Tag Archives: steak

Filet Mignon, Nolita/Soho, NY Strip, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Il Mulino Prime

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Il Mulino Prime overall score: 84

I came here with two other guys from law school, so we were able to give the menu a real good attack! Check it out.

Flavor: 9

We had the dry aged strip, the dry aged rib eye, and the 10oz filet mignon. All were really great. Nicely cooked to medium rare, and good aged flavor on these prime cuts.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9

There’s a great selection of prime cuts here with multiple sizes and age statements.

Portion Size & Plating: 10

The portions here are big, and the plating is a step above the rest, with garnishes of cherry tomato, charred lemon and rosemary. One thing I wish they did was roast those tomatoes a little bit.

Price: 9

Beef prices are sky high right now, but Il Mulino Prime keeps the cost in check. I was really happy with the pricing on the menu here.

Bar: 8

The bar here is beautiful. Sean mixed a great martini. The cocktail menu looked nice, and the wine list is impressive.

Specials and Other Meats: 9

We tried the veal chop (parm style), which was listed on the specials menu. Despite not having a bone (really just for presentation purposes), this packed a ton of flavor and was a stunner in the looks department.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We tried the garlic sauteed spinach and the fries on the side. Both were good, but the fries stole the show here for me. We did not try any desserts (just coffee).

Seafood Selection: 7

There’s standard steakhouse seafood fare here. We didn’t try any so can’t really rate it, but I would definitely try the clams.

Service: 8

Service was good albeit a little slow. We sat at 5:30 and didn’t finish until 8:30. They also initially forgot to bring out or fire our Filet Mignon, and I had some water spilled on me at one point (really not a big deal). Otherwise the people were super nice and pleasant.

Table bread was a nice focaccia (cold), and there was also a nice plate of olives, cheese and tapenade.

Ambiance: 7

Despite being small, the place feels bright and airy due to the high ceilings. It’s a nice space and it felt more like a mom and pop joint than part of the larger group of Il Mulino restaurants that now span the country. I would definitely go back to try more – especially the pasta dishes.

IL MULINO PRIME
331 West Broadway
New York, NY 10013

American, Lower East Side/Chinatown, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews

Bufon

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Bufon is a new meat and seafood focused joint in the lower east side. My wife and I tried five items from a menu that we really wanted to ravage. We definitely plan to go back to try more items.

Sunchoke

This was fantastic. Really nice, fresh and mildly starchy.

Halibut

The sauce on this was crack. It was some sort of buerre blanc with bottarga.

Pork Chop

Delicious. Served with butter beans and chopped up Chinese sausage. Super unique.

Picanha

Roasted to perfection. The fat was delicious as well. Scored and rendered to become a beef gelatin of sorts. Skip the vinegar based Creole salsa and get the au poivre for a more classic Sunday roast feel. 9/10.

Crispy Confit Potato

I didn’t expect a fancy hash brown, but it was really good.

No dessert was offered yet. They literally just opened. Interior decor still a work in progress, and the windows still needed to be cleaned!

BUFON
78 Rivington Street
New York NY 10002

Lower East Side/Chinatown, Porterhouse, Steakhouse Reviews

Essex Restaurant

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Essex Restaurant overall score: 84

My wife and I came here during the joint’s opening week. We ate at a high top near the bar so we could enjoy some of the awesome happy hour deals.

Flavor: 7

We had the porterhouse. There is a nice amount of dry aged flavor on this steak, but it just needed a bit more seasoning to really pop.

The steak was also a little overcooked, rendering some of the slices dry and mealy in texture. But nothing that a sauce couldn’t fix. I chalk this up to opening week jitters.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8

There are five different steaks on the menu, including some wagyu. All the bases are covered (filet, strip, rib eye, porterhouse), but perhaps something like a skirt or flat iron could round out the selections for their steak frites item (currently that is just another strip steak, likely boneless and smaller than their dry-aged offering). My suspicion is that everything here is choice, given the low pricing and the lack of “prime” statement on the menu (with the exception of the wagyu filet – ungraded Mishima Reserve, 8oz for $83).

Portion Size & Plating: 8

All of the portions here seemed generous for the price. We had a few happy hour items that were discounted, so that definitely helped in the whole “bang for your buck” department. Plating was very nicely executed in steel platters.

Price: 10

You get a lot for your money here. The prices feel like they’re dialed back to 10 years ago. Happy hour drinks were $9, which is excellent. And $1.50 oysters and other discounted plates made the appetizer round a steal.

Bar: 9

Gorgeous bar. A great place out hang out and people watch along the windows on the high tops. It can be a bit crammed along the side wall, but the bar is roomy and beautiful. Their Applewood Smoked Old Fashioned was a steal at $9 for happy hour.

Specials and Other Meats: 7

We had the lamb shank and kofta meatballs alongside our steak. Both could have used a bit more salt, but execution and flavor was on point for these.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We ordered some happy hour starters like oysters, truffle parm fries, and fried calamari. These were all excellent and at a great price for happy hour.

The steak came with za’atar spiced smashed fingerling potatoes (also comes with their steak frites). These were actually my favorite item of the night!

The broccolini was nice, but also needed some salt. In fact the only things that didn’t need salt were the fried items and the dessert

For dessert, we tried the pineapple cake, which sort of tasted like corn bread – both in flavor and texture. I enjoyed it but the cake dealer did not.

Seafood Selection: 7

There’s standard steakhouse seafood fare here on the appetizer menu, but the only offering on the entree menu is branzino. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and maybe the menu will change seasonally. But the seafood we DID have was great.

Service: 10

Service was great here. Staff knew their menu well, and they were considerate enough to ask us if we wanted to sit in the bar area to take advantage of happy hour.

Ambiance: 10

The dining space here is gorgeous. There is an upstairs seating area, and a high ceiling downstairs area in back. They really did a great job of creating a big steakhouse feel in a small-ish neighborhood joint. I will definitely be back to try their burger, rib eye, strip steak and steak frites.

ESSEX RESTAURANT
124 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002

New Orleans, Other Cuts, Porterhouse, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Chophouse New Orleans

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Chophouse New Orleans overall score: 85

My buddies from law school and I were on a “mancation” and needed to hit a steakhouse during our visit. I had been eyeballing this place for a while, so it was time to go big.

Flavor: 8

We had the porterhouse, the tomahawk, and the chopped steak. All were great, but I think we were all surprised by how good the chopped steak was. A pleasant surprise for sure.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8

There’s a good selection of cuts here, as well as some nice alternatives like the chopped steak for those on a budget. All steaks were listed as prime, and some were dry-aged. They offered an abundance of solo cuts as well as large format cuts for two or more people.

Portion Size & Plating: 8

Portions are big, and plating is simple here, which is what one would expect from a steakhouse. Nothing too fancy.

Price: 9

Coming from the insane menu prices in NYC, this bill felt refreshing. A huge blowout steak meal for five came to just $728. Great deal.

Bar: 10

The bar here is awesome. There’s a piano right there with stools around it, so you can sit and watch the piano player, make requests, etc. They also mix a great martini.

Specials and Other Meats: 7

I don’t think there were any specials read to us, but I didn’t expect much from a focused-menu steakhouse. As far as other meats go, there was nothing; only beef. I respect the shit out of that. But that means a few points will come off the score in this category.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We started with a chopped wedge salad, which was great.

Then, some bacon. This was nice but I wish I had gotten a photo before they cut it up and served it.

The carpaccio was beautiful and delicious. I could have had this as a main course.

The garlic spinach was nice, and gave us some much needed greenery.

We also had some steak fries as well. I was hesitant when the guys wanted these, because I usually dislike them. But they were excellent!

Dessert was excellent as well. we went with the gigantic chocolate cake and the key lime pie. I liked the pie better.

Seafood Selection: 8

There’s standard steakhouse seafood fare here, plus a few local favorites with NOLA-inspired preparation styles. We had the baked shrimp entree and it was great. Unfortunately the only photo I got was the single shrimp that was served to me on my plate (we shared this dish along with the appetizers). Based on this, I think the other seafood items would be pretty good as well. Next time.

Service: 10

Service was great here, and the phrase “southern hospitality” comes to mind. Our waitress was excellent and knew everything when asked about the various cuts and menu items.

Ambiance: 9

The real win here for ambiance relates to the bar. Being able to sit face to face with the piano player and request songs was so cool. The dining place was beautiful as well. I would definitely go back.

CHOPHOUSE NEW ORLEANS
322 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70130

Lower East Side/Chinatown, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye

Balvanera

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Balvanera is an Argentine wine bar and steak-focused restaurant. We went with another couple, so we were able to try a bunch of stuff.

We started with four small plates:

Octopus

Roasted Beets

Blood Sausage

Burrata & Squash

All of these were really great, but I think we all sort of agreed that the octopus was the best, with the blood sausage either close behind or tied. Really great flavors on this stuff. The blood sausage had none of that grainy, irony, gamey flavor that you sometimes get with low quality or overcooked blood sausage. It had a sticky sweetness to it that was hard to describe. The octopus was so incredibly tender, and the Romesco sauce was killer.

We went with the 25oz, 28-day, dry-aged rib eye for our main course ($120).

This was cooked to a perfect medium rare, but it lacked a little bit of that dry-aged flavor. It was present mostly around the edges and along the bone. But that didn’t matter, because the flavor was so great. This is a solid 8/10 steak, potentially bordering on 9/10 if the aged flavor bumps up on future visits (definitely going back).

For dessert, we did a chocolate tart and flan. Both of these were pretty nice, but I think next time I will focus more on the small plates in the savory department instead of the sweet stuff.

BALVANERA
152 Stanton St
New York, NY 10002

Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye, Thai, Tribeca

Teakwood Thai Chophouse

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First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

My buddy told me about this place, and it looked so good that I needed to try it ASAP. We started with some nice cocktails and moved onto a trio of starters:

Stir Fried Manila Clams

Crispy Pork Jowl

Petite Filet Steak Tartare

These were all fantastic and unique. I think the tartare might have been my favorite, or perhaps dragging the pork jowl through the sauce that came with the clams. So delicious.

For entrees, we tried another trio:

Pad Kua Taley

Pan Roasted Pork Chop

Dry-Aged Rib Eye

These were great too, but a few slight criticisms: First, the noodles were excellent but the squid was a little bit overcooked. This was a delicious dish featuring wide/flat noodles and shrimp, squid, crabmeat, Asian celery, scallion, and sesame oil in a roasted chili sauce. Second, the pork chop was a little bit dry due to being overcooked. Thankfully, the salted chili lime sauce that it came with added that moisture and flavor back into it beautifully.

The steak is a great deal at $68 for 24oz of dry-aged beef on the bone. If I had to guess, this was choice grade. The roasted garlic with tomato, tamarind and dill flavors really help bring out its dry-aged characteristics. Bravo. 9/10.

For dessert, we had some more cocktails and a unique sweet and sticky rice dish that was topped with pumpkin custard.

I was reluctant to put this restaurant into my standard steakhouse review format with 100 points spread across ten categories. I think it would have made for an abnormally low score due to the structure of the review. But this place hits top marks for their bar and decor, with an inviting, bright, wide open and airy space. The flavors are so unique and new for the application into a chop house. The staff are all super friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and attentive. I really enjoyed this meal, and I can’t wait to go back to try the two other cuts of steak on the menu (strip and skirt), and perhaps some of the large format fish dishes as well.

TEAKWOOD THAI CHOPHOUSE
345 Greenwich, St.
New York, NY 10013

Full Points for Flavor, NY Strip, Other Cuts, Steakhouse Reviews

Gui Steakhouse

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Gui Steakhouse overall score: 84

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

Flavor: 9

First, we went big on the king size prime rib.

This had a  kombu crust that made for a totally unique flavor. This was a 10, for sure. Perfectly cooked with some mild dry-aging on it.

We had the 48-day dry-aged bone-in strip steak that was on special for the day. The flavor was great, but there was definitely a good amount of chew to the meat. Due to that, the score is a 7. It was really beautiful though. Sadly, that drops the overall flavor score average to 8.5, which I have rounded up to 9.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9

There’s a great selection of cuts here, showcasing everything from A5 grade Wagyu, US dry-aged prime, cuts for two, cuts for one, and even some off-cuts like Denver steak and top round. I only took a point due to the quality issue on the strip steak that we had (a bit “toothsome”).

Portion Size & Plating: 8

The portions are good here, especially for the steaks. The sides are certainly shareable, but the desserts seem to be made for one. Plating is simple and rustic, using cast iron platters, ramekins and things like that.

Price: 9

The price is high here in midtown, with a whopping $145 for the king cut prime rib (16oz). Some of the larger aged steaks are about $6/oz, which can get pricy if you go big. The good thing here is that the food is worth the price, and they have some very reasonable options for smaller appetites. They even participate in restaurant week.

Bar: 8

The bar downstairs (Bar 92) is a small  but beautiful art deco stretch. They make great cocktails, and the martini cart is fun. It’s dim and lively. I can see myself having a drink here before a meal, for sure.

Specials and Other Meats: 7

The only non-beef meat protein on the entree menu is chicken. I respect the clarity and focus, but I was surprised there wasn’t a nice big pork option. Perhaps they run it as a special some days, as they did read off some beef specials to us.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 7

We started with four items. First, the brioche. The butter is delicious but I would skip this. It’s a bit pricey and slightly underwhelming.

The “double cut bacon” is nice though. Thick cut bacon with a gochujang type sauce.

I would skip the dumplings. They needed a bit more salt on the filling inside, and just didn’t hit the mark for us.

The shrimp were delicious. Four per order, head on, and with a nice szechuan chili oil sauce (could have used a bit more kick to it, but enjoyable nonetheless).

On the side, we had three items. First was the creamy, cheesy corn. This was nice.

I would skip the carrots. I bit into a forkful of them and there was some woody texture that I had to spit out. Perhaps stems were left on for visual appeal and I didn’t realize?

The mixed mushrooms were excellent, but could have used a bit more of the truffle flavor.

He had four desserts. My favorite was the coconut milk panna cotta.

The earl grey ice cream was nice too, but they need to put the crumble on top instead of at the bottom of the dish.

Their Korean spin on the Paris Brest (Jeju Brest) was nice. It wasn’t as crunchy as I expected, but it sort of ate like a jelly donut crepe. Very tasty.

Lastly, the black and white mousse cake was incredible. Rich, flavorful, well-balanced, and a really good portion size if you want to share a dessert. If I was more of a chocolate lover, this would have been my favorite dessert.

Seafood Selection: 8

There’s a bunch of nice looking seafood selections here. We only ate the shrimp, but based on how well the other stuff came out, I can confidently say that the seafood here will be good. Next time.

Service: 10

Amazing. One of my friends has an egg yolk allergy, and the staff was really considerate, knowledgeable and friendly when we were trying to navigate the menu and ask about special preparations. They were also really attentive, they knew their meats and cuts, and they were super generous, giving us a few items on the house as compliments of the chef. The only negative was they forgot a potato item that we ordered. We had plenty to eat, though, and didn’t even realize it until after we left.

Ambiance: 9

Despite being upstairs in the Times Square area, this place really transports you. It’s a mix of art deco, mid century modern and dark/dim classy. I really like the space, and I’ll definitely be back for more.

GUI STEAKHOUSE
776 8th Ave
New York, NY 10036

Latin/Mexican & Caribbean, Midtown West, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews

Cuerno

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Cuerno overall score: 81

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

Flavor: 7

The rib eye with bone marrow and fried chives packs a ton of flavor. I’m not sure if there’s a lot of aged flavor happening, but we both enjoyed this steak.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8

There are a few large format steaks and a few single portion steaks available on the menu here. I’m not really sure this place can be called a full blown steakhouse, but there is enough beef on the menu to justify the categorization.

Portion Size & Plating: 8

Portions are great here. The rib eye is 16oz, off the bone, which is pretty good. The only drawback is that the steak is skinny, and you run the risk of overcooking if you want a really good char on the outside. There was some gristle that I didn’t eat, but over all the fat was nice and tasty too.

Price: 7

The pricing here is scary. $85 for the 16oz rib eye seemd crazy to me. However, there are other places around the menu that are more budget friendly, and since this place is in the heart of midtown, you sort of have to expect crazy pricing.

Bar: 8

This place has a gorgeous bar at the entrance, and they mix up some great cocktails.

Specials and Other Meats: 7

The move here for “other meats” is to go with the tacos. We tried the carnitas, because we saw that there were two in the order; one for each of us.

The braised pork shank was good, but the sauce was slightly bland. I was expected a deeper, more earthy punch with heat.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9

We loved the roasted truffle cauliflower app. It packed a ton of flavor and was huge. This could be a meal if you’re going veg.

I already mentioned the tacos above, which we had an an appetizer; and below in the seafood section I will touch on the octopus chicharrones.

The grilled mango dessert was unique and light, just what we wanted to close out the meal.

Seafood Selection: 8

There’s a nice selection of fish here. We tried the octopus chicharrones with our appetizers, and the meat was tender inside and crisp outside. Very nicely cooked.

Service: 10

Service was excellent here, as is expected when considering the location and the price. The chips and sauces that come to the table here on the house are fantastic.

Since we were celebrating a special occasion, they even gave us each a little passionfruit frozen martini on the house. Awesome!

Ambiance: 9

This place is absolutely gorgeous inside. It’s big, it smells good, and it isn’t too loud either. I would definitely go back to try more of the menu – especially the steak tacos.

CUERNO
1271 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10020

Italian, Nolita/Soho, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Parms, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye

Sartiano’s

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First, watch my Ride & Review video HERE:

I went to Sartiano’s with four of my law school buddies after a round or two of drinks at Zero Bond, so we were able to try a lot of stuff.

I apologize for the lack of quality images. I really just shot video here, so as to minimize my use of the light. All the pics below are screen grabs from my video.

The caviar cannoli were delicious bites of savory goodness. They’re pricey, but when you’re going big with a meal like Sartiano’s, you get these! As a matter of fact, these were on the house thanks to my friend being a regular here.

The steak tartare was one of the best I’ve had in a while. There were some crispy sunchokes on top that really made this dish pop!

The fried calamari was almost fried in like a tempura batter, and it came with fried slices of zucchini and squash. I really loved this. perfectly seasoned!

The baked clams are fantastic here. I highly recommend those as well. We grabbed two orders, that way everyone got a few. I actually forgot to mention these in the Ride & Review.

Even the Caesar salad was great. It’s served in layers; almost like a salad lasagna.

The tomahawk was pricey, but it was a solid 8/10 in terms of flavor. The aged flavor was mild, but they do dry-age meats on the premises. It was really nicely cooked (clearly grilled and not seared or broiled)), and adorned with delicious roasted garlic and herbs.

A real beauty.

The veal parm was excellent. This stole the show for us. It rivals Carbone, Ballato and all the other greats in the area. Perfectly crisp with some nice melty mozz and grated parm on tip.

We had some roasted carrots and smash-fried fingerling potatoes to go with the mains, but we also threw down on some pasta as well.

We even had some meatballs on the side, not realizing that we would be getting some more with the “Sunday Sauce.”

The “Sunday Sauce” has a serving of baked ziti (tubes arranged vertically in the dish for extra presentation points) along with a heaping bowl of tomato sauce with slow cooked short rib, sausage, and more meatballs within. Awesome.

We also tried the green cavatelli with Jonah crab, which was really nice and fresh. I wish I had the stomach space to eat more of this.

For dessert, we had some chocolate ice cream for my boring-ass friend Paul, and tiramisu. Both were great.

All in, this was a fantastic meal. I can definitely understand the hype for this place. If you can get a table, do it! Personally, I would love to go again if I could.

SARTIANO’S
99 Prince St.
New York, NY 10012

American, Nolita/Soho, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, NY Strip, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye

The Corner Store

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The Corner Store is a new bistro type American restaurant over on West Broadway and Houston.

Check out my Ride & Review video HERE first:

I contemplated reviewing this in my steakhouse template, with ten categories of ten points each, but it seems like the website calls this place a restaurant as opposed to a steakhouse. I think we are on the borderline, for sure. In any case, let’s get started…

For the appetizers, we went with fries and horseradish aioli, madai crudo and grilled artichokes.

These are all great but the fries took the cake. They’re an absolute must. It may seem like a waste to get one of the sauces, but the horseradish aioli will work well with your steak later on, so it’s not a bad deal to grab one. The madai was really fresh and bright, and had some added meatiness and texture from the sliced caperberries in the garnish. Great touch! The grilled artichokes really popped because of the mint on there. I haven’t ever had that combination of flavors before. I like it!

On a second visit, we started with the wagyu French dip, which is probably the best item I’ve eaten here.

We also had the tuna tartare on another visit. This was perfect.

For our mains, we did the chicken paillard and the bone-in dry-aged strip steak. Both were incredible. The steak was perfectly cooked to medium rare and sported a mild aged flavor. I would definitely get this again. I give it a score of 9/10.

On a second visit, the dry-aged rib eye (boneless) pulled in with the same score. We also tried the 4oz Margaret River wagyu strip (boneless). Another 9/10.

The chicken was pounded super thin and almost had a potato chip crust on the top side. It comes with a really nice salad that had a good amount of acid in it. This was actually nice to cut the fat of the steak between bites.

For dessert, we had their apple pie with vanilla spice ice cream, and their Samoa cookie sundae. The apple pie was absolutely perfect, and it came with a little container of ice cream that reminded me of the kind you used to get from the ice cream truck, with the little paper tab on the top!

On a second visit, the little tub of ice cream was gone, but a nice raised glass was filled with a nicer ice cream. We also tried the Szechuan peppercorn -seasoned melon, which was nice.

That pie was probably the best dessert I’ve had in years. The sundae was good – a nice soft serve ice cream was under there – but over all there was a little bit too much salt content that took away from the Samoa flavors.

This place is definitely worth visiting again. I can’t wait to try more of their menu!

THE CORNER STORE
475 West Broadway
New York, NY 10012