Best of New York 2011 • Eating

• Má Pêche

  15 W. 56th St., nr. Fifth Ave. 212-757-5878

  If there’s one dish that would seem to defy tinkering of any kind, it’s that age-old brasserie favorite steak-frites. But don’t tell that to Tien Ho and the other meat-crazy geniuses who populate the kitchen at David Chang’s midtown outpost, Má Pêche. The restaurant is justly famous for its pork ribs, and for the grandiose “7 Ways” beef feast. But for our money, the most ingenious creation on the menu is Ho’s New Age Asian-fusion version of this ancient French classic. Instead of potatoes, the crunchy “frites” are made with mashed rice and rice flour. Instead of the usual chewy hanger, the steak is a special “Juliet” cut of Creekstone rib eye, softened sous vide andthen seared. Best of all, though, is the MSG-spiked in-house steak sauce, whipped with, among other things, mayonnaise and Sriracha, which binds the different elements of the dish together like some mysterious, otherworldly form of Béarnaise.

From the 2011 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine