Rare: It’s all about the meat

First he called you to “awaken your senses,” now he’s daring you to be “rare.” After presenting Nouveau Caribbean Cuisine at Temptation Restaurant in the Dutch Lowlands, award-wining chef Dino Jagtani has come to the table with a tested, time-honoured, possibly bullet-proof formula. This time, Jagtani has opened a steakhouse.

Rare is the name of Jagtani’s venture, which set up for business about a month ago on Atlantis Casino Courtyard. This is prime steakhouse territory, of course, a region crawling with hungry tourists. But Rare has been designed with a more eclectic crowd in mind. There are no oil paintings of giant steers on the walls, no display cases of prime beef aging grimly by the door. The only overt nod to the genre is the name of the restaurant. Otherwise, we could be anywhere in the polished upper realm of dining St. Maarten.
There’s a long bar in the front of the room which doubles as a waiting area and a smoker’s nook (no smoking at the tables allowed!). The concept is futuristic and retro, offering modern shapes and colours, textures and dimensions. The interior is sleek, but cosy. The smart illumination, together with the table top candles, sets the perfect ambiance.
But what makes a good steakhouse, of course, are lots of good meat, and there’s plenty of that on the menu. Rare is the only restaurant in the Caribbean to offer dry-aged Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Prime brand, and the only place to serve a dry-aged strip steak with a wet-aged filet.
Dry-aging is a time-honoured process that begins with top quality meat. Only a fraction of beef dry-ages well, such as well-marbled Prime graded beef.
The meat is hung in large sterile refrigerators with carefully controlled airflow, humidity and temperature for 21 days. The result is extremely tender beef, with a slightly nutty flavour. The meat’s ability to hold on to moisture with cooking is also improved, making for juicier steaks.

The chef prepares a 20-ounce bone-in rib-eye, filet mignon and “deconstructed Porterhouse” - 10-ounce, wet-aged filet and 16-ounce, dry-aged strip - as well as a bone-in strip steak and dry-aged strip steak. Other menu favourites include seafood, veal chops, and ribs.
No self-respecting steakhouse would be complete without a bulging roster of side dishes, and Rare is no exception. There are 16 of them, including different preparations of potatoes and various vegetables. They are served in separate bowls and you can order as many as you like (at US $6.95 each).
Appetizers include steakhouse classics with a twist and they are copious. If you’re a cheese fan, you’ll love the fried Brie sticks. The outside is crunchy and as soon as you take a bite, the velvety cheese scrumptiously melts away on your tongue.

The smooth lobster bisque, with a hint of vanilla, was surprisingly delicious. Together with the freshly baked onion cheese bread it made a lovely entrée to the Rare experience.
And then it was time for the meat. “Dare to be Rare,” so don’t even ask for a medium or well-done steak. If you still have the nerves to do so, the flavour and texture of your meat will not be guaranteed. I opted for the smaller version of Fillet Mignon, which was absurdly tender and a little charred on the outside, so when you took a bite, the result was pleasurable candy like crunch.
Although I was perfectly happy with my piece of meat, next time I’ll go for a bone-in steak, as they tend to have more flavour, according to the chef.
Dessert was delectable and a genius combination: crème brûlée cheesecake. I heard about this jewel before, so therefore I kept my meat portion small, to save some room for it. This noble creation came on a large see-through plate with warm fudge and raspberry sauce. Very heavy on the stomach, but worth it every bite! Like most of the food at Rare, it’s money in the bank, the gambler’s equivalent of a sure bet.

Rare is open every evening from 6:30 to 10:30pm. For reservations and information call 545-5714