Brooklyn: DeStefano's Steakhouse

[scottie]

De Stefano's Steakhouse just opened in Williamsburg, and holy cow, is it good!

My husband and I just went for dinner tonight, and we were blown away. We were very impressed, and my husband said it was the best meal he's had in months, which is saying something.

They have a good appetizer and salad selection, followed by a steak selection that includes porterhouse, filet, skirt and hangar. Hubby got the T-bone, I got lamb chops. They do not have any fish entrees. They have two pasta options, one chicken and one vegetarian. The meat is where it's at. They also have the typical sides.

We started with an amuse of devils on horseback- or is it angels?

-Prunes stuffed with nuts and wrapped in bacon, presented with a garnish of gooseberries and fresh red currants.

Hubby had the beet salad, very straightforward with red and golden beets, goat cheese and mesclun. Well-executed and not cutesy at all. I had the "Chef's salad", which included artichokes, asparagus, parmesan, pine nuts and currants, on top of mesclun. The ingredients were fresh, the nuts toasted, the artichokes not from a can. The parmesan could have had more flavor. But it was a good salad.

Mr. Scottie's t-bone was perfectly cooked to medium-rare, closer to rare than to medium. So tender we were not given steak knives. My lamb chops were huge and perfectly cooked, as well. Each entree came with sides of potatoes and carrots, but I didn't try them. We ordered the broccoli rabe side, which was fantastic- not overdone at all, spicy with red pepper flakes and garlicky, and definitely bitter, which I love.

The owner, Joe DeStefano, came over and introduced himself and checked up on us and the food quality occasionally. He wanted to make sure the meat was cooked to our liking- he's afraid his chef cooks the meat a bit too much on the rare side. We assured him our meat was cooked perfectly. He also comped us dessert, a delicious tiramisu and a fantastic ricotta cheesecake, both homemade by a lady in the neighborhood. Truly fantastic.

This meal was excellent and the service was top-notch. We really want to get the word out about this place. The location has been in the DeStefano family for three generations; these are old-school neighborhood people, and they are doing it right. Check it out:

DeStefano's

Conselyea and Leonard

Lorimer Stop

Williamsburg, Brooklyn