BLT Steak

Plaudits: Washingtonian 2011 Top 100, Washingtonian 2010 #22, Washingtonian 2009 #11, Washingtonian 2008 #39, 2010 RAMMYs - Nominated Power Spot of the Year

Neighborhood: Downtown, K Street

The Setup

With a gift certificate in hand and a friend date long overdue, I invited Official Friend of DCWD Swizzle out to dinner at BLT Steak.

The Vibe

BLT Steak is a white-cloth restaurant posing as a casual restaurant posing as a white-cloth restaurant, if that makes any sense. It’s high-class and it knows it, a boutique steakhouse that shines in sleek modern lines, and browns and beiges and whites.

Yet there are the minor touches here and there that have heralded the revitalization of the trendy middle-class restaurant: a big stick-on board menu and the absence of actual tablecloths among them. But the giveaway is the set-up, which seems designed for power lunches; the two-tops are mostly if not all half-booths around the edge while the center is filled with fours and sixes and larger.

The restaurant is built for this purpose in other ways too: the long bar as you walk in, the dim lighting, the black and white photography and giant floral display in the center of the dining area that make up the décor, the dim lighting. The downside is that the space does not control the ensuing noise, and so by the middle of your meal, you’re practically shouting to your dinner partner.

The Food

I would normally ignore the bread course, but these particular servings was lovely. Yes, servings. First came some chicken liver pate with wonderfully crusty bread. Then, popovers the side of your fist with a lovely buttery, slightly cheesy flavor. What a great start.

Having promised Swizzle a steak dinner to make up for the time passed between dinners, we both ordered a cut of meat with a side. Steaks at BLT can be ordered with one of eight sauces, and they’ve added a whole new category of cooking to the whole rare to well done spectrum: blue (which I assume is basically just raw meat, which sounds both delicious and unappetizing). I had the filet mignon with béarnaise and truffled mashed potatoes, while Swizzle ordered the aged NY strip with creamed spinach.

The steaks were both immaculately well, though the NY strip had a char on it that might be discomforting if you’re not into that kind of thing; for me, since the steak was just a hair overcooked, this was more of a symptom than a problem. Still, the filet was spot on, tender and juicy and fantastic.  The herb butter was well composed and melted together with the meat perfectly. As for the sides, the mashed potatoes were okay, though lacking a little in the amount of truffle flavor that would justify paying the extra for it over other potatoes; the creamed spinach was less sweet than say Boston Market’s (hey, it’s the only comparison point I have, and I love that stuff), but this was a good thing, tasting delicious.

The Verdict

Great, great steaks; some of the best, if not the best I’ve had in DC. Though a little expensive and loud if you’re not in the power lunch set.

Food Rating: **** (out of 5)

Date Rating: 3 Hearts (out of 5)
Dress Code: Business
Bar Rating: Suits Scene
Vibe: Energetic to Noisy
Cost: $$$$$ (out of 5) (more than $100 for two)
Pairing: Quick before they go away: head down to the Ellipse and check out the National Christmas Tree, and the individual state trees.