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From DallasVoice.com Dining BLT Steak tweaks the traditional carnivore cafe with European elegance
Pretty much, yeah. Laurent Tourondel, the celebrichef who opened BLT Steak in the Big Apple and Washington, D.C. before expanding to Dallas late last year, knows the fundamentals of steakhouses: Good meat purveyors; plenty of traditional sauces and sides; cooking at super-high heat (a 1,700 degree broiler here) to seal in the flavor. But being new to Texas, he's also not constrained by what's expected. He does things that seem simple, but which aren't necessarily part of the carnivore culture. Tourondel himself resists the suggestion that BLT (short for Bistro Laurent Tourondel) is "fine dining," at least compared to his previous restaurants, and there's a case to be made for that the menus are printed on butcher paper with a diagram of a cow on back, for instance, though no crayons are provided for coloring it in. But BLT is fine dining because of his culinary decisions. There's a European aesthetic in many of the details. It's certainly priced like a fine dining establishment. Even with the caveat "serves two," the porterhouse steak (a T-bone plus filet mignon that weighs in at 40 ounces) runs nearly 80 bucks. To be fair, it could serve four and still require loosening your belt before dessert arrives. Porterhouse aside, some of the cuts of meat show restraint. Take the hangar steak (at $24 and 10 oz., the cheapest and smallest beef dish on the menu). Popular in Europe but uncommon on many American menus, it can be a tough cut, but cooked right it packs loads of flavor. And this one was definitely cooked right. The meat itself is red, not pink the kind of dark burnished purple that comes from well-aged beef. Even beef ordered rare benefits from a crispy surface. Our serving was comprised of three smallish pieces, carbonized with a delicious charred exterior and a dollop of herbed butter, but melt-in-the-mouth inside. We declined any of the numerous sauces with our steaks, not because they sounded bad but because the best-prepared beef doesn't need to be dressed up. An exception was our veal osso bucco ($36), which came smothered in a Milanese sauce. A huge on-the-bone shank with thick curls of shaved aged parmesan clinging to the flesh, it was fall-apart tender. Tourondel, aided by Dallas-based chef de cuisine T.J. Lengnick, doesn't break with custom so much as tweak it. The meal began with house-made popovers, made more savory than sweet with gruyere baked into the crust. And amuse bouche of pate with port wine gelee added a continental flair. The side dishes we ordered were served in smaller vessels than the trough-like bowls found at similar high-end steakhouses. The roasted beefsteak tomatoes ($13) were topped with baked Stilton cheese and juicy like you wouldn't believe. The addition of Stilton alone signals some of the personality you'll find from the kitchen. Another example: A daily special of crispy mashed potato "balls" ($9), which attracted our interest in a way a loaded baker wouldn't. Almost like gnocchi, they were not really crispy once dunked in the gravy, but they were good. So were the roasted beets ($11), served slightly warm alongside fresh goat cheese. Tourondel most patently asserts his stylish rebellion with the inclusion of a raw bar and sushi-inspired seafood appetizers. The tuna tartare ($16), served on a bed of rock salt with caramelized scallion crisps and diced avocado in a pool of soy-lime dressing with a hint of wasabi, adds an Asian element to the American classic. Save room for the desserts, which are excellent. The Macintosh cobbler ($10) arrived shaped like an apple, looking and tasting like something you might get at a fall carnival. The Lemon cassis meringue pie ($10) came like a tart with lemon curd and small, fresh currant, accented by a wonderfully tangy lemon sorbet. The d?cor is as understated as the food. The openness of the space belies its coziness. Lacquered dark wood tables contrast with the soft flaxen banquettes and indirect lighting through leathery parchment that creates a warm golden-orange glow. The wall of windows extend the atmosphere during the day, but create problems when the glare of streetlamps and headlights from the valet line pierce the mood. (Recently added curtains now minimize this distraction.) Service is good but slightly hesitant, in the learning stage. Maybe that's because the staff still doesn't quite know what to make of BLT Steak. Which is part of what makes it so memorable. REPORT CARD BLT Steak, 5301 Alpha Road, Suite 80. Open daily for lunch (11:45 a.m.-2 p.m.) and dinner (5:30-10:30 p.m.; till 10 p.m. Sundays). 972-726-9200. Like the decor, the dishes are hearty but elegant, and the aged beef scrumptious. Overall: Three and a half stars Food: Four stars Atmosphere: Three and a half stars Service: Two and a half stars Price: Expensive. This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 11, 2008 © Copyright by DallasVoice.com |
