Tag Archives: midtown

Filet Mignon, Midtown East, Midtown West, Other Cuts, Steakhouse Reviews

Tallow Steakhouse

July 6, 2026 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Tallow Steakhouse overall score: 85

Tallow Steakhouse just opened in midtown, and is connected to the Shaver Hall food hall, boasting it’s own private dining room with a streamlined, simple menu. Check out the Ride & Review below:

Flavor: 8

We tried all three steaks here; the picanha, the hanger and the filet/tenderloin. We liked them in that order, with the picanha and hanger each scoring a solid 8/10, and the filet coming in the back at 7/10. I felt like the filet was a bit over-salted, but still super tender and enjoyable. The other cuts were just more interesting. We tried each of the three sauces available (salsa verde/chimi; “Tallow” steak sauce, and au poivre). We liked the Tallow sauce the best. Both the filet and the picanha initially came out to our table overcooked. We didn’t even have to say anything though. As soon as the waiter saw what the server brought out, he sent them back. Good man!

Picanha (8/10):

Hanger (8/10):

Tenderloin (7/10):

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 7

The selection here is limited to just three boneless cuts; tenderloin/filet mignon, picanha (aka coulotte or top sirloin cap), and hanger. While that means fewer points for this category, it also means that the kitchen has a much better focus on preparing them correctly. Don’t skip this place due to an artificially low score. The nature of my review categories harms this place rather than helps it. I respect this place’s dedication to attempting to execute just three cuts to perfection. All the cuts are prime grade, from what I understand, so the quality is there. Nothing is aged, but their butcher shop next door in shaver hall seems to offer some aged cuts. I’m keeping a 7/10 score here as a placeholder so that the total score doesn’t drop artificially low as a result of my flawed rating system.

Portion Size & Plating: 9

This place offers 7oz, 8oz or 9oz portions (with each steak having it’s own size). Plating is nicely done with each steak being in its own cast iron skillet, which then sits on a plate that is filled with fries. Nice and simple.

Price: 10

This place is a steal. The price is fixed at $49 for each cut, and your meal comes with a delicious salad and lots of really nicely cooked fries. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal for a 7-9oz cut of prime beef with all of that.

Bar: 9

The bar here really nice, with views of 5th Avenue. They mix up some nice steakhouse-themed drinks. My wife got a bresaola old fashioned, and I had a filthy martini.

They also offer half priced Happy Hour drinks at the bar from 5-6pm, along with a special bar-only burger that I need to try.

Specials and Other Meats: 7

There are no specials on the menu and no other meats offered (like chicken or lamb). This place is strictly bread, salad, French fries, steak, bone marrow and dessert. On my next trip I’ll try the focaccia bread, the marrow, and the other dessert (sourdough brownie / chocolate mousse). Again, I’m keeping a 7/10 score here as a placeholder so that the total score doesn’t drop artificially low as a result of my flawed rating system.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 10

Everything else that came with our steaks was perfect. The salad was nicely dressed and came with some really delicious croutons.

The French fries were well-seasoned and perfectly crisp. I forgot to ask them if they actually use tallow for frying.

We tried two of the three desserts: their chocolate chip cookie and a tart raspberry posset, which was sort of like a pudding. We loved both of these, especially when eaten together.

And, yeah, the cookie looks like the losing end of a fraternity hazing ritual in which the last guy to nut on a cookie has to eat it. But it was super delicious – it tasted like melted vanilla ice cream.

Seafood Selection: 7

There is no seafood on the menu here. Nut up. I’m keeping a 7/10 score here as a placeholder so that the total score doesn’t drop artificially low as a result of my flawed rating system.

Service: 10

Service was excellent here. Re-read my note from the flavor section about out waiter – he was super knowledgeable about all the cuts, by the way. Top notch.

Ambiance: 8

This place is really nice inside. I’m not sure what I was expecting coming here, but this exceeded whatever I had in my mind. Perhaps the idea of it being connected with Shaver food hall next door made me think this was going to be too casual. I would definitely go back again, and very much plan to.

TALLOW STEAKHOUSE
436 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10018

Italian, Midtown East, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Fresco by Scotto

April 12, 2026 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Fresco by Scotto is a family style Italian restaurant that is owned/operated by Rosanna Scotto, host of Good Day NY and long time news anchor for Fox 5! We were so grateful to be able to meet her there too. She was a great host and super sweet.

My wife and I tried a ton of stuff when we came here. Check it out:

Slideshow here:

We started with the potato and zucchini chips with gorgonzola, and the giant “Mama Scotto’s Meatball,” which weighed about a pound! Both were amazing.

Next up was this smoked hamachi crudo, which was one of our favorite items:

We tried two pasta dishes, both gigantic and enough food for two. The rigatoni Bolognese is partially made with chicken to help keep it lighter than most other Bolognese sauces. It still packed a ton of flavor, while allowing you to really go hard and eat a lot of it.

The pasta is all made in house, and this tagliolini was one of the best I’ve had. Porcini cream sauce with truffles. Perfect.

For mains, we had the veal chop with potato gratin, and the branzino.

We actually both liked the branzino more. It was so perfectly crisp and really nicely seasoned. It was plated with zucchini, spinach and a parsnip puree.

For dessert, we tried the banana pudding, the Italian ice cream sandwiches, and the chocolate mousse cake. I think the banana pudding was my favorite here.

Service was incredible, fast, and fun. My martini came to the table in about 1 minute and 48 seconds!

The table is set with a bunch of really nice marinated olives and peppery bread sticks.

We loved our meal here. It felt like we were at home for a big Italian family holiday meal. I can’t wait to go back and try their cavatelli and porterhouse for two.

FRESCO BY SCOTTO
34 E 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022

Japanese, Midtown East

Sushi Hayashi

August 23, 2025 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Sushi Hayashi is one of the “all you can eat” sushi/omakase spots that are trending now in the city. This spot is a pretty good deal. The pieces are all decent, and you get a solid amount of sushi for $98 in the omakase (14 courses). The salmon, shima aji and shrimp were our favorite pieces from the omakase. The wagyu fell short, and there was no uni, but over all this was a worth-while omakase.

Once you’re finished with the 14-course omakase, you get two rounds of “all you can eat” sushi ordering, which is limited to a selection of eel, scallop, lean tuna or fatty tuna. The toppings and garnishes are done away with during this time (just a brush of sauce, and some torching for the fatty tuna), and you’ll be charged $6 per piece for any nigiri that you order but don’t finish. The record is 72 pieces eaten. Insane.

I went with nine extra pieces total during this “all you can eat” portion of the meal; three each of the lean tuna, fatty tuna and scallop.

They really have the system down pat, and they operate like a well-oiled machine.

They’ve created the first fast food style omakase! Highly American! What follows below is a photo dump of all the courses.

Two appetizers:

Ten nigiri pieces:

The roll portion of the omakase:

Round 1 AYCE:

Round 2 AYCE:

Dessert: matcha ice cream.

SUSHI HAYASHI
355 E 50th Street
New York, NY 10022

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

Cuerno

July 26, 2025 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

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

American, Midtown East, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Pub Food, Restaurant Reviews

Albert’s Bar

March 11, 2023 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Albert’s is a fancy bar that just opened up near Grand Central that features some really nice cocktails and a killer menu. I highly recommend the Salt & Pepper Martini, which is made with celery salt and sun dried tomato -infused vodka.

This joint is brought to you by the folks behind the great upper east side spot The Penrose, so I didn’t expect any slack!

I stopped by one Friday after work to meet my wife for a drink, but we ended up ordering their jojo fries, and their t-bone for two, which is a dry-aged 35oz beast that also comes with two sides for $150. What a deal!

We went with the lemon and walnut crispy Brussels and the spatzl “mac” and cheese. Both were incredible!

The steak itself was an easy 8/10. It had mild aged flavor, but it ws cooked to a perfect medium rare with a great, deep golden brown crust all over.

I’ll definitely be back to try the tartare, the strip steak frites, and the burger.

ALBERT’S BAR
140 E 41st St
New York, NY 10017

American, Midtown East, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, Other Cuts, Porterhouse, Restaurant Reviews

Monterey

December 17, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Taking over the old Maloney & Porcelli space is Monterey, a gorgeous mid-century modern decor and cuisine inspired restaurant.

The cocktails are fun here, especially the martini cart, where you choose between three gins or three vodkas, then you choose your vermouth as well as bitters and garnish. While a bit small and not so strong for the high price point ($26), it was a great presentation and idea.

They have a nice big gin and tonic.

For starters we tried the special pork trotter with sweetbreads and coddled egg.

This was richly delicious.

To balance that, we cut it with some crisp fried artichoke that came with a bright citrus aioli.

On a second visit, we tried the steak tartare, the sweetbreads and the foie gras. Of these, the foie was the best.

For my main, I ordered the prime rib, which comes to you on a classic table side cart.

While mine was a bit diagonally mis-cut, it was a perfect chuck side beauty. Check out the pronounced spinalis and complexus.

Very nice medium rare temp and with a great crispy seasoned coating on the edges. 9/10.

The prime rib comes with a generous sized cup of buttery, whipped mashed potatoes. We added the red pepper broccolini to go with it.

On a second visit I had the porterhouse. 8/10.

My wife had the crab and uni spaghetti with lime butter sauce. Really nice! The sauce tasted almost like a roux.

On our second visit, she had this really awesome Iberico pork chop that came on a bed of corn and with garnishes of mushrooms and bacon. This was the winner that night.

On the side we had Cy Eats’ Romano Beans with her chili oil.

For dessert, we had the dark chocolate tart and the ricotta beignets. Both good, but we preferred the donuts!

On a second visit, the cloud cake dessert really hit the spot. Light and airy like a strawberry shortcake almost.

We were both very happy with this meal, and I definitely want to come back to try more of their offerings – especially the pork chop! Here’s the damage – not sure why the header says “Book and Fox.”

MONTEREY
37 E 50th St
New York, NY 10022

Korean, Midtown East, Press Reviews, Restaurant Reviews

Love BBQ

January 31, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

This place is legit! Some food blogger friends and I had a great meat feast here this past weekend.

Everything was delicious.

If you go, make sure you get these loaded fries. The portion size is HUGE, so prepare to share.

I was a fan of these dumplings/pot stickers as well.

LOVE BBQ
319 5th Ave
New York, NY 10016

Burgers, Midtown West, Press Reviews

Handcraft Burgers & Brew

January 9, 2022 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

A buddy of mine helped open this joint over by Bryant Park, so I had to go check it out. The food here is excellent! Check out how perfect this burger looks:

That’s a handsome fella. And it was as delicious as it looks. Certified Angus Beef smash patties, shredded lettuce, sharp American cheese, and tomato on a brioche bun. The crust on those patties was perfect!

The chicken sandwich was great as well. Great spice to it.

As a tribute to Rutt’s Hut over in NJ, they also offer this ripper hot dog. It really hit the spot with a crispy snap.

And to top it off, the fries and tots were both golden and crunchy.

I highly recommend this place. The food is better than most other joints out there slinging smash patties now.

HANDCRAFT BURGERS & BREW
110 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Midtown West, Pizza

NY Pizza Suprema

January 19, 2021 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

NY Pizza Suprema is one of midtown Manhattan’s best pizza joints.

Patrons will grab slices and scarf them down at the counter before hitting MSG, just across the avenue, for a game, concert, or whatever. Well, they used to, before public events were put on lockdown. I stopped in after a wonderful visit to the DMV, and ate my slice while walking to the subway.

This is a great slice. Thin, crisp and flavorful. A great representation of the classic NYC style. At $4, though, it’s a hefty price for a slice. It is, however, extremely convenient to Penn Station, so if you’re in the area and in need of a great slice, this is the place to go.

NY PIZZA SUPREMA
413 8th Ave
New York, NY 10001

French, Midtown West, Non-Steakhouse Steaks, NY Strip, Other Cuts, Restaurant Reviews, Rib Eye

Quality Bistro

October 18, 2020 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Quality Bistro opened back in January, if I recall, right when I started a hellish new job with insane demands on my time. Then, of course, the entire city went into lockdown from Covid-19. Somehow my work-life balance got even worse. I’m only just now finally beginning to break away from the +60 hours/week grip of this gig, to get back out there and review restaurants for you savage bastards.

Anyway, the point of that bullshit preface is really just to say that I’m excited to finally write about a new(ish) joint that I’ve tried, especially one that’s serving some awesome food.

Quality Bistro is the newest restaurant in the Quality Branded restaurant group. You know them from my previous posts about Quality Italian, Quality Meats, Quality Eats, Maloney & Porcelli (rest in peace) and Smith & Wollensky.

Here’s my quick video run down of those spots, if you haven’t seen it:

First of all, this new place, Quality Bistro, is totally decked out. This is easily the most gorgeously decorated space in the entire Quality Branded suite of restaurants. High ceilings, beautiful booths, decor and tables – really on another level. They spared no expense. So when you go here, make sure you request a table inside. I recommend the booths in the room on the left when you walk in. The bar is sick too (hopefully some day soon we will be allowed to sit at one again).

The menu is decidedly French, which makes sense given the “bistro” restaurant name. But like all their other restaurants, they are aggressively beef-forward. I wouldn’t call them a steakhouse, per se, but they get very close to it. They offered five steak cuts when I was there: a filet mignon, a strip, a bavette, a tomahawk and a “cote de boeuf” rib eye for two. We went with the tomahawk, but let me run through the other stuff we tried.

We started with the escargots and the crab cake. The escargots are probably some of the best I’ve had in the city, rivaling Paul Denamiel’s at Le Rivage. Very close competition! And they’re in the shell too, which I love. Order these, and get a dozen because you save $10 when you jump from a half ($19) to a full dozen ($29).

The crab cake is massive. It’s about the size of an 8oz burger patty, thick too. Super crisp, great sauce. I think this would be amazing as a lunch sandwich with pickled green tomato on a brioche bun or a croissant, with a bit more green on top. Absolutely delicious.

Our mid course was the prime tomahawk. This comes slathered with Rogue Creamery smokey blue cheese – a TON of it!

The smell coming off of this thing was so amazing. It filled the massive dining room with funk.

The cook temp was a perfect medium rare. So juicy, so tender, and so packed with flavor. This is an easy 9/10. I stripped the fucker clean!

We chased that with the corn custard brûlée. I had high hopes for this, but it fell short for two reasons: (1) The inside was less custard and more clumpy scrambled egg. This is usually a turn off for me, but the flavor was really good, so I still devoured it. And (2), a bit heavy on the caramelized sugar on top. Too thick for my liking. The flake salt, however, really made the flavors on this pop. I can see this side being a star with a bit more fine tuning.

*SEE UPDATED REVIEW NOTES BELOW!*

Our third course was the Moroccan fried chicken. They serve a whole bird for two in a beautiful tagine with fresh cilantro, Moroccan pancakes and a trio of dipping sauces (spicy honey, Moroccan cilantro chimichurri and citrus yogurt).

The breading is really nicely spiced, with great middle eastern earthiness and aromas.

Absolutely jerkworthy. I’d get this again in a heartbeat. In fact, I’m glad we ordered big, because we took more than half of it home. I’m about to eat the left overs right now, and I’m psyched!

Last, we had the apple tart sundae with cinnamon ice cream. This was really good, and big enough to share with your date at just $12. The cinnamon ice cream tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, my absolute favorite cereal of all time!

I guess that about does it for now. I plan to go back and try some of the other cuts, particularly the bavette frites, since that’s a little less common on menus. Definitely give this place a shot. Gaetano, Scott and Roger will treat you right. They provide amazing, clean service here, and you’ll feel safely spaced apart and very comfortable. Can’t believe I have to even mention such things right now…

UPDATE 10/24/2020

My wife and I went back for round two, and tried a bunch more stuff.

For apps, we tried the taste flame, which is the joint’s take on Detroit style pizza + bread service. This was incredible!

Probably my favorite app here so far though, is this tuna carpaccio. Spicy, fresh, and deliciously refreshing.

These jambon beurre bites are pretty damn tasty as well.

This time, my wife went with the branzino. This was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. It comes with a choice of either salad or fries.

I went with the bavette, and also went with the French fries option.

They developed a great char on the outside…

While maintaining a perfect cook temp on the inside…

This was a solid 8/10. Really nicely executed.

On the side, we gave the corn brûlée another spin, and MAN were we glad that we did. As I expected, with the improvements I outlined above, this dish was a star. Much nicer texture inside (real custard-like), and lighter on the sugar top. PERFECT!