Category Archives: Union Square/Flatiron

Greek, Midtown East, Porterhouse, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

Parea Prime

May 20, 2013 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Parea Prime overall score: 83

NOTE: This restaurant is now CLOSED.

Flavor: 8

I had the rib eye, as usual. it was really nicely cooked, tender, juicy, delicious. The only downside was that the meat was a little bit tight. Not tough, but maybe it didn’t have as much marbling as I had hoped. Also the fat cap was a little bit on the smaller side than I usually like, and less of it was edible than normal. Overall though I really enjoyed my steak (8/10). I tried some of the lamb chops, braised short rib, and the porterhouse as well – all were good, though the porterhouse was a bit overcooked (6/10).

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9

The quality here is all prime, and supposedly hand selected by Pat LaFrieda himself! The online menu showed a rib eye for two, but they didn’t have it at the restaurant. Otherwise they had all the basics; porterhouse for multiple even numbers of diners, filet, strip, and rib eye. They also had some alternative meats like pork (which they were out of), veal, lamb and braised short rib. A nice selection.

Portion Size & Plating: 9

With the exception of the sides, the portions are all very generous, and the plating is up to par with other more modern, elegant steakhouses. I’d say my rib eye was upwards of 22oz.

Price: 8

I can’t really complain at all here. At the end of the meal we were given some free booze (see service section). The rib eye was a bit pricey in my opinion, but the other steaks seemed fair (as well as the drinks). See the rest below:

Bar: 8

The bar is nice, though I wonder if the place would have been better arranged if they put the bar closer to the street/windows that in the back. They mixed a good martini though, and they have a great selection of house cocktails that looked (and tasted) great. My martini was $12, which, after spending $20 last week at Del Frisco’s, seemed like a steal (how sad is that?).

Specials and Other Meats: 8

There was no special beef cut, but they did offer some oysters and clams on special. As for other meats, they had braised short rib (which was yummy), lamb chops (also delicious), veal and pork chops (which they were out of).

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We started with some slab bacon, which was fatty and delicious. At $5 a slab it was worth it. We also shared some grilled octopus – it was tasty and bright, but it had less char on it than I had expected. Next we had some grilled calamari stuffed with Greek cheeses. These were very nice. During dinner we had some rosemary oregano fries, which were really crisp, aromatic and tasty. We also tried the creamed spinach and sauteed broccoli rabe with feta. Both were excellent, however there was just not enough of it in each order.

Seafood Selection: 7

They have a decent raw bar and app selection, but other than that it seems to just be sea bass (both Mediterranean and Chilean) and salmon for dinner (along with a crab cake plate).

Service: 10

The service here is absolutely awesome. Our water Salvador was really nice and helpful, and he had great suggestions for drinks and entrees. After dinner we had the great pleasure of chatting with the general manager Jean Christophe for quite a bit of time. He was a chef for many years at various great NYC steakhouses. This man is a class act, and a true gentleman. Both he and our waiter offered us some complimentary after dinner drinks from their high end selections (top notch tequilas and cognacs). I always enjoy meeting the people who run these places. When they truly love the industry it reflects in their service just how much each diner means to them.

Ambiance: 8

The ambiance was nice, but the music was a bit too clubby for my taste. Otherwise everything was neat, well decorated, and elegant – from the tables to the bathrooms. We had a nice big round table in the front of the restaurant, near the windows, and we enjoyed it.

Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

Vic & Anthony’s

June 3, 2012 Johnny Prime Leave a comment

Vic & Anthony’s overall score: 84

NOTE: this restaurant is now CLOSED.

This place is brand new in NY, taking over the location where Angelo & Maxies was located. There are three other locations around the states. I saw the website and it looked really impressive, so I was itching to get my mouth around some delicious steak and seafood there. A group of us decided to give it a try when a friend was back in town for a visit.

Flavor: 8

I had the bone-in ribeye. It was nicely cooked and even all the way through, but lacked a little bit of char and crisped edges. Otherwise it was well rested, juicy, and seasoned appropriately. The others leveled similar criticism about the meat, but I must say despite that mishap my steak was really fucking tasty, so I am only deducting two points. One of my buddies almost sprouted labia and ordered lamb chops, but he was quickly set in line and went with the ribeye as well. I wonder if he would have been happier with the lamb. You can see in the pic below that the meat actually looks wet and not crusted.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9

Vic and Anthony’s covers the basics in top fashion. They have two ribeyes; a boneless, and a bone-in. They have two sizes of filet, a boneless strip, and porterhouse for two. They also list “domestic Kobe beef” on the menu, a contradiction in terms (see earlier post on Kobe and Wagyu items in this country). Not a bad beef selection, though they would benefit from having one or two other cuts specially prepared, like a flank or skirt. They have toppings that you can order with your steak, like blue cheese bacon butter, or bone marrow bordelaise, but I am somewhat of a purist. I tried the blue cheese bacon butter on the side and it was actually really good, as was the bordelaise. Maybe they would have been good for fries, but I don’t like putting sauces on my meat as a general matter. As I’ve said in the past: this review blog isn’t about the dress; its about the meat underneath, so who cares about the fuckin’ sauce.

Portion Size & Plating: 8

The sizes are good here. They have 8oz and 12oz filets, 16oz strip, and 16oz and 22oz ribeyes. No size was given to the porterhouse, but they are usually around 36oz-40oz (shared between two people). As for the other items, the portion size was small for the cured meats platter, good for the creamed spinach, asparagus and mashed potatoes, and good for the creme brulee.

4) Price: 7

It seemed a little pricey for some of the items (cured meat platter and sauces specifically). The steaks are all just under $50, which is the new normal I guess. My bone-in ribeye, however, was $57. The total bill was $714 for 5 people (after tax but before tip).

Bar: 9

The bar was nice and big; the whole place is newly decorated, and there’s lots of glass everywhere, and wine bottles. The bar is set up like a square shaped island that splits the rear dining area from the front. The martini was made perfectly; cold and crisp, at $13. Also the location of this place is in a cool spot, near a lot of other walk by places, so it is definitely a cool spot to pop in just for a drink and some bar grub.

Specials and Other Meats: 8

On special they had several items, but nothing jumped out as sounding amazing. She talked about some of the “domestic kobe” items when reading off the specials, but I wasn’t that interested. I also restrained myself from taking notes during the meal like a dick. For “other meats” they had lamb chops, veal chops prepared two different ways, and chicken prepared two different ways. Not bad.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We ordered two dozen oysters and a cured meat platter to start. The oysters were AWESOME – in fact they were jerkworthy. Cleanly shucked, ice cold, creamy, briney, and crisp. We actually started with one dozen but as soon as we each had a few we knew we needed more. The cured meat platter was nothing really special. This is something that can be put together several times for $10 cheaper on a simple trip to the grocery store or deli. GOBBAGOOL! The creamed spinach was extremely cheese-laden and heavy. I liked it, but it was really like having an order of creamy blue cheese with a little bit of spinach threaded through it. Certainly not the traditional “mostly green” style, but interesting nonetheless. We also had some mashed potatoes, which were average, and asparagus, which was also average. For dessert we all had a few bites of an order of creme brulee, which was really nicely done. I love that shit. If I could, I would rub it on my balls like lotion.

Seafood Selection: 10

I was really excited to see Alaskan king crab grace the menu here. Really amazing. I wanted to order it as a side dish to be honest. They also had lobster tail (as well as full lobsters), pepper crusted tuna, salmon, a number of seafood pasta dishes, and a fish of the day, which was probably something that I willingly ignored during the reading of the specials. The app selection of seafood is also impressive, and covers a huge variety of cold items. If the seafood flavor is comparable to the oysters, then this place should get a score of 10 here. In fact I will leave it at 10 just for the oysters.

Service: 10

Theresa was our waitress, and should be commended for an excellent job. She was really great, and knew exactly what drinks we brought over from the bar when we sat down just by overhearing us talk about what we each had, what we liked, etc. Pretty impressive. She was also really sociable and friendly, and we welcomed her and other workers into our conversations about how shitty our HTC Thunderbolts are, about kosher beef butchering processes, etc. She turned out to be a great source of info as a matter of fact. The table breads were basic, but they were warm and crispy, and served with soft spreadable butter.

Ambiance: 8

The decor was all brand new but not necessarily my “taste.” There were lots of weird colors on the rug in the rear dining area, like a weird late 80s piece of wall art. There’s lots of glass and pillared areas with wine bottles interestingly displayed, which was actually very cool. The front and sides have booths, but there is also a lot of space for massive crowds of diners at tables. The bathroom was definitely shit-worthy; clean, nicely decorated. I was hoping there would be a bathroom attendant with shave gear, so I could have shaved my entire full beard and then returned to the meal clean shaven as if nothing happened, but there wasn’t one on staff. They did have thick paper towels with their Vic & Anthony’s logo printed on them.

Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

BLT Prime

June 2, 2012 Johnny Prime 1 Comment

BLT Prime overall score: 90

NOTE: THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED!

Over the last two years I have heard nothing but great praise for BLT Prime. It was high time that Johnny Prime stepped through the doors here. This time was a birthday meal… for me.

Flavor: 9

You can certainly taste the quality angus beef in this steak. I had the ribeye and it was really great, other than the fact that it needed a touch of salt. The steak comes with a half head of roasted garlic and rosted bone marrow. That was amazing, but it was almost a little TOO much melty fattiness on the plate at once. Perhaps the marrow would have been better suited to go with the bread and chicken liver pate before the meal (which was psychotically amazing – for real, the bread is “stab your mother in the face” good). They claim to broil the meat at 1700 degrees; this should make for a great crispy char on the outside, locking in the juices beneath the surface, but my steak wasnt so crispy on the edges. They serve the meat with a steak sauce that is somewhere between a gravy and A1. It’s not bad, but certainly not for putting onto CAB quality prime beef. That would be tantamount to sin. Mortal sin, like eating the faces of limbless mentally challenged midgets after blowing inch thick rails of bath salts and getting naked in the streets of Miami with your homeless friends.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10

All the meat here is prime, aged, and Certified Angus brand, so you are basically guaranteed top notch cuts. BLT Prime boasts an impressive selection of carcass too. Two versions of strip: bone in “Kansas City,” and boneless “New York;” a filet; a porterhouse for two; a “cowboy” bone-in ribeye; and even a hanger. On top of that, they even have a small selection of “Kobe Wagyu” cuts (please refer to my prior post about Kobe and/or Wagyu beef in this country): a ribeye, a top cap, and a skirt, all boneless and all the same size (10oz). At least the menu had the good sense to explain that these were domestic cuts, not the real deal. They also have braised short ribs on their entree menu, and they offer a special organic porterhouse for two, in addition to a number of other dead animals. They have a host of sauces you can order to top your steaks as well, but I passed on those. This review blog isn’t about the dress; it’s about the meat underneath.

Portion Size & Plating: 9

Ounces are listed as follows: bone in “Kansas City” = 20oz; boneless “New York” = 16oz; a filet; porterhouse for two = 38oz; “cowboy” bone-in ribeye = 22oz; hanger = 10oz; fake Kobe Wagyu selections = 10oz. These portion sizes are average to slightly above average for steaks. Other menu items were slightly smaller in terms of portion size (with the exception of the bacon app and the special fish entree), but you get so full with all the little freebies that it doesn’t matter. My ribeye came out on a nice cast iron skillet, as did the peas and creamed spinach sides (in cast iron tubs). My wife’s whole roasted fish was served head on, beautifully plated.

4) Price: 8

The prices for the main cuts range from $44 (filet) to $57 (bone in strip), and they seem fair. I’m not quite sure why the one strip clocks in so high. The ribeye is $10 cheaper and 2oz larger. The other items were a bit pricey. Our total bill was about $270 for three apps, two entrees, two sides, two desserts and a few drinks a piece. Not too bad, but some items felt wasteful. The oysters seemed a bit pricey so we skipped those this time around, but there were two kinds in my seafood platter (also high at $34). But it was delicious. On the other hand you can get a really great price fix menu of four courses for $60, which in my opinion is a steal.

Bar: 8

The bar was nice, modern, elegant, minimal, and clean. Great wood on the actual bar surface. A nice big image of the Wall Street bull graced the lounge seating area across from the actual bar. The martini was made well; crisp, clean, cold. It was $12. They also offer a great selection of specialty cocktails; we tried the blueberry bramble (gin, blueberry puree, lemon juice, simple syrup, shaved ice).

Specials and Other Meats: 10

On special BLT Prime had an entire menu of items. White asparagus, fluke carpaccio, whole grilled black bass, lamb rump roast, organic porterhouse, spring peas, shishito peppers, banana cream tart with praline ice cream, and chocolate fudge cake with mint ice cream. As far as “other meats” go, they offered braised short ribs, rack of lamb (in addition to the rump/lamb ass on special), veal chop and roast chicken. This, combined with the ample supply of traditional steaks and other specialty cuts demonstrates great diversity. On Sundays they even have a prime rib special for $47, and they have a daily price fix special of four courses (limited selection to the special items I first listed above) for $60. Awesome.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We ordered fluke carpaccio, bacon, and a seafood platter for apps. The platter had a small half lobster, two clams, two oysters, a rock crab claw and knuckle, and a few jumbo shrimp. The lobster was sweet and perfectly cooked. The crab was a little on the bland side, but still good. The shrimp were awesome, and the raw shellfish were really crisp and creamy. My wife liked the fluke carpaccio but I was a little put off by it; perhaps because I despise dill. But I was expecting more of an usuzukuri style japanese ice cold sushi dish, but this was still nice. The bacon was more like ham, and the fat between the meat was a bit too stringy to eat. It was also just warm, not sizzling hot like some places. On the bright side the order came with four strips rather than the standard one or two for the same price. I’ve been to places where the bacon ranges from $5-$10 per slice. Here it was $10 for four slices, but not nearly up to snuff when compared to other bacon apps I have had (in terms of flavor and quality). On the side we had the creamed spinach. It was pretty good. Rich flavor, creamy, with crispy minced garlic on top. A bit on the heavy side, however, and a little small in size. There was also the spring peas on the side. They were a bit too firm/uncooked and grainy for my liking, but fresh, minty, and flavorful nonetheless. They were dressed up with bacon and cipollini mixed in. For dessert we had the banana cream tart with praline ice cream, and they served me a complimentary order of birthday donuts with coffee ice cream and dark chocolate sauce. Both were delicious ways to end a great meal, and the ice creams that came with each were amazing, packing in lots of natural, mild flavors with smooth airy textures. By the way; the fries looked amazing but we were way too full to order anything else.

Seafood Selection: 9

Wonderful seafood selection. In addition to the fully stocked app section (platters included), they also offered a wide variety of entrees. Dover sole, branzino, ahi tuna, Maine lobster and shrimp. On special there was also the fluke app, and the whole black bass entree. The bass had nice crispy skin, yet it was tender inside. It was HUGE too. Really beautifully cooked and simply delightful to both look at and eat.

Service: 10

Our waiter was AWESOME. I wish I remembered his name to give him some praise here (maybe Scott?). First come the incredible table breads; a nice toasty slice of soft yet crispy ciabatta bread with a latched mason jar of chicken pate to spread across it. Unbelievable. I was licking the spoon for every last bit of pate. Then comes the cheese popovers. Made fresh, they are hot, airy, and crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside, with a nice briny cheese flavor throughout. We took a bunch of stuff home with us, but the waiter and bus boy gave us extra cheese popovers, fresh and hot, right in the bag. AWESOME! I would seriously come here just for the bread. It is THAT good. The best part: a recipe for the popovers is included with the doggie bag. There was also a freebie of thinly sliced (longways) fried plantains that went nicely with the seafood apps. Oh and also a freebie of mini rum cake brownies that came with dessert. They’re called “petits fours” in the foodie world, for you culinary morons, but that is a quiffy French term, so I don’t blame you for knowing about it or caring about it. Fuck that shit. Oh yeah and my dessert was free for my birthday. Holy shit! They wished me happy birthday… several times! As you can tell the service here is incredible, seriously. Last, if you fill out a comment card and sign up for a “BLT” credit card of sorts, you get 15% off your next meal there. Not too shabby, since I am almost certain I will be at a BLT establishment again sometime in the future.

breads2 — chicken liver pate bread and cheese popovers

Ambiance: 9

The decor was modern and elegant, yet sleek, minimal and robust. The dark wood floors are stunning. Nothing here is overdone or too fancy; in fact the coolest feature is the gigantic menu they have posted on a fuzzy black board that takes up the entire left wall of the rear/main floor dining area. The main dining room boasts gorgeous, angled, greenhouse-style glass-paneled skylights that slope up to create a high vaulted ceiling. On the opposite side of the dining room there is an elevated area for private seating overlooking the dining room on one side and the bar/lounge on the other. There is also a private room downstairs for parties or gatherings. There’s even some outdoor seating, curbside, which is rare and awesome at a steakhouse. Another cool feature about this place is that the reverse side of the menu has a great pictorial beef chart that shows where virtually every commercially available (in the US) cut of beef comes from on the cow. It is so great that I need to share it with the beef community. The bathroom was clean and nice, with thick disposable paper towels in stacks beside the marble sink. A fine place to drop a deuce if needed.

BLT PRIME
111 E. 22nd St.
New York, NY 10010

Filet Mignon, Full Points for Flavor, NY Strip, Rib Eye, Steakhouse Reviews, Union Square/Flatiron

Primehouse NYC

April 29, 2011 Johnny Prime 3 Comments

Primehouse overall score: 91

NOTE: This restaurant is now CLOSED.

Primehouse is a BR Guest restaurant. My wife and I have gone to the NYC location on Park & 27th several times. Overall this was one of my top three favorite steakhouses in New York, but things have changed much since they first opened.

Flavor: 10

In all my years of devouring animal carcass, Primehouse is one of the best steakhouses I’ve been to in terms of flavor. The seasoning is just right; you never need to add salt, pepper, or sauces to the meat. They seem to take pride in the simplicity of the ingredient and do extremely well at showcasing it in a pure form. This seems to be the case with most BR Guest restaurants I’ve been to as a matter of fact, whether it is steak, BBQ or seafood.

Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 10

The main four cuts (strip, filet, porterhouse, and ribeye) are all represented on the basic menu, often in several sizes and forms, such as bone-in or boneless. As the name of the restaurant suggests, they use prime grade beef, most of which is already aged. Occasionally they offer cuts of meat not listed on the menu, such as special aged cuts, but there is an amazing selection of aged meat on the normal menu. I’ve tasted their 40-day aged ribeye, both bone-in and boneless filets, and the bone-in strip; all were fantastic. This place wins the prize for the best filet I have ever tasted to date. On top of having the basic four cuts in several varieties, they also offer alternative cuts like the hanger steak, as well as other types of meat.

Portion Size & Plating: 9

The portions are normal to above average in size. The “real” steaks hover around the 20oz mark, where they should be. The bone-in filet is massive. Plating is simple, but elegant.

Price: 8

Primehouse can be pricey if you go for the better cuts, but you get a lot for your money, and the quality is fantastic. You WILL NOT leave hungry. The food is well worth the price. The fist time my wife and I went, they offered a $75/pp three course tasting which included a slightly smaller sized appetizer, a petit filet, and dessert. In reality it was more like a four or five course tasting because they brought over complimentary bite-sized samplings of their side items and other things the chef was experimenting with. We try to go every time they offer specials like this, since you save a lot of money and still get all of their best food, but unfortunately we haven’t seen it offered much anymore in the past couple of years. Times are tough.

Bar: 9

Primehouse has an amazing bar food menu. A few times we were tempted to skip steaks and just sit at the bar and snack on pork belly all night. They know how to mix a drink too, and the martinis are always made well. Not too sweet, not too strong, most of the special drink menu items are unique and refreshing. Great selection of wines, scotches and special cocktails. This is a place you can definitely hang out in. Several large TVs adorn the high-ceiling bar area, and the large windows offer a view of Park Avenue for people watching.

Specials and Other Meats: 8

I’ve really only ever saw chicken and veal on the menu, other than beef. I’d like to see some lamb preparations, or a braised short rib. I know this place can do a great job on those, despite primarily being a place for steak. As I said above, the meats on the regular menu are already pretty damn special, but occasionally the waiter will read off some things that are not on the menu.

Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9

On the appetizer angle, the big eye tuna tartare is probably the best preparation of tuna I have ever eaten. The table-side ceasar is amazing, and so is the carpaccio, and all are good sized. The crabcake was a bit small, but still tasty; I think it was small because the time I got it, it was from the special $75 prix fix tasting menu, where portions tend to be smaller. The tomato bisque was really tasty and smokey. It came with small squares of grilled cheese cut up in the empty bowl, and the server poured the soup into the bowl tableside. Primehouse offers a great selection of raw oysters and shellfish towers that will feed more than one person. For the sides, I wasn’t impressed with the potato-based items (I’ve tried the lobster whipped, duck fat hash browns, and asiago fries), but the creamed spinach and grilled asparagus are great, as are the green beans and mac & cheese. For dessert, the box of doughnuts is absolutely amazing. They are fresh homemade doughnut holes topped with cinnamon and sugar, and they come in a brown Chinese-food container box with a few bottles of “fillings” that you squirt into the doughnuts. Other than a generously filled flight of bourbons or a single malt scotch, that is all I have ever tried for dessert. My wife tried a chocolate souffle once and said it was good. Fuck chocolate – I can’t eat much without getting sick of it. The cold items are good to cleanse the palate.

Seafood Selection: 8

Aside from the multitude of shellfish and seafood in the appetizer section, Primehouse offers a few basic preparations of the standards like salmon, tuna, sea bass, and of course lobster. I’ve never tried, but they look delicious, and the selection is about normal for a steakhouse menu. The seafood towers on the appetizer menu could also substitute as a meal. The smaller “flatiron” size came with four oysters (raw), two clams (raw), half a lobster tail, a lobster claw, a king crab leg, a dish of salmon tartare, about a dozen mussels, and homemade potato chips.

Service: 9

Primehouse is not a traditional style steakhouse with an all-male staff. The waiters/waitresses all know their stuff. They will suggest a less or more gamey steak, or a milder aged steak, if you explain what you like and dislike. They are not out to get you to buy the most expensive item on the menu; they are concerned with making you happy. They are on top of the bread and water refills, and the refreshing of booze. Worth mentioning here is the bread served with dinner. Freshly baked, warm, square bagels – some plain but naturally salty, some with chopped calamata olives inside. And the butter is whipped and soft, easy to spread – not hard like it just came out of the freezer. I could eat these all day. Tableside items like the salad and soup engage the diner in the culinary experience. Occasionally my wife and I will make reservations for special occasions online, and, if you tell them it is your birthday or anniversary, they will sometimes bring over a complimentary box of doughnuts for dessert, a pair of champagne flutes or a small cake with a candle and some writing on the plate. They know how to take care of their patrons. The only down side is that in recent months or the last year or so, some of the nice perks about this restaurant have started to fade away, like a free dessert or drink if you make anniversary reservations, the complimentary tasting-sized sampling of special items or palate cleansers between courses, or the olive square bagel (now they seem to only serve the plain, which is still delicious – don’t get me wrong). This is probably due to the recent economic downturn and its impact on the rising cost of food items, so it is understandable in that sense. A business still needs to make money, right?

Ambiance: 9

Although Primehouse is not a traditional, wood-grained, Rockwell-print-adorned, tavern-like classic “steakhouse” restaurant, I still give it surprisingly good marks for ambiance. Don’t be fooled by the initial appearance of a club or lounge atmosphere. No one is rude, the music is a comfortable volume and a mix of things everyone knows, and the vibe is relaxed; no dress code. The floor is an amazing nod to the mod stylings of the 60s, with bold black and white circles embedded in the tile. High ceilings make you feel light and not so weighed down by the massive meat wad that sits in your stomach as the meal progresses. The crowd is hip and trendy, but not pretentious like some places in the city. It attracts after-workers, young people, as well as daters and birthdayers. Bathrooms are clean and spacious, flatware is clean, white and non-traditional/interestingly shaped, and silverware is robust and modern. Overall Primehouse is a great change-up from the typical steakhouse feel. I was pleasantly surprised, and now I have grown to love it, even though my meat bone still belongs to the classic steakhouse decor.