BLT steak

so the first time i was here, i was w/two of my favoritest (and hottest) gentlemen -- mr. jeff and mr. soon. all dressed up and taking lil ole me out to dinner. (FYI: i love you guys!) and when i say that the company makes the meal, well, they totally fit the bill. we didn't have a reservation and we had to wait quite a while, but it was totally worth it for all the gluttony we partook of that night. at this point, the meal was pretty much a blur. all i remember is ordering a LOT, eating a LOT, and somehow trying to get back to caroline's place w/o falling asleep on the train from food coma.

so when linda asked for a quintessential new york dining experience, i knew *exactly* where to take her. i took the ladies route and made a reservation *months* in advance. and even then, i wasn't able to get the time i wanted. so i took what was available and we were set for a late dinner on the *one* night that our new york trips overlapped. isn't that crazy? she's in hawaii and i'm in LA, and we had one night to meet up in new york of all places. thank god we're both whirlwind travelers!

after many back-and-forth calls on the cell phones (b/c we simply can't get enough of each other's melodic voices), we both finally made it to the restaurant. and just in time for our reservation! after we checked our coats, we were seated right away. in b/w a table of four loud, middle-aged women, and a two-person table that transitioned from two gentlemen at a business dinner to a cute couple who were out for a late supper. as i think about it now, even the diners were quintessential new yorkers!

at any rate, i'm glad linda got the inside seat so that she could look out at the sea of people and the amazing decor. not only was the place crowded with lovely new yorkers (and visitors, i'm sure) in all their upscale and semi-upscale dress, it was also decorated in the most soothing brown tones -- a ton of dark wood and a lighting scheme that's reminscent of soft candlelight. the atmosphere is totally bistro/brasserie, making it the perfect end-of-day retreat. i must admit that all the talk in the room (and the slightly large size of our table) made it somewaht difficult to hear each other, but i suppose that's what you have to give up for the overall relaxing atmosphere. (sorry, linda!)

almost as soon as we sat down, the waitstaff brought over some crisps and a foie gras mousse -- compliments of the chef. can i tell you how much i love it when stuff is brought to the table -- compliments of the chef? granted, the same dish is brought to every single table, and it's not like we're the *special* people getting the *special* dish. but there's just something nice about being given a gift of food -- no matter how small. needless to say, the foie gras was DELICIOUS. and YES, i know what it is. and YES, i know what they do to the poor ducks. and YES, it's still absolutely and amazingly delicious. so there.

after we ordered from both the regular menu and the specials list, the waitstaff brought over the oh-so-memorable BLT popovers. FYI that there is no possible way that i could've EVER forgotten these popovers from my first time at BLT steak. why? b/c these things are IMMENSE. granted, they're all air, but they're seriously GINORMOUS and oh-so-yummy in their fluffy glory. w/a bit of a butter, they're absolutely perfect. the waitstaff also offered a huge salt shaker, but i thought that was a bit gratuitous. the best part was that the popovers came w/the popover recipe! that i quickly handed over to linda so that she could expand her cooking repertoire. (go, linda!)

as if the meal couldn't get any better, it did! not only did we have great catch-up conversation about all of life's ups and downs (which we decided that we can only share w/certain people in our lives -- like each other), we were served some seriously AMAZING food. we'd decided on the duck and the hanger steak, as well as the cauliflower gratin and the broccoli rabe. i would've ordered the mushrooms too, but i thought we should save ourselves for the fabulous desserts. (which i'm so glad we did.)

the duck: INCREDIBLE. the skin, perfectly crispy. the meat, perfectly juicy. the pears, drenched in alcohol. (i think we got drunk from eating them.) the juice underneath: just sweet enough. the whole dish was ABSOLUTELY delicious. i think we might've liked that better than the steak even! (i know, blasphemy.) the steak: YUMMY. an interesting contrast of textures b/w the almost burnt exterior and the oh-so-smooth interior. i must admit that i found the outside a bit *too* crispy, but i thought the inside was done nicely. and w/the slight tang of the bearnaise sauce, the bites were perfect.

to complement our meal of meat, we had the cauliflower and the broccoli rabe, which were both off the specials list. i'm glad we had some other options, b/c i was looking for something different. and i wasn't feeling the spinach, asparagus, or green beans at all. the gratin was lovely on the creamy cauliflower. and the broccoli rabe offered a nice bitter contrast. i think i'm always looking for something similar to the bitter leafy greens that i was used to having at dinner growing up. and while the broccoli rabe certainly wasn't leafy, the bitter flavor did the trick.

as linda was munching on the last piece of duck, i asked whether she'd saved room for dessert. at that point, she mentioned the old japanese notion of having multiple stomachs. (is this true?!) so her answer was decidedly YES. i'd been oooh-ing over the chocolate coconut cake on the specials list from the beginning, so that was definitely being ordered. i thought linda might go for the creme fraiche parfait or the buttermilk panna cotta for a lighter contrast, but she chose the crepe souffle off the regular menu.

i was slightly disappointed (only b/c the two other specials sounded so good), but i needn't have been b/c the crepe souffle was AMAZING. i have no idea how it was made, but it was AMAZING. wonderfully light, yet also smooth & creamy, w/the faintest layer of crunchy caramelization on top. it was really the most delectable dessert. in contrast, the chocolate coconut cake was denser, but equally delicious. and given linda's new-found love of chocolate (!!) and her tropical roots, this dessert simply had to be ordered. plus, i'm THE biggest fan of coconut (this side of the pacific, that is). seeing as how i'd yet to have real coconut cake, this was the perfect way to start. b/c this dessert was WAY coconut-ey and WAY chocolate-y -- what more could a girl ask for? and w/a little bit of the ice cream (which we swore also had alcohol in it -- talk about getting two asian girls tipsy), the bites were (again) perfect. w/dessert also came two little brownies -- compliments of the chef. yes, we all know what i think about that.

needless to say, this is (and continues to be) one of my favorite restaurants and fine dining experiences. when we got the check, we weren't even fazed. simply b/c the food, the service, and the ambiance had been amazing all night -- and totally worth the money. i never tip 20% unless i'm impressed in some way, and it was definitely a 20% night. folks, if you're planning a trip to new york anytime soon, make your reservation at BLT steak ASAP.

BLT steak
106 east 57th street
new york, ny 10022
212.752.7470

http://www.bltsteak.com/