Peter Luger Steak House - Hands down, the city's best steak. That's what happens when all of the top meat wholesalers in town give you the first pick of the short loins they receive. I did notice that during the prime beef shortage at the beginning of the year, the steaks weren't as good as they had been in the past. But at a recent meal, the steak was back to being absolutely superb. And did you know that they serve hamburgers at lunch made out of the trimmings of the aged porterhouse steaks? Easily the best burger in town. A
Porterhouse Steak at Peter Luger Steak House
Robert's Executive Steak House(at the Penthouse Executive Club) - Only in America could you find a top-quality strip steak in a strip club. And we're not talking Las Vegas here. The steaks prepared by chef Adam Perry Lang are so good that you might not even notice that the guy sitting at the table next to you is getting a lap dance. Truly a bizarre place, but truly excellent food with top-quality, well-aged steaks that are prepared with a more careful hand than you would ordinarily find in a steakhouse. A unique experience. B+
The “Strip Steak” at Robert’s Executive Club
BLT Steak - With a menu that is reminiscent of Craft but with more of an emphasis on steaks, this restaurant got off to a good start when it opened last spring in the space that formerly housed the restaurant Sono. But success came so quickly that the quality of the food started to deteriorate within 90 days of their opening. Now a year later their popularity is completely disproportionate to their product. A recent call on a Saturday afternoon for a table the same night found the restaurant “fully booked” for the evening. Even for 11:30 reservations. Hey guys, it's just steak and potatoes we're talking about here. This restaurant is poised to replicate its formula all over the country and turn itself into a chain. One of the noisiest restaurants anywhere. B
Estiatorio Milos - Originally from Montreal, this restaurant started the trend of the super-expensive Greek fish house. When they first opened I thought the quality was pretty good, but my last meal showed some slippage. Maybe that’s because there is more competition for the best-quality fish now that others places like it have opened up. Not a bad place if you need to eat in Midtown; I love the grilled calamari stuffed with feta cheese appetizer. But they never change the menu and that can make the place feel a little tired. Still, the space is great and you are likely to spot a celeb or two having dinner. Super-expensive given what they serve here. B
L'Absinthe - Of all of the places in Manhattan that aspire to serve a Parisian-style brasserie cuisine, L’Absinthe comes closest to actually pulling it off. They serve large portions of excellent choucroute, a reasonably good cassoulet, a nice roast chicken and a superb rack of lamb. The downside is that the clientele is posh and older and a little bit sleepy. And the wine list is meager given the quality of the food. A good candidate for BYO but unfortunately they don't allow it. B
Avra Estiatorio - One of the places that followed in the footsteps of Estiatorio Milos. In fact it’s sort of a B version of Milos, with the same counter of fish displayed on ice. As with any restaurant that doesn't do much more to ingredients than grill them, the quality of your dinner depends on the quality of the day's catch. And in NYC, high-quality fish is a variable thing. Some days it’s great, but some days it tastes like they caught it a week earlier. Still, this is an easy place to eat at and, more importantly, an easy place to get a table due to the large seating capacity. B-
The Palm - Time just keeps rolling along at The Palm. Next year they will celebrate being in business for 80 years. The menu is just simple steakhouse fare. Order a top-quality strip steak or a giant broiled lobster that typically run four to five pounds, add a side of cottage fries, fried onions, and creamed spinach, and you have yourself a classic American steakhouse meal. I try to make it a point to eat at the original Second Avenue and 45th Street location. The BYO and no-reservation policies, along with lines that are never very long, make this a top choice of places you can decide to dine in at the last minute. B-
The Steakhouse at Fairway - Mitchell London has departed, but the best steak dinner deal in the city continues on at this restaurant above the famed West Side supermarket. They serve the same delicious aged U.S. Prime steaks that they sell at the butcher counter downstairs, and they throw in the appetizers like Caesar salad and sides like potato gratin for practically nothing. The downside is the industrial décor, and I am being generous when I describe it that way. At least they now allow BYO again after a short period when they had banned it. B-
Grand Central Oyster Bar - The oysters or clams on the half shell are what you go for. The cooked food leaves something to be desired although the stews and pan roasts can be fun in an old school sort of way. Sometimes you can find an honest piece of fish that they will grill or saute. But the raw bar is where they shine. B-
Wolfgang's Steakhouse - I went during their opening week and quickly dismissed them as a poor imitation of Luger's. At least if it was a poor man's Luger's, I could invoke the “there is nothing like Luger's” excuse. But this wasn't even close. The key to Luger's success is their ability to get top-quality beef and to age it in their special way in order to get that special Luger's flavor. But Wolfgang's managed to accomplish neither of those things. And the result was they served up a bland steak that, with wine (no BYO), came to a $111 price tag per person. You're supposed to add salt to the steak, not to the wounds. C
Hacienda Argentina - Expensive Upper East Side Argentinean steakhouse. I usually find the grass-fed beef from Argentina uninteresting because they don’t age it before serving it. And the beef here held true to form. The one item that I've found that is worth the price of admission is the superb grilled giant short rib which is Flintstonian in size. Otherwise, there are better steaks elsewhere and a no-BYO policy means I don't go very often even though it's sort of in my neighborhood. C-
Restaurant 343 - This new restaurant on East 85th Street specializes in steaks. While a good steak depends on the quality of the meat, the steaks at Restaurant 343 fall short of what I demand from a steak. But all is not lost. It seems the owner used to own the restaurant Cal's in the Flatiron District, and he was the recipient of the city's best hamburger award from a number of different publications. Fortunately, he has brought the Cal's Burger uptown and for a whopping $15 he will serve you one along with some pretty good French fries. It's the city's best burger after Peter Luger. (B+ for the burger.) C-
LCB Brasserie - What do you do when you are out-of-date as a chef and your customers spend more time at their retirement homes in Palm Beach than in their Manhattan pieds-à-terre? Why, you convert your formal French restaurant into a brasserie in an attempt to rejuvenate your business. Unfortunately, all they changed in this space that was formerly La Cote Basque was the décor—the food still tastes as if they had cooked it in the 1970s. Since that was their problem before the renovation, I don’t see how they did anything to improve the restaurant. Instead, they should have left the décor alone and invested in a younger chef. D+
Quatorze - Considering they are so devoted to Parisian brasserie cuisine, one would expect the owners of this East 79th Street restaurant to do a better job delivering a quality version of it to their Upper East Side clientele. Instead, the result is sort of a third-rank imitation. I usually limit my meals to either steak frites or the herb-roasted chicken, which is probably the best item on the menu. D
92 - Oh, to be a corporate attorney or an investment banker and to meet your wife and family for an early dinner at this Upper East Side brasserie/dining club run by Ken Aretsky. And there’s Mayor Bloomberg sitting over there. Too bad the food is so mediocre. You should at least be able to get a good steak frites at a place like this. D-
Restaurants Reviewed in Prior Years
Pietro's - Second tier but worth a visit every now and then. B-
Strip House - Great ambience. Same NY Strip you get everywhere else. B-
Artisanal - Phony brasserie food. Not even impressed with the cheeses. D+
Les Halles - Into the crapper from the popularity. The noise is deafening. D+
Le Zinc - Started out authentic but dumbed down to please the crowd. D+
Roth's Westside Steak House - When the beef isn't top quality, steak isn't enjoyable. D
Mermaid Inn - Inexpensive seafood makes for a nasty meal. D
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