It has been a while since I wanted to go to Peter Luger, the famous Michelin star steakhouse, considered by many the best in the country. We have been talking about going there with my friend Benny for the past seven months and we finally set a date. Of course, I called the restaurant to make sure we would get a table on a Saturday and the only time they propose was 4:45pm. It is quite a early dinner, but heh, what wouldn't we d to get to that place?
I heard so many different things about Peter Luger: some people said that it was not worth it, that the service was disappointing and the staff rude.
So here we are, Benny, his wife Rufina, Jodi and me, five minute before the time of the reservation. And guess what: we found a spot for the car right across the street, as if all the odds were we us, especially as their parking log was already full. When we entered, we were greeted by the manager and they brought us to our table on the second floor.
It was not full, making me wonder if their insistence to give a reservation at 4:45pm was not a way to have customers during a time slot that is usually not crowded. Anyway, we were there. The room was freezing as if they were keeping meet inside, except that the meat was us. After few people complained, they simply stopped the air conditioning, allowing the room to warm up.
Our waiter greeted us with their famous homemade steak sauce that you can buy in supermarkets:
As well as some bread and butter:
To go with our steaks, we went for their house wine, a cabernet sauvignon:
For appetizers, we decided to order the sliced tomato that was recommended by our friend Letizia.
It is a pretty interesting recommendation as you would think it is just a tomato. But it was a very good tomato, very tasty, perfect with or without their steak sauce (the waiter recommended to eat it with the sauce).
Then, we got the extra thick slices of bacon:
We decided to order two to share (you order by the slice) and they looked like boots. This was deliciously fatty and smokey, a heart attack on a plate for sure.
Then, we got our steaks. The signature steak at Peter Luger is the porterhouse (one side tenderloin and one side strip steak, separated by a T shape bone), that you can order for one, two, three or four people, rib steak and sirloin, all of them being USDA prime grade and dry aged on premises. As we were the four of us, we decided to order:
The porterhouse for two:
The ribeye:
The lamb chops that they gracefully split for us:
The meat came on very hot plates and was still sizzling. It had this terrific aroma that made me want to just dig into it, without even waiting for the sides to come. Each dish was perfectly cooked medium and the meat, that had a nice char, was so juicy and tender that I was in heaven.
For sides, we ordered onion rings that were not too greasy and delightfully crispy:
French fries that were cooked all the way through and a bit crispy on the outside, lightly salted:
And creamed spinach, that was my least favorite, because there were not enough cream in it:
Although we were full, we could not resist having dessert. Rufina ordered the chocolate mousse with schlag, that is their homemade whipped cream.
The chocolate mousse was sublime: it was shaped like a cake, with an oreo cookie crust that was so good, I could have eaten all of it if it was mine...and if we did not order their Luger's Special "Holy Cow" Hot Fudge Sundae:
This was huge and "Holy cow" was definitely what came into my mind when I saw it. It had shlag on it that was dense and perfectly sweeten. There was so much that we had to dig through to get to the ice cream and fudge. I had to finish it, so Jodi could get some fudge: yes, I sacrifice myself!
They also throw some chocolate coins on the table: we tried to use them to pay the bill, but they unfortunately did not accept them...
This was a fabulous dinner, not only because of the company, but also because that meat was fantastic. I definitely disagree with people who say it is overrated and it is for me one of the best steakhouses I have tried so far: well they served steaks for more than 125 years, so they better be good at it! And the service was very welcoming, contrary to what I heard. So, I am now looking forward to go back to try their burger!
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
