Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Momofuku Ssam Bar - Ribsteak

It had been a while since I had eaten at Ssam Bar when I rolled in with my girlfriend the Fashionista right before an Xmas trip to the Midwest, even longer since I had eaten the steak there. So long in fact that the ribsteak, once sourced from Four Story Hill Farms, is now listed as coming from Niman Ranch. I found the steak virtually indistinguishable from the ones I had eaten at Ssam before, suggesting that perhaps the same meatlocker is being used to age the meat. But no matter, the method of preparation remains the same - it comes seared and served with a garlic confit and a heart-stoppingly rich au jus - and so does the result - it's a fabulous hunk of beef.

Service in motion
But it also takes about 40 minutes to prepare so we started off with a light snack of crab claws, mussels and ham, while quaffing a lovely bottle of Decenio Riojo. The steak was as epic as I remember it although the Fashionista was a bit annoyed that I ordered it so rare (which is to say raw). The kitchen was kind enough to re-fire a couple of the slabs for her, to her preferred (and frankly rationale) temperature of rare. We both left happy, a fine send off for our trip. Food porn after the break.

 
Jonah crab claws – harissa mayo
Benton’s smoky mountain ham
PEI mussels
Niman Ranch dry aged ribsteak
Beef Jus
Ribsteak with shallot confit
Spuds
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003

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