Amongst other things 
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Perhaps they donāt do it anymore, perhaps i was mistaken. My memory would have been from a few years ago i def remember a place within the last year but i canāt place exactly the shop. Or even the country or city. I remember the pretzel and the hangerā¦
No problem, thanks. At least it seems like a possibility.
Bump.
I donāt know the answer. As reported, i went once, they were great.
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So, just because you bumped, I found my way back to Monkās Kettle (rockridge) last night, and have a followup.
TL;DR - special.
First, let me say I had a GREAT steak and fries. Once you get used to a true Bavette cut, itās hard to go back to skirt. Left Bank in MP used to do bavette, then they cost reduced their meat down to something else (a form of skirt), and itās never been the same. MK did a perfectly cooked bavette, itās been years since Iāve had one. They also did what I call āfrench medium rareā which would be called rare in the US, which I appreciate (franceās system is a point below US). Fries were crispy but not as juicy inside as one might hope, A-. But the steak was A+ if you like that kind of thing.
The guy behind the bar and I started talking, because as soon as I took a bite, I said ābavetteā and looked really happy, we started talking cuts of meat, one thing lead to another :-), I asked about the tots, he said basically āI KNOW, RIGHT!ā
He said heās been pestering the chef to put the okonomyaki tots on the permanent menu. He says when he brings one out, all the other tables order it (so he makes more tips was the implication). The chef says the prep is outrageous, itās just a complex dish, which might explain why I saw it on a monday (eg, a slow night). Donāt count on it ever making it to the menu.
Another point, although itās a beer place, when I saw the steak, I asked after a red, they had a cab by the glass on tap. It was interesting ā it came out SUPER funky and needed about 15 minutes to air out, at which point it was a pretty good wine, good combination of interesting and depth. Wines on tap are a funny thing that way, I guess. We might see more good quality wines on tap, as the industry goes through whateverās going to happen the next 10 yearsā¦
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Did you know it was a bavette before you ordered?
no, why do you ask?
I rarely order beef anymore, so I have to be in the mood, and when I see a steak frite I figure Iām going to get a skirt steak so I figure out if Iām in the mood for that, and (like last night) I become very pleasantly surprised if I get a bavette cut. I am sure there are a few places in the bay area that can be counted on for a bavette if I decided to seek them out - but I just donāt order that much beef when Iām out (or at home for that matter).
The guy behind the bar said, regarding cuts of meat, āyeah, chef was doing a ribeye cut for a while, but itās too damned much meat for most people, so I talked him back to the bavette.ā.
Thanks for explaining.
