THE EIGHTY SIX overall score: 96
The Eighty Six is a new intimate steakhouse that opened up in the former Chumley’s speakeasy space on Bedford & Barrow in the west village.
The name derives from the address 86 Bedford, which is the birthplace of the phrase “86’d” (when a restaurant has run out of an item). I’m going off of memory here, but the space historically had two entrances: One on Barrow, which used to be the main entrance; and one on Bedford (number 86), which was used as a secret exit for speakeasy patrons in the prohibition era. The proprietor would yell out “86” and patrons would know to leave out the secret door. As such, it became synonymous with “running out” of items at an establishment.
Chef Michael Vignola, the head honcho for many of Tilman Fertitta’s meaty restaurant ventures (Catch Steak, The Corner Store, Strip House, etc.), was there cooking up our feast. We had a lot to eat, so let me get into it.
First, make sure you watch this short video, because some of the items we had are only featured here in the video (I had some light trouble in the beginning of the meal, so I didn’t take photos of everything).
Flavor: 8
We had the aged 32oz porterhouse for two, hailing from Nielsen’s Family Farm in South Dakota.
This was nicely cooked to medium rare (a hair overdone and more toward the medium side, but no matter).
The fat on the strip side was perfectly rendered out, so that you could eat every bit of it. Nice crust, good char.
Most of the aged flavor rested in the tenderloin.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10
The menu here, like Chef Vignola’s other steak-focused restaurants, is packed with variety and unique cuts. They offer a rip cap steak, Vaca Vieja (old dairy cow – popular in Spain), and every type of steakhouse staple cut you can imagine, along with daily specials like a citrus fed wagyu.
Portion Size & Plating: 10
The plating here is astonishing for every item, from the martinis to the meats. I was also really impressed with the portion sizes. They really embraced the concept of a steakhouse from the roaring 20s, where everything was big and bold.
Price: 10
My instant reaction was that all of the prices were very fair, given how beef prices are insane, rent is insane, overhead is insane, etc. The porterhouse for two was $150 and the duck, which can easily feed four, was $195. They also went over the top for our special occasion (my wife’s birthday), and threw in a bunch of desserts on the house!
Bar: 10
This is a beautiful bar. There is seating for eight, but it can get pretty tight if you’re eating a large meal like we did. The bartenders here are the best in the business. Not only are they making cocktails for the whole restaurant, but they are also your servers and waiters, and at the same time making polite and enjoyable conversation with the whole bar as you eat your meal.
The cocktails here are also incredible. The smoked olive martini comes with a show, and it was probably one of the most unique flavored martinis I’ve ever had. Creamy/buttery, smoky, and it came with a trio of stuffed olives (caviar, blue cheese, anchovy).
Specials and Other Meats: 10
There are a ton of specials up and down the menu, from starters like the langoustines, to mains like the citrus wagyu, and mid courses like the caviar and truffle pasta dishes. We had the duck as one of our mains, and this was served with a confit salad as well as a foie gras sausage stuffed into the neck – it was insane! This stole the show for us. We both liked it better than the steak!
The pasta special that we tried was a butter and caviar based sauce, served with a really unique cocks comb pasta. We also tried the langoustines which were a seafood starter special. Both were really great. I liked that the bartender thought we should have some bread with the langoustine sauce, which was sort of like a buttery and spicy ragout.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 10
We started with the east coast oysters and langoustine special, followed by the potato croquette with caviar, and Spanish artichokes with tarragon emulsion.
For sides, we had the french fries, the brulee corn pot pie, and the truffle and leek creamed spinach. The creamed spinach really stood out as the winner here, but we brought the brulee corn home and it was even better cold from the fridge than it was at the restaurant. It firmed up into a pudding of sorts, and it was incredible!
Dessert was a blowout. First was a nice palate cleanser of lemon sorbet, followed by some Szechuan peppercorn and lemongrass dusted pineapple – a nice nod to Ernest Hemmingway, who used to hang out at Chumley’s and brought a pineapple there for the staff to try after returning from his travels (it was a foreign item to them). We also had the cheesecake, which was so good. I almost never enjoy cheesecake at restaurants, because none of the hold a candle to my sister’s. But this one was a killer. We also had a nice graham cracker, bananas foster and cream dessert, as well as mini ice cream sandwiches. Check the video above to see these.
Seafood Selection: 8
The items we tried were great (oysters and langoustines), but I’d like to go back and try more before I give a full review on this category. I’m holding this at an eight in the hope to expand on it further with some main course items.
Service: 10
I need to refer back to the end of the specials section and the entire bar section here, because the bartenders really impressed me. I saw how they remembered returning guests, took notes for improving on special request cocktails, and just overall exhibited the utmost care and professionalism.
Table bread is swapped out for some really nice pickles – a low carb treat! One with wasabi and horseradish, the other with chives.
Ambiance: 10
This is an incredible dining space. As I mentioned above, they really embraced the concept of a roaring 20s steakhouse, made intimate with the railcar aesthetic and actual art deco design elements. Bravo.
I know this place is tough to get into right now, but they just expanded their hours to accommodate walk ins. If you go there at 4pm you can put your name down, and you’ll likely get seated. Go do it!
THE EIGHTY SIX
86 Bedford Street
New York, NY 10014
