That’s just how I like it!
Long, long ago I hopped on a plane with my mom and went to Paris. We were accompanied by a couple friends — or friends of the family that had been friends so long they were family — Mimi and her daughter Arezoo. You could say it was a mother/daughter, double-date vacation.
This vacation was so long ago, I don’t quite remember a whole lot about the food, but knowing me, that’s odd. Other than one unforgettable Sunday meal we had at my French friend’s house in Auvers-sur-Oise, the rest was relatively . . . well . . . forgettable.
I remember eating the complimentary, dry, burnt, Pillsbury-like mini-croissants with strip-your-palate-strong coffee at the hotel. I also remember getting a hot cup of milk when I ordered “un café au lait, s’il vous plaît.” I’m still unsure if he hated fat Americans, or if I massacred the whole of the French language with one simple phrase.
The one restaurant meal I remember quite fondly was moules-frites or mussels and fries. I’m pretty sure that was also the name of the restaurant, which makes sense considering big ol’ buckets of moules-frites was all they served. You could get the mussels steamed in different kinds of flavors, from the classic shallots and white wine, to lemongrass and Parmesan. But it was a great meal — simple, fun, and most importantly, affordable.
Not too long ago, I received a press release in my email announcing a brand new restaurant concept opening in New Orleans called Medium Rare, and while browsing their socials and reading through their website, I couldn’t stop thinking about the moules-frites on my long ago trip to Paris.
Based in the Washington D.C. area, Medium Rare offers a similar concept, except it’s even simpler. It’s just one, three-course prix fixe menu for everyone who eats meat. Everyone gets “artisan rustic” bread (a.k.a. a crusty country loaf), mixed green salad with their own vinaigrette, a Coulotte (tenderloin cut) steak in their “secret” sauce, and hand-cut fries. They also offer a vegetarian option with a seared portabella mushroom, but do we care? It’s a steak place. We’re going to eat steak.
John and I went on what we believed would be a “quiet” Tuesday evening, early bird-style at 5:30p.m. The shiny little corner restaurant had been renewed from its former Juan’s Flying Burrito state. Concrete floors, brick walls and small tables covered in butcher paper gave it a BBQ feel, but we weren’t complaining. Do you need white tablecloths to eat steak?
Our server(s) were all polite and right after we sat down and ordered drinks, and made it clear we wanted the carnivorous option, I had to go to the bathroom. Isn’t that just the way? But when I came back out of their super-convenient, unisex bathroom giggling, John looked at me quizzically.
You see, I walked in to their clean restroom, locked the door, started taking care of business, and as I was sitting there, I heard a man’s voice. It startled me a little. At first I thought I was hearing someone talking outside or in the next room, but I quickly realized it was a recording. More specifically, it was a French language immersion audiotape, but the sultry-voiced Frenchman only taught pick-up lines.
“On devrait t’arrêter pour excès de beauté sur la voie publique.“
“You should be arrested for excessive beauty in public.”
“Je viens tout juste d’arriver dans cette ville. Est-ce que tu pourrais m’indiquer le chemin jusqu’à ton appart?”
“I just arrived in this town. Can you tell me the way to your apartment?”
I was still smiling when they brought out the bread.
The simple crusty, country loaf smelled good and I couldn’t resist gobbling a well-buttered slice while it was still warm. But we managed to show a little restraint, trying to save a few slices for the steak, even though our server informed us they’d gladly bring us more. We even managed to hold out through the salad course, a plate of iceberg lettuce and bitter greens with a little cherry tomato tossed in their house vinaigrette.
While I have tasted steak frites at French restaurants around town, I tend to opt for shellfish or fin fish when ordering. At Medium Rare, it’s the only option, so I didn’t have to think about it, which can be quite a relief.
When the dish of medium rare (ha!), sliced sirloin and crispy, seasoned fries came out, I thought it was a tad small, but I figured I wouldn’t feel that way after I wolfed it down. The meat was tender and juicy, and covered in their “secret sauce,” which I’m sure included Worcestershire sauce and lots of pepper. I’m not sure if it was the pepper or some other ingredient, but the sauce was kind of gritty. It’s my only criticism as the flavor was lovely — an earthy, salty, “umami” magic in my mouth. After the first bite, the grittiness was all but forgotten.
This next bit might be construed as a spoiler, but if you’re interested, read on!
I pushed my plate forward a bit after cleaning it thoroughly, sopping the sauce with whatever fries I had left. Our server collected the dishes and as we waited for her to return, I had it settled in my mind that our dinner was nearing an end, and it was time to think about dessert. Lo and behold, she comes back with another helping of steak frites and I had to do a double-take.
Apparently, they halve the dish, so you get another portion hot off the grill, fresh out of the fryer. Our server said it was to keep it all nice and hot, so half of your steak frites doesn’t get cold on your plate while eating the first half. Strange, but unusually enjoyable. I was actually surprised I was able to clean the plate a second time, but now I know why it seemed so small at first!
For dessert, we shared a mammoth slab of chocolate cake, a slice that came out with warm, super-chocolaty icing. It reminded me of a Texas sheet cake, a confection my mother often liked to make, except this one was layered and quite tall. We could only have a couple of bites at the restaurant, but I assure you, we gleefully finished it later that evening.
I was graciously (and most fortunately) comped for this enjoyable meal, but I would certainly go again as $28.95 for a three-course dinner is incredibly worthwhile, especially considering most single entrees run that much these days. I even think it’s a pretty good deal for lunch, but they’re only open for dinner. Perhaps one day soon?
