Steak Frites - Great
Steaks from France.
Onglets and Bavettes in French Cuisine
A window into the world of steak frites.www.flickr.com/photos/psd/19486769/
North American and UK diners, accustomed to their own steakhouse experiences, couldn't help but notice a curious trend. Tourists returning from France weren't just raving about the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or the Moulin Rouge and starred Michelin guide restaurants. They were gushing about Steak Frites served in bistros, brasseries and unpretentious restaurants. They spoke of succulent, perfectly cooked steaks, accompanied by crisp French fries or a fresh salad—all at a price that often undercut the cost of the cheapest steak in a restaurant back home. And, as if the culinary delight wasn't enough, each meal often came with a glass of wine, professional, unpretentious service, and—the cherry on top—a no obligatory tipping policy that truly eased the digestion.
So, where did the
phenomenon of Steak Frites truly begin?
French restaurants are required by law to display their complete menu outside, though that is rarely followed to the letter. Instead, daily specials are often written on a blackboard (or a whiteboard) called an “ardoise”. Restaurant shorthand is used in all countries, but it’s usually only seen in the kitchen. Here, the restaurants that began the craze for steak frites saved space on their ardoise by writing Steak Frites or Steak Salade for their tasty and inexpensive Onglet et Pommes Frites, a US hanger steak, a UK skirt steak or a Steak Bavette et Pommes Frites, a hanger steak on both sides of the pond. French diners understood what was being offered, and as for the visitors with little French, they learned quickly. The rest is history.
Steak Frites(“What's in a name? That which we call an onglet or bavetteBy any other name would taste as sweet.") www.flickr.com/photos/sarahvain/32915634207/
The great steaks behind Steak Frites.
The secret behind steak
frites lies in two flavorful cuts: An onglet is a US hanger steak, called
a skirt steak in the UK. While a steak
bavette is a flank steak on both sides of the pond.
French chefs are trained
to separate the different cuts and to see how the grain of the meat lies as
well as most butchers and skirt and hanger steaks must be prepped very
carefully to remove sinue and ensure tenderness.
Since France has no equivalent to the US Prime or US Choice, chefs personally inspect the age and internal marbling before buying. In the kitchen, the chef or the sous chef cuts and often marinates the steak. These cuts produce excellent, flavorful steaks and have long been among the most popular and affordable choices on French menus..
To win back their
well-traveled and experienced customers back some North American and UK steak
houses even brought in French butchers. The steakhouses knew that these cuts
that required a lot of extra work but Steak Frites are now a hit on
menus throughout North America and the UK.
So, despite what many
travel books and other texts would have us believe rump steaks and rib-eye steaks
are NOT behind France's Steak Frites. In France, restaurants would go
broke selling an entrecôte, a rib-eye, as a
standard steak for steak frites, though, of course, you may pay extra
and order that entrecôte.
If you are visiting France, be ready for onglets and bavettes and in the kitchen and steak frites on the menu. The chef de partie, the line chef, will grill or fry the steaks to order. You may order these steaks from rare to medium-well; however, there is a caveat in France, there’s no such thing as a well-done steak frites.
Steak Frites on the menu:
Steak Frites – Steak and French fries.
Steak Salade – Steak and salad.
Steak Frites ± 180g – A 180-gram (6 1/2-ounce)
steak with French fries.
Steak Frites, Salade Verte, Verre De Bordeaux ou Galopin De
Biere – Steak with French fries and a green salad served with a glass of
Bordeaux wine or a galopin, 125 ml (4.4 fl oz) of beer.
Steak Haché Frites – A chopped steak and
French fries. Read the menu carefully; this is a chopped steak, close to a
hamburger.
Ordering Steak Frites
Ordering a steak
requires little French. Every French server understands an order for steak
frites! But then comes the moment of truth: "Quelle
cuisson, votre steak?" They're asking how you'd like it cooked, and
this is where things get tricky for English speakers.
English terms such as
medium-rare, medium, or well-done do not translate, conceptually, into
restaurant French.
The word medium is used
in French, (where a médium may connect you to the spirit world!),
however, it’s not a word that is used for steaks. To order a steak in France cooked
the way you like it, check out our detailed tips in Ordering a Steak in France.
The steaks
Bavettes
Flank steaks
When
navigating a French supermarket or boucherie, you might notice two
distinct cuts labelled bavette: Bavette d'Aloyau and Bavette de
Flanchet.
Both
correspond to what we typically call skirt or flank steaks in North America and
the UK. Historically, the Bavette d'Aloyau has been considered the
slightly superior cut, though to offer a bit more tenderness or flavor.
However, when both are skillfully cooked, grilled to perfection, and presented
with golden fries and a robust red wine, I doubt anyone can tell the
difference.
Steak Bavette et Frites
Bavette Grillée Frites/Salade – This is
the quintessential, no-fuss steak frites experience found in countless
French restaurants. It’s celebrated for its robust flavor and served simply
with crisp French fries or a fresh, lightly dressed salad. This is the most
straightforward and affordable option for a classic steak frites.
Bavette d'Aloyau Sauce à l'Echalote – A beloved classic, this dish pairs
flavorful skirt steak with an aromatic shallot sauce.. The sauce is typically
made by deglazing the pan with wine or vinegar and simmering finely minced
shallots until tender and sweet; perfectly complementing the steak's character.
N.B. Always confirm if fries are included; with this listing the fries may
need to be ordered separately.
Bavette de Bœuf Frites Maison et
Sauce Béarnaise – A more indulgent take on the classic steak frites
by serving them with a Sauce Béarnaise. The inclusion of "Frites
Maison" highlights French fries made with an in-house twist. Perhaps they
will be twice-fried with the crispness that makes the very best frites.
Bavette Frites
et Salade
Onglet
A US Hanger Steak, a UK Skirt Steak.
A hanger
steak can have a tendon running through it, but given a choice between an onglet
and a bavette, opt for the onglet. This cut comes from between
the kidneys, which helps account for its stronger flavor. In a butcher’s
display, you can distinguish an onglet from a bavette
side-by-side: the onglet has darker meat. On the plate, it’s the flavor that
truly makes the difference.
Onglet de Veau, Pommes Grenailles Rissolées, Jus Corsé – A veal hanger/skirt steak with
pan-fried small new potatoes, served with a rich sauce made from the natural
cooking juices.
Onglet, Pommes Frites – A skirt/hangar steak with French fries.Onglet de Bœuf Juste Poêlé Aux
Échalotes – A
perfectly pan-fried beef hanger/skirt steak flavored with shallots. N.B. This
menu listing does not clearly note that it includes fries. Ask.
OngletWith a green peppercorn sauce, fries fried in duck fat.Photograph courtesy of
Falchion https://www.flickr.com/photos/falchion/29139850800/sizes/
Other steaks
Restaurants selling steak frites may also offer other steaks as well: an Entrecôte, a Ribeye; a Steak de Hamp , a steak close to and similar to a skirt steak; a Filet de Bœuf, a Fillet steak; a Faux Filet, known as Sirloin Steak in the UK and a Strip Steak in the USA; a Steak Macreuse, which has no direct English translation: plus a variety of rump steaks and more. The French carefully choose different cuts, some of them are ignored elsewhere.
Steak des
bouchersA butcher’s
steak.
Often, rump
steaks will be called a steak des bouchers or a pièce du boucher.
In English, that translates to a "butcher’s steak." That is a
traditional name used in many countries and languages for low-cost steaks that
butchers prize for their hidden value. The implication is that the butcher will
take the time required to properly prepare them, often taking them home for
their own family.
Rump steaks
French rump
steaks include part of the UK cuts called Rump, Silverside, and Topside. In the
USA the French rump steaks are part of the USA cuts called Sirloin and Round. The French terms Romsteak and Rumsteck can be confusing for English-speaking
visitors. This is not too surprising, as North American and UK restaurants and
butchers often disagree on what defines a rump steak in English. (The best rump steaks in France include: Araignée, Merlan, Poire, and Langue
de Chat).
A steak des bouchers, a steak araignée.The butcher's steak.Photograph courtesy
of Mike_flemingwww.flickr.com/photos/flem007_uk/3625173675/
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Behind the French MenubyBryan G. NewmanCopyright 2010, 2013,
2015, 2019, 2025.
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