That was I think the coldest night we had this year, and Chicho wanted to try Red Buffalo…
Yes… that Grill restaurant in Broumana… The temperature was negative something… The road was very quiet, warnings have been pouring all day about the coming storm, however, the night sky was crystal clear, constellated with white flickering cold stars…
The freezing clean air of the mountain filled my lungs as I stepped out of the car… the smell of burning wood was floating around us… a waiter opened the door, and we were welcomed with a bouffée of warm scented smell that made us feel immediately relaxed…
We were guided to the first floor, the lighting was dimmed, the fire pit was on, the booths were all wood with red cushions, I immediately regretted Cozy wasn’t with us (sorry Chicho) and he, I suspected he was wishing the Bee was with him… oh well…
There was only one other table occupied in the whole restaurant, which was understandable, it was after all a Monday night… with a storm warning on all radio stations…
The waiter gave us the menu, but we already knew why we were here: The steaks
We still ordered the Combo app as appetizers, with two New York Steaks, Rare with Baked Potato for me and Well Done with Roasted Potatoes for him…
The aroma of the burning pine logs in the nearby fire pit sharpened my appetite… not for long… the first dish were here:
The Garlic Bread looked good but lacked of… garlic… maybe it’s because it’s a romantic restaurant that the garlic was so light? Maybe…
The Mozzarella Sticks were oil dry, golden and crunchy, good job here, so were the Spring Rolls, I just hate them when they are soggy and oily, thank god they were not, but still more crunchiness would have been better… taste good with the soy sauce (for me)… Here I would have loved to see some chicken wings in that combo, instead we had Potato wedges, those very same potatoes that usually come as a side to every steak they serve in that restaurant, It did feel like just a low cost addition… you know… just to fill the plate…
We were slowly sipping our local vin rouge, and discussing mostly the weather forecast, fantasizing about a full blown out snow storm that would turn Lebanon into Winterfell… The steaks brought us back home…
Really gigantic, juicy and tender, the mushroom sauce was again light… the saveur wasn’t assez prononcée, it should have been thicker. The Sour cream inside my baked potato was more like labneh… which is too bad, because all in all, it was a good slice of meat… the experience could’ve been superior, especially that the restaurant is empty, they could’ve taken the time to make things real good… anyhow…
Chicho’s steak looked wrinkled, but that’s only because it stayed more on the grill than mine, he seemed to enjoy it though…
It was not the best steak we had in Lebanon, loin de la, but it was a respectable one.
500 gr of meat after the appetizer were a bit too much for both of us, so no dessert this time… just the cold waiting for outside, en attendant the warmth of our homes…
Gaston Le Forrestier
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