Jump to content

Medium Rare - Local Chain with $19.50 Steak Frites (and a Second Helping)


Recommended Posts

I've kept this quiet for weeks out of professional courtesy, but you'll hear about it very soon anyway, so you may as well hear it here first.

Breaking News: Brian Zipin will be GM (and a partner) of Medium Rare, a sub-$20 American-style steak frites restaurant opening in late February in the old Yanni's space. Behind the operation? Mark Bucher of BGR was one of the creators, and none other than Michel Richard was (quietly) involved with developing sauces and desserts, but Brian and Tom Gregg (past President of Cuisine Solutions) are involved as non-silent partners.

Cheers,
Rocks

PS Don't ever underestimate Michael Landrum - the guy gets around. But I've been told ... no sous vide (and I asked "are you sure? about ten times). So you weren't quite right, Michael! smile.gif

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've kept this quiet for weeks out of professional courtesy, but you'll hear about it very soon anyway, so you may as well hear it here first.

Breaking News: Brian Zipin will be GM (and a partner) of Medium Rare, a sub-$20 American-style steak frites restaurant opening in late February in the old Yanni's space. Behind the operation? Mark Bucher of BGR was one of the creators, and none other than Michel Richard was (quietly) involved with developing sauces and desserts, but Brian and Tom Gregg (past President of Cuisine Solutions) are involved as non-silent partners.

Cheers,

Rocks

PS Don't ever underestimate Michael Landrum - the guy gets around. But I've been told ... no sous vide (and I asked "are you sure? about ten times). So you weren't quite right, Michael! :)

Actually, I didn't have to get around at all, not even to the Parker Meridien--it came to me. I just noticed them dining in my house, and just like with Timothy Dean, did the math.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any word on when Medium Rare will open? I think the initial press said the target date was end of Feb. I've seen a bunch of construction going on inside, but still looks like it is ongoing. I can't wait to check out this new addition to the neighborhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn! I have been working for YEARS to get my Appelation Controlee designation.

Congratulations!

Looking forward to at least one new fish restaurant to balance the steaks, pizza, Italian, Cuban, 88 course tasting menus, cupcakes, and BBQ. Any suggestions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, that is what Mark Bucher told me was the plan as well.

Walked by today. Looks to be very much on track for Monday open. Tables set. Staff training. Knives hung on magnet board in kitchen. They won't be doing lunch initially. Outdoor tables and chairs once the weather warms. Super addition to the 'hood--can't wait to try. Hope we get the chef/principals on the board soon! Doesn't Rocks usually twist whatever arms to make that happen when cool and interesting new spots open? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Walked by today. Looks to be very much on track for Monday open. Tables set. Staff training. Knives hung on magnet board in kitchen. They won't be doing lunch initially. Outdoor tables and chairs once the weather warms. Super addition to the 'hood--can't wait to try. Hope we get the chef/principals on the board soon! Doesn't Rocks usually twist whatever arms to make that happen when cool and interesting new spots open? :)

Sure they aren't already here? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sure they aren't already here? :)

Peek a Boo!

Excellent! And, in less than one hour from the time the question was posed. Best of luck, Mr. Bucher--though I'm guessing you won't need it, never hurts to have it.

This dr.com forum is indeed a different deal than all else out there in the cloud. Rocks, maybe you can wave a wand and make something in the loooong vacated McDonald's space in Cleveland Park---Tackle Box or otherwise---actually appear by summer? Know it's supposed to be open soon but...not a lot of noise or activity from inside and we've seen that movie before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent! And, in less than one hour from the time the question was posed. Best of luck, Mr. Bucher--though I'm guessing you won't need it, never hurts to have it.

This dr.com forum is indeed a different deal than all else out there in the cloud. Rocks, maybe you can wave a wand and make something in the loooong vacated McDonald's space in Cleveland Park---Tackle Box or otherwise---actually appear by summer? Know it's supposed to be open soon but...not a lot of noise or activity from inside and we've seen that movie before.

UM.... there has been significant work going on in the Tackle Box space since January when they received their permits from the city. I mean, they've been nearly been working around the clock. Yesterday I noticed they had a "we're hiring" notice up in the window. I believe I've read they plan to open by the end of April.

In the meantime, I popped in Medium Rare's space and it's super attractive. It will be a great asset to the neighborhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This blog write-up shared a most interesting nugget of information:

You’re welcome to have seconds on your steak and fries! Once you’ve had a chance to work through most of your initial plate, a server will come to you with a hot plate of sliced steak, a bowl of fries and a pitcher of sauce. Just say the word, and all this can be yours for no additional charge.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Totally checks out. Just back from a great experience on Medium Rare's first night. As expected, Mark, Brian, Cedric and Tom are clearly on to something.

My SO: "Really liked it. I'm so glad it's here."

Friend: "Excellent; great f++king deal"

Me: "Really good. Super value. Will do very well"

As we already know, it's a very simple and focused concept. On menu, just the fixed set of salad, cap steak and frites. 4-5 each on red wines, whites and beers.

I most appreciate three things about MR:

1. Value: pretty astonishing relative to other spots around town. "Seconds" on cap steak--are you kidding me? [they weren't]. Nice-sized salad. Generous portion of bread. Seconds on frites if requested. All for $19.50. Tough--maybe impossible (?) to beat that. Be sure to order plenty of drinks as I fear they're not making any margin on food (kidding...kind of).

2. Humor and Accessibility. Love it. Tom out front couldn't have been nicer or warmer. Likewise Brian who was all over the dining room and just exemplifies the professional and hospitable owner/host. Listen carefully in the rest rooms. French pickup line lessons waft downward from ceiling-embedding speakers and include gems like: "I have a hot tub in my house, " "You are soooo bee-yoo-ti-ful" and, my personal fave "My name is Gerard." Not a shred of pretentiousness in this place. The brick walls aren't just gorgeous and exposed; in spots they're rough patched in ways only a true non-professional could do. Note on the menu that each item is shouted in bold caps in English and then small, lower case, italicized french.

3. Quality. No joke here. They've focused very narrowly, had to do what they do well and...they are. Item by item:

- bread: this was the first sign of what was to come. Knew I'd had this pain campagne before. Excellent, fresh, airy, crusty and...the same as that served at Citronelle from Panorama.

- salad: very fresh greens with a few grape tomato halves very lightly dressed with a mustard viniagrette. I'd have liked mine to be a bit more dressed which I'm guessing they'd have done had I asked.

- cap steak: really tasty and super generous on portions even before the "seconds." I was told they're sourcing from three farms currently. One local (maybe VA?), Allen and then a third I didn't get. I'd like to learn more about that. Minor nit that a couple of us ordered the steak medium rare and it came out more slightly right of medium but this wasn't a big deal for three reasons. First, it was still delicious. Second, our seconds were spot on. And, third, Brian told us what was already obvious to us: if anything isn't as we like, simply let them know and they'll fix it.

- the secret sauce: to be honest, this wasn't life changing for me given the build up but it was very tasty. Wine, mushrooms, beef stock/jus, fresh pepper.....not sure what else. Loved getting an extra small pitcher of it with our seconds.

- frites. Excellent. Thin, hot and crispy. I was really glad to see that they're hand-cutting the frites, especially knowing how labor intensive that is and how many other places opt out and buy them pre-cut. It makes such a difference. These alone are a reason to try MR.

- drinks. keeping the choices minimal and the menu simple, they have put clear thought into the mix. On beers, they're offering the 8.5% Delerium Tremens for $8, an interesting pilsner and then the more pedestrian choices of Harpoon and Miller light. Something for everyone. I also had a nice burgundy they were pouring instead of a listed beaujolais but we didn't try the other wines.

- dessert. we really didn't have much room left but felt compelled to at least give one a try. Saving the monster sized fudge layer cake, sundae and cheesecake (NYC) for future visits, we opted for an apple pie slice with vanilla ice cream. It was surprisingly good with fresh crisp apples, a nice crust and not overly sweet. The Ice cream and a latte were less remarkable. I didn't ask what coffee they're using but suspect that may be a good upgrade opportunity.

I think MR is gong to do very well. It started slowly at open but was nearly full by 7:30. The staff all seemed very friendly and reasonably efficient for the first night--that'll of course only get better with time. It's a great formula, a comfortable neighborhood spot that will draw from beyond CP with no trouble. All very tasty. And, really phenomenal value.

Welcome to CP, Medium Rare. Very glad you're here. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any idea on tne brunch menu?

Other than the "steak and egg" dishes that were mentioned in one of the blogs or post writeups pre-open, not sure yet. The menus last night were roughly 5x7 laminated with the fixed price dinner taking up most of one side and the drink menu the other. I should have asked to see a brunch menu but didn't think of it. But, they are serving brunch on both Saturdays and Sundays so we'll know soon enough. Hopefully someone can make it and post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any idea on tne brunch menu?

This blog posting gives some details on the brunch menu:

Brunch sticks to their simple menu theme and is affordable at $14.50. Each item comes with their soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside rustic bread and your choice of yogurt parfait (suprisingly good!), fresh fruit or salad. Currently, the brunch line up includes Steak Frites (with a poached egg if you so desire), Medium Rare Benedict (steak, portabello mushroom, poached egg, red pepper & hollandaise) or Egg Frites (three perfectly poached eggs topped with their secret sauce (gravy-ish) and fries.

Next question: How have the lines/wait been?

(And thanks, darkstar, your posts have been informative.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't wait to try Medium Rare but am curious if they would substitute more salad for the frites? While I can have steak, I am really supposed to stay away from fries (aren't we all?). Anybody venture a guess.

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have a problem making that substitution. I went last night and thought it was good food and a good experience. But the salad wasn't that special - just a bunch of mixed lettuce with 2-3 cherry tomato halves dressed with a mustard vinagrette. Also, they are pretty generous with offering people seconds of fries and steak, so more salad shouldn't be a problem.

It is kind of weird to say this about a restaurant, but the best thing I had was the bread. It was freaking excellent! Not that the steak and fries weren't good too, but I was shocked how good the bread was. I asked one of the partners where it was from and he kind of shied away from answering saying a bakery in Virigina that also supplies bread to Central. They quickly brought the salad, bread and butter. Then, after awhile the first plate of fries and sliced steak (a good size, but bit small portion - I'm bad at ounces but maybe 4-6 oz) with lots of their secret sauce that was good, not great - I tasted mustard, herbs, and likely wine plus some other ingrediens I'm sure my palate couldn't identify. The steak was cooked as requested medium rare and was warm, but only ok. The first batch of fries was way over salted. Then, after awhile a server came by with a big unheated grill pan and asked if I had had "seconds" yet. She then gave me another full portion of fries, steak and small can of sauce with a mini ladle. I felt bad for her though because the grill pan was so big and it was hard to serve the steak and fries with the tongs they were using without having the sauce can slide all over the place. She did manage to serve it ok, but I think the grill pan is not a good serving tray despite its kitsch quality. The second round of steak and fries was better. Fries had the right amount of salt and were tasty. The steak was also medium rare but tasty better - not sure if it was the piece or better cooking. Only thing is that the grill pan isn't heated, so by the time it got to my plate the steak wasn't warm, but room temperature. Not surprisingly this brand new restaurant has some nits to work out. I also had a glass of the red Fitou - labeled complex, i think ,that the server described as similar to a Cote de Rhone - I'm not a huge wine connoseiur but tasted to me as an alright, table wine, but nothing too complex or different.

I passed on the desserts, but the hot fudge sundae and apple pie looked really good and definitely shareable. The partner told me the cheesecake is shipped in the Carnegie Deli - although somewhat smaller than portion that the deli serves. So I'm happy to have this new addition to the neighborhood. We'll see how their limited, price fix menu goes over. I was seated near the door and it was amusing to me to realize that not everyone is as food-obsessed. Many people came in and ask to see the menu, we're surprised at how limited the options were. Or the couple who sat next to me and said they knew it was limited, but thoughts there would be a few salads/apps and possibly cuts of steak to choose from. Also, the "seconds" aren't really well advertised - not on the menu, no mention by the servers until it is time to get them. The two guys on my other side felt that the portions were small after they cleaned their first round and they asked for the check and left before ever being offered seconds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next question: How have the lines/wait been?

It was only there second night last night, but the dining rooms have been pretty full said the management. Last night when I went kind of late it was crowded, but only a short wait around 8:30pm and stayed that way for the next few hours. I passed by around 10:15 and it was pretty empty as you'd expect on a weeknight. They are on opentable but appear for this week at least to have blocked out all of the reservation except really early and really late. I'd say give it a go and don't worry about waiting at all or too long. We'll see what the weekend brings, I'm sure this weekend at least there will be some waits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stopped in here last night also, and at just after 6, it was about half full. By the time we left about an hour later, there were folks sitting at the bar waiting for tables.

As patrons of the former Yannis, it was fun to see what they had done with the space. The outdoor space is a lovely spot to sit and eat in more benign weather and I'm looking forward to this place as a brunch spot in summer.

There are clearly a few first week kinks to work out, but despite that, everything went smoothly for our meal, and the staff seemed very on top of checking that everything was going right. Our plates were cleared before the seconds tray came around, but we received new sets once the seconds-server realized that we hadn't been served. The bread, as others have noted, was lovely, and I'm giving points for the butter, too. I'm not a big steak eater, but I liked this (which I realize is fairly unhelpful for connoisseurs of steak, but I yam what I yam.) The sauce on my first round was a tad salty but was much more balanced when we got the seconds round.

We took our young toddler and sat by the kitchen, which was a hit with him. The restaurant is equipped with high chairs and is welcoming to kids, and the noise level is "buzzy" enough that we felt comfortable taking a little kid there. I didn't notice whether there were changing tables in the bathroom or not.

We'll definitely be going back, since this is a neighborhood joint for us, and a great addition to the CP strip!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't wait to try Medium Rare but am curious if they would substitute more salad for the frites? While I can have steak, I am really supposed to stay away from fries (aren't we all?). Anybody venture a guess.

This is going to be the tension point for MR I think. Like another poster speculated, I too think they'll do the salad-for-frites switch. They were super-accomodating when I went Monday and I thought it sincere. But, much of the expected flack that MR will elicit online will no doubt center on the narrow focus. You can have anything you want for dinner so long as it's salad, steak & frites (or the off-menu vegetarian portabella option). I guess one could argue (certainly many do) that we should all stay away from steak as well as frites since neither is especially healthy. But this place has been very clear about what it is: a France-modeled, American-adapted (i.e., you can get ketchup here which generally wouldn't happen in Paris) steak & frite place. I don't know where they'll draw a line (or if they will) at requests to alter the menu but I think okay that a restaurant has focus and lets the cards (customer demand) fall where they may.

Next question: How have the lines/wait been?

(And thanks, darkstar, your posts have been informative.)

Was a slow ramp-up Monday night with more than half the tables still free an hour after opening. But, by 7:30 or 8, it was full. I think the lines/wait will only get worse as the buzz builds. Thank you for the compliment! :)

It was only there second night last night, but the dining rooms have been pretty full said the management. Last night when I went kind of late it was crowded, but only a short wait around 8:30pm and stayed that way for the next few hours. I passed by around 10:15 and it was pretty empty as you'd expect on a weeknight. They are on opentable but appear for this week at least to have blocked out all of the reservation except really early and really late. I'd say give it a go and don't worry about waiting at all or too long. We'll see what the weekend brings, I'm sure this weekend at least there will be some waits.

They're not currently planning to go whole-hog on opentable. Tom let me know that they want it to be a walk-in/no reservations model. That said, they just put the early and late times on OpenTable this week to better fill tables and they recognized the value of just being on OpenTable in terms of some customers simply expecting/valuing that. Kind of a logical yet wacky approach since many will try to book and, absent a policy on the website and opentable that clarifies (something I think they'll do shortly), it'll be confusing and frustrating to some. Palena Cafe operates without reservations and they do fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

most important question - what's the corkage policy?

Can't wait to try Medium Rare but am curious if they would substitute more salad for the frites? While I can have steak, I am really supposed to stay away from fries (aren't we all?). Anybody venture a guess.

One could I suppose, call (assuming that the phone was functioning, which it is not at this moment). 202-237-1437.

And, since I'm in a cranky mood (tow truck let car roll downhill through my garage door thus, among other things, foreclosing a journey across the park to MR myself), I find it disproportionally annoying that -- for all the "authenticity" -- they have an accent aigu rather than an accent grave in "sauce secrete" on their home page. Surely, if you have a guy named Cédric on the payroll, you can run the French stuff by him before it goes to the printer or on line. Blows the whole suspension of disbelief thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did a google search today looking for an opening date - no luck. But did run across this blog entry.

http://clevelandparkblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/sneak-peek-cleveland-parks-new-medium.html

And, since I'm in a cranky mood (tow truck let car roll downhill through my garage door thus, among other things, foreclosing a journey across the park to MR myself), I find it disproportionally annoying that -- for all the "authenticity" -- they have an accent aigu rather than an accent grave in "sauce secrete" on their home page. Surely, if you have a guy named Cédric on the payroll, you can run the French stuff by him before it goes to the printer or on line. Blows the whole suspension of disbelief thing.

As long as you're getting pissy about it, my beef :) is that there are no diacritical marks on contrôlée in the window.

And as long as we're on the subject of the old Citronelle crew, Slater will one day (in the distant future) die a critical Mark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But do they have the secret to L’Entrecôte's sauce?

After hearing the menu, the first thing I thought of was that it sounds exactly like Le Releis de Venice (and forgot that there was one in NYC called L'entrecote), down to the mustard vinaigrette on the salad and the pepper sauce for the steak. I know the ones in London always have lines because the food is pretty good, and not ridiculously expensive. Hopefully they can use the same model and be successful in DC as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After hearing the menu, the first thing I thought of was that it sounds exactly like Le Releis de Venice (and forgot that there was one in NYC called L'entrecote), down to the mustard vinaigrette on the salad and the pepper sauce for the steak. I know the ones in London always have lines because the food is pretty good, and not ridiculously expensive. Hopefully they can use the same model and be successful in DC as well.

Well, the restaurants you mentioned were unknown to me before, but this description from the Le Releis de Venice website is the obvious inspiration as minus the walnuts on the salad and slight variation in Americanized desserts - this is the meal at Medium Rare:

Welcome to Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte

For over fifty years at our Parisian restaurant we have offered a unique dining experience where customers come to enjoy just one dish – a green salad with walnuts dressed with mustard vinaigrette followed by steak frites, served with a secret recipe sauce, in buzzy, convivial surroundings.

When you dine with us, there is no menu - simply tell your waitress how you would like your steak cooked. After your salad starter, your steak is brought to you in two stages, with one half held back to keep warm, so you can enjoy it at its best and is accompanied with more freshly prepared frites.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After hearing the menu, the first thing I thought of was that it sounds exactly like Le Releis de Venice (and forgot that there was one in NYC called L'entrecote), down to the mustard vinaigrette on the salad and the pepper sauce for the steak. I know the ones in London always have lines because the food is pretty good, and not ridiculously expensive. Hopefully they can use the same model and be successful in DC as well.

Yep -- I linked to Mark Bittman's review of Le Relais de Venise up above (see post #8). :D

I have to admit, classic steak frites is just about my all-time favorite meal. So if they can pull it off here, and keep up quality, I'm all for it. In a city that seems to have an endless appetite for gourmet burgers, I don't think it's a business model that won't last ... as long as it stays good.

Of course, as with everything in that neighborhood, I just wish it were closer to me ... probably won't get up there until the next planned visit from one of my dear friends (who adores steak frites too). Why does it always take out-of-town visitors to drag me out of my usual digs? B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, as with everything in that neighborhood, I just wish it were closer to me ... probably won't get up there until the next planned visit from one of my dear friends (who adores steak frites too). Why does it always take out-of-town visitors to drag me out of my usual digs? B)

If you're still downtown, you may want to hop on the metro over to Cleveland Park. We've actually left our car at work and taken the metro to dine at Palena, so as to not have to deal with parking in that area. Just a thought...you may want to give it a try sometime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're still downtown, you may want to hop on the metro over to Cleveland Park. We've actually left our car at work and taken the metro to dine at Palena, so as to not have to deal with parking in that area. Just a thought...you may want to give it a try sometime.

I do live in the city, but it is a long and unreliably-scheduled Metro trip from where I live to Cleveland Park. B) Also, as I've said before, I'm a fickle friend when it comes to public transportation. The last thing I want after a really nice night out (cf. Palena) is to get on Metro and spend twenty minutes on the platform hoping a train appears. (I know, first-world problems ...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do live in the city, but it is a long and unreliably-scheduled Metro trip from where I live to Cleveland Park. B) Also, as I've said before, I'm a fickle friend when it comes to public transportation. The last thing I want after a really nice night out (cf. Palena) is to get on Metro and spend twenty minutes on the platform hoping a train appears. (I know, first-world problems ...)

First world problem but the unreliability of the Metro has to be impacting businesses. We took the little guy to Palena for lunch for his birthday and waited 25 minutes both ways for a train. It would have been faster and easier to drive even with the lousy parking in the area. The Metro platform only holds so much amusement for a 4 year old!

We have family visiting next month and they are staying at the Capitol Hilton. We are making them get on the Metro for Dino. But beyond we are planning to stay within walking distance of the hotel. It isn't worth the hassle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you go to Metro's website you can bookmark the real time arrivals page on your phone. It's very handy for avoiding lengthy waits on the platform.

Except for the times that the train arrivals occur in no relation to the posted wait times. I recently stood on the platorm mid-evening at Dupont Circle for over 30 minutes while the "next train" indicator said "12 minutes." It seems to happen most often on the red line. After eating in CP, we often walk down to Dupont to work off our meal, thinking that we'll catch the metro, but almost always default to a cab to avoid spending a half hour underground cooling our heels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...