Mister_Cutlets

In dry aging, the meat is left in a cool, dry room, where over a course of several weeks it loses up to 25% of its weight and gains accordingly in taste and tenderness, as the enzymes in the meat eat away at their own cell walls and break down the muscle. The distinctive sign of dry aging is a musky, "footy" taste combined with a coppery, mineral sharpness. Wet aging is a cheap shortcut, in which meat is sealed up with chemicals in a plastic bag, and artificially tenderized. Much of the beef you eat in second-rate steakhouses, cruise ships, casinos, etc. is wet-aged. Sparks uses a secret technique combining both wet- and dry-aging, but since their reputation and their product are both impeccable, this cannot be imputed to anything but meat-wizardry. Josh

I was following this thread closely and then fell out of the loop for a while. But I've been here all along. In my capacity as steak-and-chop prophet, I'm often asked about Peter Luger, which is our city's greatest signifier to the meat-eating world, and constantly name-checked by any meat-eater who affects expertise. And I love the restaurant myself, even at night, even when it's busy. I love the bacon, the potatoes, the cake with the shlag, all of it. I even like the various tribute restaurants that have popped up in recent years like so many sitcom spinoffs. And of course Steven, who is along with Steingarten probably the most knowledgeable beef-eater in New York, has never wavered from his loyalty to the place, and that weighs heavily with me as well. But I think Peter Luger has slipped. That is not to say that the restaurant doesn't produce sublime steaks, with notes of copper, musk, blood and other ancient tastes, redolent of some bronze-age heaven. It does. But it now only produces them once in a while. I don't know why. I've heard through the grapevine that Luger no longer buys all its meat by eye on the hook, but has rather taken to purchasing whole truckloads at the Restaurant Depot. But restaurant gossip always tends to have an edge of malice, and I'm unwilling to believe this of the Speira family. However, there's no doubt that not all the meat is what it should be. Too many discriminating carnivores have confirmed my own experience that, even dressed with blood and butter, and served in the Bayreuth of Beef, the primo tenor of steaks doesn't always sing. There are other explanations. I have always believed that Luger's hamstrings its claim to steakly greatness by slicing up the steak right out of the broiler. Those juices look good at the bottom of the inclined platter, but they would taste better where they belong -- inside the meat. (That is one reason why I like Sparks, whose unadorned steak is always served intact.) Another explanation comes down to supply and demand: there just isn't enough great prime beef to go around any more, and with competition from Lobels, Citarella, Ottomanelli's, not to mention purveyors like DiSpragga and Spitler, Luger can't be expected to serve one-in-a-thousand steaks every time out. Think how many top-flight steakhouses have opened in the past few years: Nebraska, The Strip House, Dylan Prime, City Hall, Michael Jordan's, the Penthouse club steakhouse (which is really good, btw) and now Vongerichten's place in the Time Warner building: how much prime beef is there for all those places? And that's not even counting all the great and almost-great restaurants, from Daniel on down, who serve the best beef they can possibly get? The only problem with this latter theory is that some other steakhouses seem immune to it. I've never had a steak, or a lamb chop for that matter, at Sparks that was anything less than great. I'm told that Sparks uses the detested "wet-aging" but I find it impossible to believe from the taste of the meat there. Maybe there is some kind of alchemical magic being performed, but presumably they are bidding for the same steers as the Speiras. The last great steak I had at Luger was six visits ago -- and it was a small sirloin for one I had at lunch. Whatever the cause, put me down in the growing list of Luger-lovers that think the place past its prime. Sincerely, Mr. Cutlets

Hey guys -- love this thread. I thought you should know about a new place that opened -- La Ciccala, on 64th and Lexington. Their ovens are gas-burning, but the young pizziole that they brought over from Rome is a master. It's really worth trying. Personally, I don't think Lombardi's can hold a candle next to his work. sincerely, Mr. Cutlets

I am a reluctant fan of Moustache...their phyllo, egg, and cheese roll is one of the best things you can get for under $4 in New York, esp. if they leave it in the oven long enough for the cheese to melt. (It's best to get it to go and make it at home in a toaster oven.) Of course, I wouldn't have gone there if all they served was hummus; their lamb ribs are a hard-to-find treat, although they are more like breast filets than ribs. But they're delicious, and you can eat one of those grains as an app to "scour the pipes." Moustache's fresh lemonade is good too. I like moustache...

I've ordered it too. This book should be in the hands of every American child.... Great news.

I heard this the other day...it's the key to the 2nd season of The Restaurant. Apparently the cherubic front-of-the-house hearthrob is out, and suits are flying between he and moneyman Jeff Chowdorhow. Anybody heard anything about this? What a freak show that is...and what a waste of a talented chef. Once again, this proves that chefs should be fat.

I think it just comes down to pleasing your customer base. The pork ribs at BS are losers, all right; but I'm not sure if the clientele would like a rugged pink ring or appreciate the token resiliency required by bbq purists. The best thing there in bbq terms is probably the texas rib, which is a close facimile (minus the butcher paper) of beef ribs in central texas. Blue Smoke has finally got the smoking right, thanks to a hugely expensive renovation of their chimney system, but the way that they smoke has to be responsive in some way to the customers. So the pork ribs slide off the bone as if par-boiled, and of the "Kansas City ribs" the less said the better. But the place is packed, so Meyers has to keep the kitchen going as is. It's the same reason why Bob Pearson sells so many dry brisket sandwiches: the UES stroller ladies who eat there complain if they see fat. But luckily, in the latter case, you can order a second-cut brisket sandwich and get the bona fide item. That option is only available at Blue Smoke for those items which New Yorkers haven't expressed a preference for corrupted versions. Josh

Here's the thing at Pearsons and all other urban bbqs. The customers don't know any better, and so complain if they get juicy brisket. So you have to order "second cut" or at least "juicy" to get it right. Then it's masterful, esp. on the portugese rolls Pearson uses. The ribs are pretty good, if a little underseasoned. Pearson is a true purist. The beef ribs are very good, but may overwhelm some people. Josh

I love Batali, and in fact he's a hero of mine, but I have to say that I don't love Babbo. He goes too far with his chiles and weird ingredients. Lupa is much more traditional, and he reins in his exotic impulses. I really wish he had a restaurant where he made his dishes from the Molto Mario TV series, which look better than anything in any of his restaurants. Josh

FWIW -- I've been told through the restaurant grapevine that Peter Luger is buying whole truckloads of meat at the Restaurant Depot. I was very skeptical, but on the other hand, I'm getting a lot of reports about underwhelming steaks, and the more I think about the harder it is for me to believe Jody Speira's assertion that they are carrying 60% food costs. What do you guys think about this? It's just restaurant gossip, but I wonder if there's any truth to it. Josh

I had some amazing boar chops at the Standard Tap Room in Philadelphia recently; I'd like to see those start appearing on NY menus. Though I do like the Wild Boar lasagna at Apizz. signed, Mr. Cutlets

Guys, I've been totally inspired by this thread with its lavish illustrations, and the deep thinking about chuck that went into it. I'm so glad to have made another convert to chuck; the fact that the 7-bone roast and the flanken are attached to each other only point up to me what an underappreciated part of the animal the neck and shoulder are. One point I disagree with a little is the idea of pounding flat the chuck eye steak for chicken fried steak. The chuck eye makes a perfect minute steak, and even gives you what you need for a nice pan gravy, once deglazed with a little wine. Chicken fried steak, pounded and pounded, and then breaded and fried in lard, and then covered with a peppery blanket of thick gravy, is a treatment I reserve only for the toughest pieces of beef. Chuck eyes even make nice sandwiches, esp. if (as with the 7 bone roast) you slice it up against the grain. Michael, keep up the good work with the chuck roasts! You're on the way to many inexpensive but exhilerating meals. The chuck can stand up to any kind of marinade or seasoning, and if you want to cook it over indirect heat (after giving it a good solid brown, of course) it will take that too. Great job! yr friend, Mr. Cutlets

I don't think Judson Grill is in the same league as Blue Smoke. It's not as juicy (it's 100% sirloin) and nothing really special is done to it. It's an afterthought for Bill Telemann, whereas a lot of care clearly went into the blue smoke burger, and shows. They are actually similar in a lot of ways, but blue smoke is much, much juicier. Josh

I did an interesting experiment the other day, which I would invite Burger Club at some point to replicate: I had a cheeseburger at Joe Jr's, followed immediately afterward by Blue 9. These are exactly the same rare genre of griddle-cooked thin burgers, of the classical model, and it's odd that two good versions are made practically next door to each other. Anyway, I enoyed the comparison. I'm so glad everybody liked Blue Smoke. I couldn't believe that someone said it wasn't juicy enough though! Where's next? Here's a few thoughts FWIW, and I promise to get there on time and with a foreshpeis. Ear Inn Veselka Big Nick's 21 Corner Bistro Wollensky's Grill Jackson Hole Cozy Soup n Burger McHale's

I can't believe I blew the Blue Smoke outing! What a dope! To answer your question, Blue Smoke's burger is one third chuck, one third sirloin, and one third ground brisket. Josh

Count me in too! josh

Jeff, What has your experience been with the meat of older animals? This topic has been preying upon me for a while, and I'm really curious. I've eaten more than my share of mutton, but I've seldom had the chance to eat cull beef, old turkeys in civets, "roosters in red wine," and so forth. I wonder if in your travels you have found old animals to be tastier animals. And while we're on the subject, why do you think mutton has never gotten a hoof-hold here in America? Yours, Mr. Cutlets

I recently visited the Landmark Tavern on a Burger Club expedition, and finding myself so close to Daisy May's, went over and gave it a try. With all due respect, you could get better barbecue in almost any gas station in the Southland. Only in New York could this stuff pass muster. I didn't try the pulled pork, because that's almost never a good test of a barbecue, but the dry-rub ribs were shay-dee. So soft and mushy as to make me suspect that they were parboiled, they were also covered with a thick, mushy caking of spice. The beef ribs were harsh to the point of being inedible...just a bad experience all around. Daisy May's is closer to a Bennigans or Tony Roma's than to real Q. On the other hand, it's no worse than some of the ribs I've eaten in Memphis...so maybe they aren't that inauthentic. And they're no less insipid and mushy than Blue Smoke's "st. louis ribs." But Blue Smoke's beef ribs are to these Hyperion to a satyr. There's no comparison at all. Virgil's, Blue Smoke, and Pearson's are the bbq triumvirate right now. Daisy May's isn't even part of the conversation -- at least for me. Josh

The costs of these burgers are just alerting us to what we should have seen already -- a hamburger that has swollen to 10 or 12 ounces is a freakish and unnatural thing, and the price reflects it. Most "destination burgers" are bound to cost too much, just as they are bound to be largely indistinguishable from each other, and to taste like nothing so much as a chopped steak on a roll. That's the problem with New York burgers -- they need to be expensive because they need to pay the rent, and they need to be big to justify being so expensive. I love the idea of a burger club outing to a place which is cheap, cramped, ugly, and an absolute temple of burgerdom. Somewhere in New York there must be a perfect hamburger: thin and rich and flat, exquisitely symmetrical, and packed full of beefy-greasy oomph. We'll never find it if we're paying $15 and holding it with both hands. Blue Smoke and 21 are the best of the big burgers, for my money: blue smoke for straight meat quality and 21 for gourmet revisionism. But I'll still stick with Veselka on a good day; and dream of Dirty Martin's in Austin, and other great small-scale masterpieces. p.s. I had a great medium-rare burger cooked to a turn the other day at the Lenox Hill Diner on Lexington and 77th. Boo yeah! Was it good.

I can appreciate the vehemence of our Philly friends. I myself know the fury and loathing that arise when some shoobie presumes to lecture me about pastrami sandwiches or other local specialties. And it is true that I haven't eaten at Fruscos and Dellasandro's, but I've eaten at the other places, and they aren't any better than Carl's. But they aren't worse, either -- I just think that, until someone comes along and figures out a way to improve it, there is a ceiling for how good a cheesesteak can be. I am very open-minded on the subject. I don't insist on the meat being rolled, rather than sliced, nor do I fetishize the wonderful rolls we have in Atlantic City, so much superior to the Philly "hewgie" rolls. I even converted to American cheese from provalone late in life. But I don't see what makes Steve's (or George's, or any of the other philly steak temples) that great. Forget the menus! I want to see pictures of the cheesesteaks! signed, Mr. Cutlets

Try Veselka! You may have to adjust for doneness by ordering a degree less than you want, and letting the burger it on your plate for a minute or so. But it's my favorite burger in the city right now. yrs, Mr. Cutlets

It may surprise you to learn that Mr. Cutlets, despite his native pretensions, is actually from Atlantic City, NJ, a city with little to brag about gastronomically. The one subject in which all our citizens are conversant, though, is cheesesteaks. As a cultural colony of Philadelphia, these sandwiches are hard-wired into Atlantic City foodways. Many believe that AC's are superior to their originals in Philadelphia. But I now say that Carl's beats them all at their own game. I have a lot more to say on this subject, but cheesesteaks are long and life is short. I may have to come back tomorrow and post the full review. But suffice it to say here that Carl's at a busy hour is an efficient machine of classical cheesesteak production, and offers both the traditional provolone and its sanctioned alternative, disgusting philly-style cheese whiz. I went for American cheese, a heterodoxy adopted late in life, but firmly adhered to, and my sandwich was intensely packed with chopped, ultra-flavorful meat, onions, and mushrooms, all half sauteed and half simmered in a bath of grill grease and frothing onion juice. Bits were browned here and there, the bread stood up to the grease without disintergrating, and the proportions were all dead-on. Carl's is crowded and hot, and there's no place to sit other than one or two tables in the back, but if you have any interest in this sandwich at all you had better stop by when you have the chance. They don't hew to the "half" and "whole" terminology of the Delaware Valley, since they don't use the full sub rolls but rather short rolls of comparable character and moistness. One is enough even for a hungry full-grown man. signed, Mr. Cutlets Carl's Steaks 507 Third Avenue (34th) New York, NY 10016 Phone: (212) 696-5336

Just an FYI -- I had a truly first-class burger the other night at the Stoned Crow, on Washington Place just north of Union Square. I also had a Blue Smoke burger, and I am beginning to think that it might be the best in the superheavyweight division. Maybe 2nd to Molly's, but only because of the onions. The marbled brisket sandwich is the real trump card at Blue Smoke, and the BBQ is getting better all the time. So why do I find myself thinking of that hamburger so often? Mr. Cutlets

Oh, Tuesday! I'm in! See you all there. Mr. Cutlets

I'm afraid I'm booked on the 25th, it being Thanksgiving. I would like to try Landmark. How is Murder Burger not a burger? It looks and sounds like one... http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2003/11/...er_they_ate.php I also mean to try Shnack soon. So many hamburgers! So little time! signed, Mr. Cutlets