When visiting L’Entrecôte in the 8th arrondissement in Paris, instead of handing you a menu, the staff politely seat you and ask how you take your steak. There is no menu in this popular steak house.
As you approach the restaurant, there is guaranteed to be a line wrapping around the corner with hungry eyes waiting to get into the steakhouse. It’s almost guaranteed that you will wait a minimum of half an hour before being seated as you stare into the restaurant to get a glimpse of what is being dished out. You will then be asked how you take your steak, saignant ou à point, rare or medium, and if the house red is fine for pairing. Before you know it, your table is filled with wine, water, a basket of bread and a plate of greens dressed simply with a light mustard vinaigrette. If only all Parisian provided such prompt service!
Once your entrée of salad is swished down with a gulp of wine, the staff scurry over to clear your plates and set out a new set for the main event. The hustle and bustle of the staff is organized chaos turned fine art as they scurry to and fro filling people’s plates, slicing more baguette and clearing and resetting tables for more hungry stomachs to be filled. As you’re chitchatting away with good company, awaiting with great anticipation another lady in black and white attire swings by the table with a platter of steak, warm and sizzling, just out of the kitchen and dish out your first serving of steak and a mountain of fries topped with the infamous green sauce.
So what is in the sauce?! The staff just smile and wink and won’t reveal the famous yet unknown house secret. We tried to figure it out what was used to whip up the jolly green goodness. After some serious brainstorming and taste testing, we boiled it down to the following ingredients: tarragon, truffle oil, butter, garlic, shallot, cream, salt and pepper and some flour to thicken it slightly...But who knows if we’ve really cracked the mystery of the secret sauce. I tried snooping around the internet to see if I could find the recipe and no luck, but on several pages, it suggested that chicken livers are used too. You can follow other people’s guesses on the sauce’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EntrecoteSauce Yes, it even has its own Facebook page! And it even has stars like Bradley Cooper lining up for a taste! (No kidding! My friend saw him in line once!)
Although there is no menu for the main course, there is one for dessert, so be sure not to pass on it. It is quite vast with a selection of cheeses, ice creams, French pastries and cakes. After carefully examining the menu with tummies full of steak frites, we decided to share a classic Profiterole au chocolat. Oozing with vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce, this French style cream puff was the perfect way to end a perfect meal.
As you approach the restaurant, there is guaranteed to be a line wrapping around the corner with hungry eyes waiting to get into the steakhouse. It’s almost guaranteed that you will wait a minimum of half an hour before being seated as you stare into the restaurant to get a glimpse of what is being dished out. You will then be asked how you take your steak, saignant ou à point, rare or medium, and if the house red is fine for pairing. Before you know it, your table is filled with wine, water, a basket of bread and a plate of greens dressed simply with a light mustard vinaigrette. If only all Parisian provided such prompt service!
Once your entrée of salad is swished down with a gulp of wine, the staff scurry over to clear your plates and set out a new set for the main event. The hustle and bustle of the staff is organized chaos turned fine art as they scurry to and fro filling people’s plates, slicing more baguette and clearing and resetting tables for more hungry stomachs to be filled. As you’re chitchatting away with good company, awaiting with great anticipation another lady in black and white attire swings by the table with a platter of steak, warm and sizzling, just out of the kitchen and dish out your first serving of steak and a mountain of fries topped with the infamous green sauce.
So what is in the sauce?! The staff just smile and wink and won’t reveal the famous yet unknown house secret. We tried to figure it out what was used to whip up the jolly green goodness. After some serious brainstorming and taste testing, we boiled it down to the following ingredients: tarragon, truffle oil, butter, garlic, shallot, cream, salt and pepper and some flour to thicken it slightly...But who knows if we’ve really cracked the mystery of the secret sauce. I tried snooping around the internet to see if I could find the recipe and no luck, but on several pages, it suggested that chicken livers are used too. You can follow other people’s guesses on the sauce’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EntrecoteSauce Yes, it even has its own Facebook page! And it even has stars like Bradley Cooper lining up for a taste! (No kidding! My friend saw him in line once!)
Although there is no menu for the main course, there is one for dessert, so be sure not to pass on it. It is quite vast with a selection of cheeses, ice creams, French pastries and cakes. After carefully examining the menu with tummies full of steak frites, we decided to share a classic Profiterole au chocolat. Oozing with vanilla ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce, this French style cream puff was the perfect way to end a perfect meal.