Steak-frites

Steak-frites is a pan-seared or grilled beef steak served with a pile of fried potatoes, the house dish of the French and Belgian brasserie and the one by which most of them are judged. Both countries claim it, Belgium with the stronger case for the frites and France for the sauce culture around the meat. The cut is rarely a premium one: entrecôte is the classic, but bavette, onglet and faux-filet are just as traditional, chosen for flavour and chew rather than tenderness, and a bistro that lists filet is usually trading on the name. The sauce varies by house and region: béarnaise in most of France, a pepper sauce in the north, maître d'hôtel butter in Paris, and in Geneva the Café de Paris butter sauce that a handful of restaurants built an entire menu around. Dedicated steak-frites restaurants serve nothing else and bring the frites in two rounds so the second batch arrives hot.