Menu Tasting Testing : Tartar & Co. at Orsay Restaurant (III)

Last Saturday (Sep.15, 2007) after having visited the Frick Collection on 5th Avenue/East 70th Street, we went for a late lunch/early dinner in a French style Brasserie called Orsay Restaurant. On the way to the museum, we noticed an interesting choice of tartares on the menu. So we gave it a try after a full afternoon of culture with that amazing collection of painting, bronze statues and Boule style furniture (if you ever drop by New York, you should definitively visit it!). So here was the choice of tartar presented on the menu :

Tartare Britannique ("British"): salmon, Stilton, walnuts, crispy Yorkshire pudding

Tartare La Goulue (literally The Greedy): seasoned raw beef, capers, onions, egg yolk, country toast

Tartare Marguarita : tuna, tequila, cilantro

Tartare Japonais : tuna, wasabi, sesame, tempura

Tartare Duo Oriental : salmon, tuna, marinated seaweed.

We tasted the Tartare Britannique (Stilton Blue cheese brings an overwhelming taste to the dish but walnuts give an interesting crunching texture. Serving with Yorkshire pudding was a good idea but made the dish a little stodgy) and the Tartare Japonais (more subtil taste, tempura breadcrumbs gave a nice feeling of crispiness). Portion were large enough for an entree. Price for each tartar was $20 (the lunch carte offered a smaller portion as appetizer for $12, which would allow to taste more different tartars!).

By the way, I ate Duck salad, very good choice for an appetizer with very thin slices of duck, sesame, brushed cucumber, fresh ginger, enoki mushroom and cilantro, and finished the meal with an Orange, Chocolate Soufflé-style dessert, kind of light and the duo Orange-Chocolate is still a hit!