Steak Diane: A Signature

Let's talk Steak Diane.

The dish has a fittingly murky origin story. It first appeared in London in the 1930s, a flattened fillet steak cooked tableside, and spent the following decades migrating across hotel dining rooms and supper clubs on both sides of the Atlantic. By the 1950s and '60s it had become a hallmark of New York City's high society restaurant scene, the kind of dish that got ordered with champagne at midnight. The name most likely traces back to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, though at least one chef claimed he named it after a wealthy European woman whose surname he never disclosed. The history is contested. The sauce is not.

When it came time to put together Bar Diane's menu, including a dish called Steak Diane was, admittedly, an obvious move. Though for the record, this place isn't named after the dish. We'll save that story for another newsletter.

Our version is seared medium rare and finished with chef Jorge Rico's signature sauce Diane, served a la carte with a handful of crispy potato strings on top. It's a clever, grounded take on a bistro classic, and it happens to be gluten-free and great for sharing, if you're into that sort of thing.

A glass of wine alongside it is always a good idea. So is a martini, depending on how your week is going.

Santé!