Essay and Painting by Robert Beck
The burst of flame from back in the kitchen was a moment of culinary revelation for me. I was at the register at La Boite en Bois, on 68th just off Columbus, because it’s on my way home from the studio and they make salmon just the way my wife likes it. There are less expensive places to get take-out, but when I get that call at the end of the day, La Boite en Bois guarantees a home run.
I was waiting for my food with eyes unfocused and my Street Defense Systems on pause, then snapped out of my stupor to see the person back in the brightly-lit kitchen looking at me across many distances. The customer with the backpack and baseball cap who always orders gluten-free salmon and crepes, being regarded by the guy in whites who always makes it perfectly for him.
It was early, and only two tables were occupied in the dining room. Those were into their main courses, so there wasn’t much activity in the kitchen. Every now and then a flash would appear at the stove and I’d see the cook in mid-pan-toss, leaning back, away from the flame, then glancing my way again. It occurred to me that with everybody else already eating, that might be our food. It was as if the cook was saying: Pay attention, Mr. Boringbeans.
String beans are the missus’ favorite vegetable, especially the French ones. I’m occasionally called on to make dinner, but my string bean repertoire used to be unremarkable: steamed or boiled, depending on circumstances. Don’t judge me on that; I put stuff on top to liven them up, but I’m a spinach guy.
My wife particularly loves La Boite en Bois haricot verts. Watching the cook doing a hot sauté, I decided to try it myself on some par-boiled string beans the next time I was given the reins in the kitchen.
I did, and it went pretty well. I boiled them for a few minutes, drained the water, added some oil and seasonings, tossed them around for another five minutes to crisp up the outsides, and finished them in butter. Everything is better in butter. My wife likes how I make them now. There is joy on the Upper West Side. Thank you, Mr. Cook.
La Boite en Bois is one of those places I gravitate to when I’m in a moules and pommes frites state of mind. Or jonesing for onion soup and pâté. I could live on their bread and butter. The restaurant gets crowded at dinner time, and the seating is close, so we go early, when it’s quiet. My go-to meal is the seafood and mushroom crepe with a light cognac sauce, but I can be found smiling over the chicken scallopini in mushroom sauce as well. Hmm. Honey, grab your hat. I mean chapeau.
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See more of Robert Beck’s work and visit his UWS studio at www.robertbeck.net. Let him know if you have a connection to an archetypical UWS place or event that would make a good West Side Canvas subject. Thank you!
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Note: Before Robert Beck started West Side Canvas, his essays and paintings were featured in Weekend Column. See Robert Beck’s earlier columns here and here.
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Sounds delicious, looks beautiful.
I’ve walked by many times but now I’ll definitely have try those crepes!!! They sound divine!
I recommend putting the green beans in a saute pan with some oil or butter and one-third cup of water. Cook with lid on for 2-4 minutes, then remove the lid and cook and toss until the water is evaporated and the beans lightly sautéed in the fat.
I’m thankful for Robert Beck’s artwork and writing contributions to the WSR.
My husband is TOUJOUR in a moule et pomme frites state of mind, and I’m now jonesing for his onion soup!
Wonderful
Robert –Thanks for the warm evocation of the “wooden box” that has outlasted many, many flashier restaurants. Reminding myself that I haven’t been there much since I moved further north on the UWS, but winter is coming, and that onion soup is calling me.
Yup……definitely a winner! Tell your salmon-loving wife that in the summer, their poached salmon entree is not only delicious, but also a colorful work of art, especially when enjoyed in their lovely, QUIET, outdoor shed.
La Boite en Bois is one of my fav UWS restaurants. Hope it can stay vibrant and healthy w/ so many neighborhood restaurants gone. Seinfeld aficionados recognize the La Boite marquis from one of the show’s classic episodes.
I must have walked by this restaurant 1,000 times (and living on the UWS for 60 years, that is not an exaggeration), before I finally had the opportunity to actually try it. Yes, it was pricey. But it was also far better than I expected from a “hole-in-the-wall” French restaurant. I highly recommend it.
My parents used to take me here for special occasions in the 1980s. It was a lovely, transporting kind of place. Tucked downstairs, tables cramped together, people speaking genuine, native French…thanks for the reminder.
Before “La Boite en Bois,” the restaurant at that address was “Milestones” which moved across the street into a similar but bigger space. It’s long closed.
This space was my favorite restaurant on the West Side in the mid 1970s when it was the Milestone. Then Mimi Sheraton gave it 3 stars and it was difficult to get a table. I stopped going when they let Geraldo Rivera get ahead of me in the waiting line.
My daughter and I had dinner there last night. They do escargot right, in melted butter infused with considerable garlic. The warm bread was perfect for soaking up the garlic butter. My daughter had the salmon, which she said was delicious. I ordered what I always have there, the crab cakes. I know they must use some binder, but so little all you taste is perfectly seasoned crab. Additionally, the service is always excellent. I’m grateful this delightful restaurant is in our neighborhood.
I’ll never forget the extreme irony of a restaurant named Cafe des Artistes, that no artiste could ever afford to eat in.