A Tale of Two Tartares

words by Caitlyn Edson | photos by Justin Legaspi

Chef Taylor Thornhill’s menu features a constantly rotating array of fresh and preserved vegetables and herbs, a pantry full of foraged ingredients, and of course, beef. His innovative take on classic dishes makes for an exciting dining experience at Bateau, and his recipes for steak tartare – a French dish that traditionally showcases a raw egg yolk placed delicately atop raw, seasoned ground beef - are no exception.

Right now there are not one but two variations on this familiar appetizer available at Bateau. The a la carte steak tartare features a garnish of tapioca crackers, egg yolk, and paddlefish caviar. Within the finely chopped grass-fed, dry aged beef you’ll also taste beef fat grapeseed oil, fermented kale stems and garlic scapes, and touch of lemon juice. It’s a nuanced take on classic dish and serves as a light, flavorful appetizer to tide you over while you wait for your steaks to be prepared.

If you opt for the Chef’s tasting menu – a five-course meal featuring many different preparations of boeuf – you’ll have the chance to try a different version of steak tartare. This dish contains sea buckthorn berries, a tart and tasty garnish foraged by our team, as well as bone marrow cream in lieu of egg yolk, and lacto-fermented potato chips to use as an edible spoon to eat the tartare with. It’s a bright and full-flavored course that often stands out to our guests that try the tasting menu, and it beautifully showcases Chef Thornhill’s love of foraging and preservation, as well as his creative approach to steak tartare.

Try one! Try both! Either way, we can’t wait to serve you our latest version of steak tartare on your next time in.