NYC steakhouses 2019–

[MelissaH]

My husband and I would like to eat a really good steak on our next visit to NYC. The kicker: we'd like to eat with a friend who will eat seafood of all kinds, but not meat. (We were surprised to hear that steakhouses often have good seafood options, in our friend's opinion.) Who is doing a really really really good steak these days, with good fish or other options for vegetarians?

 

Our original thought was Peter Luger, which I've always heard of as a classic. But I'm a little turned off by the difficulty of getting reservations there (the line seems to be busy every time I phone), and somewhere that takes credit cards would be easier to deal with than somewhere that famously does not. But first and foremost is getting a good meal. I've never eaten a dry-aged steak, and am looking forward to the experience. Sides (potato and vegetables) are also important.

 

FWIW, our friend will be coming from work, which is just west of Union Square. Bonus points if it's easy to get to from there.

 

Thanks!

Melissa

[Dave the Cook]

I haven't been to NYC in a while, but I noticed recently that Sparks still gets really good notices. Bonus: just a straight shot up 3rd Avenue from Union Square.

[dcarch]

I like wollensky steakhouse .

 

dcarch

[weinoo]

Geographically, 3rd Ave. doesn't really run straight up from Union Square - but Park Avenue does, and then you can swing over to 3rd when you hit 46th Street, if you decide on Sparks, which isn't a bad choice, especially if you want to spend some dough on wine. Don't forget, Paul Castellano was gunned down right in front of the place, along with his driver, so you'd get to see some famous sights too!

 

But - I think the best steaks being served in NYC aren't necessarily being served in steakhouses. Which is probably good for your seafood eating friend (s). This Korean restaurant called Cote is doing lovely meat stuff, but it's a pain in the ass to get a reservation. But my favorite would have to be Frenchette, where the rest of the menu just rocks, the wine list is great, and the beef is awesome. Easily enough for 2 or 3.

 

Back to steakhouses - Wolfgang's, Keen's (which is a classic for sure), S & W's, Old Homestead, will all get you where you want to go.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by weinoo (log)

[MetsFan5]

Keens or Sparks would be my recommendations. They’re iconic Manhattan steakhouses. They’re also easy to get to from Union square area depending on when you’re going. It’s soo cold in the city to walk anywhere right now IMO. I’m going to a concert at MSG tomorrow and dining at a steakhouse there, Nick and Stef’s. I only picked it due to the location, it’s just ok. 

 

Both Keens and Sparks have decent seafood options. I don’t think Luger’s does but I haven’t been there in a while. 

 

  What time of year are you going? Ocean Prime May be another option but it’s not what I would consider a classic NY Steakhouse. They do have dry aged steaks though. 

[Dave the Cook]

14 hours ago, weinoo said:

Geographically, 3rd Ave. doesn't really run straight up from Union Square - but Park Avenue does, and then you can swing over to 3rd when you hit 46th Street . . .

 

Back to steakhouses - Wolfgang's, Keen's (which is a classic for sure), S & W's, Old Homestead, will all get you where you want to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew I could smoke out a native, if I used the right bait.

[rotuts]

@MelissaH

 

Im looking forward to your Beef-ey and Seafood experience.

 

I lived on Long Island for several years , some time back.

 

friends i worked with mostly knew of some fine Indian restaurants , here and there.

 

we did discuss an Food Trip to Peter Luger , where they had been.

 

Unfortunately , or possibly Fortunately , we never managed to go.

 

as this was before Statins , Im possibly counting my blessings

 

pls if you can post about your experience ?

 

A dry aged truly Prime Steak is first to behold

 

not that we are in the Statin Age

 

once a year or so I find one and SC'd / Grill  it at home

 

how hard is it to bake a crusty Idaho potato  ?

 

best of luck for a Fine dinning Experience

 

 

[MelissaH]

12 hours ago, MetsFan5 said:

What time of year are you going? Ocean Prime May be another option but it’s not what I would consider a classic NY Steakhouse. They do have dry aged steaks though. 

We'll be doing this in April. If it hasn't warmed up by then, there are bigger problems than finding a good steak somewhere that can accommodate a pescatarian.

 

This visit will be a quick one, and we're somewhat constrained. There's exactly one night that nobody has other plans, and that's the one we're targeting for dinner. This will be pretty much our only chance to actually visit with our friend.

 

17 hours ago, weinoo said:

Geographically, 3rd Ave. doesn't really run straight up from Union Square - but Park Avenue does, and then you can swing over to 3rd when you hit 46th Street, if you decide on Sparks, which isn't a bad choice, especially if you want to spend some dough on wine. Don't forget, Paul Castellano was gunned down right in front of the place, along with his driver, so you'd get to see some famous sights too!

 

But - I think the best steaks being served in NYC aren't necessarily being served in steakhouses. Which is probably good for your seafood eating friend (s). This Korean restaurant called Cote is doing lovely meat stuff, but it's a pain in the ass to get a reservation. But my favorite would have to be Frenchette, where the rest of the menu just rocks, the wine list is great, and the beef is awesome. Easily enough for 2 or 3.

 

Back to steakhouses - Wolfgang's, Keen's (which is a classic for sure), S & W's, Old Homestead, will all get you where you want to go.

Wine isn't so important, as a grand total of maybe 2 glasses will get drunk among the three of us. What's most important is that all of us get a really good dinner, and that we can hear each other talk. Every meal I eat downstate gives me massive sticker shock, so the prices I've seen on line don't look worse than normal to me.

 

A PITA reservation is problematic, given our constraints.

 

Thank you all for the other recommendations. I'll probably give our friend some options, and give her the option of knocking places off the list. I may be wrong, but I suspect good fish isn't as easy as good steak.

 

Melissa

[weinoo]

If you want to talk, and actually hear each other talk, that's a whole other story. I do a lot of nodding/smiling in restaurants these days; not nodding off, but nodding as if to say I agree with whatever it is the other person (s) may be saying.

 

Stick to a classic steakhouse like Spark's or Wolfgang's et al., in that case. Even Keen's can get very loud.

Edited February 1, 2019 by weinoo (log)

[Steve R.]

Keen’s.

 

no contest.

[KennethT]

I haven't been to Keen's in a few years, but I used to go once a year or so.  I loved their "mutton" chop, but I was never crazy about the steak there - every time my friends ordered it (they'd usually get the porterhouse for 3), I would try a piece - it was always perfectly cooked, but always seemed a little dry.

 

But their appetizers and sides are good, and it's not too loud if you sit in one of the smaller rooms upstairs.

[weinoo]

23 hours ago, Steve R. said:

Keen’s.

 

no contest.

Everything is a contest...I guess you haven't watched the Food Network in the past 20 years! 

[Seth Gordon]

On 1/30/2019 at 7:25 PM, weinoo said:

But - I think the best steaks being served in NYC aren't necessarily being served in steakhouses. Which is probably good for your seafood eating friend (s). This Korean restaurant called Cote is doing lovely meat stuff, but it's a pain in the ass to get a reservation. But my favorite would have to be Frenchette, where the rest of the menu just rocks, the wine list is great, and the beef is awesome. Easily enough for 2 or 3.

Agreed, aside from Frenchette not blowing me away. (Caveat: haven't had the steak there, but the chefs' history running Balthazar & Minetta Tavern would suggest they do a bang-up job with it)

But some great steaks are to be found at non-steakhouses. In fact, there's a great one at an otherwise seafood-centric restaurant: the steak at Marea is arguably the best entree on the menu. You guys can get the token steak instead of your dining companion getting the token fish. And bonus, insanely good pastas to start. 

Some others might be...

Beatrice Inn - the current menu will be different by April, but there's always a few steaks (some reasonably priced, some ludicrously...) - seafood options will change by then too.
M. Wells - they do call it a steakhouse, but it's a hugely varied menu.
Ferris - Cote de Boeuf for two, with all kind of fixins. Unfortunately at the moment there's only one seafood entree, but who knows by April. Great chef there.
Marc Forgione - I haven't been in awhile, admittedly, but the menu hasn't changed much. He also owns a steakhouse (American Cut) but honestly the porterhouse for two at his flagship was as good as anything there, and the seafood options will be better.

My go-to not-steakhouse steak-for-two used to be Babbo, but personally I ain't setting foot in any Batali-owned places now.

If you want to go in a different direction with the steak - the luxury of insanely-marbled Japanese beef as opposed to the luxury of dry-aged concentrated funk - there are a number of good options around town as well. 
 

[MelissaH]

Reporting back: We went to Keen's and were seated upstairs in the rather small Lillie Langtry room. The salads were delicious. Our friend enjoyed her shrimp. We enjoyed our perfectly-cooked medium-rare porterhouse for two, glazed carrots, and creamed spinach. We had leftovers of everything, but our friend did not. The leftovers came back home with us, and became our dinner the night we got home. A great time was had by all.

 

I'd go back again. Except that there are so many other places we haven't been to yet, and still want to try, which means we almost never make a repeat visit anywhere in NYC!

 

Thanks for all the help, all of yinz.