La Tete d’Or (318 Park Avenue South) is the new king of the city’s great American steakhouses.
The French name — taken from a park in owner Daniel Boulud’s hometown of Lyon — shouldn’t scare beef lovers wary of foreign twists on their favorite protein. Boulud seamlessly marries American and French styles, as he does at Le Pavillon and Cafe Boulud, but La Tete’s emphasis is 90% Stars and Stripes.
My three meals were masterpieces of Yankee Doodle cuisine – especially the American-made steaks, which are colorfully grilled and seared in full view of the dining room.
La Tete d’Or joins a cavalcade of Manhattan’s new steakhouses—the city’s favorite type of big-end restaurant. The past two years have seen the opening of Hawksmoor, Delmonico’s, Bourbon Steak, Beefbar and Rocco’s. For my money, comfort and creativity, La Tete rises above all.
The plush setting is perfectly matched to the atmosphere. Owner SL Green and designer David Rockwell carved a masterpiece of a place inside the new office tower on East 23rd Street known as One Madison. (Note that the entrance is actually on Park Avenue South, near East 24th Street.)
The main dining room is bright enough to avoid the oppressive, masculine air of old steakhouses. It feels bigger than its 120 seats because it is. It’s a spacious and inviting sea of padded walls, velvet banquettes and dark brown and blue trim – all suggestive of a classic supper club. The white drapes dampen the noise that fills the place every night even after 10pm, when most of the rest of the neighborhood is returning.
Even for a multi-Michelin-starred chef like Boulud, there’s no guarantee that opening a steakhouse will be successful. Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Fussy V failed in less than a year. Tom Colicchio had to make adjustments to Craftsteak after customers didn’t accept his original pan-grilling approach.
But Boulud has a powerhouse trio — culinary director Mitch Lienhard, executive chef Andreas Seidel and chef de cuisine Steven Barrantes — in the kitchen to fulfill his vision of “American classics with a French twist.” It’s a joy to watch their team carve, sear and plate the beef with Olympic skill.
The oak fire lends a distinctive woodsy nuance to the naturally mineral essences of the filet mignon (8 ounces, $76) and 45-day dry-aged ribeye. But my favorite choice was the properly marbled, beautifully cut 34-ounce Angus cote de boeuf ($190), so rich in flavor that I felt like I was making the classic cut for the first time. All steaks come in natural jus and are offered with no less than 11 compound sauces and butters.
I sadly didn’t get to the Scharbauer Ranch American wagyu prime rib carved and served on the cart ($115), but judging by its deep red interior, golden brown crust and sauce-drenched top, it’s no. 1 on my list to have next time.
The menu is much stronger beyond beef, from a celery-and-tarragon-hued lobster bisque (almost a meal in itself for $24) to a Caesar salad ($24) made tableside to a delicious tuna steak. yellow ($46) grilled with peppers, herb tomato and lemon dressing – “French stretches”, see.
Maria Arroyo’s soft-serve dessert chefs, offered in several flavors and a choice of sauces and toppings, might be the best new dessert I’ve had all year 2024.
Tete d’Or is not without flaws. The floor has not yet reached the kitchen. A member of staff spent long minutes trying to debone the Dover sole which turned out to be delicious – but with bones. Buses eager to grab plates of food and glasses of unfinished wine don’t have to tell customers, “Take your time.”
But customers are not taking their time to get there. It’s packed every night, and it probably will be when they start lunch in a few months. Spring can’t come soon enough.
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Image Source : nypost.com