Parisian Bistro Le Relais de Venise Bringing Beloved Steak Frites Downtown

Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote — a Parisian steak frites restaurant with a cult following overseas — is planning to debut a second location in New York in Soho. Darin Nathan, the franchisee owner of the location in Midtown, says he hopes to open the new outpost at 15 Watts Street in the fall. The restaurant, which first opened in New York in 2009, focuses on just three menu items: steak, fries, and a salad. It’s accompanied by a secret sauce that’s the source of the fan following in Europe. The whole package costs $29.95, and it’s the only savory food option available. The famous steakhouse is also known for its waitresses, who dress up in a costume similar to that of a French maid.

Despite the limited menu, the restaurant received positive reviews here in New York when it first opened. The Times awarded it one star, calling the food and experience "terrific," and Adam Platt at New York found the sauce had "the ruinously addictive powers of crack cocaine." The new outpost will be the same as the Midtown one, Nathan says. "We’re getting a lot of requests from people all over the city who have been going for many years," he says. "It seems like a natural transition for us."

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