Much to the delight of carnivores, this city of great steaks has undergone a big, bold chophouse explosion over the last year or so, virtually doubling the number of prime-cut palaces. The best in town is still Brooklyn's unrivaled Peter Luger. Cité also offers first-rate steakhouse fare, and Steak Frites is ideal for carnivores with slightly less cash on hand. The city also boasts a few other standouts you may want to consider.
Don't expect an overpriced burger factory with waiters in Bulls jerseys and basketball-shaped plates from Michael Jordan's-The Steak House, on the mezzanine level overlooking the main concourse at Grand Central Terminal (tel. 212/655-2300; www.theglaziergroup.com). Bursting with beaux arts-meets-Art Deco grandeur, Michael Jordan's is wholly for grown-ups. And with a perfect view of the legendary sky ceiling, this is more than just the city's best-looking steakhouse -- it's an incredible only-in-New York dining experience. The star of the classic steakhouse menu is the porterhouse for two, a whopping 44 ounces of top-quality cow, served suitably charred and salty on the outside.
Another jock-oriented steakhouse, not quite at the level of Michael Jordan's but still very good, is Shula's Steakhouse, in the Westin Times Square Hotel, 270 West 43rd St., at Eighth Avenue (tel. 212/201-2776), where you order from one of the legendary coach's signed footballs and if you are able to consume the monstrous 48-ounce porterhouse, you are immediately inducted into the Shula's 48-ounce club.
MarkJoseph, 261 Water St., at Peck Slip, South Street Seaport (tel. 212/277-0020), is the brainchild of a Peter Luger alumni. The dry-aged steaks are as terrific as those at the legendary Brooklyn joint, but the warm and well-outfitted restaurant is more comfortable, the atmosphere more relaxing, the service friendlier, and there are no throngs of tourists (yet). Great for an extra-long lunchtime break after Financial District sightseeing.
Two of the best of the traditional old-world steakhouses are Smith & Wollensky, 797 Third Ave., at 49th Street (tel. 212/753-1530; www.smithandwollensky.com), a macho holdover from old New York boasting perfect martinis, big round cabernets, a divinely smoky split pea soup, and top-tier cuts of beef, all served by career waiters with an abundance of attitude, and the clubby, fun Bull and Bear, in the Waldorf=Astoria, 301 Park Ave., between 49th and 50th streets (tel. 212/872-4900), which serves the best New York strip I've had in the city.
Nick & Stef's Steakhouse, adjacent to Madison Square Garden at 9 Penn Plaza, at Eighth Avenue and 33rd Street (tel. 212/563-4444), is a comfortable contemporary steakhouse from top L.A. toque Joachim Splichal, who's finally given sports fans somewhere to eat well before the Knicks or Rangers game. The clear choice is the New York strip, dry-aged on the premises and grilled to perfection.
The next generation now has its own carnivorous comfort zone in Dylan Prime, 62 Laight St., between Greenwich and Hudson streets (three blocks south of Canal), in TriBeCa (tel. 212/334-2274; www.dylanprime.com), where the traditional steakhouse has been gloriously reinvented for the hipster crowd. Mina Newman rules the kitchen, a clean-lined modern design supplants the dark, clubby standard, and a decidedly female-friendly ambience breaks with New York's misogynist steakhouse tradition. But all the earmarks of classic conspicuous consumption are here, including faultless martinis and first-rate dry-aged cuts.
At these and all other city steakhouses, expect most entrees to fall in the $22 to $38 range. Always book ahead and inquire about dress code, especially at the old-school spots.
