New York is constantly evolving. I know this isnโt a profound thought by any measure but itโs one thatโs been entering my mind a fair bit as of late.
Friends have moved away and once familiar streets feel foreign. Restaurants I frequented a few years ago arenโt the same as I remembered, some for better, some for worse. Overwhelming, a lot of those favorites from a few years ago are starting to feel rather indistinct. If you closed my eyes and only showed me the table, setting, and food, Iโd have a hard time differentiating a handful of them.
Thereโs a glut of copy-and-paste restaurants across New York City, and then thereโs Medium Rare which I had the distinct pleasure of visiting recently.
To cut to the chase, they join the ever-growing line of wonderful places Iโve recently visited and are joining my regular rotation of restaurants. Mediumย Rare, the original sizzling single-choice Steak Frites prix fixe meal experience from Washington, D.C., has โsteakedโ its claim in the Big Apple. The new location atย 488 Third Avenue in the Cityโs Murray Hill neighborhood is Medium Rare eighth, and the restaurant is ready to win over discerning New York diners
. From the moment you enter, youโre immediately greeted by the warm and welcoming GM of the restaurant, Bill, whoโll usher you into this 90โs Parisian bistro dream of a restaurant.
The interior felt like a playful time capsule, with the casual and welcoming interior denoted by nothing better than the fact that waiters write your order on the paper tablecloth with crayons. If youโve ever been to restaurants in Paris, then youโll know exactly what ambiance Iโm trying to convey as this truly made me feel that I was no longer in New York but just a few blocks from the Arc de Triomphe.
Speaking of time capsules, the other stand-out is the price. Mediumย Rareโs single choice prix-fixe menu consists of award-winning Culotte Steak, seared to personal preference and generously drizzled with said special sauce, fresh-cut French fries, mixed greens salad, and artisan rustic bread, all for an astounding $34.95. Vegetarians and vegans can enjoy a portobello mushroom entree with roasted red pepper sauce.
Weekend brunch comes with unlimited cocktails, coffee, juice, and soda, for $39.95 and includes their signature steak frites as well as some other traditional brunch options.
A reasonably priced steak is great. A double portion included in a single price is even better. The absolute kicker is that it is genuinely really good. Thereโs something to a restaurant that sets out to serve exactly one thing and absolutely nails the execution.
While the cut of the beef is not the finest cut known to man, it is impeccably cooked, well prepared, and served with a wonderful sauce thatโs similar in nature to a peppercorn sauce. The fries were crispy, thin, and the perfect complement to the steak. Even the bread was freshly baked and the starter salad was solid.
What higher praise can I give than say that this is a place that I plan on frequenting in the future? If you havenโt checked this place out for dinner or brunch, you need to add it to your list. At these prices in this economy, this may be the best deal the New York food scene has to offer.
