Here’s the UWS Dish: The Consulate’s Lamb Tartare

By Abigael T. Sidi

When it comes to steak tartare, the experts in my family – Pépé (Grandpa) and Papa (Dad)– will always tell you, in no uncertain terms, that it should be “au couteau, et seulement au couteau!” —  “hand cut, and only hand cut!” — in the kitchen just prior to serving. But that’s hard to find in the city, so when The Consulate’s Upper West Side location recently took to Instagram to market its “New Star,”  a hand-cut lamb tartare that can be ordered for one ($28) or two ($35), I wasn’t about to miss the chance to try it.

“You need a co-taster, it’s simple math,” Dad told me, unprompted, before rushing out the door to call the elevator.

On our way there, I asked him about his hand-cut rule. Citing Pépé, Dad explained that if you grind the meat in the machine, not only will you miss out on the texture, but you will also heat the fibers, almost as if you pre-cooked the meat, which degrades the proteins and destroys the good juices. “Grinding is lazy, disrespectful, and just wrong,” he said.  “Au couteau, et seulement au couteau, and the cutting should be limited to dicing. No mincing,” he added.

So, we ordered the tartare for two, and I could tell he was excited. “I’ve had more hand-cut beef tartares than I can count, but I don’t remember ever tasting lamb in this way,” he said. “The Lebanese do serve a tasty lamb tartare, but it is either ground or minced super-super thin before being mixed with bulgur.” (The dish he referred to is the kibbeh nayyeh, which more likely originated in Aleppo, Syria.) “Don’t get me wrong,” Dad said. “It’s delicious, especially with the cinnamon, mint and raw red onions, but it’s more of a paste, a dipping spread; the lamb gets lost in the shuffle a little bit.”

The Consulate’s lamb tartare arrived and the meat, lost in the shuffle it was not. We stared in admiration at the large chunks and dices of raw lamb resting on a wood cutting board, topped with two shiny quail egg yolks. A pinch of coarse salt, minced mint leaves, caper berries, a spicy cumin aioli, and butter-toasted bread were offered on the side. The dish was superb.

We first tried it without the extra seasonings, making sure to mix the quail eggs with the meat. I was immediately struck by the lamb’s gamey flavors. “Wow, they’re not kidding around,” said a stunned Dad. The meat was so incredibly fresh that its flavors dominated the shallots, garlic and Dijon seasoning. The texture was moist and tender, with a smooth, velvety chew, the egg yolks only adding to the richness and decadence of the bite. If you’re not a fan of lamb, forget it, but if you are or don’t mind a little flavor, you’re in for some serious carnivorous heaven.

We then had fun mixing things up with some cumin aioli here, some capers there. I even spotted Dad spreading tartare on a toast, which would have been inconceivable only a few years back. (He recently bought into some American twists on French culinary traditions, ”when they make sense.”) The condiments did add some interesting flavors, especially the mint, but don’t kid yourself: This dish is ALL about the lamb.

Dad’s final verdict? “OK, this was special. We’ll have to take Pépé next time he’s in New York.”

While heavy on French dishes (onion soup, escargots, bone marrow, moules-frites), The Consulate’s menu is in fact quite eclectic, covering a wide variety of cuisines. Seeing how we had reveled in the tartare, our server recommended we come back to try the 30-day dry-aged, grass-fed, 48-oz. grilled tomahawk, a stupendous steak made famous at one of [co-owner] Miljan Komnenic’s other operations in the city, Boucherie. At $192, it is not cheap, and neither is the rest of The Consulate’s menu (the Caesar salad is $25, a burger is $29). The lamb tartare for two ($35) is, in fact, one of the better deals on the menu.

The Consulate offers an open, chic space dominated by a gigantic mirror on one end and a classy bar on the other, with leather booths and a cool checkerboard flooring adding to the colonial/modern brasserie-type vibe. It’s nice, but the music can get loud at times, as is common in city. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday for lunch (11: a.m. til 3:45 p.m.) and dinner (4:30 to 9:00 p.m.), with brunch starting at 10:00 a.m. on weekends. To order, use the commission free platform or call 646-781-9288.

The Dish: Hand-cut lamb tartare (for one, $28; for two, $35)

The Restaurant: The Consulate, 519 Columbus Avenue (between W 85th and 86th streets)

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