After a month-long journey of travel and gluttony, I found myself having to prepare for the first Steak Night of the new decade.  Some lesser men would have taken a break and maybe pushed dinner back a week.  Well not this jolly meat eater.  I decided to press on and continue the party, moving my diet back to Monday with the rest of America.

Margeaux Brasserie is not your typical steakhouse, but typical wasn’t what I wanted to help ring in the new year.  And being that they did have four cuts of meat, it fit the bill for a steak night-worthy establishment.

Rick and I arrived first, with Hans, Glick, Bill and Jevon rounding out the group.  We were whisked to what seemed like a private room but was really just a separate annex to keep the lone member of the Long Island Sound at bay.  I had requested a round table, and they obliged which was very nice.  Rick, in honor of Alabama’s win in the Citrus Bowl game, arrived in a full crimson velvet suit.  It really was something to behold.

Table bread started slow, but really picked up steam.  Although Hans pocketed most of the whipped butter and then doled it out like a dad giving his kid quarters at the arcade.

Apps were spectacular.  The Duck Wings Á L’Orange were the clear winner and worthy of a return trip.  Margeaux Escargot, which were topped with a nice puff pastry were delicious and is sort of like an app+ where you can continue to dip the table bread into the remaining garlic butter.  Grilled Spanish octopus and a tuna crudo rounded out the apps and both were great as well.

As for the steaks, I went with what was billed as an A5 Wagyu, but being 8oz for $62, there’s no chance it was your typical A5.  Having said that, my steak was excellent, a perfect medium rare, and a healthy dose of salt which I always love.  Everyone seemed satisfied with their choices.  The wine was a really bright and delicious Morgon Beaujolais by Lapierre.  Excellent price, and excellent wine.  This is one that will end up on my own shelf as a good everyday bottle.

Since all steak dishes were “steak frites” we all had duck fat fries with our steak and decided to forgo a potato dish.  The fries and aioli were perfect.  The brussels sprouts were some of the better ones I’ve had with a really nice balsamic glaze.  And don’t sleep on the grilled broccolini.  Most of us forgot about it, but it was nicely charred and flavorful.  But in my opinion, the clear winner was the Margeaux Macaroni.  I love when the chef doesn’t get overly fancy with mac and cheese.  This was just a really perfect blend of cheeses, and that’s it. And, the presentation was outstanding.  The actually chill long macaroni noodles and then slice them so they’re all standing on end with the charred cheese crust on top.  My explanation doesn’t do them justice.  Go eat for yourself.

Desserts consisted of Parisian Cream Puffs, Crème Brûlée, and a Valrhona Chocolate Grand Macaron.  All three were wonderful, and surprising to me, the macaron was probably the winner.

This month we find ourselves in the midst NFL playoffs, and performed the standard steak night draft for teams.  Since we have 10 people and 12 teams, this year we decided that the two unselected teams will go in as a bet to win the Super Bowl.  The Titans at +4000 and the Packers at +1200 were left and we’ll be pulling for a Titans Super Bowl win obviously.  The rest of the picks are as follows:

• Glick – Bills
• Hans – 49ers
• Rick – Texans
• Bill – Saints
• Mason – Eagles
• Don – Vikings
• Scotty – Chiefs
• Jevon – Ravens
• Crenshaw – Patriots
• Brad – Seahawks

The evening was great, the food was great, and as always, the company was outstanding.

9/10

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