in a garlic sauce with a pile of mashed potatoes. Maybe a little too salty, but pretty tasty nonetheless.
