Superflytritone

The owners swear up and down that they're the exact same steaks, and I believe it. I can't see an incentive to sell lesser-quality stuff since they're getting the same money for raw steaks as they are for cooked -- if anything the incentive would be the other way. It's hard to imagine that their retail product would beat Lobel's, but if anybody has a chance of matching Lobel's on one particular cut of meat it would be Peter Luger with its porterhouses. That's exactly what I plan to do. I am going to order a Luger and a Lobels porterhouse, and try them side by side.

I think it may be time to do a taste test......and let's all thank Steven, who will sponsor it all by himself.... Seriously, I would be interested if anybody wants to organize it. I wonder what the quality of the Luger steaks are vs the product that they serve in the restaurant? I would think that they save the best for their in-house customers, but would their retail stuff beat Lobels? By the way, I ordered a 24oz ribeye, which cooked just above rare. Since that is the cut that I have sampled from more places recently than any other cut, I decided to order that to try (before I read fatguy's statement about the strip). It was the best that I have had at home....was it 3 times better than my butcher?....probably not, but it was the best that I've had, and that's the price you pay for #1.

I've been searching around the web ...I haven't found anybody who comes close yet to Lobel.....

I was just on Luger's site...they actually sell it for less than Lobels. I think a 36-38oz Porterhouses cost about 66.00, while Lobel's is 77.00

Thanks for the correction! Yet one more segment of my vast expertise. It's either correctional officer or corrections officer. Usually C.O. I sell to them joints and have never heard the term correction officer. And if he is a C.O. who dines in, he's just delighted to come across a hot dog that isn't green. Most Correctional departments usually have the name "corrections" in them, but the NYC Dept Of Correction is an exception. They are also known as "correction officers". State officers are known as "correctional officers" How do I know? I work for the department! I direct you to the official website http://www.nyc.gov/html/doc/home.html ..also, if you look quickly, it seems that you sell marijuana to them ("I sell to them joints"), but after careful reading, I see youy mean you sell to the departments.

I've had a Gray's, A Katz, and a coney island Nathan's in the last 2 weeks, and the Nathan's by FAR was the best. This does not mean that it's the norm, but it is what I've experienced. Also, the spelling of Correction Officer may be correct, as the official name of the department is the NYC Dept. Of Correction, not corrections.

Yes....they've been mourning your departure the moment you stepped out the door.

I had lunch at the bar yesterday (BBQ Chips, Burger, Fries and a beer). The burger was done perfectly medium rare. The bartender and another employee were talking , and I overheard one of them say: "Who says that the New Yorker doesn't have clout. We've sold 50 burgers already, and it's not even 1:00 pm yet." They've even updated the menu to show that the burger was voted best in NY on May 5th.

I believe it is spelled Don Peppe's, and a number that I found for them is : Don Peppe Inc 13558 Lefferts Boulevard, South Ozone Park, NY 11420 (718) 845-7587

people often like to perpetuate those types of things to reinforce their delusion that they know the "correct" way to order steak. it's often part of some sort of game. but who can you believe at the end of the day? Don't trust anybody, that's my motto. Order the way you like it. If it comes out wrong, send it back. If you like the way they char the steak at Sizzler, then more power to you. If a waiter at Luger gets gruff with you, slap him in the head with the steak, and ask for another one.

I have never been dissapointed by Nobu. Maybe since you have experienced Nobu at higher omakase price levels, the level of expectation did not match what you receievd for the lower end level. Coincidentally, I also got the same price omakase at Nobu Next Door about a month ago, and was thoroughly happy with the selection.

That just means you don't know a great steak from a not so great steak. This Peter Luger elitism is driving me crazy. Yes, Peter Luger has a great steak. It is considered one, if not the best steak in New York. Yet, there isn't the smallest chance that, maybe, the steak at Strip House was better for this particular customer than Luger? I believe Fat Guy once said that MarkJoseph beat or was equal to Luger in 95% of his categories, except a small margin in flavor profile for Luger. That is not a wide margin of victory for the King in my eyes. I've been to a number of steak places in the last year, and a number have stood out. Luger's, MarkJoseph's, Strip House, even Michael Jordan's and Bryant & Copper on LI. Has any one of these (Luger in particular) been vastly superior to the other? No. Ten times better than Luger? Maybe she was exaggerating for effect, but it could have been 1.5x better, no?

In NYC? So in essence, there are at maximum 52 restos that the NYT reviewer could keep tight tabs on? That would barely account for the number of high profile openings each year, plus Daniel, GT and a few other standbys. Clearly too tight a ship to keep for just one reviewer. Which of course is more an argument for two reviewers than for cutting back, but we know what economic times are like now.... I am specifically talking about the top-ranked places, the 3 and 4 star ranks. Surely these places can be reviewed at least once a year? These are the restaurants that are consistently in the minds of those who care, so why shouldn't they get scrutinized more often.

Any ranking should expire after a year. I would think that any food critic could easily re-evaluate a highly ranked place once a year. I was unaware that some of these rankings are from 2-3 years ago. That is wrong on so many levels.

SINCE somebody requested for this thread to start.......I thought, why not? My opinion: You can have a 4 star system, and give 2 stars to places as diverse as Otto and Blue Hill. You have to take each in context. What is the critic taking into account, and why? If Otto had pizza that was comparable to places like Grimaldi's and DiFara's, would you rank it 3 or 4 stars given everything else that Otto provides? If so, then the quality of the place now may indeed rate a 1 or 2 star rating. Of course, it's only one opinion. Grimes obviously likes the place, given that he's been there 20+ times, right? Just my rambling thoughts.....