February 2014: Bavette’s Part Deux + A New Kid on The Block
Given the trend of intimate groups, February’s proved to be a return to the new normal of 5 hearty souls to welcome Mr. William E Conway III to the mix.
It was with great fanfare that Mr. Conway arrived and his presence was a welcome addition. Given we were a smaller group we headed to Bavette’s to take advantage. We sat upstairs which gave it a different experience from our last trip.
Cocktails
I have no idea if they started on time, but I was not the last one to arrive. Rick Ray had the honor, but graced us with a leopard printed sports jacket that made the wait worthwhile.
Appetizers
The appetizers included Peppered Duck and Goat Cheese Terrine, Crabcake and bacon (which to be honest am not sure they ever brought.) Honestly, not much memorable here.
The Steak
My bone in dryaged ribeye was fantastic and went to town. Others complained their steaks were not medium rare. Whatever the cause may be, it may have come time to ask for Rare + instead of Medium Rare as this seems to be moving up. Sides were elote corn and Brocolli. Both were fantastic.
The Service
Solid. Host was nice and a welcome contrast to the snotty Bavette’s vibe on previous visits. Our table was ready the minute Rick walked in the door. Waiter was attentive and on point.
Post-Dinner
We enjoyed a nice extra bottle of wine and were tormented by Rick’s floating head
Filed under: General
6 Responses to “February 2014: Bavette’s Part Deux + A New Kid on The Block”
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A return to Bavette’s in February after just dining there in December was reminiscent of the infamous Don Cole Morton’s back to back choice last year. However Bavette’s is never a bad call especially when the group is 5 or less and I was eager to return.
I was dealing with a bit of a work crisis thus I didn’t arrive until it was time to sit for dinner. I was greeted by Hans, Crenshaw, Glick and a bow tie wearing individual. It wasn’t Pee Wee Herman, Winston Churchill , Orville Radenbacher or some other bow tie luminary but rather Bill Conway being hazed a bit on his first steak night. Welcome Mr. Conway. I apologized in advance to the group for what was going to be a Glick like dinner performance by constantly checking my blackberry. It is very uncharacteristic of me but unfortunately was necessary for the first hour of dinner.
We were seated upstairs so had a slightly different atmosphere then the previous visit, much brighter and a bit more bustling then downstairs. The Old Overholt Old Fashion was my poison of choice for the evening, a tasty cocktail that helped my mind state given the previously stated work issue. A number of appetizers were ordered; the shrimp de jonghe a garlicky delight and the bacon unreal. I feel like crappy bacon is delicious but when you have Bavette’s thick cut top shelf bacon it just melts in your mouth and takes it to another level, I can’t get enough of it. I went with the dry aged rib eye medium rare and it was top notch. On the previous visited I loved my steak but it was just a tad overcooked, not this time as it was cooked perfectly and plenty tasty. The mashed potatoes were solid and the elote corn is one of the more unique sides at any steak house, thumbs up to the corn.
Some performances are so powerful the actor just embodies the part and becomes the character, you don’t see the actor you see the character. I am talking Dustin Hoffman in Rainman, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. When Bill Conway delivered the Al Pacino inch speech from Any Given Sunday at dinner I can honestly say I saw….well Bill Conway. I don’t think he will be recognized by the academy. Kidding aside I thought Bill was well prepared and delivered a good performance and took the good natured hazing in stride. He is a good addition to the group and I look forward to the second dinner with him where rules dictate he must come dressed as a woman and only eat salad. I may have made up that second dinner rule.
Overall I am a huge fan of Bavette’s, this trip just further confirmed it is a great place. On to March.
Normally, a repeat that close together would command scrutiny and heated discussion, such is not the case when it comes to this fine establishment. 2 trips to Bavettes in 3 months and I will stab you in the face if you can complain about that type of repeat performance. The cocktail of choice was yet again the Sazerac. The addition of a bow tie wearing Conway was a welcome sight upon joining the group at the bar.
Last go around was a more intimate, boisterous table in the cellar corner. I much preferred the upstairs front booth. The waiter was abit more staid in his approach than our last. TDI covers the apps and sides with appropriate approvals.
The steak was ordered the same by all in the group and yet all seemed to have differing views. This was an interesting twist, never happened before, may never again. Having 5 time tested and red meat loving gents all cutting into what should be an identically prepared steak made for the perfect opportunity to see what is what and who is who. I found my steak to again be slightly past yet again delicious. The salty seared crust perfectly encased the just passed pink center. I agree with Glick that it may be time to move to Rare +.
The dinner banter was particularly lively being a smaller group allowed for a table wide conversation in lieu of the disconnected conversations of the full ensemble cast. Rick’s floating head wasnt as distracting for me as some, but nonetheless haunting.
The Conway monologue was second only to Mel Gibson’s in Braveheart in terms of motivation and inspiration.
Looking forward to March and a return to a full group thus constituting quorum paying for my Seahawks victory dinner.
PS. It should be required that Conway brings his sword to a future outing….
Do we get to pick our own nicknames?
I was told to be at Bavette’s bow-tie clad promptly at 7:30. I ran in there at 7:32, worried that my tardiness would already put me in the doghouse with the group’s glitterati… only to discover that I was the first to arrive. As I walked around the dimly lit Bavette’s to ensure that I did not misread the invitation, when I was in good light, I heard customers whisper, “Tucker Carlson looks good these days.” When the light was less friendly, the whispers turned into the more dismissive, “George Will has really let himself go.” JC came in at 7:40 and the revelry began.
Bavette’s is known for its old fashioneds and the rye, specifically Old Overholt, did not disappoint. We were promptly seated at a nice quasi-corner table next to the register at 8:30. TDI plugged away at his blackberry for a bit, while JG must have the world of high finance conquered as his seemed to stay in his pocket during the meal.
The appetizers were good, although it was the bacon that was memorable. It was the type of high quality bacon that makes you thank your personal God that you are not a vegetarian.
To Zee German’s point, there was agreement that the steak was spectacular. However, stern disagreement over proper temperature. We all ordered the steak medium rare, indicating that we had left our bourgeois trappings out with the snow. I thought mine was prepared as directed and thoroughly enjoyed. The ribeye had all the tenderness of filet along with all the flavor of a N.Y. Strip. JC said at dinner, “you can never have too much salt on a steak.” I am not sure I agree, but Bavette’s (un)healthy dose was perfect.
The service was so good that I don’t hardly remember the waiter. He didn’t linger and we always had anything we wanted.
Indeed, the only disappointing part was my own rendition of the Game of Inches speech. It was a difficult performance for me. Al Pacino is one of my favorite actors, but he went through a period where he did nothing but yell. This was toward the end of that period, so there is some serious acting and some serious yelling that is hard to replicate in a crowded restaurant. There was also uplifting music during that scene that I could have used. Next time.
Another highlight of the evening was seeing the long since deceased Orson Welles at the restaurant. Fortunately, he was not pitching any Paul Maisson champagne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvxwf1jxdaM
My first steak night was thoroughly enjoyed. The excellent steak was only slightly outdone by the boisterous company. Thank you all for your inclusion in the festivities. I won’t let you down. You’re with a winner.
Steak Night for February brought a new member to the group, Bill, “The Mayor” Conway, a welcome addition to our band of merry pranksters. With the small group, a wise choice was made to circle back to Bavette’s for the second time in a few months. Being my personal favorite, I was fine with the choice.
The Crew:
TDI, Zee German, Crackberry, The Mayor, and myself.
Cocktails:
Being the second to arrive, I was pleased to see our new member as the first. Tucker Carlson really pulls off a good bow tie. As the rest of the crew arrived, brown liquors were consumed and a few good laughs had.
The Apps:
Peppered duck and goat cheese terrine. Bacon. Crab Cakes. The bacon is out of this world. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that about most bacon apps though. It sounds old but bacon has some real staying power. This is no fad people. The terrine was fabulous, and although I don;t usually rave about crab cakes, this one was highly serviceable. That’s a compliment for sure.
The Steaks:
Bone in dry-aged ribeye. Again, a tad overcooked but even so, still in my top steaks in the city.
The Sides:
Elote style corn and broccoli. Standard, yet delicious.
The Conclusion:
Nearing the end of the evening, WC3 did as requested and performed a tantalizing version of Al Pacino’s “Inches” speech from Any Given Sunday. It really capped off a great evening. We didn’t venture out into the city afterwards but did enjoy an extra bottle of wine, and some good conversation. We’re happy to have Bill as part of steak night. He really just slid right in and went unnoticed in terms of the group dynamic. Looking forward to many more enjoyable evenings to come.
Well it appears Monsieur Guillaume Conway made a great cannonball off the high dive type splash and glad you boys treated him to such a fine establishment (or so I’ve read). Heading there tomorrow night to see what the fuss is all about. Will report.
Rick since it is so unlike you to be rude/late or both, do tell us how the work incident of sleeping with your boss worked out?
Hope to see you guys in March and discourage anyone for having two kids under 3 in the same house…Billy Banks style!