To Enjoy The Oddest Steakhouse In NYC, You Need To Open Your Mind
And M. Wells is different.
So different, that it requires a different review for two kinds of steak eaters - those that just love a good cut at any restaurant, and those that love steakhouses.
After all, Doufour himself said that he was worried about opening a steakhouse. "People have strong opinions," he told New York Magazine. He couldn't be more right.
I'll start with the basics. The restaurant is located in an old garage not far from MOMA PS1, but the vibe is warm. Not the old warm you get from a steakhouse - that feeling that you're at a family reunion - but the warm feeling you get when you're about to step into a room of friends you can wear t-shirts and sneakers with.
Now - to the steak eaters. This restaurant is different, but you will like it. You will like the open, bustling kitchen. You will like that the most expensive cocktail is a $15 - most are $10. You will like that the grilled lobster comes with sauce on it (we definitely did). Absolutely try the bone marrow and escargot. Absolutely try M. Wells' baked potato side dish bubbling with cheese and bacon.
Absolutely try the 'beef butter', a fatty, almost spreadable cut of meat that tastes like a savory steak dessert.
You will love all of that. Stay away from the foie gras gnocchi, though (sorry, it had so much promise, we know). The gnocchi itself is too thick, and the foie gras doesn't stay inside from bite to bite.
Above all of that, the steak is excellent. We had the Chateaubriand for two. There was a ton of charred, delicious flavor on the edges. It was juicy and it was worth a trip to Queens.
Now - to the steakhouse purists. The major problem with M. Wells is the choice of side dishes. A true steakhouse lover needs creamed spinach, yearns for macaroni and cheese, and will savor a fresh beefsteak tomato in their dreams. You will find none of that on M. Wells' menu as it is. The oysters were amazing, yes, but it's debatable whether steakhouse purists will want their lobster sauce decided for them on a seafood platter (though that's likely something one can request).
What a steakhouse purist will like, though, is that any request will come easy. M. Wells' service is friendly and attentive (major shouts to Aaron, our server, who without our asking let us try a great Burgundy Pinot Noir).
Steakhouse lovers need a waitstaff that memorizes their name, address, birthday, and social security number. M. Wells has the potential to deliver that for its regulars.
And again, the steak was delicious - that's the bottom line here. But if you're a steakhouse purist, and you don't come into this spot with an open mind, you're going to have a side dish-sized hole in your heart when you leave M. Wells.
That's the word.