Steakhouse
August 26, 2008
1600 Third Ave., at 90th St. (212) 423-5888Sun.-Thur., 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 5:30 p.m.-12 a.m.
CUISINE Modern American steakhouse.
VIBE Butcher-shop sleek.
OCCASION UES date; group dining.
DON'T-MISS DISH Tomato and watermelon gazpacho, filet mignon, sour-cream cheesecake.
PRICE Appetizers, $9-$15; entrees, $22-$42; dessert, $8-$10.
RESERVATIONS Accepted.
You need a road map through the menu at Parlor Steakhouse. Here it is: Order the gazpacho, ask for the filet mignon medium rare, and finish with any one of Andrea Bucheli's desserts. If you don't eat meat, order the branzino. If you don't eat meat or fish - seriously, what are you doing at a steakhouse? You can still have a glass of wine and order dessert, which is probably worth the trek uptown.
Did I mention the desserts? Save room, lots of room. They're created by Bucheli, 28, who was a pastry chef at Country and Fresh before coming to Parlor Steakhouse. Her desserts are whimsical. She can't make up her mind, and she doesn't ask you to, either.
Each dessert is really two desserts in one. The
sour-cream cheesecake is the tart offspring of cheesecake and panna
cotta, crowned with curls of candied lemon. (It's also served with
honey ice cream.) The chocolate ganache cake is a collision between
fudge and a flourless souffle, which is the best kind of collision you
could hope for.
Then there's the hybrid of rice pudding and creme brulée on a crunchy pedestal of candied Rice Krispies. It comes with creme fraiche ice cream. That adds up to four desserts for the price of one. Clearly, too much is never enough.
Now that dessert is out of the way, let's get down to the meat. Normally, I'm a porterhouse girl. The problem with most filets is simple - no bone, no fat, no flavor. Not this one. It's just as tender as other filets, but it has a better burn. That's because chef Lucas Billheimer fires it quickly in a 600-degree broiler. Somehow, that brings out the personality in what's usually an impersonal cut.
Billheimer was the chef de cuisine at Lure Fish Bar. It stands to reason that someone who understands how to grill fish will do a great job with meat - something you surely want in a steakhouse chef. Billheimer knows how to give the porterhouse a volcanic char, with just the right ratio of crust to fat to bone. (I told you I was a porterhouse girl.) A steak this good doesn't need much company. But if you think it looks too lonely on the plate, order the fried onions or the creamed spinach.
As you wander through this menu, try to stay on the dry side. Almost anything with a sauce is way too damp. The lobster roll is positively murky with mayonnaise. The steak tartare is bathing in béarnaise aioli and topped with mouth-puckering pickled shallots. It's also a little too prim and fussy - steak tartare in a doll's dress. You'd expect the heirloom tomato salad to be simple, all about the tomatoes. These tomatoes arrived in a quicksand of gorgonzola mousse, having already nearly drowned in a red onion confit.
What Parlor is really saying is that it doesn't have to be a steakhouse at all, if you don't want it to be. It doesn't look like a steakhouse - the interior is sleek, bright and modern. It doesn't offer a Caesar salad or even an iceberg wedge. It just so happens the best thing on the menu is steak. And did I mention the desserts?
December 6, 2006
68 West 58th St., btwn. 5th & 6 Aves.
(212)644-5623
TYPE: Swanky Steakhouse
VIBE: Clubby lounge dining
OCCASION:
Attempting to erase the memory of Mix, Alain Ducasse's failed attempt at casual French/American home-cooking, Jeffery Chodorow has literally raised the roof, dangling 1865 Samurai swords from the ceiling, and refurbished the modern space to evoke a Japanese den of sin.
If one of these weapons of death were to accidentally fall from above, I suppose a last supper of Wagyu and truffles wouldn't be such a bad way to go. After replacing Josh DeChellis (Sumile) at the final hour, amidst much speculation, Chodorow put his kitchen in the hands of a relative unknown, executive chef Russel Titland, formerly of Chadwick's, a no-nonsense Bay Ridge steak restaurant. But Kobe Club takes the genre of genteel steakhouse to a whole new level, hoping to "razzle dazzle" New Yorkers with its sexy nightclub vibe and "Kobe-style" cuts of beef.
Outfitted with chocolate leather banquettes, chain curtains, maple leaf-accented light fixtures and leather ropes that drip from the walls, Dodd Mitchell Design, the team behind Double Seven, has taken every liberty to make this moody, 95-seat spot, an exercise in decadent dining. There were two unfortunate accents - a flat screen tv with a running fireplace loop and a DJ booth, which conjured up flashbacks of a noisy, bridge & tunnel dinner at STK, involving tragically fashionable and flavorless steaks. But unlike STK, Kobe Club takes its steaks very seriously.
I began with a supremely fresh, sake-cured salmon, essentially three appetizers in one: thin slices of bright, wild salmon coated in fresh herbs, are pleasingly accompanied by truffle-laced, deviled quail eggs, and mismatched mini bagel chips with an uneventful smear of tobiko cream cheese. There are truffles in practically every dish on the menu - from a fragrant dish of kobe beef cheek raviolis, immersed in an intense black truffle broth, to a not-so-simple side of lobster mashed potatoes. Thick slivers of black truffles even make a notable appearance on a plate of slow roasted apple wood bacon, perhaps the best dish on the menu. Kobe Club gives Luger's a little friendly competition with thick, defiantly greaseless strips of divinely flavorful bacon. However, the crab cake "double stuffer" - crabmeat strangely sandwiched between two lackluster crab cakes with a garlic & ginger aioli - was crab overkill, and better left unordered.
I tackled a smattering of entrees, including a roasted Japanese pork chop, lean and meaty, doused with a smoky bacon & shallot sauce, and a delectable dover sole, coated in fresh herbs and served whole. But if you're going to fork out the cash to dine at Kobe, which isn't cheap, you have to order one of the "Kobe-style" cuts. Hell, for a whopping $190, you can invest in the Samurai's Flight - a trio of Japanese, Australian and American wagyu - and conduct your own "side by side" comparison. Despite my patriotic tendencies, the American filet was the least impressive of the three, but I was torn between an extremely well-marbleized Australian cut, and a supremely tender, Japanese wagyu. The sides didn't fare as well as the entrees. While a sake white truffle creamed corn was a perfect match for the Australian filet, I could've easily lived without a tastleless creamed spinach and a trio of mashed potatoes, the best being the wasabi potato, the sour cream & chive, completely skippable.
Most of the dessert menu seemed surprisingly uninspired: cheesecake, chocolate cake, berries & cream.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
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October 24, 2006
26 Little West 12th Street (btwn. 9th & 10th Aves.)
(646)624-2444
website
After visiting Porter House New York and STK, two of New York's newest steakhouses, I've come to the conclusion that some things are meant to be feasted upon in all its gritty glory, the sacred cow being at the top of my list. Given its location, one could say that STK practically rubs elbows with Old Homestead, a tried-and true steak institution and a pioneer of the Meatpacking district when it was still a culinary and social wasteland. However, in striking contrast, STK tries to take steakhouse chic to a whole new level, attempting to merge this newfangled genre with a downtown lounge scene, DJ and all. Designed by Icrave, the posh space is sleekly accented with creamy leather banquettes, dangling light fixtures, black crocodile and a lavender glass fireplace.
Eponymously named STK, the steaks here come in small, medium and large portions,
suggesting perhaps that you order according to your dress size. Chef Mark Miller, formerly of Steven Starr's Philadelphia restaurant empire, endeavors a fashionably modern interpretation of American cuisine, concentrating much of his efforts on seasonal salads and fish fare, clearly a female-friendly menu gesture.
At my waiter's suggestion, I started with the shrimp rice krispy's, grilled tiger prawns with crushed shrimp chips and cilantro, that supposedly made a "snack, crackle & pop" as a watery and lifeless shrimp bisque was poured tableside (note the action shot to the right). I'll just have to take his word for it, since I couldn't possibly hear a snap, crackle, or even a pop over the blaring music from the nearby DJ booth. Though I would've preferred a bowl of rice krispies and milk to the gimmicky shrimp offering, the lump crab appetizer - a generous portion of unadulterated, fresh crab meat - was worth its $12 weight in gold.
I made a mid-meal trip upstairs to scout out the second floor, equipped with a bar and series of private dining suites, cutely named for burlesque stars, like "The Tempest Storm" and "The Candy Barr". Peeking into the "The Betty Page" suite, I observed banker types voyeuristically eyeing diners in adjacent suites through smoky-mirrored walls, as if engaging in some sordid food peep show.
On my way back downstairs, I was stopped by a table of men, who tried to lure me to sit for a drink. I was now faced with a dilemna: a drink with strangers or a t-bone steak. Clearly, they had no idea who they were flirting with, as I only have eyes for food. After graciously declining, I slid back into my booth just as the entrees arrived. Pristinely poised on a greaseless plate with a dainty cherry tomato
garnish, the kitchen might as well have put earrings and high heels on this poor
emasculated cut of cattle, though it did fit in well with the
fashionably dressed crowd. I always order my steaks medium rare, so you can imagine my despair when I cut through it and discovered it to be medium to well-done. Though I enjoyed the zesty salsa verde sauce, the steak itself was tough and severely lacking in the juices department. Likewise, the STK sauce, an additional $2, was an overly cloying accompaniment. An overcooked Maine lobster, soaked in butter, brought me back to summer, right down to the overwhelming Citronella notes.
Instead, I attended to the sides, all suprisingly well-executed. I could've eaten the entire bowl of sweet corn pudding, a savory and sweet pool of lush pudding, laced with cornmeal, and dotted with fresh corn kernels; if it weren't for the seductive aroma of truffles wafting from a brick-like stack of parmesan truffle fries. Enchantingly infused with parmesan and truffle oil, these thick potato wedges were defiantly crispy on the outside, undeniably tender on the inside. Even the asparagus, springy and plump, are worthy of mention.
As the music grew louder and trendy Meatpackers poured into the space, it became clear that STK was rapidly transitioning from a restaurant into a noisy nightclub. Still, I pressed forward to dessert, which in retrospect, may not have been a worthwhile endeavor. While the raspberry linzer cookies were pleasingly warm and buttery, the raspberry float they accompanied, was just a glass of fizzy raspberry-flavored soda, doused with almond extract and mint. Ditto on the molten cake, which unfortunately was only a lukewarm distraction from a lovely mound of chocolate wafer crumble, that added a nice crunch to the hazelnut ice cream.
More of a pick-up joint than a serious steakhouse endeavor, the crowd and the noise level undoubtedly muddle the meal at STK, a sceney spot that might be better positioned for Vegas. Sleek to a fault, I found myself missing the brash accents and worn decor of napkin in your shirt dining experiences, where you finish your meal with a good cigar instead of a lap around the DJ booth to check out the scantily clad women.
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
***Don't forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl Updates***
October 22, 2006
10 Columbus Circle (Time Warner Center)
(212)823-9500
website
TYPE: American steakhouse
VIBE: Simple elegance
OCCASION:
Some chefs might venture a completely different direction with the cuisine,
perhaps Italian or Asian, but Lomonaco replaces a steakhouse
with a steakhouse, and this one is a decidedly more mellow affair. He's created a refined surf-and-turf menu, a tribute to American beef, seafood, wine and locally sourced produce. Designer Jeffrey Beers has stripped the old V space of its ornate
chandeliers and red & gold accents, replacing them with cherry wood
finishes, beige carpets and cozy leather chairs & booths.
The porterhouse is the ultimate cut of meat, a tenderloin and strip in one blessed steak. Porter House's $78 broiled rendition arrives sans the $77 Peter Luger's signature pool of butter. Personally, I prefer to taste my meat in all its fatty glory without that extra stick of butter, so I was pleased with Lomonaco's presentation. Unfortunately, they both make the same mistake of slicing the steak before it arrives at the table, a common practice that makes the act of eating an admittedly more genteel experience, but also lets the precious juices escape from the bone-in cut before reaching the plate. Pre-slicing aside, the meat was supple and wonderfully charred, simply seasoned with salt & pepper. While the homemade potato chips made for a satisfyingly salty accompaniment (although they could've spent more time in the fryer), the overly sweet, ginger roasted carrots, drizzled in wild flower honey, were too delicate and cloying a match for any meat dish.
May 12, 2006
85 Tenth Avenue (at 15th Street)
(212)400-6699
RESTAURANT: CRAFTSTEAK
VIBE: MEATPACKING ELEGANCE
OCCASSION: CLOSING A DEAL (BUSINESS OR PLEASURE)
DON'T MISS DISH: WAGYU BEEF (ANY CUT WILL DO!)
DON'T BOTHER DISH: ROASTED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE
PRICE: EXPENSIVE
RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 6.5
As the dirt continues to settle from the onslaught of mega-restaurants fashioned with sky high ceilings, super-sized Buddhas and Asian fusion fancies, the Meatpacking District has overnight become a Vegas-like restaurant row. A disappointing visit to the much-anticipated opening of Buddha Bar (official American outpost of the infamous French hotspot) which included less than mediocre sushi, out of place lamb chops that spoke to neither my French nor Asian sensibilities, and an offensively microscopic droplet of tasteless tuna tartare, caused me to dismiss the Meatpacking District as an aural amusement park with very short culinary legs to stand on.
I had little hope that Craftsteak, which had ironically first opened in Las Vegas, would feel like anything but a virtual experience of what it might actually be like to eat at one of celebrity chef Tom Colicchio's "authentic" Gramercy Craft restauarants. Imagine my surprise when I entered the sexy two-story space to find not a Buddha, gargantuan accent or even DJ anywhere in sight. Separated from the dining room by a impressive bi-level glass wine vault, the dramatic yet understated front entrance lounge with its dark wood tables and simple red votives, dedicated itself to the lunch crowd and evening walk-ins (no reservation necessary) as well as an ice-packed raw bar overflowing with oysters a plenty, shrimp, king crabs and crudo (sushi style fish).
Decked with exposed brick walls, steel columns and a remarkable Hudson River view (catch the sunset), a decidedly airy and masculine main dining room lent itself to a uniquely serene MeatPacking experience. As I sunk into a pillowy soft off-white leather banquette big enough for two and sipped on a glass of Riesling (from a 1000 bottle wine collection), I settled in for a lesson in the finer things of all things beef.
But first, I thought I'd ease my way in with a surprisingly memorable mixed lettuce salad, a blend of freshly-plucked earthy leaves folded into a lively red wine vinaigrette. Then came a silky snapper sashimi delicately dressed in flecked pepper, lemon rind and olive oil, a dish that proved Craftsteak took its seafood seriously.
(SNAPPER SASHIMI)
Now I was ready to delve into the wondrous world of beef, that is if only I knew the difference between corn-fed and grass-fed beef. Luckily for blissfully ignorant carnivores like myself, Craftsteak had a waitstaff of apparent steak sommeliers on hand, eager and willing to break down the lengthy list of meaty choices into digestible terms, according to lineage, feed and cut. I also called the kitchen and got the inside scoop from celebrity chef, Chris Albrecht, which is like talking to George Clooney (if you're a foodie).
SO HERE'S BEEF IN TRANSLATION: THE ESSENTIALS
**Note the eery comparisons to wine tasting
- CORN-FED BEEF - A rich & sweet beef that naturally varies according to both cut and breed.
- GRASS-FED BEEF - A minerally and deep-flavored beef, typically leaner.
- PREMIUM HEREFORD BEEF (House Dry-Aged New York Strip) - Aged in house, this marbleized and characteristically tender beef is aged anywhere from 28 to 56 days. As it ages, it becomes both increasingly intense and nutty.
- HAWAIIAN GRASS-FED - Evokes mineral notes. A distinctly green, almost oniony flavor.
- BLACK ANGUS BEEF - A marbleized rich flavor, but notably leaner than the Hereford breed.
- WAGYU BEEF FROM SNAKE RIVER FARM (Think the Kobe beef of Australia) - A marbleized succulent and strangely toothsome steak graded on a Japanese scale 5-10, according to marbleization. Tip: The higher the grade, the more $$ signs.
The temptation of Wagyu was too great to resist. I chose to feast on a stunning Wagyu flat iron (grade 6), an intensely flavorful peice of meat. Next was a savory-and-sweet Wagyu filet mignon so tender it rendered my knife virtually useless. Though the roasted Jerusalem artichokes paled against the tasty backdrop of my entree, the crispy hen of woods and smoky morel mushrooms were the perfect complement to a rather civilized steak, a welcome change from the usual weighty sides of creamed spinach and hash browns.
By some miracle still beyond my comprehension, I found room for dessert. A warm pot of rich and velvety thick chocolate souffle accompanied by a distinguished pistachio ice cream flecked with pistachio nuts finished the job.
(CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE)
Until we eat again,
Restaurant Girl
May 3, 2006
RESTAURANT: QUALITY MEATS
VIBE: DOWNTOWN CHIC/UPTOWN
OCCASSION: A MEAL TO REMEMBER
DON'T MISS DISH: THE BONE MARROW APPETIZER & HALIBUT ENTREE
DON'T BOTHER DISH: PROSCIUTTO WITH MELON
PRICE: EXPENSIVE
RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 7
In a midtown littered with pre-theater menus and mega-delicatessans (Carnegie Hall), Quality Meats emerges as an unlikely dining destination that may just revolutionize the concept of The American steakhouse. After an impressive 22 year seafood-stint as the Manhattan Ocean Club, Alan Stillman, legendary restaurateur of The Smith & Wollensky group, has decided to do what he does best -- steak. He's even handed the restaurant's reigns over to his son, Michael Stillman, who has magnificentally transformed the space into a butcher shop chic steakhouse with a greenmarket vibe.
Teaming up with AvroKo (designers of Stanton Social & Public), they've stripped the restaurant down to its original exposed brick walls and steel columns, adding authentic meat locker accents by way of butcher block stairs and chandeliers fashioned from meat hooks, pulleys and Edison bare bulbs. Oh, and did I mention the food's nothing short of spectacular?
Though the name would imply its dedication solely to meats, Chef Craig Koketsu can't help but show off his many talents on land and sea after earning his keep in both Manhattan Ocean Club and Lespinasse's kitchen. My only complaint is how difficult it can be to pace yourself at the front entrance Charceuterie Bar, so you make it into the dining room for a meal to remember and still save room for dessert. So I've devised a strategic eating game plan to help you make a dent in this worthwhile New American menu:
- CHARCEUTERIE BAR - Home to the apparent Ferrari of meat slicers, grab a stool and nibble on rustic sliced meats, cheeses and homemade mostardas prepared daily (anything from rhubarb to pineapple-vanilla).
- BAR PITSTOP - Take a quick drink break (a dirty martini perhaps) at the white subway tile-lined bar and mingle among a hip, yet decidedly unpretentious crowd.
- DINING ROOM -Don't linger too long or you'll miss the main event . Dine by candlelight in the defiantly downtown first floor dining room or climb the stairs to a more-secluded space adorned with plush tan leather walls and a polished wood ceiling.
- APPETIZERS :
- Bone Marrow - Koketsu takes bone marrow to a new level, delivering a steamed then broiled, savory marrow perfectly coupled with red wine glazed root vegetables, a dish that could take on the city's toughest tasting menus anyday.
- Do-it-yourself steak tartare - Already pre-measured and ready to mix, a large wooden spoon overflowing with capers, dijon, yolks and onion, beckons you to gently mix and indulge in this exceptionally silky hand-cut steak. It's like you made it yourself (almost)!
- ENTREES
- MEAT - Every single steak is sourced from two family butchers, Abeles & Strassburger Meats, some of the cuts are even custom butchered for lucky Quality Meats customers. Try the melt-in-your-mouth bone-in sirloin medium rare and watch the show as servers snip herbs and prepare homemade steak sauce tableside.
- FISH - Whatever you do, get the fish. Did I just say that? Though the very notion of ordering seafood at a house of steak makes me cringe, I'd break my own rules for the tender pan-roasted halibut gently touched by a ginger lemon soy sauce perched atop a melange of shitake mushrooms and white and green asparagus.
- SIDES - Contemporary twists on classics give new meaning to sides. The savory-and-sweet corn creme brulee and a sharp creamed spinach souffle are not to be taken lightly.
- DESSERT
- PIE OF MY OWN - Admit it, you hate sharing. Now you can have a pie of your own. Using actual key lime oils, Corey Colton (a handsome male pastry chef) takes the tart bite out of a key lime pie, so you can savor the luscious key lime in all its fluffy glory. There's a selection of creamsicle, pistachio, orange, and other housemade tarts that changes with the seasons.
- ICE CREAM TO-GO - If you didn't make it passed the key lime pie or manage to save room for ice cream, there's still a chance to keep the sweet memory of Quality Meats alive. After graduating from the offical Ice Cream University, Corey successfully gives Ben and Jerry a run for their money. Snap up one of Corey's daily concoctions (pistachio, creamsicle, wild blueberry with pecan pie and my personal favorite, coffee donut) for your midnight ice cream run to the kitchen freezer, sold by the pint.
From Quality Meats bottled water (in glass milk cartons) to exclusive butcher cuts, not to mention an impressive fish menu, the next Smith & Wollensky generation turns the Steakhouse upside down, creating a kindler, gentler anti-steakhouse of sorts. Quality Meats might just be worth investing in real estate in midtown.
57 W. 58th Street, nr. 6th Ave.
(212)371-7777
The Smith & Wollensky Group
Until next thyme, Restaurant Girl
