Dinner Before Subway

Heading home from work, I always pass a few feet from Les Halles on my way into the subway at 28th and Park Avenue. Since I am currently on my own in the city until my family returns, it is hard to resist the temptation to duck in there every night and enjoy a good Steak Frites. Tonight I do not resist the temptation, despite the fact that yielding once may be a slippery slope to overindulgence. I could easily talk myself into eating there every night, although this will luckily be impractical once the family is in town.

For those who are not familiar, Les Halles is associated with reluctant celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. I say reluctant because I distinctly recall comments from his book Kitchen Confidential (the one that made him famous) where he expressed general disdain for celebrity chefs, including at least on reference comparing fellow chef Emeril Lagasse as an Ewok. Some might say that this is somewhat inconsistent with Bourdain's career path since, as a quick review of his web site's listings of TV shows, public appearances and books would show. I for one don't hold this against him, though, since although the original book was by far his best work, I think it's completely understandable that his perspective changed completely when he was afforded the opportunity to join the Ewok team. It's easy to disparage the riders of the gravy train as it's passing you by, but much harder when it stops and offers to pick you up.

In any case, I have of course all ready dined at Les Halles a couple of times in the brief time we have been in Manhattan, so I opt for something I haven't tried before -- the Merguez, Frites, and Salade. Small Moroccan sausages with traditional French accompanients. As usual the frites and salad are excellent after a long day, and I really like the little sausages. They come with a kind of thick chili sauce on the side that adds a nice bit of heat. I can see that I might need to limit this kind of indulgence to once a week at most.