Big Steak is king in the vast wasteland of Manhattan’s midtown “Bankville,” but Japanese cuisine is a strong and worthy adversary that’s rapidly encroaching on its territory (especially for lunch).
My wife and I stopped into one such Japanese joint, Iroha, for a quick dinner bite at the bar before seeing a Broadway show, and we were both pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, the plating presentation and the price.
First off, there is a coupon for a free mug of beer online that you can use from 5-7pm. That was perfect for us, since our show was at 7pm.
We ordered a bunch of shit, and we could have kept going, because everything looked fucking awesome.
First was this amazing glass cup of rawness. Uni, salmon, salmon roe, tuna, yellow tail and avocado. Not only was it beautiful, but it was absolutely devourable. Get it. I can’t recall the name of it for the life of me, but you can’t miss the pretty picture in the highly visual menu.
Next was a pork belly and soft boiled egg appetizer, which had three generously sized thick-ass hunks of braised belly. Perfection. It’s ramen toppings without the soup and noodles, essentially. Can’t go wrong with bacon and eggs, ever.
I ordered a small version of the all-salmon Chirashi bowl (Salmon Oyako Don), which had four pieces of salmon sashimi and a good blob of briny and savory salmon roe. The sushi rice beneath was surprisingly tasty, and was topped with a good amount of fresh wasabi, ginger and sesame seeds.
My wife ordered a grilled eel dish that came with a LOT of eel (in the pic, there is an entire second slab of eel that is not visible because it is UNDER the rice). It is served with a miso broth of sorts, to mix in with the sweet-yet-savory flavored rice. There’s also a plate of pickled items and some puffed rice for a crunchy texture element.
In short, this place is great, and it is representative of the strong and growing force that is Japanese cuisine in midtown. We sat at the bar, and the guys were plating everything right in front of us. Some of the salad items were tremendous and included tons of proteins (fish). I will definitely be back here to try more shit in the future.
My wife and I ordered some take-out from this joint. It was a little pricey, but the food was pretty good. I imagine it would be much better at the actual restaurant, because at home, in the to-go containers, things were a bit messy.
I got the chicken burrito, which was filled with a good amount of nicely grilled chicken, rice, beans, plenty of cheese, sauteed mushrooms and peppers, and a nice sauce.
It came with refried beans and rice, as well as some lettuce, sour cream and guacamole.
My wife had the chili rellenos dish. They came to us completely unassembled/unstuffed, but the components were all nicely cooked and tasty, all pepper skin was removed, and this, too, came with rice and beans. Doesn’t look like much, however.
We even got some tortilla chips and salsa, as we would have, had we dined in the restaurant.
This relatively new ramen joint just offered up a Groupon deal that included two bowls of ramen for $19.
We tried the tonkotsu (pork) and beef bowls. Both were a little bit weak in terms of broth strength, and the noodles themselves were a bit too soft/overcooked. The beef bowl came with straight alkali noodles, two slices of beef short rib, bamboo shoots, corn, cabbage, green onions and bean sprouts.
The broth had more of a Chinese soup flavor as opposed to the characteristic Japanese flavors you might normally associate with ramen. The meat was tender, but I think the use of cabbage watered down the broth too much and took away from what was meant to be a more full, thick and murky stock.
The better of the two was the tonkotsu, mainly because it came with seasoned boiled egg, which was the best part about both bowls of ramen here.
The pork meat was better too, and this came with mushrooms as well as the bamboo shoots, corn and green onion. The noodles in this were wavy egg style.
They offer a good happy hour with $3 beer and $5 wine, which is cool, but outside of using a Groupon I am not sure this place is ultimately worth your while. At full price I would have been annoyed at the quality, but since it was only $19 for two bowls it didn’t hurt as much. Caveat Emptor.
Nestled below a pole dancing and twerking school (I shit you not; you can see the poles in the windows above the right hand side of the entrance in the photo), is Akbar Palace.
We scored a flash deal for this joint: $20 gets you $40. The management was nice enough to honor our Groupon even after the expiration date too, which was cool.
Each table gets some flat cracker type bread with some chutneys.
There was tamarind sauce (left), apricot chutney (center), and a really nice tomato, onion and pepper chutney that I never tried before (right). That was my favorite of the three.
We started with a pair of apps that sounded delicious but ended up being a bit flat from our expectations. First was the pepper crusted scallops. I liked that they had a good grilled-on-the-flattop flavor, but the portion size was a bit small.
Same goes for the crispy calamari. The tempura-esque coating was interesting, though I didn’t get that curry leaf flavor that I expected from the menu description.
My wife ordered a boneless lamb dish but got semi-bone-in goat instead. No matter – it was really tasty, and the meat was tender.
I had chicken makhani, which is like chicken tikka, but served in a mildly spicy tomato and yogurt sauce. This was pretty good. The meat was of good quality and the sauce was nice over rice, or on top of the naan bread.
The naan was good. It was soft, yet crisp, and had good texture from the tandoori oven flames. It was lightly coated with olive oil as well.
We skipped dessert since we had the lassis earlier. They were smooth and creamy, tart and sweet, and ice cold. Perfect. This place is known for its mango lassis. They are truly excellent, so if you go here, make sure you try one.
I felt that the bill was a bit high even after applying our $40 credit to it. We still had to shell out $50 for the remainder, the tax and the tip. Does this look like a $90 meal to you? I don’t know… I’m starting to think that some of these Groupon deals aren’t so good. As Admiral Ackbar would say (namesake of this restaurant?): IT’S A TRAP!
My official recommendation on this flash deal: skip it, but stop by for a mango fucking lassi if you’re in the area.
Kate, the owner of Thai Select, invited me and my wife into the restaurant for a press meal to sample, and yammer about, some of their delicious menu selections.
I nearly got killed by three people going about 40mph on bicycles getting that shot, so please take the time to appreciate it more than usual. It was partially my fault, as I wasn’t watching where I was walking, but whatever. Bicycles still suck.
Anyway this joint is located in the heart of what I am now calling Thai Town in NYC. That’s 9th avenue from the 30s through the 50s. There are TONS of Thai joints on that stretch, and competition is pretty fucking fierce! There are lots of good places to dine here, and also lots of shitty ones as well. You need to know which is which, and that’s what I’m here for.
Thai Select is one of the good ones. In fact, it’s probably one of the best. The inside is decorated with a lounge-like atmosphere, with exposed brick, a long bench seat with two-top tables going along the entirety of the wall.
There’s a bar on the opposite end that goes about a third of the length of the entire restaurant. There’s even a back area that is elevated, almost like a stage, for larger groups.
Chef Toni explained that on Friday and Saturday nights it gets pretty jammed. This was a Monday at 6pm, so we had some elbow room to eat, at least for a little while. It did get to nearly full capacity by time we left at around 7:30pm, which is a good sign.
They offer happy hour from 4pm to 7pm, and allow you to take advantage of those deals from your table. $4 beers is a pretty great deal, for one, but there are others as well. We started by sipping on this cocktail made with citron vodka, canton, fresh ginger and lime called the Springter. It was incredibly refreshing and bright.
Chef Toni sat with us and explained some of the new endeavors that Thai Select is undertaking. One is a new healthy menu, where everything is gluten free, no MSG and no saturated fats, and which highlights the health benefits of various Thai herbs and ingredients.
The offerings on this portion of the menu roll out officially next month, and they actually look really good, even the vegetarian stuff!
Chef Toni has been in the restaurant biz for about seven and a half years, and is already juggling two other joints nearby in Thai Town, in addition to this one.
He’s created a menu that is accessible and familiar to people of all cultures, whether it is American, Indian or Latin, in addition to classic Thai dishes and flavor profiles. Everything is made in house from scratch, all the way down to the dumpling wrappers. Toni’s expertise shines in the food. Everything we tasted was really excellent, so let’s get into it:
We started with this bowl of moo dad deaw, or “pork poppers.” This is small bits of pork jerky that are crispy on the outside and served with a spicy, “fire sauce” that reminded me very much of the sauces made in Vietnam for eating with fried foods. It’s like a sri racha, but more orange colored and slightly sweet, as opposed to all spicy.
I couldn’t eat these things fast enough. I ripped through that bowl like nothing. I could eat buckets of this shit. PLEASE – if you like meat snacks of any kind – do yourself a favor and order this when you go. You won’t be disappointed. If this was sold in bags, I’d be stockpiling for armageddon.
Next we tried the peanut dumplings.
These are stuffed with sweet turnip and ground peanut, and served with a sweet soy sauce.
The wrapper had the texture of a really nicely executed dim sum dumpling, but it held up to cutting without falling apart. Really tasty and healthy to boot.
Toni also brought out one of their better selling appetizer items, the crab rangoon.
These are hand made deep fried wanton wrappers filled with whipped cream cheese and crab meat. They were very creamy and soft inside, but crisp on the outside, and came with a light duck sauce for dipping. While I’m generally not a fan of cream cheese with any sort of meat, these were definitely addicting.
The entree I chose was a Bangkok spice pork stir fry wok dish.
It came with fresh peppers (spicy green chili and sweet red bell alike), green beans and onions. And a nice little cone of rice:
This was a really tasty dish. It had the kick that I expect from good Thai food, but without going over the top to blow out my palette.
My wife had what I think was the winning dish of the night. She ordered the pineapple curry duck.
This robust, spicy-yet-sweet curry is one of the best I’ve had. The duck was placed on top, skin side up, to keep all that delicious fried skin good and crispy throughout. This is actually smoked duck from Canada, so there is less chewy fat under the skin than normal.
There is no waste when you eat this – none at all. No bones, no messy picking up and chewing or gnawing through cartilage or fat, and no sticky smelly fingers afterward. It was awesome. And that curry. MAN! Toni should jar it and sell it at grocery stores. It was garnished with red bell peppers, tomato, green beans, fresh basil leaves, bamboo shoots and chunks of pineapple. Killer dish. No wonder why it is another one of their top sellers.
For dessert we had the fried bananas with coconut ice cream, which was drizzled with honey and chocolate syrup, and sprinkled with toasted and untoasted sesame seeds.
The ice cream was good and flavorful without being too sweet, as were the fried banana egg rolls. We washed this down with some ginger tea and Thai iced tea, which was nicely adorned with a straw-wrapper rose:
I love that chai tea flavor with sweet milk. It reminds me of the smell of fresh pipe tobacco for some reason.
That about wraps it up. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed eating. Check this place out when you’re in the area and tell them I sent you.
This is a relatively recent addition to the smaller scale steakhouse scene. The cuisine here is Latin American/South American style, but with a focus on steak, being a steakhouse and all.
This time we had three people dining, so we were able to sample a bit more than usual. Here’s the breakdown:
Flavor: 9
We had this massive 40oz tomahawk rib eye that was dry aged for 70 days. This is on special right now for $95, so if you like what you see, go get it while supplies last!
They bring it out to the table while it’s still sizzling hot. Then they take it back and let it rest before slicing and plating.
The meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. I held back from full points only because I think it needed a little bit more seasoning.
Both the cap and the eye were delicious and cooked perfectly to medium rare. Here’s a shot of the remaining hunk of bone:
We also did a mixed grill item (parrillada mixta) for $59, which came with skirt steak, languica (sausage), sirloin, pork belly, pork tenderloin, chicken and blood sausage. For non-discriminating meat lovers, this is totally the way to go.
That green sauce is a cilantro based spread that specifically goes well with the pork and chicken.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10
This place regularly offers skirt, two strips (48oz bone in, and a 16oz), rib eye (22oz), two filets (8oz and 14oz), porterhouse for two, and a mixed grill for two. In addition, they also offer daily specials from the meat department. That’s a full blown 10. Plus all steaks are prime and grilled on an authentic plancha.
Portion Size & Plating: 10
Portions are large for the price. As you can see above, presentation is very nice as well. They’ve elevated the traditional steakhouse minimalist plating concept to something that pops.
Price: 10
Prices are really fair here, though slightly different in the restaurant than they are online (not by much). Most porterhouses for two are coming in at around $100 now, but here it is listed at $79. Also the massive 48oz sirloin steak for two is under $50, and the 22oz rib eye is listed at just $42. These are great deals if you’re on a budget but still want some good quality meat.
Bar: 9
This bar is massive. It stretches almost the full length of the restaurant from front to back. While you do not have window seating, there is ample room and a beautiful decor to take in. Just take a look at that skull and horns center piece!
There’s a great selection of Argentinian wines and some really nice cocktails as well.
Specials and Other Meats: 9
There’s a 20oz double cut pork chop, Peruvian roasted chicken, and a mixed grill for two that comes with a host of tasty shit. As mentioned above, we ordered the special tomahawk chop that was offered. Amazing meat-centric place! Just missing lamb and veal.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8
We started with some empanadas, which were filled with prime beef, raisins, cilantro and aji amarillo aioli. These were perfectly crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. Not too hot where you burn your mouth, and the flavors were really well balanced when eating with some of the pickled red onion.
On the side we had the cauliflower mashed potatoes, which were creamy and flavorful. You’d never know you were eating a healthier version of the standard mashed potato dish.
We also tried the sauteed yucca. These were a little dry and under-seasoned, but the crunchy texture was great.
The brussels with bacon were perfect. Great char, good flavor. This is the ideal side for a meat eating extravaganza, because it comes with additional meat in the form of thick bacon. We actually didn’t order this: it was complimentary – nice surprise!
Since we were busting-at-the-seams full, we all shared a dessert. Espresso flan. This had a nice even and smooth texture, with a very nice, not-too-sweet coffee flavor.
Seafood Selection: 8
There’s cod, corvina and seabass in entree form, in addition to the apps of ceviche, grilled octo, calamari, mussels, shrimp and oysters. Really great showing! When I come back for the giant bone-in sirloin, I will be definitely giving the ceviche and octopus a try. Until then, I have to score this with a placeholder of eight. I’m sure it will be a higher score once I sink my teeth in to actually try the seafood.
Service: 10
Owner Tommy and waitress Maria were both fantastic. In fact all of the staff was warm and helpful. Maria offered great menu suggestions, and really knew her shit. It was interesting to learn from Tommy that his brother is the chef, and that they also own 1 2 3 Burger Shot Beer, just nearby, as well as a spot downtown. Our “doggie bag” was from there:
I may as well mention it here: the table bread here is actually fried, flavored pasta! Really crunchy and good.
Ambiance: 9
They’ve really made the best out of this typically narrow, storefront/brownstone location on 9th Avenue. They’ve done such a great job that this place easily contends with some of the gigantic, fancy steakhouses in midtown. The decor here is really classy and elegant. It’s Latin American/South American, but it’s not hitting you over the head with that fact. It’s subtle. The smaller size of this joint allows you to enjoy a more intimate or low key experience. However it’s great for dates as well as large groups, because once you get beyond the bar, the restaurant opens up to a wider dining space. Since the kitchen is a massive expanse down at the basement level, K*Rico takes full advantage of every square foot of space on the main dining floor. Very smart use of space.
This Hell’s Kitchen pot-head pizza bar recently opened on 10th Ave and is owned by the same folks who run Pony Bar.
The beer selection is good, and they have a happy hour deal until 7pm where every draft beer is only $4 per pint.
On Mondays they run a special where all 12″ specialty pizzas are $9. Me and a buddy went in to try everything out. We tried three pizzas, to be exact. The margherita, the clam, and the prosciutto and arugula. The crust on all was good and crisp. It had a little bit of chew to it but was executed perfectly. These guys are using a wood fired oven, so the flavor is perfect.
For $9 a pop on Mondays this is a steal. While some of them might be a bit overpriced on other days, you’re at least getting good quality shit. I will definitely be back on another Monday to try out some more pizzas. Plus the happy hour deal is killer.
NYC has gone bonkers with the opening of its first official Chick-Fil-A restaurant (not counting the small, kiosk shop in an NYU cafeteria downtown, of course).
Amid equal parts protest and jubilation, the joint seems to be off and running to a great start. If you’re living under a rock and don’t know, Chick-Fil-A is all about the “traditional marriage” (knee slap) of fried chicken and sandwich bread to form the holy and spiritual union of said ingredients into one righteous chicken sandwich.
Needless to say, lines have been out the door since said doors have been open.
I ran down at noon on a Saturday and, to my surprise, the line ended AT the door. I was literally in the vestibule at the end of the line, and was told that the experience would only take about 10 mins. That was an accurate estimate, if not a “conservative” (kneeslap) one. I was probably back out the door, food in hand, within 8 minutes.
But my timing was impeccable. One could even say my timing was, oh, I don’t know… divinely inspired? Perhaps providential? As I left, I turned and noticed that the line had grown to go OUT the door and around the block:
Anyway, I ordered about $18 worth of food, which consisted of the traditional sandwich with cheese, lettuce and tomato:
The spicy sandwich with a spicy breading, pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato:
An 8-piece nuggets, with all the sauces:
And a medium order of waffle fries:
As far as fast food goes, this comes in on the upper 75th percentile, I’d say. I’ve had better, but I’ve definitely had worse. The chicken is tender and juicy, but when competing in NYC with the likes of places like Fuku+ for a chicken sandwich, there’s really no choice. Anyway take a look at the inside:
In conclusion I’ll say this: sort of like the entire Chick-Fil-A controversy itself, there’s just more hype and loud voices than actual substance when it comes to the taste of Chick-Fil-A. If you’re like me and you absolutely MUST try something that looks interesting, for fear of missing out, then go for it! But since this place is somewhat out of my hood, I will probably be sticking to Fuku+ from now on, which is literally just a few streets away and SO much better.
One last thing I’ll say is that the service truly was incredible, which is something that Chick-Fil-A is known for. Everyone was super friendly and accommodating, and the whole process was really fast. If I may say so, it was probably one of the best fast food buying experiences of my life. So there you have it.
This joint is home to some really excellent cocktails.
I had been eyeballing the place for a while, and when a buddy was in town and staying at a hotel nearby, we decided to go in.
Our bartender, Albert, mixed up the absolute, hands-down best Old Fashioned I have ever tasted. On the menu it is called a Winona, and is made with a few flourishes to the standard ingredients, the most impressive of which is its delivery in a smoke infused bottle.
Watch as the smoke billows out and creates a nose for the drink as you sip it:
I’m not big on the whole “mixology” thing. Mixing drinks is cool but I still call it bartending. Bartending with interesting ingredients doesn’t require a scientific-sounding name. It’s all about pairing flavors, and that’s what any good bar tender should be able to do. Albert is one of those people who takes pride in what he does. He isn’t afraid to try new things and come up with new drinks. I even told him about the Germain Scotsman. His initial reaction was “mixing peaty scotch with anything is blasphemy,” but he embraced the drink with an open mind and found that he actually liked it! It works on many levels.
Anyway, after another visit here for drinks with ANOTHER friend who was in town and staying in midtown, my wife and I finally made it over to try out some of the food.
We started with the scotch eggs. These seem to be made with quail eggs, so the ratio of egg to breading is a bit off. While they tasted really good, had good seasoning and crunch, the egg just got lost a little bit in the breading.
The dry rub chicken wings had nice flavor. If I had to guess, it was some kind of mild jerk spice rub. Very interesting. Good crunch on the outside and nicely cooked inside, and served with a celery and jicama slaw.
We also dug into the pork terrine. The meat was a bit more solid than I expected. When stuff like this is served with toast, I expect more of a spreadable texture. The taste was nice, however, and paired nicely with the mustard and jicama, pepper and cabbage slaw.
Our last savory course was the burger with blue cheese.
I ordered medium, and that seems about right to me on the inside. Perhaps just a bit over?
The pickles, bun, lettuce, tomato and cheese were all on point, but the meat was a little grainy in texture. I think maybe the beef was over worked after it went through the grinder to become a patty. It also could have used a bit more seasoning.
The new version of their burger features 4oz smoked patties and a red onion bacon jam. Way better.
Fries were shoestring style – like McDonalds (a good thing).
For dessert we tried the blueberry upside down cake. This was essentially three small muffin sized cakes served with fresh blueberries (both in the cake and as garnish), tangy orange/lemon curd, whipped cream and basil.
The flavors worked really well together, and the cake was warm and fresh. Even my wife, a baker, gave it her seal of approval.
I’ll definitely be back to try a few more items from the food menu, but it seems like the drinks are really the star of the show here. Nicely done!
UPDATE! IMPROVED BURGER & SECRET BURGER, SAME GREAT COCKTAILS!
I recently dined here for a fourth time, and I’ve confirmed that the wagyu long bone rib eye is by far the greatest steak I’ve ever eaten.
The quality of the flesh is just outstanding. Every bit of it is edible, juicy and savory. Del’s uses a lot of crushed pepper to get a good crust on their steaks, and that “rub,” so to speak, really permeates down to the center of the meat and imparts flavor from end to end.
Fucking unbelievable. I was even gnawing on the bone.
As you can see in the background of one of the other pics, there’s another chunk of steak on my plate. My buddy and I split both the wagyu long bone, and the boneless strip.
As you can see, it was also cooked perfectly, and crusted with that great peppercorn rub – the strip is on the left, and the wagyu is on the right. Although the strip can not hold a candle to that wagyu in terms of insane flavor, it was still one of the best strip steaks I’ve ever had. Del’s just really knows what’s up.
My wife ordered the special cowboy bone in rib eye that was on the menu. This, too was excellent.
You really can’t go wrong with any cut of meat here. Porterhouse is excellent as well:
My buddy’s wife ordered the 12oz filet, and that was great as well. Buttery, savory, peppery and juicy.
As you can see from the pics above, some of the plating wasn’t as pretty as in the past. It seems like Del’s got rid of their signature chopped parsley across the top and on the plate. They also failed to wipe up some of the juices from when they placed the steak on the plate and then adjusted the positioning. Not a big deal though, especially considering how delicious every cut of meat is at this joint.
The first app that we tried this time was burrata. I thought it was a little too light on the cheese and too heavy on the tomatoes, but the quality was excellent.
The escargot was nicely executed. While I’ve had better at French joints, this was served on toasted bread like bruscetta, and in a really nice buttery sauce.
The crab legs we ordered were super pricey, but super fresh. These are dangerous because you could really eat your entire paycheck in just a few minutes time.
After the crab legs, our awesome waiter Luke brought out some hot towels and a lemon wedge to clean up from handling the shells.
But in all honesty it wasn’t needed, because with the insane service you get at Del’s, the shells are already cracked, opened and easy for meat extracting.
The chateau potatoes we ordered on the side were a bit dry. They were skin-on mashed potatoes with garlic and some spinach greens. Perhaps if they were served with a gravy they’d be killer.
The pancetta is what made these brussels really great. I prefer a harder roast and some char on my brussels, in general, but they were nice and tiny so the surface area was coated nicely with all the seasonings and flavors. It didn’t get monotonous-tasting like brussels sometimes can.
For dessert, we tried the lemon cake, as it is a crowd favorite and secret menu gem, as well as the sweet potato casserole (with ice cream on top). I have to say that the version at Ruth’s Chris is better. That lemon cake, though, is wonderful. The cake is moist without being too heavy or dense. And while there is a LOT of frosting on this baby, it is really tasty and I didn’t think it was overly sweet.
The other cake on the plate there with the lemon cake is something that the staff sent out for us on the house, since it was my buddy’s birthday. It was a butter cake with caramel ice cream. That shit was the best desert of the night, and it’s right up there with my favorites of all time.
The outside held a nice crunchy sweet crust, but the inside was buttery sweet with a slight bit of savory to boot. Drizzled with a little bit of sweet caramel and maple syrup type of shit, it really hit the spot.
Then the bad news showed up. DAMN! But worth every penny.
The bar here is still amazing, as I remembered. It was packed out all night, really great buzz. And the bread served at the table comes with a really soft whipped butter that has just the right amount of salt content.
So Del’s ended up remaining at a 97/100. I pulled one point for the apps/sides, since the burrata and the potatoes were both somewhat failures. I considered pulling a point for the plating since the plates weren’t as pretty as the past, but I reconsidered because that seems petty and retarded. I tacked on a point for price, though, since I really feel that despite the astronomical pricing of some of the shit here, it really is worth the money. If you’re going to splurge on a steak dinner, you may as well do it the right way. That means going to Del’s and being fully aware of the wallet rape that is to come.
Del Frisco’s Overall Score: 97/100 – price moved from 8/10 to 9/10, and apps/sides/desserts moved from 10/10 to 9/10. So we evened out and remained at 97.
Ever since I became obsessed with NYC steakhouses back in 2000, I have heard overwhelmingly great things about Del Frisco’s “Double Eagle” Steakhouse. I finally nailed down a time to go with a group of old friends and coworkers when one was back in town from California. A nice 25 second stroll from my office took me to one of the best steakhouses in the city. A second trip to this joint in December of 2012 solidified Del Frisco’s place in my top five. New info added on that trip is in italics. After a third trip, comments in BOLD, this place is tied for first.
Flavor: 10
I ordered the ribeye that they had on special; a 22oz bone-in cut of heaven. It had a nice seasoned crust, the kind of marbled fat that just melts away and gets really soft, and it was perfectly cooked. It could have rested another two minutes, but that didn’t alter juice or flavor qualities. My friend ordered the filet. I had a bite of that, and it was delicious and well seasoned too. Del Frisco’s certainly lived up to the hype for me in terms of flavor. On a second trip with a couple of buddies from Junior High, High School and beyond, I ordered the house special: the double eagle bone-in strip. It, too was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. On the third trip I had the $94 wagyu ribeye, which was easily one of the best steaks I’ve ever had in my life (if not THE best). It was 32oz of pure heaven. Delicious flavor from end to end; juicy, tender, and cooked to a perfect medium rare. See the pic below:
rib eye, strip, filet
32oz wagyu ribeye
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10
Everything on the menu is prime quality. They only have the four basic cuts (filet, ribeye, porterhouse and strip), but they offer several varieties of each, like the 38oz longbone American “wagyu” ribeye and some specials (see below). This makes up for the initial point I was going to take for not having anything outside the basics. Del Frisco’s shows that when you do the basics the right way, nothing else is needed.
Portion Size & Plating: 9
The filet comes in two flavors: vaginal (8oz) and quasi-manly (12oz). They also have 16oz strips and ribeyes (boneless) – a bit on the small side but not horrific. They also offer a signature bone-in “double eagle” strip at 26oz, as well as a 24oz porterhouse, and a special bone-in filet at 16oz. The relatively smaller sizes make it easy for the eye to wander to the 38oz “wagyu” ribeye at 2x the price, or the specials at 1.5x the price. Well worth the up-charge, in my opinion. The plating is super-basic. But for real men with balls swinging between their legs, plating isn’t really something you go yammering to your friends about anyway.
Price: 8 (now 9/10)
In my opinion the price was a bit on the hefty side for the size of the cuts, but relatively on par with other NYC steakhouses of even footing. What they lack in size is made up for in taste, so you kinda even out on price value. The filets are $40 and $47, ribeye $46, and strip $48. The porterhouse comes in at $58, and the wagyu at $92. The specials ran in the mid $60 range. The signature crab cake comes in at a pricey, but worthy, $21 (crab cake went up $1 since last visit, but I guess that’s just standard inflation). My martini at the bar was $18.50 (an incredible $20 when you leave a tip). The total bill for two appetizers, three beers, a vodka tonic, two steaks, two sides and a dessert was about $300 (tax and tip included). On my second trip, I took a photo of the elusive Mr. William Price, that way you scumbags can see just exactly what everything cost:
William Price
I HAD to include the bill from the third visit, simply because it oozed manliness (with the exception of the trio of filets that was ordered… and the patron cafe’s were also mocked as well):
Bar: 10
The main bar is really beautiful. Del Frisco’s has a wide open floor plan with a nice wrap-around bar internally positioned alongside the high windows in the corner of the restaurant. There is also a nice sized second bar on the second floor with a couple of flat panel TVs for sports. The martini could have used a little less vermouth, and was a bit pricey, but overall the bar experience was great. This is definitely an after work spot worth checking out after a hard day at the office, even if you don’t eat the meat. On my second trip, the martinis were made much nicer, our incredible waiter Tim introduced me to one of the most delicious, peaty scotches I have ever tasted (Ardbeg Corryvreckan), and we also ordered a wine from the extensive wine list. I also took note of an interesting passage featured above the bar: DO RIGHT AND FEAR NO MAN. The quote, as far as I can tell, dates back to a 15th century proverb out of England, and then later common in 18th century Scotland. On the third visit I had a chat with the manager about my score for the bar. I flat out told him that I just have a personal hold-out in giving this place a 10 because the martini is so fucking expensive. It really is an awesome bar though, and there are actually two bars (there’s one upstairs with a TV)… so… in the interest of making sure this place ties for first among NYC steakhouses, I am reluctantly giving full points here despite the cost of a martini.
Specials and Other Meats: 10
Aside from the “wagyu” ribeye, the other carcasses were on the order of lamb chops, veal porterhouse, pork porterhouse and roasted chicken. That covers the whole basic range. Those are all standard menu items, so it is a good selection for people who don’t feel like being a man. On special there was the 22oz bone-in ribeye, which I had ($65). There was also the conundrum 16oz bone-in filet ($68) and trio of filets (also somewhere in the low to mid $60s range). They also had some seasonal shellfish special appetizers too.
two 8oz lamb chops – fantastic
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 10 (now 9/10)
I had been told – no ORDERED – by a friend to get the crab cake, so I did. It was a succulent 4oz ball with mostly lump crab meat and a bit of breadcrumb for texture. It sat upon a nice spicy lobster-based, peppery sauce. The creamed spinach, called “spinach supreme,” had bacon folded into it, perhaps cheese as well. Delicious. My friend recommended the skillet potato dish as well – which was like fresh homemade potato chips topped with sauteed caramelized onions; not too greasy, not too salty. Really tasty. For dessert, we ordered a massive slice of lemon cake that was not on the menu (a secret item they don’t generally offer – you have to know about it). To quote one friend, it was WAY more moist than Starbucks’ lemon loaf, that is for damned sure. I’m generally not a cake person but it was yummy, even if rumors say it is made from four boxes of Duncan Hines cake mix. On a second trip, we had a dozen oysters, lobster mac & cheese, steak tartare, and the obligatory crab cakes and creamed spinach. I must say, the lobster mac & cheese was freaking delicious. It was nice and creamy, it had great crunch for texture, and the lobster bits were pretty good too. The oysters were perfect, but the steak tartare was one of the best and largest orders I’ve ever had. It had to be a solid 2-3 inches high, and 3-4 inches on each side. A nice brick of raw meat. What better way to prime the gullet before a nice steak dinner?
tartare & oysters
special burrata app
Seafood Selection: 10
An impressive selection of caviar graced the appetizer menu in addition to the delicious shellfish selections. On the entree menu was sea bass, scallops, salmon, tuna and a special catch of the day, as well as lobster. They also offered some special seafood items on the appetizer angle that weren’t on the menu. If you have a bleeding vagina, these might tempt you to not get steak.
Service: 10
Our waitress may have forgotten a water here and there but it was busy. She was very nice though, thorough, and wanted to personally thank us and email us deals and things. She certainly presented the specials in such a way that they were deemed much better than the regular menu items; perhaps looking for that up charge? Hey, if she did, then it worked on me… but it was worth it. I asked her about the differences between the standard 16oz and special 22oz ribeyes. She showed a well-versed meat lingo, but essentially said that one was bone-in and one was boneless. When our steaks arrived, the server asked us to cut into the center so he could make sure it was cooked properly. There was a warm sesame bread loaf and soft whipped butter as well. Our service was excellent on the second trip. Our waiter Tim went really above and beyond expectations. Before we could even remind him that we had ordered two plates of oysters, he came by with the second. He offered great insight into our scotch selections at dessert, and he helped us navigate the extensive wine list when picking a bottle to drink while eating our steak. He certainly knew his meat too, so I am giving the full 10 points here. While settling up the bill, I handed Tim one of my cards to let him know that I’d be giving the joint a great review and adding some points on his account. After that, Scott, the regional manager of the Del Frisco’s restaurant group, came over to greet us and thank us for our business. This is the kind of top notch service that really makes me smile, and want to go back for thirds.
Ambiance: 10
Del Frisco’s is set up with a nice, classy open design. It is semi-corporate in feel, simply by virtue of the surrounding neighborhood, but it still feels like old, art-deco New York. Despite its vastness, it manages to be really warm and inviting. There are floor to ceiling windows 30ft high. Beautiful views. This place would be amazing around the holidays. There was a bathroom attendant, but otherwise it was a normal style bathroom, nothing fancy. Just clean.
UPDATE 7/23/17
Dry Aged Strip: 10/10
This baby is delicious. A bit pricey at $70 for the special “up-charge” steak, but the flavor was excellent.
