Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte, New York

On my recent trip to New York, I had the pleasure of dining at Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte. This classic prix fixe French steakhouse was founded by Paul Gineste de Saurs in 1959 and is known as Relais de l’Entrecôte in Paris. Now run by one of his daughters, Helene Godillot, who oversees all aspects of the business, maintaining her father's legacy. This includes guarding the family secret recipe for the steak sauce.

There are many theories on what ingredients bring this savory sauce together and many have tried to duplicate the complexity. No one has replicated it perfectly, but it seems to break down into a butter and cream base with fresh herbs such as parsley or tarragon, possibly chicken livers or anchovies and spice. I think green peppercorn may be an ingredient as the sauce has a very green, earthy flavor.




The set menu starts out with a simple salad of dark, leafy greens, a dijon mustard vinaigrette and topped with walnuts. Served alongside the salad is a sliced baguette of French bread with a side of dijon mustard. As they don't serve butter, I spread some mustard on my bread while we waited for our steak. It was delicious. But as you know from my previous posts, I love mustard and savour the tangy, spicy sting of an authentic dijon. Service is handled by an exclusively female staff dressed in French maid outfits. The place is charming, if not a bit touristy, but still a fun experience. And the pricing is very reasonable at $26.95 per person.

The menu has a basic wine selection which includes the house wine that is produced at the family's Château de Saurs winery near Toulouse in South West France. I stuck with water as we had enjoyed cocktails before dinner.




The only decision on your entree needed, is how you would like your steak prepared. I chose medium as a safe bet. In French, entrecôte means a premium cut of beef used for steaks that comes from the rib area of the cow. The steak was delicious. Perfect thin slices with just the right amount of fatty goodness and swimming in the green house sauce. the steak is served up with a heaping pile of fresh pommes frites right out of the fryer. You are served half of your steak at a time to keep the plate and your fries fresh. Once the first portion is finished, our waitress brought out the second portion and more golden fries. I was too full to finish mine, but sure tried. I enjoyed the sauce, but I have to say, I think I enjoy a succulent brown pan gravy more.

After the meal, I was too full for dessert, but they looked beautiful. The tables I saw enjoying dessert around us were enjoying classic French selections like cème brûlée and profiteroles. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable meal and a unique dining experience. I would reccomend steak lovers to visit Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte and see if you can crack the code to the secret family sauce yourselves. 

 

 

D.I.Y. Lace Kicks

As much as I love stilettos, it's nice to give my feet a break and see sneakers make such a big comeback as acceptable footwear outside of the gym. Designer sneakers are popping up everywhere as the sporty fashion momentum continues to grow.

 Nike recently make a pair of Posh trainers in honour of Victoria Beckham and she was even caught wearing them in public! ;) I think they are rather cute. It's a nice change to see her relaxed and comfortable wearing flats like the rest of us fashionistas have to do off of the runway in real life. 

The one problem with designer sneakers? Well, they aren't cheap! Above are a few of my favorite examples of current designs running upwards of $1100 for the leopard Louboutin's to the classic Converse Chuck Taylor's for $55. 

So how do I solve this dilemma of my love for shoes and still make rent this month? I decided to make my own! 

I purchased these classic white Vans slip ons at Nordstroms for $45. Considering the middle Givenchy lace sneakers above run about $700 a pair, I consider these quite the steal. All you need to create these lace beauties is:

1 pair of Vans classic slip on sneakers in white $45

1 tube of fabric glue that dries clear $6

1 pair of Fiskars curved fabric scissors $14

1 yard of black rose lace $7

1 craft paintbrush $2

1 can of Kiwi Camp Dry heavy duty water repellent $6

Total cost: $80

Make sure that the lace pattern you pick has lots of contrast and a stark pattern for this look. The first lace I purchased was pretty, but didn't have the bold rose print and looked very one dimensional like spider webbing when laid over the white canvas.

Start by brushing fabric glue carefully across the top section of one shoe, being careful to work quickly and working right to the edge of the rubber trim, but not over. Only work with one shoe at a time, as the glue dries quickly.

Line up the lace pattern to match evenly. Press the lace into the glue and smooth over the entire surface. Wipe away any excess glue with a lightly dampened white rag. This part will take some time. Add dots of glue as needed, on edging to hold in place. After a minute of letting the glue set, VERY CAREFULLY trim the excess lace off along the edges. Take your time. You will see why I recommend these exact scissors, as they are very sharp and cut flush along the edge. Now run a bead of glue along the entire trim, blending in and pressing the edging in place as you go. Repeat this entire process along the back of the shoe, matching the flower pattern to the center of the shoe above the Vans logo and working from the inside out.

Allow the shoes to dry for a minimum of 2 hours. Take them outside and spray evenly with the Kiwi water repellent. Once finished, carefully move them to a safe place to dry for a full 24 hours before wear.

I won't lie.. This was a tedious DIY, but I love the results. Saving $700 made it worth it as well. I chose black lace, but there were other great patterned fabrics you could use to create your own style as well. Think metallics, pastels such as salmon,turquoise or sky blue or even bright, bold colors. 

 Now go create!

Italian Stuffed Roasted Artichokes

I'm so happy artichokes are back in season! They are my favorite veggie indulgence in the Spring and Summer months. My family and I have been known to steam up a batch and rip off the leaves as fast as our fingers can move, dipping each savory bite into a bowl of garlic-lemon butter. Some cooks feel because of the careful preperation involved, artichokes are too much hassle to prepare at home. If you've never tried to cook an artichoke at home, this post will give you easy step-by-step instructions to take out any intimidation you feel.  And for the advanced cooks out there, here is just another delicious way to prepare a great appetizer or side dish with a beautiful presentation you may not have tried before. Either way, your efforts will be worth it. not only in flavor, but in nutrition as well. Artichokes are a good source of folate, dietary fiber, and vitamins C and K. Artichokes are also full of antioxidants; they come in at number 7 on the USDA's top 20 antioxidant-rich foods list. So even drowned in butter, you can still feel good about your indulgence.

According to greek legend, the artichoke was created when the god Zeus turned the object of his affection, a beautiful woman named Cynara into a thistle after she rejected him. The story goes; while Zeus was visiting his brother Poseidon, his eyes fell upon Cynara. He was instantly infatuated with her. And in true Zeus nature, he seduced her and decided to make her a goddess so she could live closer to his home in Olympia. Cynara was flattered of course, and accepted. Now Zeus could have his affairs conveniently while his wife Hera was away from Olympia. Cynara became homesick and missed her mother terribly. She snuck back to Earth for a quick visit with her mother. When she returned, Zeus was enraged over her "betrayal". In his anger he threw her back to Earth and transformed her into a thistle, which is today the artichoke that we know and love. 

I bought a pack of 4 medium sized artichokes at Trader Joe's. Once halved, they fit perfectly into my baking dish. If you are using large artichokes, only use 3, but keep the ingredient ratios the same. Slice off the very top of the artichokes to remove most of the thorns. Trim the stem, leaving 1/2" and cut in half as shown above. 

Use a paring knife to remove the dark purple inner leaves and fiber strands. The leaves are very sharp, so be careful to not poke your fingers. Cut right along the edge of the fibers to leave the tender meat (heart) in tact. The heart is the tasty good stuff that makes all the prep work worth it! Rinse each half under cold water, once the centers are removed to clean off any remaining small fibers or sharp leaves.

Line up the halves in a large, glass baking dish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped garlic and 1/2 cube of melted butter, making sure to really soak the center and inner leaves. Squeeze half of a lemon over the top and sprinkle with garlic salt and lemon pepper.

Spread the parmesan and breadcrumb mixture evenly over the center of each choke.

Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes, remove foil and broil on low for an additional 5, or until golden brown on top. I used convect roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then proceeded to broil. If you're unsure if they are done, carefully poke a paring knife into the heart. If it gives with little resistance, they are done. Do not overcook, there should be some slight firmness. Think Al Dente pasta, you don't want them to end up mushy.

Plate and serve with a lemon garnish and the lemon-garlic butter. You may drizzle the butter over the top, or serve on the side for dipping. I prefer drowning each morsel in butter. If I'm going to have butter, I'm going to mean it. :)

Ingredients:

4 medium artichokes, prepped and halved

2 large lemons, halved. Reserve 1/2 for garnish

1 cube of butter, 1/2 to drizzle and 1/2 for the sauce (I never said this was low fat, live a little!)

4 T. minced garlic (reserve 2 T. for the butter sauce)

2 T. olive oil

1/2 ts. lemon pepper

1/2 ts. of garlic salt 

Mixture for topping:

1/2 C. Italian bread crumbs

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Dipping sauce:
(prepare while artichokes are roasting)
1/2 cube of butter
2 T. of minced garlic
The juice of one lemon

Place the above in a tall tempered glass jar (prevent spill over)  and microwave for 30 seconds, or until butter is melted. Carefully remove, as the glass will be very hot. Place in a small ramekin to serve the sauce on the side, once cooled.