Ok, calling all vegetarians: this post does not concern you. Please close it and come back later.
Wait til they’re gone…
Wait…
….
Ok. Here we go. Let’s talk about meat, my fellow carnivores. Thick, juicy slabs of red meat. The place? St. Anselm in Williamsburg. The verdict? FANtastic (it was recently mentioned on Eater’s Top Steakhouses in NY as #3!) This scaled-down version of a steakhouse scales down everything but the portions – the prices are cheaper, the waits are less (ok, sometimes they are less), and the restaurant is smaller all around. If you are lucky enough to snag a table, you’re going to want to sit back and unbutton a buckle or two. You’re in for a treat. The best part though, in my opinion, is sitting at the bar with a friend, ordering a few cold beers and chowing down on some amazing steak (full menu served at the bar as well), as I did recently with my fellow foodie friend Kate.
If you’ve been to Peter Luger’s, you’re probably familiar with the beefsteak tomato and white onion appetizer they serve. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great and it’s a classic, but St. Anselm’s burrata cheese with grilled tomato, basil and balsamic olive oil kind of blows it out of the water. The cool burrata contrasts beautifully with the warm tomato, and the slight tang from the balsamic is just delicious.
Spinach gratin. Another twist on a steakhouse staple: creamed spinach. Now, I have to say I LOVE creamed spinach, but this was like the best of both worlds; creamy spinach mixture, then topped with bubbling hot cheese that gets finished off in the broiler to form a cheesy crust. Come on, you know you don’t want to pass up ANYTHING with a cheesy crust.
Pan-fried mashed potatoes & truffle oil. Do I even need to go into detail on that one? It looks like a giant potato pancake, served in a skillet, and when they place it in front of you, you get that wafting scent of truffle and you just melt and have a tiny orgasm. Oh, is that just me? Maybe…yea.
I know what you’re thinking: ENOUGH with the vegetables! Don’t worry, I saved the best for last! The NY strip steak with au poivre sauce was perfectly cooked, and the peppery, creamy sauce was a nice accompaniment, but when you have a really good steak, you don’t need anything but a little S&P in my opinion. Like Kate’s hangar steak for example (no pic – sorry about that), was so tender with a perfectly seared crust – trust me, you don’t need anything else.
So there you have it. If you feel those iron levels depleting, run over to St. Anselm’s asap. You’ll be glad you did.
St. Anselm
355 Metropolitan Avenue (at Havemeyer)
718-384-5054
