Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY

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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.

I honestly could not decide if I prefer the ribeye or the porterhouse...

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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Restaurant Week: Porterhouse in New York, NY

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There is no doubt what Porterhouse, located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, is serving: steaks, steaks and steaks. 

With seafood, but steaks. It has been a while since I went to a steakhouse for restaurant week, as I typically tell people to avoid these types if places during that period, the quality of the meat being often sacrificed. I even did a test with my favorite steakhouse in Hoboken, Dino & Harry's: while the steaks have always been sublime, they were not good for Restaurant Week (see the post here). Why did I change my mind? Because my friend Julien convinced me that I would not be disappointed at Porterhouse. 

So, we booked the place on Opentable for a Sunday, for lunch. We arrived a bit early and got seated fairly quickly in this incredible 140 seats place that overlooks Columbus Circle.

To give you am idea of the place, it all started in 2006, when Chef Michael Lomonaco took the bet to replace Jean-Georges Vongerichten's V Steakhouse place by a more traditional and more successful restaurant. The decor, designed by Jeffrey Beers (The Wynn in Las Vegas, DB Bistro Modern in NY) is very elegant with its leather banquettes, polished designed and the restaurant feels roomy. Contrary to most of the steakhouses, there is a lot of light, thanks to the large windows. 

So we were there for the Restaurant Week menu that was printed on the bottom of the regular menu, replacing their business lunch and eliminating the awkward moment when you ask for it and can see in the eye of the waiter an expression that says "I should have guessed". 

Right after we ordered, they came with a bread basket that had three types of breads: French white, raisin-pecan and whole wheat. 

Jodi went for the French white

While I went for the raisin-pecan. 

Some say that you can judge a restaurant by its bread: it started well!

For her appetizer, Jodi ordered the soup of the day: a gazpacho. 

It was a fairly large plate of a delicious and refreshing chilled soup, perfect for the hot weather. 

On my side, I ordered the classic Caesar salad. 

Wow, that was a salad! It was, again, a large quantity and they were very generous with the amount of cheese on top. And yes, I ate all my salad. 

Then, came the steak frites that we both got. 

When I ordered, I asked the waitress what cut it was. She simply said "the tender", repeating what was written on the menu ("The butcher's tender"). So I asked if it was a tenderloin and she said yes. 

When the steak came, it had this V shape characteristic of a hanger steak and the taste too. I would have known, I would have asked to have it medium-rare cooked instead of medium, as it is a tougher meat. It was anyway quite good, the meat being juicy and tasty, with a nice char. 

It was normally served with a wine sauce, that we asked on the side (if you do not like it and your steak and fries are smothered with it, your dish is spoiled). We also tried a delicious béarnaise sauce. 

With the steak were served some French fries that were very good: thin cut, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and not greasy. 

Last was dessert. Jodi ordered the raspberry and passion fruit sorbets

And I ordered the flour less chocolate cake. 

The latter was the best: very chocolate-y and moist in the center. But don't get me wrong: the sorbet was really good; you could definitely taste the fruits. 

This was a delicious lunch and it for sure made me want to go back to try their steaks. Porterhouse is definitely a place to know to enjoy a good meal in an incredible setting. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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Quality Meats Steakhouse, New York, NY

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Americans love their meat and I admit that the meat here is better than the one in Europe, prompting me to always advice my fellow European coming for a visit to give it a try (and I am not only talking about burgers). Some of my detractors say that it is because of hormones, but there are more and more restaurants serving grass fed beef, responding to the concerns of consumers.

This time, I was at Quality Meats, a steakhouse located Midtown, part of the empire of Alan Stillman who also owns Smith & Wollensky. There are plenty of items in the decor to remind you where you are, whether it is the cow head or white tiles representing a slaughterhouse, to the bulbs held by butcher hooks.

The place is big. At the entrance is the bar area where butcher's artifacts are on display:

Then, the dining room with two distinct sections decorated in a modern and warm way.

I went there for lunch. The menu proposed some classic appetizers you find in steakhouses (Caesar salad, crab cakes, shrimp cocktails...), steaks of course, a signature burger, as well as a salad that is kind of a make your own: first you pick your mix (classic, Mediterranean, roasted beets,...), then you pick your add on (roasted vegetables for vegetarians -good idea-, lobster, scallops, tuna, filet mignon...). So, if you are vegetarian, you still have some nice choices there and do not have to chose a boring salad.

As far as the meat is concerned, they have some classic cuts (filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin and porterhouse) coming from only two meat purveyor in the City: Strassburger Meats and Pat La Frieda.

So I was ready for a feast. As it was hot outside, I decided to order one of their homemade lemonade, composed of Jalapeño, mint, cucumber:

It definitely had a nice cooling effect, thanks to the cucumber and mint. However, I could not taste the presence of jalapeño. I found it odd that they were serving it in a plastic cup rather than in a glass...

Then, they brought a brioche bread and butter.

Let me tell you: this is dangerous, because it was so good that I imagine patrons would eat bread instead of their meal.

Very light, it had some coarse salt on top that was delightfully good. I could not stop eating it.

For appetizer, I went for the crab cake:

It was served on top of a slaw made of radish, onions and fennel that was quite refreshing. 

That was definitely a good crab cake, made of big chunks of crab and, in fact, tasting crab and not fillers like bread crumbs. I definitely recommend it.

For the meat, I went for the porterhouse, cooked medium rare:

The meat was tender, had a nice char and was cooked to perfection, but I thought that it was not as tasty as the porterhouse at Ruth's Chris or Dino & Harry's. 

The ribeye might have been a better choice...

With it, I tried their homemade steak sauce that was deliciously sweet.

To accompany the meat, were waffle fries that were fantastic: crispy, they were drizzled with parmesan cheese.

The second side was buttered edamame:

This is the kind of sides that make you think you can have some healthy food with your steak. That would probably be true without the butter I guess...It is like having spinach...creamed...Ok, I exaggerate a bit: it is on the healthy side and I liked it as it was very tasty and a nice accompaniment to the steak.

Last was dessert: it was a chocolate brownie cake, served with a praline custard, fresh berries and yogurt ice cream.

The brownie was ok, being a bit dry and I did not really understand how all these components were working together: it was too much on a plate. I enjoyed the custard and berries though: they could perfectly be a dessert on their own.

I finished of course with my usual espresso:

If you ask me, Quality Meats is just ok. Would I go back? I think that, for the same price, I would prefer going to Ruth's Chris, The Old Homestead, Ben & Jack's or The Empire Steakhouse. As you can see, there're plenty of alternatives to that joint. But if you really need to go, get the crab cake and skip the porterhouse.

Enjoy (I did)!



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