New York Restaurant Week Summer 2010: Quality Meats
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Yes, New York Restaurant Week is upon us and, thankfully, has already been extended until September 6. Not only does this bode well for my schedule (I was on vacation for the first week of NYRW), but makes a belated-as-usual blog relevant for a while!
My first Restaurant Week experience this summer was quite an exquisite one. Anxious to try out new places this time around, my friend Lauren and I scheduled a lunch date at Quality Meats. I was feeling something hearty and, well, meaty. With a name like Quality Meats, you provide diners with high expectations before they even walk through the door. It’s straightforward and challenging, and I am thrilled to report that the name is entirely well-deserved.
The decor at this place is absolutely stunning. Medium woods, industrial light fixtures, exposed brick, and glass accents make this place feel upscale yet homey and, though it entirely feels like a steakhouse, it doesn’t have the masculine, supper club ambiance of other steakhouses. Floor-to-ceiling, glass-encased wine racks act as the centerpiece of the room, setting off the cozy alcove in which Lauren and I were seated.
Restaurant Week choices can be tricky as far as calculating how much of a value you’re actually getting. Some places I have dined, such as Craftbar, are places I could realistically eat without the specials because the prices are pretty reasonable (and they don’t skimp on portions, ahem). Quality Meats is not one of these places. Their Restaurant Week menu has pretty generous offerings of about four choices per course, and these items on the regular menu definitely get pricey.
I’ve said it before and I’ll underline it again – restaurants should be putting their best feet forward during Restaurant Week. They are likely getting more economically-conscious customers (especially in the present climate), so restaurants should look forward to giving new demographics a special meal and potentially tapping into a new customer base. A lot of restaurants try to get through Restaurant Weeks while others tackle it head-on and provide unforgettable meals. Quality Meats definitely falls into the latter category.
That being said, the variety and portions were unbeatable. Lauren and I both opted for the steak tartar appetizer, and we were both awestruck when this beauty arrived to our table.
Gorgeous, is it not? The Quality Meats “QM” logo adorned a lot of the tableware, including knives, napkins, and this adorable mini-cutting board. A very nice, classy touch. The perfectly yellow egg yolk atop the raw meat was a more-than-pleasant surprise; I broke it with excited caution and admired as yellow goo enrobed the steak beneath. It was served with super crispy, buttery crostini and an array of condiments and seasonings: salt, pepper, shallots, capers, and dijon mustard. These seasonings were hardly necessary, though, as the tartare with egg was heavenly on its own. Slightly spicy with a sensual richness that cannot be achieved with anything but yolk. I couldn’t get through consecutive bites without the necessary “mmmmm”s and “oh my God”s. And look at that portion!
I chose the baby back ribs for my entree, and wow. There’s something strangely romantic and therapeutic about bone-in meat. It’s so barbaric and sexy; there’s no question about what you’re eating. You get your hands dirty and you have to work for your prize. That also explains why buffalo wings are so important to me.
These weren’t the baby back ribs I am used to: grizzly and drenched in thick, syrupy sauce that is intended to hide the fatty meat beneath. Nuh uh. The bone held a smoky, crispy char and ridiculously tender, fall-off-the-bone, sweet meat. The sauce was not thick and sticky, but more like a thin glaze with a hint of sweetness. They were served with wilted greens of some sort (smelled like basil, but I didn’t taste) and thin, delicate chips. I think they were potato, but when paired with the meat, they took on sort of an onion taste. And eating the chip and the meat within the same bite was critical to maximizing the enjoyment of both.
We shared a side of parmesean fries that were absolutely divine. Perfectly seasoned waffle fries with shaved parmesean and herbs, served with a side of some kind of mayonnaise-based sauce. The fries were good enough on their own, though.
The dessert options were the toughest, I’d say, because Quality Meats had some amazing choices for ice cream. In addition, they have a cakery on site, so they really have to know what they’re doing in the dessert department. But I just couldn’t pass off something called “coffee and doughnuts,” so I (and Lauren) went for it. I was expected just a flavor of coffee and doughnuts, but I was presented with something entirely different:
This dessert has three layers. The bottom was a fresh, crumbly cookie whose flavor resembled gingerbread except with less spice and more cinnamon. The top was a delicious doughnut of similar, but more delicate flavor with chocolate drizzle. Coffee ice cream was sandwiched in between, and if you were lucky enough to get all three layers, it was the perfect balance of flavors and textures. To be honest, I don’t generally like coffee flavored things (besides coffee) because they always taste fake and tinny. This ice cream, on the other hand, tasted like a freshly roasted cup. The doughnut on top was the highlight for me (solely because it was a doughnut), but I was impressed by the size and presentation of this dessert. It wasn’t a typical throwaway dessert (nor was the appetizer a throwaway salad).
More than any new place I have been in a long time, Quality Meats truly showcased their capabilities and didn’t dumb down their menu for the customers that are looking to save money. Steakhouses on Restaurant Week, in particular, seem to underestimate their customers and limit their menu to the bare bones. They rely on name recognition and hope that people won’t realize that other restaurants will really give diners more bang for their buck.
Quality Meats is a classy establishment with excellent food and attentive service without pretension. Most importantly, they treat their Restaurant Week customers like their full-paying customers. As a result, your experience is worth way more than what you pay for it – and really, isn’t that the point?
