BLT STEAK
106 E. 57th St.
212-752-7470
The star of BLT Steak is the expertly cooked, first-rate collection of beef, but the supporting cast of familiar steakhouse accompaniments with atwist almost steal the show. The tower of beer-battered onion rings isspectacularly crunchy on the outside, and the onions themselves are unusuallysoft, sweet, and large. The creamed spinach in a light béchamel sauce isflavored with roasted garlic for depth and a touch of sweet, mellow flavor. Whenit comes to potatoes, there are eight varieties, but it’s Laurent Tourondel’ssupremely cheesy yet mysteriously light Parmesan gnocchi that you’ll remember. Asmall cast-iron pot arrives with a mound of the tender little pillows bathed inbechamel and sprinkled with a final dusting of cheese (when a new cook is put incharge of making the gnocchi, several practice attempts are mandatory before heachieves the melt-in-the-mouth consistency). During the appropriate season, youcan gild the lily with black or whitetruffles.