Tag Archives: beef

Chophouse New Orleans

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

Balvanera

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

Teakwood Thai Chophouse

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

Gui Steakhouse

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

Cuerno

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

Funny Bar

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

Funny Bar just opened up nearby. The Cake Dealer and I recently wandered in here and had a few drinks, and we knew we wanted to come back.

It’s a live jazz bar with no cover charge, and a really sleek, streamlined menu of STEAK!

Literally, there are like four items on the menu: steak for one, steak for two, french fries, and a wedge salad. Oh and they surprised us each with a free small chocolate brownie sundae at the end of the meal, but it wasn’t on the menu.

We started with the wedge salad, which is simple but delicious.

The steak for one is a petite filet, or shoulder tender/teres major. I love this cut.

It has all the flavor of the chuck, from where it hails, and all the tenderness of a filet mignon. At $29 for about an 8oz steak that comes with fries, this is a great deal. 9/10.

The steak for two is a larger cut. The server told me it was a flatiron, and the host told me it was a strip steak. I don’t think either is correct.

At first I thought maybe it was a tri-tip based on the shape, but the muscle striations seem to go the wrong direction for that. Based on the muscle fibers, I think this is in the sirloin family. Perhaps top butt/sirloin, or top sirloin. Either way it was perfectly cooked, had a great crust, and was artfully topped with a maitre’d butter and herbs. At $69 this is also a great deal for people to try the best of what can be on an otherwise under-utilized cut. 8/10.

Although it might be better to get two of the steaks for one instead of one of the steaks for two, satisfaction will be guaranteed. The fries are perfectly cooked as well. This is the large plate that comes with the steak for two:

They even brought us a free dessert on the house afterwards – miniature brownie sundaes!

I will be back for sure.

FUNNY BAR
133 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002

Beauty & Essex

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

The Cake Dealer and I finally made it over to Beauty & Essex after living down here since late 2020. She had been to the bar once before, but I had only ever been inside to make a meat delivery when I was working at Golden Packing in 2021. The chef, Derrick Prince, was on some cooking competition TV shows back in the day, and since then, I’ve always enjoyed following along on his social media and trying out his food whenever I could. He’s a really talented chef.

First off, the service here is impeccable. This is the same for all Tao Group properties. Really great staff that genuinely cares. They started us off with complimentary glasses of bubbly. It was a nice glass too, not some cheap garbage. I ordered a martini as well, and it was made very nicely.

We ordered two apps, but Derrick sent out three more! We had the pleasure of trying the French dips on toast. the shishito peppers, the sea bass tacos, the grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, and the steak tartare quesadillas. I think my favorites were the French dips and the sea bass tacos, but The Cake Dealer preferred the dumplings. All of them were great though.

For our mains, we ordered the Peruvian chicken and the beef Wellington.

Both of these were delicious, but I think the winner for both of us was the chicken. Shocker! But there was just something about the jalapeno salsa verde, the squash, carrot and zucchini ribbons underneath, and those little shreds of crispy potato and peas on top that just came together in a magical way. Incredible.

And that’s not to trash the Wellington at all. It was cooked to an absolutely perfect, butter-knife tender medium rare. The sauce was velvety smooth, the pastry was crispy and light. A really great representation of that this dish is meant to be. This is a 9/10, especially since the price was shockingly low to me at like $65. The beef alone would cost more than that at a steakhouse, not including all the prep and labor to make it into a Wellington. Great value.

On the side, we ordered the caulilini, which consisted of broccolini and cauliflowerini (a cross between cauliflower and broccolini), served in a parmesan broth. This was really nice, but Derrick sent out these roasted Kyoto carrots that blew us away. They were roasted for hours and served with some sort of blood orange agrodolce sauce. Good enough to make you understand vegetarians.

For dessert, we tried these beauties that were shaped like cherries, which had either a vanilla or white chocolate mousse inside of a chocolate shell that was covered in a cherry glaze and plopped on top of a hazelnut and chocolate crumble. Perfect way to end the meal.

I highly recommend this place, and I will definitely be going back to try more of the menu. They even offer a brunch pre fixe, which comes with an app, an entree, a side, and a glass of sparkling rose for $35. Another steal of a deal in my opinion.

BEAUTY & ESSEX
146 Essex St.
New York, NY 10002

Rocco Steakhouse (57th Street)

Rocco Steakhouse (57th St.) overall score: 86

First, check out my Ride & Review HERE:

Rocco’s recently opened up a new location on 57th just east of Park Avenue. My friend Dom Pepe is the head chef there, so I went in with some other friends to visit.

Flavor: 9

We tried the porterhouse and the rib eye. Both were mildly aged, but perfectly cooked.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8

Everything here is prime except for the filet, which is common at most steakhouses. I only know of two that serve prime filets (Keens and Lugers). There’s a great selection of cuts here.

Portion Size & Plating: 8

This place is on par with most midtown steak joints when it comes to portion sizes and plating. Nothing is too small, and if anything the portions tend to lean toward the large side.

Price: 8

Again, this place, like their first location, has pricing that’s on par with all the big major steakhouses in the area. I feel like, with Dom at the helm, you’re getting much better bang for the buck, since he is an amazing chef.

Bar: 8

The bar here is actually nice. Big. I would definitely have a drink there again, and the cocktails, spirits and wine selections were excellent.

Specials and Other Meats: 9

The lobster ravioli special was incredible!

I would definitely go back to try more from their specials. Especially if they’re in the meat department.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9

We tried the creamed spinach, sauteed broccoli rabe with cherry peppers, beef fat german potatoes, and the mac & cheese for sides. All were incredible, particularly the mac and cheese being my favorite. It was crack!

For starters, we did shrimp cocktail, baked clams, thick cut bacon and the crab cake. All were great, but I think my favorite were the baked clams!

For dessert, we had a tray of assorted cakes, pies, ice cream, and fruit. Classic.

Seafood Selection: 9

Every piece of seafood we tried was delicious, from the cold starters, to the cooked apps, to the pasta.

Service: 10

Service was excellent. These guys are the real deal. They also serve a nice basket of fresh/hot potato chips at the bar, which I love. And the bread basket is a good mix of Italian bread and onions rolls.

Ambiance: 8

They did a really nice job with the build out here. It definitely feels like a mix between midtown and mom and pop steak joints. They have private rooms available upstairs, and a really cozy dining room in back.

ROCCO STEAKHOUSE
106 East 57th St.
New York, NY 10022

Greystone Prime Steakhouse

Greystone Prime Steakhouse overall score: 80

My wife and I came here with another couple when we were in San Diego. We tried a bunch of shit, so let me get right into it…

Flavor: 8

We shared a porterhouse for two and a 20oz bone-in rib eye among three people.

The Porterhouse was a 7/10. The strip side had some grey-banding on the edges, and was definitely a bit toothsome in parts. The filet side, however, was magnificent. The only down side was that it lacked the flavor that the strip side had.

The rib eye ate almost like cured ham. It was cooked a bit under, but none of us minded. It was lean in the eye, but there was a ton of flavor in the cap. 8/10.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9

There’s a good selection of cuts here; wet aged, dry aged, large format, single cuts, everything. Everything is also prime grade. The numerous selections available are why I chose this place over others in the area.

Portion Size & Plating: 8

The portions here were good, and measured up nicely with what I expect from a NYC steakhouse, only a bit cheaper on the budget by about five or ten bucks, which was a nice change of pace.

Price: 8

The total bill was $713 with tax and tip included. As I mentioned above, this would be up a bit if it were in NYC.

Bar: 6

The bar here is actually nice, but the bar tender sucked. He was ignoring my wife when she tried to order (three times), and the drinks were sloppily made. Two of our glasses had massive cracks in them too, and the one we had at the bar as just dumped hastily into a new glass, not re-made from scratch. Cocktails were meh too. Could use some work!

 

Specials and Other Meats: 9

I had to jump at this elk chop dish.

It turned out to be my favorite item of the meal. It was a nice lean but flavorful cross between lamb and venison. 9/10.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We should have ordered our sides better, because the elk came with both mashed potatoes and spinach, and we ordered bot mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. They were all pretty good, but the versions on the composed elk chops dish were better.

For dessert, we tried a yuzu cheese cake and a delicious chocolate and peanut butter mousse pie that was perfect.

Seafood Selection: 9

Delicious tower for four, which included massive shrimp, a whole lobster, oysters, and tuna tartare.

Service: 8

Service was great at the table, but less than desirable at the bar. The bread came after our appetizers, which was odd, but we were glad it came. It was tasty with a whipped, soft garlic and herb butter.

Ambiance: 7

Ambiance could use a little kick in the balls, as the place glows neon red and purple at times. It feels sort of like a club. But over all it was a good vibe, and I’m glad we went. Here’s the other couple below – we were celebrating his retirement from the Navy.

GREYSTONE PRIME STEAKHOUSE
658 Fifth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101

Lucky’s Soho

Lucky’s Soho overall score: 82

First, check out my Ride & Review video HERE:

My wife and I came here almost immediately after discovering that the place existed. It’s relatively new, having just opened up, I think, in June or July.

Flavor: 7

We had the rib eye.

This had a nice crust despite being slightly undercooked. I didn’t mind the flesh being rare, but I prefer the fat to render out a bit more than it had, that way I can eat it all!

The menu didn’t note any steaks being dry aged. There was a hint of that aged flavor in some bites, but it was not pervasive by any stretch.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8

There’s a good selection of cuts here to cover all the basics that you should expect at any steak joint, along with some flourishes like a gorgonzola strip, or some special filets cooked in various ways. I think they could boost their special cuts section a bit with some dry aged selections.

Portion Size & Plating: 9

The rib eye was 20oz on the bone, which is just right for a single serving steakhouse cut of beef. The porterhouse is listed at 28oz, which I think it nice for sharing. The plating here is nice and simple, nothing too crazy!

Price: 7

The price is a bit hefty at $125 for a bone-in 20oz rib eye with no significant aged flavor. Same goes for a martini at $25, and the crab cocktail at $30. I imagine this is a really high rent location, and a mom and pop spot like this needs to cover their food costs, overhead, etc. You really can’t get too upset. But, sadly, we have seen several restaurants turn over recently on this stretch of Lafayette, and I hope there aren’t any more that fold.

Bar: 8

The bar here is really nice. They did a nice job on the decor, and I was almost wishing we sat at the bar rather than the small 2-top, as we may have had a little more elbow room. The wine pours are very generous, and their cocktails are also great, albeit pricey.

Specials and Other Meats: 8

We ordered the Long Island duck that was on special, and we were glad we did! The breast part was perfectly cooked; the fat was nicely rendered, and the skin was crisp. As for the confit portion, I wish they had left it on the bone and kept the skin intact for some crisp. It needed a bit of seasoning, too. I took two points for that.

Other than duck, they also had some nice looking lamb chops on the menu, some chicken, and other animals worthy of consumption.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We started with the Peekytoe crab cocktail. This scoop will run you $30, but it is indeed delicious. I loved it.

We also had the thick cut cajun bacon. This was nice, but again the fat needed to be rendered a bit more. Some parts were stringy, chewy and just unappetizing. I usually love eating fat, but some of this I just could not.

The creamed spinach and “potato skins” (similar to wedge fries) were both awesome. We coursed these out separately because of table space concerns (the potatoes came with the duck, then the spinach came with the steak). I think if you dipped the potatoes into the spinach you’d have a winning combo!

We decided to skip dessert, but I was definitely eyeballing the menu.

Seafood Selection: 9

There’s some nice looking seafood on the menu, and based on the quality of the Peekytoe crab, I would venture to say that these items would be similarly delicious.

Service: 10

Service was excellent, and every staff member we interacted with was really knowledgeable and helpful. Our waiter, Thomas, was awesome!

I think their table bread needs a little work though. The skillet brioche was a bit dry, as if it might have been baked earlier and reheated. It was still tasty though.

Ambiance: 8

For a small spot that almost looks more like a dedicated bar than a small restaurant, this place was really beautiful inside. The music was good and the place was packed at 6pm on a Sunday. That bodes well for Lucky’s!

I would definitely come back to try the porterhouse.

LUCKY’S SOHO
224 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 10012