Best Steakhouse In New Jersey

[tommy]

Lou, sorry for the oversite. Of course you would catch the invite. And yes, Sparks is in someways better (wine list, wine value, varied menu, location and sometimes a better steak) but there's something about PL, at least for my money, and now you can have bacon!

i'd just as soon go to sparks. but then again i'd never liked the whole thing about sparks. but even more then again, i just dread going to brooklyn.

after i try sparks, though, i would want to go to luger's. i mean to say, i wouldn't want to go to sparks twice and not luger's once. i mean to say, when?

Edited September 21, 2004 by Jason Perlow (log)

[dbrociner]

I'm off every Monday

[RockADS21]

As I mentioned in a conversation with Lou, Sparks is the best steak I can recall ever having...I would like to check out the Luger's hype however, so pick a date and I am there...we talking lunch here or late afternoon?

[cbel964]

Let me tell you a little known secret.

The Anchor Inn in Ocean Gate, NJ (south of Toms River) is a GREAT, fantastic, little neighborhood restaurant.

They have the MOST delicious Delmonico steak, ever. Period...

Also their Lobster tail is the only one I would eat...

Service is friendly...but let me warn you, go early!

I order mine Medium Rare, and ALWAYS bring half home....

[Rail Paul]

Lou, sorry for the oversite. Of course you would catch the invite. And yes, Sparks is in someways better (wine list, wine value, varied menu, location and sometimes a better steak) but there's something about PL, at least for my money, and now you can have bacon!

i'd just as soon go to sparks. but then again i'd never liked the whole thing about sparks. but even more then again, i just dread going to brooklyn.

after i try sparks, though, i would want to go to luger's. i mean to say, i wouldn't want to go to sparks twice and not luger's once. i mean to say, when?

you'll only need to go a little bit into Brooklyn, about three blocks, to get to Peter Luger's. The neighborhood is quite eclectic, with Hasidim and Latino folks about.

If you drive over the Williamsburg bridge, two right hand turn and 100 feet puts you into their private, attended and guarded parking lot. Dee and I took the train over on Sunday and found it delightful. You can even walk back via the Williamsburg Bridge if you wish.

I found the porterhouse to be wonderful, with a salty butter crust and rare to medium rare center

[steakas]

I found the porterhouse to be wonderful, with a salty butter crust and rare to medium rare center

And how were the apps? Is what you ate at Lugers better than all of what's available in Jersey?

(I'm making an attempt to keep this a Jersey topic ).

[Rail Paul]

The menu is very simple:

porterhouse

lamb

sirloin

might have been other stuff

creamed spinach

very good fries (large, thick, crispy exterior, buttery center)

mozz and tomato and onion salad

might have been appies, we didn't order any. This is a manly place. Beef place. With rough wood tables, uncomfortable chairs, scuffed wood floors, draft Brooklyn beer, coat hooks on the walls. Almost evrybody ordered the double porterhouse, from what I could tell

It didn't look like a Mafia place. No record of anybody gunned down in front of the joint, so I'd give that point of history to Sparks. (I think Dutch Schultz was gunned down in Newark inside what's now a Subway restaurant. It was a bar back then)

[steakas]

The menu is very simple:

porterhouse

lamb

sirloin

might have been other stuff

I've been to Luger's and I love the place! If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, I'd eat there tonight. Where else have you had great steak (in Jersey)?

[tommy]

in Newark inside what's now a Subway restaurant. It was a bar back then)

damned subway.

[Lreda]

Tommy, I just noticed your posts are 3.65 % of all total posts. I agree to Luger's just based on the fact that it'll keep you off you're effin computer.

[tommy]

Tommy, I just noticed your posts are 3.65 % of all total posts.

and no filler. it's quite impressive really.

[Rail Paul]

The menu is very simple:

porterhouse

lamb

sirloin

might have been other stuff

I've been to Luger's and I love the place! If I knew I was going to die tomorrow, I'd eat there tonight. Where else have you had great steak (in Jersey)?

I'm not a big steak eater, although I have enjoyed the steaks at Sammy's in Mendham, and Bacchus in Fairfield. Mignon and Frankie & Johnnies (based on Tommy's recommendation), and Strip House in Livingston remain on my list.

Tommy tends to be a pretty good judge of food, and I'd think he'd enjoy Luger's. A group of folks visited there two weeks ago and pronounced it excellent. One highlight was the various steaks (four porterhouses) had distinctly different beefy tastes from steak to steak, although they were each wonderful.

My venture was a party of two, so we just had one steak.

[lrn376]

What about Ruth's Chris in Weehawken. Their porterhouse steaks for 2 are delicious.

[Lreda]

What about Ruth's Chris in Weehawken. Their porterhouse steaks for 2 are delicious.

Sorry, Ruth's Chris sucks.

I hate that plate with the butter and herbs. Cooks the steak in my plate, so I have to order it rare instead of MR. Just because it cooks in the 12 minutes it takes me to eat it.

I've taken to ordering it without the plate with butter on business meetings just so I'm not disappointed.

Still am though

Paul, by the way. I didn't mean to be rude. Thanks for the cheese. The 1st visit was more than enough. The Goat milk cheese was perfect. Sue & I loved as did our guests. Rock never showed.

Edited September 21, 2004 by Jason Perlow (log)

[dumpling]

The menu is very simple:

porterhouse

lamb

sirloin

might have been other stuff

creamed spinach

very good fries (large, thick, crispy exterior, buttery center)

mozz and tomato and onion salad

might have been appies, we didn't order any. This is a manly place. Beef place. With rough wood tables, uncomfortable chairs, scuffed wood floors, draft Brooklyn beer, coat hooks on the walls.  Almost evrybody ordered the double porterhouse, from what I could tell

It didn't look like a Mafia place. No record of anybody gunned down in front of the joint, so I'd give that point of history to Sparks. (I think Dutch Schultz was gunned down in Newark inside what's now a Subway restaurant. It was a bar back then)

Didn't Big Paul Castellano buy it at Sparks?

And Joey Gallo first fell in the clam sauce before he bit the dust on the curb at Umberto's?

Going back a little, Joe Masseria, one of the old "Mustache Pete" gangsters was done in by Lucky Luciano in a spaghetti joint in 1931.

Remeber the scene at the restaurant in "The Untouchables" where Robert DeNiro bashes the one of his lieutenant's head in while they are out eating dinner? Actually, that was not quite true. He actuall home runned two guys into their spaghetti at the dinner.

The moral of the story?

If you're in the Mafia, don't eat out.

Or at the very least never let your bodyguards go to the bathroom.

Classic trick when the bodyguard is in league to give you up(i.e. Joe Masseria).

[Rail Paul]

The menu is very simple:

porterhouse

lamb

sirloin

might have been other stuff

creamed spinach

very good fries (large, thick, crispy exterior, buttery center)

mozz and tomato and onion salad

might have been appies, we didn't order any. This is a manly place. Beef place. With rough wood tables, uncomfortable chairs, scuffed wood floors, draft Brooklyn beer, coat hooks on the walls.  Almost evrybody ordered the double porterhouse, from what I could tell

It didn't look like a Mafia place. No record of anybody gunned down in front of the joint, so I'd give that point of history to Sparks. (I think Dutch Schultz was gunned down in Newark inside what's now a Subway restaurant. It was a bar back then)

Didn't Big Paul Castellano buy it at Sparks?

Yup. I believe he was on his way out of Sparks, so at least he had a good last meal.

Although the history of Jewish and German gangsters in New York is long and interesting, there's no record of anyone being gunned down in front of Gage & Tollner or Peter Luger.

[Rail Paul]

Paul, by the way. I didn't mean to be rude. Thanks for the cheese. The 1st visit was more than enough. The Goat milk cheese was perfect. Sue & I loved as did our guests. Rock never showed. 

You are always a gracious and delightful host.

I suggested to Donna Ryan at Chikalicious that she try the Farmersville Manchego cheese that you sampled. My sense is the very nutty taste would go well with some of the sweeter elements they offer. Eran is at the Union Square GM on Wednesdays, so it's possible that may be on the menu some day.

[steakas]

steak ... the best is in NY? So, I guess I have to pay tolls to get the best?

[steakas]

River Palm Terrace in Edgewater has a better steak than any place I've been to.

[steakas]

My top 7 list for "NJ Restaurants I Want To Try This Year" in 2004:

Saddle River Inn

Moonstruck, Asbury Park

Mignon, Rutherford (1/31/04)

Frankie and Johnnie's, Hoboken

Kinchley's Tavern, Ramsey (1/11/04)

Whispers, Spring Lake

Rat's, Hamilton

My second stop was Mignon Steakhouse in Rutherford.

We arrived without a reservation and filled a no-show seat. Thank god, because it would have been over a 1 & 1/2 hour wait!

It started off with a great intro: bread served with Steak Tartare ($0)!

The six oysters on the 1/2 shell started the meal off on the right foot ($7). They were fresh and served in their own liquor which provided a pleasant "oceany" flavor. All were extremely fresh.

The "Lump" Crab Cakes ($8) lacked. They were somewhat bready, had a strange flavor and the "lump" part was missing. Also its crabmeat tasted pasteurized.

The mustard & pecan crusted lamb chops ($9) gave me the biggest eyebrow raise so far this year. The lamb wasn't that frozen New Zealand garbage which restaurants try to pawn off on people nowadays. The chops were cooked perfectly and served over some sort of reduction sauce, which tasted like it contained cooking droppings from the chops. They were served with mashed potatoes, which almost made for a meal in itself. The chops were simply delicious! I must have looked like a cannibal; I ripped ever last smidgen of lamb off with my teeth and left the plate looking like it came out of a dishwasher! What an appetizer – I bet they'd satisfy old man Cutlets.

Danielle ordered a Chicken Special ($18) which I didn't taste. It was a generous portion and she seemed to enjoy it.

One side dish was creamed spinach ($5), which was made with too much onion. The other side dish was sweet French fries ($4); they were okay, just reminded us of something we'd eat at Jenkinson's Boardwalk in July.

Being the carnivorous slob I am, I got the porterhouse for 2 ($45) - what a great deal. I ordered it without any questions to the server, which Danielle thought was odd. Besides, the waiter looked and spoke like a maroon.

The steak was cooked per spec. However it lacked characteristics of dry aging. The meat was soft, soggy and didn't have the mineral flavor that comes with proper dry aging. Much of the beef tissue hadn't broken down, which made it less tender than expected. In fact, at times it was challenging to cut.

Additionally, the beef wasn't the top prime. One of the characteristics of top prime is a fine-textured marbling of fat, consistently dispersed throughout. This steak had discrete chunks of fat in some spots and was deep red throughout.

After it was all said and done, I asked our waiter how their steaks are aged – just for clarification purposes (which is something I usually do before I order a steak). He went into the kitchen, came back and indicated it was wet aged. He noted the steaks arrive in cryovac bags from an off-site supplier. My aged conclusion therefore had basis.

All in all, the steak was tasty and is a great bang for the buck. The steak isn't the best in NJ. Better steaks in Jersey are served at River Palm Terrace, Strip House, Pete Lorenzo's Café, Sammy's Cider Mill, Morton's and the Old Homestead.

Mignon Steakhouse is a great place to eat meat and enjoy multi-couple dining. It was a good experience overall. Just next time I'll get the lamb chops for an appetizer, dinner and dessert!

PS: "maroon" is lingo my coworkers and I sometimes use for the term moron. Just didn't want you to think I was the moron .

[Rosie]

Info on Mignon here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...3489entry133489

[hitmanoo]

mmm... Sparks

I digress

While I won't get into a review of steakhouses I've dined at in NJ, I will mention a bit about the Striphouse in Livingston.

I've eaten at the Striphouse about 10 times. The service, while inconsistant, ranges from excellent to adequate. I've never had "bad" service there. There have been times where the service has been exceptional, and times where it hasn't been a highlight.

My problem with the Striphouse has been the food. The food has been just as inconsistant as the service, ranging from delicious to edible. In this case, there is no excuse. For their prices, the food must be consistantly good, if not excellent. The first time we dined their, we had the porterhouse for two, which was just heavenly. A succulant medium rare, cooked to perfection. Melt in your mouth perfection. However, we ordered that porterhouse at least 2 other times, and it was disappointing.

On my most recent trip, I ordered the lamb chops, medium rare. When I received them, they could have used a few more minutes to reach rare. They were fatty and chewy. My friend, and fellow egullet member, schmooty, could have taught them a thing or two about preparing lamb chops.

Don't get me wrong, I've had many an outstanding meal at the Striphouse. I'd just like to see them reach a level of consistant excellence, especially for the money they are charging.

In addition, the meals were superior when we first started going their than they've been recently. Believe me, I will think twice about returning to the Striphouse.

I'd rather spend a little less for a better steak at Richie Cecere's

[Lreda]

Wow!! Are you comparing Richie's to The Strip House? I like the Strip House although the service and wine list suck. The Steak's are that good. I also like the early bird special.

Should keep my mouth shut as they are competition but I can't help offering my opinion. Steaks good, service medicore, always a different bartender everytime I go.

Effin steaks are usually good. They just don't have the special they list. I'm off on Thursday's and how can you not have what the special you list on a Thursday when you're heading into the weekend.

[hitmanoo]

Not really comparing Richie's to the Striphouse. Just saying that you get better consistancy, and better value for your dollar.

When everything goes right, the Striphouse is just out of this world. However, when spend over $150 on dinner for 2 you expect it to be exceptional everytime. What distinguishes a top steakhouse from the average steakhouse is consistant excellence. Until the Striphouse manages that in terms of both service and food, they'll fail in their effort to be a "top" steakhouse.

My mentioning of Richies was only to say that they are consistant. I know what I'll be getting each time I go there, which hasn't been the case for the Striphouse.

[sabg]

i was at luger on sat night with husband and clients. the steak was EXCELLENT but i think the shrimp wer good but nowhere near great. i know people love the big sliced tomatoe and onion but to me that is not an appetizer. loved the creamed spinach and the pot were fair. i have been there quite a few times and still feel i can make a comparable steak at home from lobels.

i love f&J. so much nicer. love the bar and they have tablecloths, which i know has nothing to do with steak but i like it.

for app we had crab cakes, they were ok but the others loved them, shrimp cocktail, v good., pot v good, creamed spinach was v good also but seemed to have cream ch in it possibly. i know i had a salad and enjoyed it but dont remember the details. i like the sauce better than lugers also. waitress was great and so were they bartenders.

and if after all that food/drink you can still move its a nice area to walk around.

my last dinner as a single woman was at sparks with a girlfriend, so i have very fond memories.