"France's great everyman dish: a charred entrecôte cooked to saignant, thin frites twice-cooked in beef fat, maître d'hôtel butter melting over the surface."
About Steak Frites
France's great everyman dish — an entrecôte or faux-filet cooked to a precise saignant (bloody) over fierce heat so the crust chars while the interior stays cold-centred; served with thin frites fried twice in beef fat and a knob of maître d'hôtel butter; the Relais de l'Entrecôte serves nothing else and has queues around the block.
Steak Frites — a staple of France's cuisine
France's great everyman dish: an entrecôte or faux-filet cooked over fierce dry heat to a saignant (bloody) centre — the crust charred, the interior cold-centred, the resting juices pooled on the plate. A knob of maître d'hôtel butter (softened butter with parsley and lemon) melts over the surface at service. The frites are thin, twice-cooked in beef fat, genuinely crisp.
This Paris restaurant serves steak frites and nothing else, makes no reservations and has queues regardless. The sauce — a herb-and-bone-marrow butter — is the restaurant's most kept secret.
What to Expect
The steak arrives on a hot plate, the crust dark and slightly charred at the edges, the resting juices pooled. You cut from the thinner end. The interior is pink throughout. The frites have a genuine crunch. The butter melts while you eat.
Why Try It
Steak frites tells you that French cooking is not only sauces and technique — sometimes it's a great piece of beef cooked with confidence and left alone.
Insider Tips
Order saignant (rare). Asking for medium-well at a French bistro will generate visible concern.
Le Relais de l'Entrecôte has three Paris locations — no reservations, arrive early.
Request extra frites. The standard portion is never quite right.
