Nine expensive new steakhouses joined the Manhattan herd in the past 12 months, all dripping hype like a torrent of steaming jus. But how do they stack up in the real world?
In an artery- and budget-busting spirit, I tried them all (I also compared how NYC’s top old-school steakhouses continue to please). I discounted anything owners said about their beef’s pedigree or provenance. I ignored customers’ raves as well: Too many confuse mouth-feel with flavor, or mistake butter, marinades, seasoning, sauce, even ketchup, for the animal itself.
To me, marbling matters; cuts too lean are lean on taste, too. Dry-aging undeniably concentrates flavor. But cuts anywhere vary wildly from meal to meal, so this is not meant as a guide to what you’ll find — rather, it reflects what I got on the nights I popped in.
I tried whichever cut the house identified as its “signature.” Specs on sourcing and cooking were provided by the restaurants. All steaks were ordered medium-rare.
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1. ARLINGTON CLUB
1032 Lexington Ave.; 212-249-5700
The scene: Uptown power-dressers fill the vaulted-ceiling dining room. At the bar, ravenous guys chase dry-aged women.
The signature steak: certified Angus beef prime cote de boeuf for two ($130). “Each rib is hand-selected by DeBragga & Spitler,” the house states. It’s dry-aged 35 to 40 days and broiled at 1,400 degrees.
The chew: A masterpiece of seething, aggressive flavor. I’m skeptical of certified Angus (a brand, not the Black Angus breed), but chef Laurent Tourondel’s magic makes up for it. It had none of the skanky quality sometimes present in beef aged so long. Rather, “I taste the ground,” a friend said of its peppery, bloody, muscular depth with mysterious herbal complexions. The crust was caramelized to a winning crunch. Strong enough to need no sauce, but if you must, peppercorn’s the one.
Insider tip: Avoid the sushi offerings; they’re strictly for the uptown birds.
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2. BILL’S FOOD & DRINK
57 E. 54th St.; 212-518-2727
The scene: Funky animal heads preside over an old-time, masculine-styled but women-friendly dining room on the second floor. A rowdy ground-floor piano bar is for guys handy with knees and elbows.
The signature steaks: A 28-day, dry-aged 24-ounce ribeye porterhouse ($58) and 14-ounce bone-in filet ($54). The filet is not aged as the tenderloin doesn’t lend itself to the technique. Both cuts are grilled and never see the oven. They’re seasoned with cracked pepper, sea salt and black peppercorn and served with veal marrow sauce.
The chew: Chef John DeLucie’s menu overall isn’t in the league of some others on this list, so I didn’t expect its steak to rank so high. Yet both cuts were well-marbled and oozed blood-tinted jus, reminding me of great old New York steaks before the trend to leaner and grass-fed styles. But, unlike with bland, old-school filet mignon, Bill’s filet drew on the bone’s inherent sweetness. There were butter blobs atop the porterhouse, but the mineral-rich beef withstood the bath.
Insider tip: The soup for just $12 (currently ribollita, kale and parmesan) is often the best dish in the house.
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3. COSTATA
206 Spring St.; 212-334-3320
The scene: Nightly varying crowd in handsome, modern, mirrored second-floor dining room that’s home again to chef Michael White, who cooked here when it was Fiamma.
The signature steak: The 44-ounce, 100 percent Black Angus costata Tomahawk ribeye for two ($126) is dry-aged for a minimum of 40 days, seasoned with rosemary salt and broiled at 1,400 degrees.
The chew: The ribeye was dramatically presented with a prehistoric-looking bone and rosemary sprigs for an “Italian” touch, and the flesh was red with a strip of fat beneath slightly funky-tasting crust. Although not visibly marbled, it was tender and reasonably moist. A pinch of salt tapped into a strong mineral tint.
But why did I taste more butter with each bite? “All steaks are finished in brown butter,” a rep admitted. So why do we need additional enhancements like Bordelaise and salsa verde sauce at $4 a pop and even more butter, like anchovy, at $3 each?
Insider tip: Start with White’s marvelous minced razor clam crudo ($21).
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4. STRIP HOUSE MIDTOWN
15 W. 44th St.; 212-336-5454
The scene: With red-drenched interiors and a loud, after-work party crowd, the new Midtown outpost is less sexy than the East 11th Street original.
The signature steak: A 21-day, dry-aged, 20-ounce, center-cut USDA prime New York Strip ($58) from Pat LaFrieda. It’s coated with oil and pepper to lend it char, cooked under the broiler at 1,800 degrees and finished with fleur de sel and clarified butter.
The chew: The “signature” strip is a bit chewy and not as good as the menu’s pricier porterhouse, but the 20-ouncer is bargain-priced for two. It would be No. 1 if rated on crust alone. The pittance of bone meat was sensuously lush, but the thrill dissipated elsewhere.
Insider tip: Dry Creek cabernet sauvignon 2010, worthily priced at $40 a half-bottle, boasts rich red fruit and earth tones that fill in the beef’s missing notes.
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5. AMERICAN CUT
363 Greenwich St.; 212-226-4736
The scene: A random downtown tide nightly floods Marc Forgione’s sprawling, 180-seat space warmly lit by Deco-ish chandeliers and framed in brick and bronze trim.
The signature steak: A 28-day, dry-aged, 42-ounce Tomahawk ribeye ($135 for two) from Creekstone Farms. It’s grilled, broiled “at high heat,” finished in a cast-iron skillet and basted with rosemary, garlic, and a combo of beef fat, herbs and brown butter.
The chew: The crust gleamed. Flesh attached to the mighty bone rang the bell — gamy, slightly musty and decadent — but there wasn’t much of it. The rest was arid and short on the character I’d expect for the money. It needed a few days more on the hook. Rich red wine sauce almost made up for it.
The taste: There’s no salt on the table, annoying anywhere but doubly pretentious in a steak joint. If you beg, they’ll bring it to you in those loathsome little bowls.
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6. QUALITY ITALIAN
57 W. 57th St.; 212-390-1111
The scene: Dating couples, families and dazzled tourists in a cheerful second-floor space.
The signature steak: The 28-ounce, 28-day dry-aged “QI Tomahawk Ribsteak” ($46). The Brandt “all-natural” beef is marinated in olive oil, cayenne and black pepper and broiled at about 1,000 degrees.
The chew: A bargain for the price, it was enough for two and of good quality — properly sliced and well-marbled. But it was shy on moisture and compelling notes despite the seasonings, and needed steak sauce to make an impression.
Insider tip: Instead of the steak, opt for the famous pizza-shaped chicken parm, which feeds two for just $29.
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7. DESMOND’S STEAKHOUSE & GRILL
513 Seventh Ave.; 212-391-6900
The scene: Generic but handsome booths, banquettes and dark wood in a series of flowing second-floor rooms in the now media-infested Garment District. Noisy at lunch, spookily quiet at night even with a piano player.
The signature steak: The 28-ounce, 28-day dry-aged USDA Prime “Racquet Ball” ribeye ($55). It’s broiled at 1,500 degrees with a sprinkling of kosher salt.
The chew: Named for its curved bone resembling a tennis racket, it’s enough for two, although the waiter had to be convinced. A sleeper for the price, it was only modestly flavorful. Minimal crusting had a pleasing, smoky essence. Too-sweet house sauce didn’t help.
Insider tip: Don’t miss the sensational steak fries with golden-brown skin that stayed crisp through the meal for just $8.
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8. RESERVE CUT
40 Broad St.; 212-747-0300
The scene: A lively sea of mostly Orthodox men and women devouring kosher cuisine amid an incongruous setting with a Koi pond and Asianesque trim left over from previous eatery SHO Shaun Hergatt.
The signature steak: A 20-ounce, kosher cote de boeuf ($68) from Brooklyn’s Reserve Cut market. It’s dry-aged “up to” 28 days, grilled then oven-finished at 475 degrees.
The chew: I expected better after the fine kosher specimens I’ve had at Prime Grill, Le Marais and Abigael’s. The first morsels tasted promising, but then came the fat — not marbling, but gross, thick globs throughout. This from an owner who “descends from a long line of expert butchers dating back over 200 years to Damascus in Syria?”
Insider tip: Skip the Herzog Alexander cabernet sauvignon ($23 a glass!). Its promising nose precedes a vile, chemical ambush.
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9. DELMONICO’S KITCHEN
207 W. 36th St.; 212-695-5220
The scene: Mismatched brown rug and red trim, tacky wallpaper and tourists from nearby chain hotels.
The signature steak: An antibiotic- and hormone-free, 22-ounce Delmonico Ribeye ($48) from a California Holstein. It’s wet-aged 30 to 40 days, grilled at minimum of 1,200 degrees and finished with sea salt.
Reality: The caboose of the beef express, this gray-flavored and sinewy off-the-bone affair embarrassed the famous downtown steakhouse to which it’s related. The “Jus” closely resembled grease.
Insider tip: Don’t bother asking for a steak knife. The only tool they offered was a serrated butter knife that could barely open an envelope, much less penetrate the meat.