Review: Peter Luger Steak House

I’m a big meat eater. I’ve made no claims to the contrary. In my family, when we need to celebrate something major we end up at one of two types of restaurant, an Italian place, or a steakhouse.

My anniversary falls into that “major celebration” category and for the past four years, we’ve been making a habit out of visiting expensive, fancy steakhouses. We started out at a Ruth’s Chris, next we tried Morton’s and last year we visited the Old Homestead at the Borgata. The Old Homestead is a second (or third) location for one of the oldest steakhouses in New York City and while doing some research on the Old Homestead I came across another very old steakhouse in NYC—Peter Luger’s.

I had decided that I would at some point have to try each of these restaurants as they both have been open since the late 1800s and they have both been written up as the “best” steakhouse in New York City. This anniversary, our great steakhouse tradition continued when I was surprised with a lovely weekend in New York City complete with a reservation to Peter Luger’s.

The reservation was made more than three months in advance and were still only able to get the last seating of the night, 10:45PM. This of course meant that I had a chance to eat three complete meals during the day topped off with a HUGE steak dinner when I should be getting ready for bed. A tough task to be sure, but one I was happy to undertake on behalf of you our dear reader (ha ha ha!). We were staying in the Lennox Hill area of Manhattan not far from Grand Central Station, which is quite a ways away from Peter Luger’s original location in Brooklyn. Of course, my incessant worrying about being late meant we left more than an hour before the reservation, but it was a long trip that included crossing the Williamsburg Bridge into what turned out to be not such a great neighborhood.

Walking up the street toward Peter Luger’s we immediately noticed a large billboard painted on the side of building advertising the restaurant. The building stands out among the others in the neighborhood and makes one wonder what the area looked like in 1887 when the restaurant first opened. We walked into the restaurant and gave our name to a very unfriendly maitre d’ and were told to wait near the bar. As I looked around the beirgarten decor was inauthentic and not at all what I expected from a restaurant in this price range. Speaking of the price range, Peter’s Luger accepts cash only unless you happen to have a “Peter Luger Credit Card.” I spent most of the wait worrying about whether the $400 in my pocket was going to cover the bill or not. I tried to take a photo of the very plain bar when I was told by the bartender and the maitre d’ that NO PHOTOS were allowed. I’m not sure if they were joking but putting all of this together with the ZAGAT review (which clearly and repeatedly over the years mentioned the rude and aggressive waitstaff) made me put my camera phone back in my pocket in a hurry. We waited nervously in the bar area not knowing what to expect but being pretty worried that not only did not I have enough money in my pocket, but also that I was going to have to tell off a waiter or two.

The very gruff maitre d’ called us back to our table and sat us in the far corner of one of the dining rooms and our waiter came right over. He immediately asked us if it was our first time at Peter Luger’s, to which we answered “Yes” and the whole experience became a lot more relaxed. The menu was also seriously surprising. It was not very big at all. In fact your choices of steaks were really limited. There was the steak for two, the steak for three, the steak for four and the single steak. They also had a rib steak and some lamb chops, but that was pretty much it. Now the “steak” at Peter Lugers is a dry-aged (onsite) poterhouse steak. The size is the only thing that changes. There were also some appetizers, veggies and desserts.

The waiter suggested “the usual,” which was the steak for two, creamed spinach and the Luger’s Special German Fried Potatoes. We ordered drinks, perused the menu and dove into the bread basket. There was a selection of breads but the one that caught my eye was a roll with salt and rye seeds on top. It was amazing. For dinner we decided to start with a slice each of the Luger’s Extra Thick Bacon, followed by the Steak for Two, some broccoli and some french fried potatoes. We gave the waiter our order and sat back to take in the atmosphere.

Now, Peter Luger’s is not the normal upscale steak house that I’ve become accustomed to. It was a very laid back place that really felt more like something out of the Sopranos. There were lots of drunk patrons, lots of loud patrons and several rude waiters floating around arguing with said patrons. Ordinarily, this would have really irked me, but for some reason it was all just part of the place’s charm. Seriously. We listened to the man behind us in a mixture of English and Italian tell his daughter off, we watched as four buddies got drunker and drunker and bragged about their recent “conquests” and we listened to a happy couple talk about it being their anniversary also.

But enough about the place… on to the food. The bacon came up first as an appetizer. Everything I read and all the shows I saw about Peter Luger’s mentioned their bacon appetizer. It was not so much “bacon” as it was a narrow ham slice, super thick, sizzling and truly delicious.

As soon as I took the last bite the waiter showed up with our steak and sides. However, I don’t think they were “our” steak and sides because while the waiter brought us the steak for two… he also brought us creamed spinach and the Luger Special potatoes, neither of which we ordered. I mentioned to him that I ordered broccoli to which he replied “eh…you’re gonna like this better” and began to serve us. The steak was huge. It came out on a big oval plate and was pre-sliced. The waiter set the plate down and propped one end up on the backside of a saucer so that all of the juices ran down to one end of the plate. He then used two spoons to create makeshift tongs, served us each the steak, spooned a generous amount of juice over it and told us to enjoy our meal. He came back a few moments later and apologized that while he did put in for the sides we ordered, he picked up “the usual” sides instead. He offered to also bring over the sides we ordered for free, but we turned him down because we did in fact like the usual sides more, as he suggested.

The steak was very good. Being dry aged, it had a very distinct flavor and was cooked exactly as ordered. The fact it was prepared and served so simply was exquisite. The sides were also very good. I really enjoyed the Luger Special Potatoes, which were very close to hash browns, but seasoned very well and quite tasty. I have to also say that the steak for two really was a steak for two. It was just the right amount of food for us. We were neither stuffed nor hungry.

I really didn’t need dessert, but that didn’t stop us from ordering a slice of cheesecake which was accompanied by an obscene amount of fresh whipped cream. The cheesecake was New York style (naturally), very creamy and just what the doctor ordered. As much as I enjoyed the cheesecake, I loved the whipped cream more… it was out of this world.

So. the question before me is “Did Peter Luger live up to the hype?” I would say yes and no. Was the food great? You better believe it was. Some of the best I’ve ever had. Was it the best steakhouse I’ve ever eaten in? Not really, no. Was the waitstaff rude? Some of the staff were rude, but some, like our waiter weren’t. Was it expensive? Peter Luger’s was nowhere near the most expensive steakhouse in which I have eaten. I actually think it was pretty reasonable for what you got. The one last thing I want to note about Peter Luger’s was the efficiency of it all. I know they have many, many patrons every night and in order to make sure they can seat them all, they have to keep things moving. Having a small menu helps, but our whole dining experience took about 30 minutes from drinks to check. We never really waited for anything and it was just amazing. Definitely worth a visit, not just for the “atmosphere” and history, but for a good steak and the experience of it all. 4 pans.

Peter Luger Steakhouse
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211
718-387-7400
http://www.peterluger.com

Review: TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery

In my search for restaurants to review near work, I consulted Yelp! and came across TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery. One of the reviewers claimed it was the best burger they had ever had. I checked their site and found out that they had won a “Best of the Mainline” award, that in addition to all the good reviews on Yelp! led me to put TJ’s on my short list of places to check out.

One chilly Wednesday afternoon, I rounded up some lunch mates and we headed down to TJ’s. It was a little hard to find in Paoli, but it was nice enough looking from the outside, with an ample parking lot.

I was pleasantly surprised at the decor inside of the restaurant. It was fun and modern, and divided into two different sections, the bar and the restaurant.

The menu was wonderful and full of so many interesting choices from the Appetizers, to the Panini, Frittatas, Burgers and Salads. Not only was the menu varied and large, but it had a very neat metal cover to boot.

As we had three people for lunch we decided to make strategic choices and try to sample as much as we could on the menu. We started off with the Mojo Chicken Quesadilla, as it came very highly recommended, but I also could NOT resist the Mac n Cheese, it just sounded so good. And to be honest, it did not disappoint. Instead of your typical elbow macaroni, TJ’s used cavatappi aka double elbows. A wonderful pasta for a more unique Mac and Cheese experience. The cheese sauce was superb, smooth and creamy, I think it was a lovely sharp white cheddar.

The quesadilla was also very tasty. A nice mixture of jack and cheddar cheeses, grilled chicken and jalapenos made it very nice combination. I would hardly call it the best I ever had but it was certainly better than average.

For mains, we split the duty of sampling the menu evenly, one of my lunch mates went for the burger to see if it truly lived up to the “best burger” rating given by the reviewer on Yelp. He ordred the Wild Mushroom Burger. A very large patty on a brioche roll, topped with smoked mozzarella and sauteed mushrooms. I snagged a taste and I have to say it was a very, very tasty burger. The mushrooms were tasty, the cheese was perfectly matched… quite a burger.

My other friend decided to give the Montchevré Chicken Panini a try. Pale ale marinated chicken, Montchevré goat cheese, caramelized onions and a orange vinaigrette combined to make an incredibly tasty panini. I will say that it was a bit messy but sometimes a good sandwich is!

I decided to go in an entirely different direction and sampled the Belgian Ale Shepherd’s Pie. Ground Beef in a beer flavored gravy, lots of fresh veggies and topped with mashed potatoes. It was positively delicious. I hadn’t had Shepherd’s Pie in quite some time and it really made me happy!

Our lunch at TJ’s was turning out so well that we all decided to go all the way and sample some desserts. My friends ordered the Apple Pie a la mode and the Peanut Butter Cheesecake. I went for something a bit out of the ordinary Thin Mint Cheesecake.

The Apple Pie was on point. A perfect slice of pie with a nice helping of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel… I mean it’s kinda hard to mess up Apple Pie, but TJs was wonderful.

Now to the cheesecake. I have to say that while I was really pleased with the Peanut Butter Cheesecake, I was really disappointed with the Thin Mint Cheesecake. The cheesecake was something between a ricotta cheesecake and a New York style cheesecake. Not so sweet, and kinda creamy. It was a perfect match to the Peanut Butter. I’m going to go on record as saying this was the best Peanut Butter cheesecake I’ve ever had. I could have inhaled the entire thing!

Now what made the Peanut Butter so tasty, was also what made the Thin Mint (yes the Girl Scout Cookies) cheesecake not so great. The cheesecake itself was not too sweet so the Peanut Butter matched well, the Thin Mint cookies however, didn’t hold up as well. Their flavor was not quite strong enough to bring the mint flavor in. Not bad… but not at all as good as the Peanut Butter cheesecake.

All in all TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery did not disappoint. Not only did I have a great meal from start to finish, but the atmosphere was fantastic. The service however was a bit slow, and I had to wait quite a bit for a refill on my water and they weren’t so great about clearing used plates, but that was minor blip on an other wise fantastic visit. 4 pans.

TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery
35 Paoli Plz
Paoli, PA 19301
(610) 725-0100
www.tjsbeer.com

Review: The Glenwood

There are small neighborhoods in Atlanta with their own special personality.  Most of these small neighborhoods nurture smaller businesses so major chains are virtually non-existent.  One of my friends lives in a very nice neighborhood in east Atlanta.  Interestingly, just outside the upscale neighborhood is an artist-friendly, local-driven, almost-Bohemian-esque neighborhood much like Little 5 Points.  For dinner, we decided to hit up one of the local restaurants, The Glenwood.

It’s actually a bar/restaurant.  You wouldn’t think you could get really great food from a bar but you can.  The restaurant part is actually separated from the bar but is part of the same establishment.  The Glenwood has a very homey feel and upscale look, a hard combo to create really.  The floors are a nice dark hardwood, the side wall is a rocky granite of some sort.  The atmosphere is warm and friendly.  I could see myself frequent the Glenwood on a weekly basis.  In fact, as we were dinner, I could overhear banter from the proprietor and patrons that seemed friendly and close as if the patrons have been dining there for years.  I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.  The staff was super friendly and the service was attentive.

The menu had some interesting offerings.  It was apparent that the Glenwood was an American bistro type place.  I wanted to try their Wild Boar Meatloaf featuring a wild mushroom gravy, bleu cheese mashed potatoes, and asparagus.  The meatloaf was moist.  It wasn’t gamey as I thought it would be.  Also, it seemed leaner than a regular beef meatloaf would be.  It was slightly salty, peppery with a savory scent of mushrooms much like the gravy it was topped with.  The gravy had a nice consistency, not too thick and not too thin.  Plus, there was a generous portion of wild mushroom.  The asparagus was the only slight disappointment; they seemed a little on the small side, but they were nicely sauteed and retained their nice crispness.

Normally, I don’t do dessert, but their homemade cheesecake beckoned and I had to heed the call.  I’m skeptical of most cheesecakes to be honest.  It seems difficult to get one that isn’t too light as if it were to fall apart and one that isn’t too dense as if you needed a jack hammer to penetrate the cake itself.  The Glenwood Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake was just right.  It had the perfect consistency and the perfect creaminess.  Granted, the blackberry flavor was feint but it’s hard to truly get a bright blackberry flavor in baked goods.  The crust was graham cracker but with a light dusting of cocoa which gave it a slight bitter chocolate flavor.  It was a perfect crust for a super creamy cheesecake.  It was one of the best cheesecakes I had ever had.  Period.  Bravo.

The Glenwood was a comfortable, neighborhood bistro place that serves some serious eats.  Also, their food is quite affordable; there are entrees that can be pricey but most dishes are around $10-12.  For the quality of fare, the prices are great.  Add a great atmosphere and friendly staff and you have a sure winner.  I left with a warm smile on my face on a cold night.  That’s a good enough recommendation I would think.

-jj

The Glenwood

http://www.glenwoodatlanta.com/

Review: Chima Brazilian Steakhouse

The week before Christmas is always a busy one in my family, not only do we have to prepare for a huge feast on both Christmas and Christmas Eve, but it’s also my father’s birthday. Having a birthday in the middle of the summer, I never really have to worry about my birthday being combined with another holiday. My father however having to celebrate his birthday just a few days before Christmas is used to getting combo gifts and often not having a party. Ever since I was old enough to do something about it, I’ve always tried to make sure that he gets a major gift, never one combined and that we always take him out for dinner to make a big deal out of it. This year I wanted to take him to a new place that I had not been but had heard tremendous things about… Chima Brazilian Steakhouse.

Chima, is a sort of upscale Brazilian Steakhouse located in the Center City are of Philadelphia. It is a “chain” of sorts… there are 4 other locations on the East Coast in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. I have decided that one of my new years resolutions is to head out to the city more often, no easy feat considering how far I live from Philadelphia, but I’m going to make an effort and tonights was worth it. We arrived a little late for our reservation (damn traffic!) and the hostess was very understanding and accommodating, definitely a good start to the evening. The lobby area was warm and inviting and decorated very modernly and as we were walked to the table, I was more than overwhelmed at the buffet table.

Now for those of you who may not have heard of a “Brazilian Steakhouse”, permit me to explain as I had never heard of one before. It’s basically an all you can eat buffet of meat. Seriously there are so many kinds of meat you might not even believe it. Now, I know you’re thinking “Okay… so it’s a buffet…” but what makes the Brazilian Steakhouse experience a little different is that waiters dressed as gauchos bring you the meat on giant skewers and slice it for you on your table. The premise is simple, they give you a plate, a pair of tongs and a card that has “Yes” on one side and “No” on the other.

When you are ready and you flip the marker to the “Yes” side, waiters come from every angle offering you amazing cuts of meat, Leg of Lamb, Sirloin, Ribeye, Filet Mignon, Swordfish… I mean the choices are endless.

One of the things that I thought was nice was that amazingly each piece of meat had just about all the temperatures you could ask for. You want it medium, the waiter flips the skewer, cuts the meat you grab it with your tongs and away he goes, while another waiter is right there to offer you another succulent cut of meat! This will continue non-stop until you flip the marker to “No” at which point they will give you a chance to catch up! I tasted just about everything and while I was too embarrassed to take a photo of them slicing the meat, here are two shots of my plate at two different periods during the meal…

Along with the meat, there are three side dishes served. Unlimited amounts of fried bananas, polenta and super creamy mashed potatoes are offered, and there is a huge buffet table with many kinds of salad from Caesar to Waldorf, Tomato and Mozzarella to Potato Chicken Salad and melon and prosciutto, smoked salmon and fresh asparagus as well.

The food was outstanding. There were three choices of meal, the full buffet with all meats, the full buffet with just fish (swordfish and salmon) and just the buffet with no meat. We ate until we were stuffed and then were extremely tempted and finally gave in to their desert menu. We ordered coffee and three deserts to share among the table. First up was a very tasty Key Lime Pie. Nothing to write home about, but certainly nothing to complain about. Next was the Apple Strudel. I was not fond of the crust as it almost too flaky outside and too tough inside. Last but certainly not least was the unbelievable cheesecake. New York Style, extra thick and covered in honest too goodness icing. It was so delicious I was beside my self.

All in all, the meal was spectacular. The decor was elegant and cozy, the food was plentiful and perfectly prepared, the desert was to die for and the company was sublime. I seriously can not wait to go back. With that said, be prepared… all this food and drink did not come cheap but I have spent far more on a meal for two than I did for four. I rate it 5 pans and I recommend to anyone who loves meat and is near a Chima, or near any Brazilian steakhouse to go and give it a try.

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
1901 John F Kennedy Blvd
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
215-525-3233
http://www.chima.cc

Review: The Drafting Room

I have been meaning to write this review from the very first time I was invited to blog on Dammit Let’s Eat. It’s just about my favorite restaurant in my area and a place I frequent at least once a week. This won’t be a review of a specific visit to the place but rather an overall review of The Drafting Room.

Years ago when I lived in Exton, PA, I found a very nice restaurant called The Brickside Grille. It’s a great restaurant and I will get a review of it up eventually. One night while eating with some friends one of them mentioned that the Brickside owners had another restaurant in the area called the Drafting Room. More of a tap room/upscale bar and restaurant than The Brickside Grill, they raved about the food and the service and with that my love affair with the place began. It’s an assuming place, again sort of in a strip mall, but once inside you forget that you’re on a very busy road running through the center of town. While it is dark inside, it’s cozy and warm, not too big and not too small. Sadly the place is actually so dark that taking photos of food and decor are tough. It’s one of the reasons it’s taken so long to get this review done, that was until I found out that they opened a SECOND location near my parent’s house. It is MUCH bigger than the original, better lit but still decorated exactly the same!

One of the first things I want to talk about at the Drafting Room is their incredible beer list. Deep and varied, you can find just about anything you want on there from local breweries to domestic microbrews to imports. For me, I love the fact that they have one of my favorite “beers” Framboise. It’s a Raspberry flavored Lambic Ale that I first had at Maison (see Chuti’s review here) and have trouble finding at most places. They get extra credit for having my favorite beer!

Now on to the food. I won’t even pretend like I don’t have favorites but… everything I’ve ever had at the place has been wonderful. I usually try hard to get an app, an entree and dessert. My favorite app is their Tri Color Nachos. I seriously go there just for the nachos! red, blue and corn nachos with refried beans, jack cheese and their own home made salsa and sour cream… they are simple but absolutely amazing!

Now that’s not to say that the other appetizers aren’t just as amazing. The Belgian Cheese Fondue with it’s three cheeses and cubed Rye & Black Bread is just so smooth and tasty and they give you so much bread that I can’t even finish it!

Now if appetizers aren’t your thing they have a daily soup special and this time of year, they have my favorite soup… butter nut squash soup. Their soup is so creamy and decadent, I could eat bowl after bowl until I burst!

So enough about appetizers and on to the entrees! My hands down favorite is the Texas Smoked Brisket. The brisket is slow roasted with molasses BBQ sauce and served with veggies and buttermilk whipped potatoes. To die for! Of course in the past few weeks since I decided to write this post, I’ve been ordering everything but the brisket to make sure I had a good feel for the rest of their menu.

Recently I’ve tried the Irish Bangers and Mash with it’s Dijon mustard demi-glace, beer braised sauerkraut and the intoxicating cheddar & chives whipped potatoes.

And the Crab and Shrimp Fettuccine, a delightful bowl of pasta with fresh crab meat, creole scampi and Roma tomatoes… quite tasty!

My most recent trip to the Drafting Room with my Dad and my partner was to the one near my parents and once again I resisted ordering my favorite brisket to try the decadent and indulgent Southern Fried Pork Chop. A huge pork chop, fried and served smothered in Apple Molasses Syrup, served with collard greens with bacon and three cheese baked Mac & Cheese. Talk about a heart attack on a plate!

Even their lunch menus is packed with some tasty unique sandwiches. Two of my faves are the Crab and Spinach Melt and the Buttermilk Chicken BLT. Both a little taste of nirvana!

And of course no trip to the Drafting Room would be complete for me without one of their scrumptious desserts! There is always something tasty on the menu from Key Lime Pie to Warm Apple Pie to another favorite of mine this time of year… Pumpkin Cheesecake. Oooh so rich and smooth with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor on a plate drizzled with caramel sauce… mmmm!

I’m sure it will come as no surprise at this point that the Drafting Room gets a five skillet rating from me. This is the place that I drag people to when they come to visit, and if any of you ever visit you’ll be in for a fabulous meal!

The Drafting Room
635 N. Pottstown Pike
Exton, Pennsylvania 19341
610-363-0521
or
900 N. Bethlehem Pike
Spring House, Pennsylvania 19477
215-646-6116
http://draftingroom.com