The steak frites at Badmaash include a 12-ounce prime Niman Ranch New York strip, meat-masala au poivre sauce and masala fries.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Steak au poivre is having an L.A. moment. 12 places to try classic and creative takes
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Steak au poivre is a bistro classic that’s as timeless as French fries or a certain Gruyère-topped onion soup. Its intense, savory flavors strike a balance of richness and heat — the ideal comforting and hearty bite on a crisp fall evening. But across Los Angeles, the peppery dish is getting a second life and its bold flavors are spicing up everything from burgers to ice cream and cocktails. And, of course, its signature sauce is still being poured over plenty of steaks too.
“Au poivre is a flavor people already know and love. It feels classic and a little indulgent, and right now people want food that’s comforting and familiar,” says chef Patrick Costa, who recently added an au poivre cheeseburger at his new restaurant Sous Sous in Silver Lake. “It’s the steakhouse nostalgia people are craving, but approachable, with no white tablecloth required.”
At Compass Rose, a cafe and bar in West Adams, beverage director Danny Rubenstein crafted a cocktail that celebrates France with au poivre flavors. “I found it a fun challenge to try to turn a creamy au poivre sauce into a cocktail,” he says. “The pepper infusion plays nicely with all the flavors, and it’s an unexpected pairing that doesn’t clash. We also sneak a little bit of lactic acid into the cocktail to mimic a creamier, rounder mouthfeel.”
While steak au poivre likely originated in 19th-century late-night bistros in Normandy, France, various Parisian restaurants have laid claim to its invention dating back to the 1920s. The classic recipe was introduced to American audiences in 1961, when Julia Child featured it in her “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” cookbook, and the dish quickly became standard on steakhouse menus. Hand-crushed peppercorns are pressed directly into a cut of boneless beef to form a flavorful crust, and then the dish is finished with a silky, rich sauce made with more peppercorns, a reduction of cognac, heavy cream, beef stock, Dijon mustard and various aromatics like shallots or thyme. It’s spicy, savory, creamy and comforting all at once.
Around L.A. lately, French bistros happen to be exploding. Over the past year, we’ve seen revamps of classics like the 40-year-old Mistral in Sherman Oaks and a menu update at Pasjoli in Santa Monica, plus debuts like Mar Vista’s Electric Bleu, Sous Sous in Silver Lake and Pico-Robertson’s Marée, all of which play around with traditional French techniques and flavors while pulling local and global influences.
Here are 12 of the most notable au poivre dishes around L.A. right now, including a few creative, non-steak items:
Showing Place Places
Josephine
Silver Lake French Italian $$
(Kelly Dobkin)
Silver Lake’s new French-Italian bistro located inside a cozy, 1950s-era Craftsman house is the result of a lifelong friendship between chef Marco Gagliardi (Vetri, Zahav), and Anthony Dragotto. The menu has everything from handmade pastas like duck agnolotti to a whole roasted chicken. For dessert, Gagliardi features ice cream from the buzzy new creamery brand Servet, from chef-owner Ji Young, including a scorched rice (nurungji) flavor. One day in casual conversation, Gagliardi randomly mentioned to Young that he wanted to do an au poivre-inspired ice cream ($14). She went to work immediately to create the exclusive-to-Josephine flavor that debuted in early October. Made with Gagliardi’s signature au poivre sauce (a blend of pink, green sansho and black peppercorns) and Young’s eggless Philadelphia-style ice cream base that’s laden with rosemary caramel, it’s topped with a crunchy peppercorn brittle and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s sweet, savory, spicy and unlike anything you’ve ever tried.
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Marée
Pico-Robertson French-Californian $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Seasoned chef Marcus Jernmark continues his domination of the Pico-Robertson food scene with his latest restaurant, Marée, a Cal-French bistro located above his popular tasting menu concept, Lielle. An early hit after only a few weeks in business, the bistro’s au poivre burger ($42) is already being rationed: Jernmark will only sell 25 per night to the first takers. It starts with a dry-aged beef patty and is then topped with fried kale, barbecued mushroom duxelles, crispy micro onion rings, and an au poivre sauce infused with beef trimmings and Roquefort cheese. It’s served split open, face down, drenched in the peppery sauce, and eats almost like an au jus sandwich. Fries are extra, but I highly recommend ordering some to sop up all of that delicious jus at the bottom of the plate.
Compass Rose
West Adams Global $$
(Jennifer Murray)
West Adams’ Maydan Market has brought a slew of delightful culinary additions to the neighborhood including D.C. import Compass Rose from owner Rose Previte. The all-day concept offers a globally inspired menu with everything from Lebanese breakfast to Georgian khachapuri. On the cocktail menu, a standout negroni variation ($18) created by beverage director Danny Rubenstein (Here’s Looking at You), mimics the flavors of the classic steak dish with green, white and black peppercorn-infused Orion gin mixed with vermouth blanc, Luxardo Bianco bitters and kumquat liqueur. A lemon twist is laid atop the glass for an Instagram-worthy finish.
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Badmaash Venice
Venice Indian $$
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Known for its creative approach to Indian fare that weaves co-founders and brothers Nakul Mahendro and Arjun Mahendro’s Toronto upbringing with L.A. influence, the family behind Badmaash opened a slightly fancier third location in Venice earlier this spring. On this new menu is a unique take on steak au poivre, made the Badmaash way. They start with a 12-ounce Niman Ranch prime New York strip loin that gets rubbed with ginger, garlic and serrano. For the sauce, they use the pan drippings from the slow-cooked beef short rib as the base, according to Nakul, and then add the meat masala, a type of Punjabi curry prepared typically for lamb or goat that is made with caramelized onion, tomato, ginger, and spices like Ceylon cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom and bay leaf. Then they add black, green and pink peppercorns, and cream to finish the sauce. It’s served with a side of masala fries. Note that at $93, this might be best as a sharing dish.
Mistral
Sherman Oaks French $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
This 40-year-old Sherman Oaks restaurant got a new life earlier this year when Greekman’s owner Jonah Freedman took over alongside new chef Joshua Migdal. Migdal’s father was a longtime regular at the stalwart French bistro, and when word got to him that owner Henri Abergel was looking to retire, he relayed the opportunity to Freedman. The space was lightly renovated with new red leather booths and banquettes — and the menu got a makeover as well, but nothing too drastic to avoid turning off the devoted base of neighborhood regulars. Migdal’s take on a classic steak frites starts with a choice of steak — an 8-ounce hanger for $42, a 6-ounce center cut filet for $58, a 12-ounce New York strip for $68 or a 24-ounce cote de boeuf with two sides for $155 — then leaves the option of sauce up to the guest, including of course, the classic au poivre option.
“We use a house beurre blanc base for our mother sauces at Mistral, which is a heavy reduction of house chicken stock and cream,” says Migdal. He adds in toasted peppercorns, confit garlic and cognac. Then, he adds small amounts of cognac, tangerine Agrumato and Banyuls vinegar. To finish, instead of cream, he slowly blends cold butter (a.k.a. “monter au beurre,” a classic French culinary technique) into the sauce to achieve a glossy texture and taste. “Our au poivre has a bit of tang to it,” adds Migdal, “and definitely some heat!”
“We use a house beurre blanc base for our mother sauces at Mistral, which is a heavy reduction of house chicken stock and cream,” says Migdal. He adds in toasted peppercorns, confit garlic and cognac. Then, he adds small amounts of cognac, tangerine Agrumato and Banyuls vinegar. To finish, instead of cream, he slowly blends cold butter (a.k.a. “monter au beurre,” a classic French culinary technique) into the sauce to achieve a glossy texture and taste. “Our au poivre has a bit of tang to it,” adds Migdal, “and definitely some heat!”
Hermon's
Montecito Heights American $$
(Hermon’s )
Last Word Hospitality opened this insta-hit restaurant in the Highland Park-adjacent micro-neighborhood of the same name last fall. The menu features classic New American dishes such as coconut shrimp, steak tartare and whole-grilled branzino, plus a take on the classic steak frites made with an 8-ounce flatiron steak, served with au poivre sauce ($46). Chef D.K. Kolender uses Robusta black peppercorn and pickled green peppercorns to make his version, searing off steak scraps and deglazing the pan with cognac before adding the pepper. Then beef stock and heavy cream are added and the sauce is reduced heavily. It’s reduced again and seasoned with more salt, pickled green peppercorns and black pepper before being presented at your table alongside a hefty serving of crispy fries for dipping. The 30-ounce grilled boneless rib-eye steak also comes with the au poivre sauce, along with a side of bordelaise, for $140.
Regalade
Beverly Grove French $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
From the team behind Beverly Grove favorite Oste, this cozy French bistro is just next door serving variations on classics like French onion soup, moules mariniere and, of course, steak frites. Chef James LaLonde presents a choose-your-adventure style of steak frites with the option of an 8-ounce Wagyu flatiron steak ($54) or a filet mignon ($68) with your choice of sauce, including his take on a classic au poivre.
Camélia
Downtown L.A. French Japanese $$$
(Camélia)
Charles Namba and Courtney Kaplan, behind Echo Park hits Tsubaki and Ototo, broke the mold when they opened their Arts District French-Japanese bistro in the summer of 2024. The menu features everything from spaghetti Bolognese a la Japonais to a ham-katsu Croque Madame. The Flannery skirt steak au poivre ($90) starts with a dry-aged 13-ounce New York strip and its sauce is made with a five-peppercorn blend, reduced dark chicken jus, brandy, thyme, bay leaf, Straus heavy cream and finished with butter. It’s served with a side of crispy French fries, naturally.
Camphor
Downtown L.A. Californian French Cocktails $$$
(Camphor)
This modern French bistro in the Arts District is known for its very popular burger as well as Southeast Asian influences dotted throughout the menu. But don’t sleep on chef Max Boonthanakit’s sharable take on steak au poivre ($95). Made with Malabar black pepper, imported directly from India, beef jus, cream and lots of cognac, the luxurious sauce is drizzled over a 12-ounce prime striploin. “The richness of the sauce pairs nicely with a leaner steak. The steak isn’t aged because we don’t want that aroma to interfere with the dish,” according to Boonthanakit. It’s served with French fries for maximum enjoyment.
Pasjoli
Santa Monica French $$$
(Wonho Frank Lee)
Dave Beran’s Santa Monica bistro has pivoted its menu a few times, most recently in January of this year when it made itself over as an approachable neighborhood bistro. Beran’s steak au poivre ($53) has a deeply savory, decidedly un-creamy treatment, that was originally inspired by the one on the steakhouse menu at Chicago’s Next, where Beran was executive chef for years. “I’ve often been opposed to what you typically find in a sauce au poivre,” said Beran. “Our version is less of a creamy Wellington type sauce and more of a cognac-Madeira beef jus. ... We wanted to emulate a true pan sauce, but maintain the consistency.” He starts with a prime, California-raised, grass-fed beef tenderloin that is marinated for at least 48 hours with rosemary, thyme, black peppercorns, and garlic, before being crusted in three varieties of pepper and pan-roasted entirely on the stovetop. The steak is basted in butter, garlic, shallots and thyme, then sliced to reveal its rosy medium-rare center. The finishing touch is a rich cognac-and-Madeira beef jus made from roasted beef stock infused with toasted peppercorns and balanced with emulsified butter and crème fraîche for a lingering, peppery finish.
Electric Bleu
Mar Vista French Californian $$
(Yasara Gunawardena/For The Times)
Surfer-turned-chef Craig Hopson made the rounds at fine-dining haunts like Le Cirque and Guy Savoy before moving to Los Angeles to open this casual, affordable neighborhood bistro in Mar Vista last year. Infusing a hint of his Aussie heritage into the menu, along with a heavy dose of local, seasonal produce, his take on French classics like steak au poivre ($44) is not to be missed. Their version starts with an 8-ounce prime hanger steak that is grilled to order. The sauce au poivre is made with dried Malabar green peppercorns and black Sarawak peppercorns, cooked with shallots, garlic, cognac, red wine vinegar and veal stock. Make sure you get a side of Hopson’s Electric fries, dusted in the popular Aussie condiment chicken salt, perfect for mopping up the sauce.
Sous Sous
Silver Lake French Southern $$
(Modern Currency PR)
Inside the chic new Hotel Lucile, located within a former 1931-era Romanesque church in Silver Lake, lies Sous Sous, a creative new restaurant from De La Nonna chef Patrick Costa that marries the culinary traditions of Southern France and the American South. Recently added to the menu is an au poivre variation of Sous Sous’ popular Le Burg cheeseburger ($28). “The base of the au poivre sauce is roasted veal and beef jus,” according to Costa. ”I’m also using a blend of four peppercorns, instead of just one, in order to reach maximum flavor and depth: traditional green peppercorn, Tellicherry peppercorn, Robusta peppercorn, and Zanzibar pepper.” The burger is served sliced in half and plated face down in the sauce. The patty itself is topped with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, along with a Dijonnaise sauce, all on a toasted, sesame-seed potato bun. A more standard steak au poivre ($55) with pearl onions is also on the menu.
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