New York Goes Medium Rare
Mark Bucher's DC-favorite comes to midtown
Hi friends,
I’m gonna be honest, I feel the end of summer blues, the September Scaries are in full effect. Yesterday, swimming at the beach in the Rockaways, I didn’t want to get out. I was like a toddler that had to be threatened with a Time Out. I have this big pit of sadness because I don’t want to return to the real world. I still feel those “back-to-school” blues even though I am well past school-age.
But, here we are in September; the Halloween decorations are about to be fill the windows at the CVS, the pumpkin spice is already sprinkled in the air, the apples are ready to be picked, the cider donuts are frying, the #sweaterweather hashtag will be dusting off its cobwebs. Well, at least we have a crop of new restaurants to look forward to.
Speaking of that, there will be Fall Previews everywhere (my friend Melissa McCart and the wonderful writer Emma Orlow did a fantastic one in Eater NY), so rather than a formal list you’ve probably read already, I’ll be covering some noteworthy new openings as they crop up, places like Sal’s new Chinese spot, Akhtar’s new wood-fired concept, the latest from Mary and the Musket Room team, and the kebab joint from Unapologetic Foods.
For now, I am starting with Mark Bucher’s Medium Rare, opening this week on Friday September 6th.
Medium Rare
If you live in D.C., you’ve probably eaten at Medium Rare, restaurateur Mark Bucher’s neighborhood steak frites concept which began in Washington, D.C. in 2011 and has grown to 11 locations. I love the place because it’s got a unique concept, but also because Mark is one of the most incredible humans in the restaurant and hospitality community.
You may know about José Andrés, but Mark is his own special brand of humanitarian; he started Feed the Fridge, a program that sets up refrigerators that his team stocks daily around D.C., Virginia, and New Orleans. The program feeds 3,600 people a day. In New York, he plans on working with partners like the Boys & Girls Club to launch the program. He is also out there every Thanksgiving, frying and smoking turkeys for his hungry neighbors.
Anyway, I think he’s a fantastic human and this week he’s opening his first New York location on Friday September 6th, a place serving one steak and one steak only: the Culotte Steak with salad and hand-cut French fries, topped with a secret bearnaise-adjacent sauce, with a mixed greens salad and artisan rustic bread for $34.95. Still hungry? Complimentary second helpings are served! (There’s a portobello mushroom option for non-meat eaters, but maybe skip this if you’re a vegetarian.)
On the weekend, brunch is a $39.95 all-inclusive package that includes bottomless cocktails along with coffee, juice and soda. And on weekends you get a choice of what to eat—either his signature steak frites meal, or their Famous Benedict, an American Breakfast Sandwich (steak and choice of eggs, fries, artisanal chorizo sausage served on a rustic baguette with secret sauce and hollandaise), or their house specialty—24-hour-soaked French Toast with artisanal sausage. I can’t wait to check it out.
Located at 488 Third Avenue in NYC Murray Hill neighborhood, Medium Rare New York serves dinner Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 2:30 p.m. to 11.p.m.; and Sunday 2:30 to 10 p.m. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Private party space and catering are available.