Skal is an Icelandic joint on Canal Street WAY on the east side. The end of Canal Street. I never realized how awesome this end of Canal Street was. Skal is actually the only place in NYC where you can try Icelandic food. The name of the restaurant means “cheers.” So SKAL!
The decor is really nice: washed blue with dark brown and white. Very “modern nuptials” in scheme, with a bit of Cape Cod accents.
The owner, Christoff, is awesome. He’s really nice, hands-on, with a great personality. He also sports a wonderful head of hair that makes me really jealous.
My wife and I came here for a Tabelog tasting event that involved seven courses of greatness.
First were the pickled veggies. This included everything from cauliflower to broccoli to root veggies and greens.
Next were the oysters. These were small but briny and potent. They tasted like the sea but not too fishy to the point of yuck. They were salty, creamy and dressed with a little bit of dill.
After, there were some passed salt cod croquettes with a horseradish sauce. These were really nicely fried, and the salt cod was tame and gentle. Really nice.
The caramelized carrots and root veggies with burnt honey were really tasty, though if you weren’t careful they did stick to your teeth quite a bit. Make sure you slosh with some water…
…Or some mixed drinks. The bartenders at Skal were mixing up some really nice shit. There was a gin-based, cucumber-infused drink with black pepper. That was great. Also a muddled berry drink, and a ginger, basil and vodka drink that was nicely balanced.
These little beauties were smoked mackerel and foie gras served in an onion cup that had been steamed in whey. It was smooth and creamy, almost mousse-like. This might have taken best of the night, though it was neck-and-neck with the next dish.
That next round of food was the duck wings. Holy shit, football fans… These motherfuckers were amazing. Soft, juicy, tender, jammed with flavor and perfectly dressed with red seaweed, mussels and a squid ink type of sauce. I know yo’re thinking “that’s not a traditional wing,” to which I would say “shut the fuck up and try it, then decide.”
Last, there was a little raw beef app. Raw beef with clams, fermented ramps and sorrel. Delicious enough to satiate this carvivore’s never-ending desire for beef.
That signaled the end of the meal. As we were digesting, Kenta from Tabelog announced some new plans for the site and told us about their launches in Chicago and California. Things are looking really great for their US venture. I hope it takes off!
Then the humble chef of Skal came out to tell us about the food and the restaurant. I’d definitely eat here again. Especially for the wings, the mackerel and the oysters.
But… I needed a little something extra, because deep down I’m still a fat guy, despite losing over 40lbs since January 1. So we went to nearby Bassanova with our friend from the party, Jay, who runs the Dishelin Guide website. Check out his page – pretty damn good idea for a food blog! Ramen is a great way to cap off any night. This particular variety was truffle wadashi tondaku ramen (pork broth).
I was recently invited to a press dinner at Pepela, a very elegant but non-stuffy Georgian restaurant on 30th Street just east of Park Avenue. I didn’t know what to expect, really. Not only have I not regularly indulged in eastern European, Scandinavian or Russian/northern Asian cuisine, but I’m also new to the press dinner thing. I must say: after tonight, I’m a fan of both Georgian cuisine AND press dinners.
Pepela is a beautiful restaurant. I thought maybe the name meant butterfly. That’s just a guess though from the decor on the back wall.
However, a quick google translate “language detect” search said that pepela means “ash” in Slovenian.
The entry way feels like you are stepping into a fancy brownstone.
A short hallway walk takes you to an upscale bar/lounge area, which partially overlooks the downstairs dining room area nearest to the small stage that’s set up for live music.
This place is great for something like bridal parties or girly brunches, for sure. But it’s great for date night too. I think I even overheard something about a cover band. A band was setting up while we were on our way out.
White brick walls line the dining room downstairs. Purple toned up-lighting splashes color all around, giving the place a distinct lounge feel, but without the loud music blaring in your ears (loud lounges suck once you hit your 30s).
Upstairs there are elegant light fixtures, shimmering chandeliers, columnal white wainscoting and bold crown molding on the walls. It’s bright and clean. Dare I say… sexy? I hate that word when used relating to food… but I guess I’m talking about atmosphere. Here – just look at some of the artwork that throws back to the sexified 80’s ideal of Victorian-era erotica.
Okay so on to the good shit. The important shit. The fucking food.
The first things that passed into our digestive system were some drinks. A lovely tarragon and citrus flavored soda called Natakhtari was bright green with a delicious and herbaceous taste. Where can I get more of this awesomeness?
Next was a proprietary in-house Georgian vodka-based drink with a pomegranate and orange flavor that transformed with a simple squeeze of lime. Refreshing and fruity. Not too strong, not too light. Really a perfect cocktail: especially for you broads out there. It was called a chacha pom.
Then came a starter plate with some warm, semi-flat quick bread (they look like sharks).
First on the starter plate was eggplant wrapped around a hummus-like walnut paste puree. I liked it a lot. Even my wife, who absolutely hates eggplant, was able to eat it.
Next was a beet spread. This was mixed with onions and herbs. Really nice balance of sweet and savory going on here, and it went nicely with the bread.
Last were peppers stuffed with walnuts, pomegranate, carrots, spices and herbs. This was my favorite of the three. The roasted pepper flavor really added a nice earthy note to drive home the nutty excellence of the stuffing.
By that point in the meal I was already sold on Georgian food. Unique drinks, with tasty and light starters? Sure! The starter plates were surprisingly Mediterranean in flavor. Delicious and totally unexpected, yet somehow familiar. If I had to make one suggestion here: it could use some crunch to mix up the texture. Maybe some thick cut, crispy fried potato slices as an alternative to the bread? But then maybe that would take it out of the realm of traditional Georgian food? What the hell do I know. I really was fine with it as-is.
Next came the cheese bread called khachapuri. To a grease bag EYEtalian-American like me, this was sorta like a white pizza. It was made with very light, mild and melty cheeses though, on crisp yet soft dough.
For my taste it could’ve been a slight bit crispier, but maybe that’s just me subconsciously transforming it into pizza in my boot-shaped-country head.
Last was a plate of veal soup dumplings called khinkali. These were like doughy gift packages of spiced meat, accompanied by a great soup broth inside that packed some really robust, home-style flavors.
You’re supposed to eat these fuckers by hand, which I love, because I’m a man and I have a base-born NEED to eat with my hands. It’s genetic; it’s in a man’s DNA. Shit maybe it’s even evolutionary. (Pay no attention to my girly, pinkish-purple shirt…)
Ridiculous video.
Wow. Pepela… what a great build up from start to finish. The lightness of the starters awakened my taste buds and prepared them for the punch of the entree. I loved everything, and I’ll definitely be back to try some of the other tasty menu items. Georgian food has a great future in the belly of this meat man!
Madangsui is a great spot for quality Korean BBQ, and Korean food in general. My wife and I came on a Friday after work to give it a try. It’s located on 35th Street just east of 6th Avenue. Not quite IN K-Town, but close enough. And slightly removed from the craziness of the main K-Town hub. Here’s what the joint looks like outside and inside:
As is common practice in Korean cuisine, the banchan comes out first… an array of pickled veggies and greenery to wet the appetite and for adding to your BBQ meats, lettuce wraps or rice dishes.
They also brought out some fluffy egg in a small cast iron pot, and a crab and veggie soup. The egg was perfect. The soup was hearty and rich, and the crab gave it a nice flavor of the sea:
We actually started with some chicken bibimbap. It was really tasty with the fried egg on top. I just wish the rice was a little bit crispier from cooking in the clay pot some more. The little crispy brown bits are the best!
For the bbq portion we had two different meats. First, the pork belly. Nice, juicy quarter inch goodness:
We also had some spicy, marinated rib eye. Lookin’ good!
It was seriously good quality meat. Check out the menu and see for yourself:
Yeah that’s right. Jowls. I ordered it, but our waitress said it wasn’t very popular. I asked “Yeah, but is it good?” She replied that she has never tried it, so I held off. Next time.
Our waitress fired up the meat for us at the table…
You know what? Fuck it… This is something you need to see in video. Here:
Once it was finished on the grill to perfect doneness we slapped the meat onto some lettuce wraps with some toppings. Delicious. The lettuce adds a nice crunch and cool, lightness to contrast with the meat.
That’s all I’ve got for you hungry assholes out there. If you’re looking for a good quality KBBQ joint that isn’t in the epicenter of the K-Town hustle, then this is definitely the place to go. I will definitely be back… specifically for the jowls.
The good folks over at Tabelog saw fit to invite me to once again join them for one of their elite tasting events. This time, the event was at Maison O in SoHo to celebrate Japanese department store Isetan’s newest pop-up store that was open in SoHo for fashion week, in line with Japan’s “Nipponista” movement.
What is “Nipponista,” you ask? It’s part of a Japanese project called “Cool Japan” that was created to spread Japanese fashion, design, art and food throughout the world. “Cool Japan” and “Gross National Cool” became slogans for Japan’s growing and expanding cultural movement, which eventually arrived here at NYC fashion week.
Chef Tadashi Ono, the former executive chef of Matsuri, presented his culinary creations at the Tabelog event. We enjoyed a special tasting menu of Dashi and Agar, along with Mizubasho sake pairings. As with any good meal, you start out with some booze. Our official booze man was Shoichi Nagai, of the Mizubasho brand. Here is a shot of him explaining the differences between some of the sake we tasted:
See below for the mouth-watering images of our meal and sake pairings.
First we had some sparkling sake with dashikarikori-kan (dashi jelly) with black truffle, sitting on a slice of radish and topped with scallion. The sake was like champagne, only better, because I hate champagne and I love sake. The dashi was earthy, had a really nice meaty texture, and it delivered a great crunch from the radish.
We also had a Kumamoto oyster with ponzu ice to go along with the with sparkling sake. It was tart, with a sour, grapefruit type of finish, but very crisp and clean.
Then one of the dashi specialists explained to us the difference in miso soup that uses just miso + water versus miso + dashi, and he showed us the two main components of dashi (kombu kelp and katsuobushi/benito flakes). We were easily able to taste a vast world of difference between the two cups of miso. The miso + dashi was way more rich, earthier, and generally much more awesome.
Next came the fish course: black cod with a sake and dashi-kanten gravy (dashi plus agar for thickening and flavor). It was paired with a cold-aged, 2-year sake that was crisp and complex. We drank it from two cups (one glass and one tin) and the type of cup you drink from actually alters the flavors. Tin cup is much better. As for the cod; the aroma was amazing, and the flavor was light but powerful. It was cooked perfectly.
Our next course was beef rib eye with caramelized onion and grilled rice ball. NOW we’re talking! The onions were the real star here. They were minced and delicious. The dish came with a grilled shishito pepper too, which was nice and smokey. The steak was slightly over-cooked, but still very tasty and tender. I didn’t mind at all. The rice ball was crisped like it was grilled on the same surface as the beef, and it even retained a little of that meaty flavor from whatever it picked up off the grill. The sake pairing was a 2004 vintage, 10yr cold-aged sake that was limited quantity (only 40 bottles remain). It was clean and easy to drink, light, flavorful, and paired remarkably well with grilled meat even though it wasn’t as robust as a red wine.
For dessert we had a sweet, 2009 dessert sake that was reminiscent of ice wine. They said it would pair nicely with everything from sweets to fois gras and even uni or salmon roe. I could see it for the uni, as the taste was somewhat aromatic and perfumed, as is uni. This was presented with a coconut panna cotta and green tea tiramisu. The tiramisu had great flavor, and the panna cotta was firm and packed a lot of punch for something that looked so light.
Then chef Ono came out to greet us and talk with us.
And here’s a decor shot for the road:
And a list of the menu items we had, just in case you are keeping track:
You can see a quick video of the event HERE, although the page itself and most of the video contents are in Japanese. Unfortunately my incredibly handsome face didn’t make it into the edited clip. It could have benefitted from my gorgeousness, or at least from that of my stunning wife.
Last night Tabelog hosted another incredible event for their elite team of prized food bloggers. They’ve set out to choose some of the more secret spots around NYC to host these things, as evidenced by their selection of Jukai, a very small, discrete Japanese joint on 53rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. My wife and I were blown away by how great the food was. To top it off, the event was sponsored by Asahi beer, so we got to sample some of their very popular super dry (goes nice with seafood) and dark (pairs well with beef) varietals. If the tasting/sampling is any indication of what an actual sit-down meal is like here, then I highly recommend that you reserve a table ASAP. You won’t be disappointed.
Okay so here’s the Food Pr0n in picture form:
First, the assorted starter. Pickled mushroom and onion, egg omelette with spinach, squid with sea urchin, smoked duck, and Jamon Iberico on top of persimmon. As you might have guessed the Iberico was my favorite portion of this plate, followed closely by the duck.
Then came my absolute favorite of the night – beef carpaccio. But not your ordinary beef. It was smokey, aged, and incredibly unique in flavor. And look at that fucking marbling…
Next, the mains. Salmon marinated in sake and then broiled, served with a grilled Shishito pepper. Very tasty. I usually dislike cooked salmon, but the experts at Jukai managed to keep the meat orange/pink inside for a beautiful rare temperature inside with a nice crisp on the outside…
Followed by Spanish mackerel with ground radish…
Then my wife’s favorite – a gigantic pacific oyster with all sorts of good toppings (I took this down in one bite)…
And a steaming bowl of garlicky shabu shabu with beef and cabbage.
For dessert we had a sampling of four delicious items: black tea panna cotta (my wife’s favorite), white sesame blancmange (almost like a pudding), creme brulee (my favorite), and chocolate truffles.
I’ve been meaning to yap it up about Tabelog for a while now, but the timing is perfect now for this entry. Basically, in a crude and overly simplified description that cheapens what I mean to say, Tabelog is the Japanese version of Yelp – only a shitload better. In Japan, Tabelog is 5x larger than Yelp; they dominate the food review market. The company has recently endeavored to break into the US and global market, with their first state-side stop being NYC, of course. That’s where Johnny Prime comes in. The awesome folks at Tabelog recognized my manliness and contacted me (and other well known and influential food bloggers) to be a part of the process – to give input on the website, to act as the voice of the user, etc. And most fun for us foodies – they also asked us to be judges for their NYC restaurant awards. Of course I fucking jumped at the opportunity to voice my opinion on things; namely, their “best steakhouse” category… Which, sadly, went to Peter Luger… Yeah… BOO… HISS… I was a bit surprised too… Oh well. Clearly some of the people who voted on this category need to get out to some different steakhouses, or they need to thoroughly read my site. I guess this just means that my important work must go on. I have more to do… Thankfully, Tabelog provides another great format and outlet for my manliness to disseminate to the world abroad. So thank you Brock and Ken for taking me into the fold. I’m honored, humbled, and thrilled to be a part of this.
Anyway… After being introduced to the newly launched US website I found that I REALLY liked the format. Not only that, but Tabelog allows food and restaurant reviewers a hell of a lot more control over the content and overall look of their reviews. Tabelog was smart to make the review process personal, so that you can almost get to know the writers just as much as the restaurants. Reviewers on Tabelog have their own little corner of cyberspace to stand on their milk crate and shout out their unique message; it’s kinda like Facebook meets restaurant reviews in a way. Meanwhile, Yelp has a whole shitpile of obnoxious restrictions like no use of hyperlinks, no self promotion, no mention of your website anywhere in your reviews, image restriction this, content restriction that… To some extent I understand the concern, but it has gotten a bit ridiculous lately. Yelp also doesn’t allow for embedded images in the body of the review, and they also hide or block certain reviews based on some fucked up algorithm that they THINK works to weed out what they perceive as “biased” reviews from tainting the process. Good intentions, but the reality is that many times this “feature” actually HARMS small businesses; I’ve seen it happen with people that I know who run small shops. Even despite numerous efforts by these small businesses to contact Yelp to alert them of problems or attempt to rectify situations, Yelp ignores, or pulls out some pre-conceived, pro-forma, bullshit-laden excuse/rationale. Tabelog has none of these ridiculous issues. Whoever is running the Tabelog tech is a fucking wizard, and the layout, user interface, and intuitive organizational nature of the site simply blows away the competition. Granted it is still new here, and things are just starting to heat up for them in NYC, but MAN do they show promise… I’m really looking forward to their explosion into the US market. And it’ll be fun because I’ll be there for the wild ride. Exciting.
So now, literally, to the meat and potatoes… Last night Tabelog threw an event for their NYC judges at the incredible SakaMai restaurant; a real deal legit Japanese place on the lower east side. The Tabelog folks were cool enough to let me bring my wife as well, who, as you might already know, is The Cake Dealer and also an awesome food blogger herself. The food at SakaMai was off the hook – pretty much perfection. Check out the pics and captions below.
First is the menu. Pics of the dishes go clockwise from bottom left:
Here is the carrot puree with dashi gelee and summer truffle. At first I thought it was some kind of uni puree based on the color and bright, brine flavor. This was one of the most delicious items of the night. I think I sucked down three of these mutherfuckers.
Next is the meat: filet mignon tartare with uni, wasabi mascarpone, and poached egg. I had three of these too. Hands down one of the better tartares I’ve ever had. It was earthy, it had great texture, and the poached egg introduced just the right amount of fat back into the dish.
Now for the trout and caviar sushi. I only had one of these, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. It was delicate, but full of great flavor. Very clean, crisp and refreshing.
Lobster croquettes with lardo iberico and sansho peppers. I went back for seconds here. Just a great, soft yet powerful punch of velvety flavor inside that crispy fried outer shell. And sitting on a little puree of potato.
Now for more meat – this time a chicken + fois gras burger. Fucking delicious. I only had one, but I could have put away a dozen of these fuckers quick and easy – so quick it would rival my old drunken 3am White Castle runs. And I don’t care what you say: White Castle sliders rule. Just don’t save any in the fridge overnight or else the next day the entire appliance will smell like rotting trash.
MORE MEAT! Iberico pork on a bed of farro salad. My first bite was extremely chewy but I think that’s because I got one of the fatty/gristled ends. My next two servings were perfect. When I first saw the color of the slices I thought I was dealing with flank, skirt or strip steak: a nice pinkish center. But when you delve into high quality pork, the “other white meat” can be served a little less cooked. This was some yummy shit:
Dessert: strawberry compote with mascarpone and a truffled balsamic drizzle. Fuck the strawberry though. It was great but I could drink that fucking cream all day. I’d rub that shit all over my face and gobble it down like Jenna Jameson if I had to.
Now onward to the booze! SakaMai offered us up a delicious selection of sakes, served up by some serious sake experts – so serious that they are called samurai. Serious. No joke. But seriousness aside, the one samurai we spoke to was hilarious, reciting jokes about the history of certain drinks.
We tasted a nice array of some very different sakes and booze. Below are two pics: one of our favorite sake, which was very clean, crisp and pure… Then a spicy plum alcohol which was accompanied by a funny story told by the sake samurai.
And last but not least, the talent and brains behind it all. First Tabelog: this is a shot of Brock (left) and Ken (right) telling us about the company’s plans and how we fit into the equation.
Next is SakaMai owner Natalie (left) and Chef Akiyama (right), who told us a lot about their restaurant and fielded a wide array of questions from us food nerds.
In a last minute, game time decision to grab some steaks, I took my wife and the super awesome guy who built this website out to dinner as a thank you gesture for all the work put into getting this page into legitimacy. It turned out to be a really fucking good meal.
Flavor: 9 (updated to 8)
We got the peppercorn crusted ribeye for two that was on special here. It was beautifully cooked to right between medium and medium rare, like we asked. If I had to guess I’d say it was maybe 36-40oz, but it had no waste on it. It came pre-sliced, but not in the shitty style of how most places serve the “porterhouse for two.” You know the drill and how it is at those shit boxes; it comes out on a screeming hot bowl-plate, and the bleed-out liquid pools underneath the carcass. It’s like a culinary horror movie where the star of the film gets killed at the end instead of living happily ever after. Then the meat becomes dry unless you destroy the soft tissue in your mouth and eat it right away, while it is still 17 million degrees. No – Frankie & Johnnie’s respects the meat! They let it rest and cool down, and there was absolutely no run-off under the sliced meat. NONE. It held all its juices, and the deliciousness was locked in tight. It has a great char on the edges, and the peppercorn crusting added interesting flavor, though I thought the peppercorn was not really necessary. Even the blubber was smooth and edible on this fucker – like you could smear it on bread instead of using butter, kinda like roasted bone marrow but less gamey. It was served with a gravy boat of sauce – likely a catching of flavorful drippings and juices from the cooking process, clarified, and reduced just a bit for cohesion. It was fucking drinkable. Bravo to this place.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9 (updated to 8)
The menu online is very different from what they have on site, so I was pleasantly surprised to see more variety than I expected. They had the basics in the following form: filet with a mushroom cap (in two sizes), ground filet mignon (think elevated “chopped steak”), “sirloin steak” (which I assume is a lesser version of a strip cut, but aged nicely), a ribeye, a t-bone (a “lesser” porterhouse, but for one), and porterhouses for two or three. In addition, and on special, they had the ribeye for two that I described above. All the beef is dry aged and prime quality, and on top of the good beef selection they also have a great selection of alternameats (see the other section below). All that was missing was, say, a flank or a skirt cut.
Portion Size & Plating: 8
Sizes here are good but not off the charts. As I mentioned the ribeye for two was certainly enough given the fact that there was no waste. It was in the 36-40oz range, and while I have had ribeye for one at 39oz, the quality here surpassed nearly all other large portioned cuts that I’ve had. The filet comes in 8oz flavor, or 12oz flavor. You see the trend? Not too massive, but all good. So you get bang for your buck.
Price: 9
The prices here are actually really great for NYC. Nothing breaks $50 for a singular cut of meat, and most items from the beef side of things come in around mid $40s. The ribeye for two was $90. For a special cold seafood tower, an order of oysters, a bacon app, a special ribeye for two, two sides, a dessert, and four drinks the bill only came to $281 after tax. Not bad at all for a thoroughly enjoyed meal. I only took a point off because they mistakenly charged me for and served me a scotch that cost $4 more than the one I actually ordered.
Bar: 7
Frankie & Johnnie’s is set up a bit odd, but they make good use of the space. When you walk in, you are in a small entry hall with the greeter. There is a stairway up to the main dining room, and a short stairway down into the bar area, which extends backward on the ground floor level. It is dim, but lively. It has one flat screen tv, and across are a bunch of tables for bar dining. The martini was made perfectly, though a bit on the pricey side at $13-$14. Since it isn’t adjacent to the windows, it lacks a certain feel that I’ve come to want at restaurant bars. Contrast with Del Frisco’s bar, which is big, open, and right along the windows. See a picture of the bar and seating area below:
Specials and Other Meats: 8
On special was the ribeye for two, a hot seafood platter app, a cold seafood platter app, and an apple smoked thick cut bacon app. I would have liked to see a marinated flank or skirt to round out the beef selection, but otherwise it was a decent showing, especially considering we ordered three of the four items on special. As for other meats, they offered a great and unique selection; double loin lamb chops, pork chops, veal porterhouse, calves liver, and chicken (for pussies and broads).
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 7 (updated to 6)
We started with a plate of Pine Island oysters and the apple bacon app. The bacon was nice and thick, though one piece I had was a bit stringy since it was the end of the belly. The apples added a nice sweetness and acidity to contrast the fat. The oysters were creamy, crisp, cold, clean, and packed a lot of flavor. My wife had the cold seafood platter. It’s meant to serve two people, but I thought it was a little small for that (and pricey at $54). It had two oysters, two clams, two shrimp, some lump crab meat, and a half lobster (likely a small 1lb jammy). It was all very tasty though, so size was the only issue. The creamed spinach is a staple at any steak meal. Here it was average – yummy but not stellar. It was creamy, but a bit too loose. I’ve had better at Wolfgang’s. The mushrooms and onions were sweet and earthy. They did a good sautee job on them – not too salty, oily or buttery. For dessert we tried the coconut sorbet; it was airy, natural tasting, and creamy, yet did it not feel or taste like dairy. I guess that’s why it’s called sorbet and not ice cream, but it had the consistancy of ice cream.
Seafood Selection: 9 (updated to 8)
They offer Maine and African lobster, broiled salmon, shrimp scampi, Chilean seabass, and pan seared tuna for seafood entrees (along with a quiffy surf & turf). There’s also lots of the standard stuff on the app side of the menu, like the raw bar, crab cakes and all manner of cocktails.
Service: 9
The waiter was great – he gave us enough space but he was always there when we needed him. He was cheerful and happy, but not in the fake “TGI Friday’s” kind of way. He was genuine. All the servers were dressed with formal attire (vests and ties), and the staff was mixed male and female. The bread assortment consisted of some onion bread, garlic bread, flat bread, and other dinner rolls. The bread was warm but the butter was cold.
Ambiance: 8
Despite a slight lacking in the bar area, Frankie & Johnnie’s main dining room has elegant decor, lofty ceilings, and plenty of space. It is classy but not stuffy. In the rear there is a huge fireplace with lots of dark wood trim surrounds. Very nice. One down side is the lack of a bathroom on the dining floor. You have to go down to the back of the bar area, and that shitter isn’t that nice to begin with. Mediocre at best.
UPDATE: 1/18/18
After a re-visit many years later, I had to drop the score down a few points. The rib eye was flavorful but lots of the fat was inedible. The filet had more flavor, despite having less character.
Rib Eye: 7/10
Filet Mignon: 8/10
Steak Sauce
The seafood appetizer special for two, I thought, was going to be a chilled seafood platter. It turned out to be crab cakes, baked clams, and shrimp scampi. It wasn’t bad, in fact i liked the crab cake’s potato crust. It was just a little bit skimpy for a dish “for two.”
Mixed Seafood Grill
The bacon was a bit too fatty. I enjoy eating fat bacon, but perhaps this needed to be cooked for a longer amount of time at a lower temperature, to ensure that all the chewy bits became soft.
Bacon
The potatoes were cut into chunks as opposed to sliced thin. The result inside was a thin, soupy consistency that wasn’t too good.
Potatoes Au Gratin
The broccoli was great. Simple garlic and oil preparation, crisped and sautéed nicely.
Broccoli
Both the bread pudding and the chocolate lava cake lacked flavor. Particularly the lava cake. The outside was rubbery and flavorless.
Bread Pudding
FRANKIE & JOHNIE’S
32 W. 37th St.
New York, NY 10018
I finally had the chance to come back in to Club A and dig on some steaks from the regular menu. The older review below was based on two meals where we used a Groupon and were limited to what we could order. This time I was here for some Instagram photos, so my wife and I tried both the rib eye and the porterhouse. Here’s how it went down:
Porterhouse: 9/10
This baby was nearly perfect. I only took a point because the seasoning was a hair too light. Otherwise the strip side had a really great texture, and the filet side was as soft as a baby’s ass.
Watch as this baby came to the table:
The photos and video make it look very overcooked, but it was just my light shining too hard. It may have been closer to medium than medium rare, but there was plenty of pink to go around.
We really enjoyed this.
Rib Eye: 8/10
This could have used a little more salt, and I only detected the dry aging on the edges by the small cap muscle, but we destroyed every ounce of it.
This baby was perfectly cooked.
Dead on medium rare.
We actually start with the steak tartare.
Here’s a yolk pop and mix video:
This was really nice. Very tender and flavorful.
Bread basket is on point:
Negroni at the bar was very refreshing and well mixed:
Great ambiance both inside and outside. They have live jazz on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and a private room upstairs that I didn’t know existed.
Loved this on the back of the menu:
And the service is impeccable. They even brought out a pair of mushroom ravioli, carrots, and mac and cheese for us even though we didn’t order them:
The dessert plate came out for us gratis as well. Look at how pretty this is:
As nearly all NYCers know, Club A has been running an enticing promotion on Groupon since the Spring of 2011: $80 four course dinner for two, with a bottle of wine included (now $99 for the same deal in 2017). Here’s my review, though I kinda wish my wife stopped Geoffrey Zakarian on the street and begged him to cook us a private meal. She passed by him on her way to meet me.
Flavor:7
The choice of beef cuts with the special deal were either an 8oz filet or a 10oz hanger steak. Naturally, I chose the hanger cut, because I think it shows more finesse and skill to prepare a good hanger steak than it does to whip up a filet. Also, the hanger generally has more flavor and character than the monotonous and generally same-at-every-place-you-go filet can have. My steak was good. It had decent flavor, but it was not tenderized or aged in any noticeable way to enhance it. Parts were stringy, which means the fat was not allowed to break down in the aging process.
It came to me just how I ordered. I asked for medium rare, and I was given medium rare. This cut has a tendency to be tough, so a fast cooking approach with a slice on the bias or a slow, long braise is generally best. I’ve had a better hanger steak at non-steakhouses. 7/10.
My wife had the veal shank osso buco on our first trip here, which was better than my steak that first time around. I had originally given the hanger a 6/10, but after the second trip I bumped it to a 7/10. On the second trip, my wife had the filet.
This was tender and had nice flavor throughout. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare and had a good sear on the outside. 8/10.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9
Club A has the standard selection of steaks on their regular menu, plus some special cuts and high quality meats like “Kobe” rib eyes and prime aged stuff. Perhaps my flavor review would be higher if I had ordered off the regular menu, but these were test visits. I’m not sprinting to go back, but I definitely would because I see good potential. Perhaps if someone insists, I will try it again.
Portion Size & Plating: 8
The portion sizes were good, and the plating was above average. The veal osso buco came with a mini fork to get the marrow out of the bone – nice touch. The hanger was pre-sliced, properly on the bias, and served with a watery gravy (but good). The bacon appetizer was a generous half-inch thick slice of heaven.
Price: 9
The price was great – $80 for four courses each, plus a bottle of wine (now $99). The quality didn’t quite exceed the value, but I guess they have to draw the line somewhere to distinguish between the bargain menu and their regular menu. Prices for regular items are standard NYC steakhouse prices.
Bar: 7
There is a small bar in the front of the restaurant – not impressive, but nicely set up.
There is also a larger bar upstairs splitting the front and rear dining areas, but these spots aren’t the kind of place you go to hang out. The upstairs bar seems to be unmanned, though I’m not sure if it gets more lively at night.
The martini was nice, but the atmosphere pales in comparison to other steakhouse bars. This is a neighborhood joint though, not a major steakhouse attraction, so allow some leeway. The waffle cut potato chips on the bar were a nice snack.
Specials and Other Meats: 9
I must say, the menu is full of meatery. Aside from the special beef cuts, they also have a prime pork chop, veal, chicken, sausage, and lamb. They’ve covered all the bases with various sizes as well.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 7
The bacon app was fantastic on the first visit, but just good on the second. Recently I’ve had better. It wasn’t too salty, and for the most part it had a good amount of fat balanced with the meaty parts.
On my first visit, the steak tartare was sub-par: over cut with capers, red onion and other doo-dads; it tasted yummy, but it seemed short on actual meat. Also, some of the consistency was chewy, like they didn’t trim the fat off before chopping. On the second visit, there was a noted improvement to this dish, though it seemed to lack a bit of seasoning.
The sides were decent. I liked the creamed spinach, despite it being a bit thin or watery. The mac & cheese was delicious, however, with an awesome cheese crust on the top.
As for dessert, the tiramisu and cream puffs tasted homogeneous. Similar textures (aside from the crunch of the profiterole shell), similar flavors… dull. The profiterole shells, I think, need to be dusted with powdered sugar right when they come out of the fryer. They tasted a bit savory rather than sweet. The chocolate mousse they sat upon was delicious, however.
Seafood Selection: 9
Decent selection of seafood, even a manly fish like swordfish made its presence known on the menu. There are good sounding alternatives for the vaginal.
Service: 8
Good service, attentive. There was an assortment of varied warm and room temperature table breads to snack on.
They ranged from sweet to salty. Butter was still cold, and steak sauce tasted like it was 90% ketchup.
Ambiance: 7
At first I hated the place. Dimly lit with red tones all over, typical framed photos of celebs on the walls, a cheap looking but pretty gas fireplace on the back wall of the first floor dining room, and cheese-bag electronic lounge music playing like we are at “Centro-Fly” from a decade ago. But then the music switched to instrumental funk, jazz and crooner… and we went upstairs… WOW – Beautiful view of the lit trees out the floor to ceiling windows in the front of the building. Non-traditional and small, but stunning.
On my second visit, the music was more along the “golden oldies” lines, and I still liked the upstairs better than the downstairs.
Mark Joseph is a well known steak joint down by NYC’s South Street Seaport. The word among steak-folk is that one of the owners was formerly employed with Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, but then left to start his own legacy. As it turns out, a fellow carnivore friend of mine knows one of the other owners or investors in a roundabout sort of way through the butchery and meat packing industry; my friend worked for a meat company that one of the owners ran. It is comforting to know that the pedigree of this place is firmly grounded in the meat biz. This rating comes on the heels of my second time eating at this fine establishment. Groupon had a great $25 for $50 offer recently so I jumped on it in hopes to refresh my meat senses in order to give this place a thorough review.
Flavor: 8
My first time here, my wife and I got the steak for two (porterhouse). It comes out on a sizzling hot plate, cooked a little under from what you ordered. The plate is so hot that you literally finish cooking the slices to your liking right on the plate. Now, this is tradition in the spirit of Luger’s, and it is cool from a theatrical perspective, but not cool for other reasons. I am not a fan of it. Why, you ask? The meat has not had a chance to rest when it is sliced. This creates a pool of blood/juices under the steak that ruins the crisp texture of the bottom while draining it of moisture, rendering the meat dry if you don’t scarf it down ASAP. It tasted good enough though, so there’s that.
This trip, I went with the ribeye to truly test Mark Joseph’s mettle. It was good. Crispy outer edges and crust – perfectly cooked – well rested, well seasoned.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8
This place is pretty bare-bones. Porterhouse for two, three or four; a “sirloin,” which I assume and hope is a real strip at a place like this; a bone in ribeye (thank God they had the sense to leave the bone in), and filet. There’s nothing wrong with a bare-bones approach to steakhouses. I appreciate it, actually. If a place is willing to really focus their skill on the basic four cuts and make them perfect, then that is something to be proud of. This is what Mark Joseph strives for. They offer the “chopped steak” as well, the large, glorified, bun-less hamburger, but I think it is a wasted menu item. Throw a skirt on there, or another dead animal other than the steer. They DO have lamb chops though, which I always am tempted to order at steakhouses but refrain from doing so. The quality is all prime, dry aged, so that is a feather in the cap.
Portion Size & Plating: 8
The portions are healthy here, at 28oz for the bone-in ribeye, and 16-20oz for filets. Plating is basic; hot white plates; nothing fancy, yet it still remains elegant.
Price: 8
The steak for two is $82, which is fair in comparison to other high end NYC steak places. At $51, the ribeye is a bit on the high end. Eight oysters ran us $17, $16 for the tuna app, $10 for sauteed spinach, $12 martinis (after tax) and $4 per slice of bacon. Our total bill was $204 – and special thanks to Groupon again for knocking that additional money off.
Bar: 9
Nice bar. Three TVs (30-40inch flat screens), friendly bartender that mixes a good martini (filled high with fat olives), great scotch selection, and close to the seaport (nice environment).
Specials and Other Meats: 7
Aside from seafood, the only other meat Mark Joseph offers is lamb. I appreciate the gesture. The place basically says “fuck you” to chicken and other pussy meats. I think a cherry pepper pork chop or maybe something more game-oriented like venison could make a showing though and MJ would still keep that macho attitude. As for specials, there were none. Oh well.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9
I can’t for the life of me remember what I had the first time we went here, so all I can do is judge based on this last visit. MJ seems to take the approach of “simple is better” or “showcase the quality of the ingredients” with their apps. They are all delicious. We had oysters on the half shell (creamy, crisp & cold), a slice of bacon (freaking AWESOME here – I even buttered it – yup – buttered bacon), tuna tartare (nice solid sushi grade chopped chunks, no fatty whiteness – nicely seasoned/dressed – very simple but yummy), and sauteed spinach (very nice – better than their creamed spinach, which I do recall that we had the last time we went). For dessert we had the apple crunch pie, but it was not crunchy. It was served with a scoop of whipped cream that had me fooled into thinking it was ice cream at first. A point off for false advertising on the lack of crunch.
Seafood Selection: 7
Tuna, salmon, lobster, and (kick his ass) sea bass are the entrees to consider if you are going vaginal here. The appetizer menu is riddled with great looking shellfish too; clams of every preparation (including raw), chilled oysters, and multiple preparations of tuna, crab and shrimp. My wife got the lobster tails, which were done very nicely. The bang bang shrimp and tuna avocado tartare are both nice apps to share as well.
Service: 10
Service is top notch. Well dressed in the traditional white shirt & bow tie, attentive but not annoying, and they know their meat. Sometimes I like to test them on their knowledge, but there was no need; the waiter immediately told me all about the ribeye when I asked how big it was. A good note here: the bartender remembered my drink order after I sat down. When I first get to a steakhouse, I like to order a drink at the bar, assess things, etc. When the waiter put my order for a second martini in, the bartender remembered, and asked the waiter if it was the same customer. Nice touch. I like that. The table breads were a nice assortment of raisin pumpernickel, slices of rye, onion bread buns, and standard dinner rolls – all toasty and warm. The butter was cool/cold, but it was whipped so not that hard to spread against the warm bread (and bacon). This has changed to a simple dinner roll, a very nice one though. The steak sauce is very sweet, but when you eat it with their bacon it almost tastes like pineapple.
Ambiance: 8
The owners took the Luger concept and made it more upscale. The dark wood furniture is contrasted with the bright white linens and curtains. Yet you don’t get a sense of pompousness or over-elegance. It is the right mix of manliness and culture; like Arnold Schwarzenegger in a tuxedo. The bathrooms could use a little work – they are standard bar type bathrooms, but with a good smell and some interesting Yankees memorabilia.
I’m going to keep this update relatively short and streamlined, since I’ve been here so many times already, as evidenced below. I’m very happy to see that this classic, true NYC joint is still consistently delivering delicious food.
My old score was a 94, but I’ve bumped it up to a 96 after attending a press meal here (and ultimately to a 97 after more visits). Here’s what to take away from it all:
Flavor: This is still a 10, but the 45-day bone-in rib eye is really the true star of the steak menu. The prime Double R Ranch beef has an incredible earthy, nutty aroma that lingers in the air all around the plate. The flavor is powerful and savory.
We also tried the porterhouse for two and the tomahawk rib eye for two. Both of these are about 8/10. There was some slight overcooking here, but the flavor was still nice from the 28-days of dry-aging. On average, though, when you take into account the great signature Delmonico cut, strip and filet options (which I already reviewed way back), the 10 score is solid and reliable. My favorite of all the cuts I’ve tried, though, is that rib eye above. Insane. Anyway, here are some shots of the porterhouse and tomahawk for two:
Portion Size: Now a 9. Meats are well hung here.
Price: I’ve changed the price score from a 9 to a 10. This joint somehow manages to keep big ticket items like lobster and booze relatively affordable. The bar is slinging $10 glasses of Michter’s bourbon, for fuck’s sake! That’s unheard of in a steak joint. Bravo. And they’re still mixing up a delicious martini.
Here’s a barrage of sides, starters and desserts. My favorites of these are the bacon and the wagyu tartare, which I could easily live on if someone told me that I could never touch another true cut of steak again. Both are incredible. In fact, this bacon is my new favorite bacon, ever.
Bacon: this is house smoked and cured, maple glazed, sous vide for days, and then rendered off to absolutely shocking perfection.
Wagyu Tartare: Snake River Farms supplies the top end American wagyu here.
Prawns:
Onion Rings:
Foie Gras:
Corn:
Broccoli:
Creamed Spinach:
Mushrooms:
Baked Alaska: These things sat out for a half hour or more while we shot them and talked with the chef (Billy Oliva), but they still held up: cold creamy ice cream inside, awesomely soft and flavorful outer marshmallow shell. They nail it!
Seafood: This is being bumped from a 9 to a 10 as well. The Lobster Newburg is just so iconic here. It really is incredible. The butter cayenne sauce takes shellfish and seafood to a whole other level.
And the baked oysters are like no other:
Some other items to discuss:
The table bread: Classic warm dinner rolls with nice whipped butter.
Eggs Benedict: this was also invented here (along with Baked Alaska, Chicken a la King, Lobster Newburg and fine dining in general). Caviar on top?!?? Yes please…
Eggs Benedict Burger: Holy shit this thing is decadent. The thick cut bacon is also on top of the burger patty as well as the poached egg. And the English Muffin is slathered with a delicious truffle sauce that will knock your socks off.
180 Year Anniversary: Yeah that’s right. It’ll be 180 years this summer. To celebrate, they’re putting 180-day dry aged beef on the menu. I can’t fucking wait for that!
OLD REVIEW:
Delmonico’s claims to be the first fine dining restaurant in the country. In addition to that interesting bit of history, Delmonico’s is famous for coining the “delmonico steak” cut/term – which is a boneless ribeye (though there is some debate as to which cut was actually used back in the day). That’s right – this place invented the delmonico steak (duh). I’ve been here once before, but it was a while back, so a second visit solidified the experience for a thorough review. This time I got a nice 30% discount from a Village Vines coupon, which was helpful on this man-date with my cousin. After a third visit, things have gone up in scoring. See italics below for updates as of 6/8/12:
Flavor: 10
This place was perfect in terms of flavor. My cousin got the filet, and I got the signature delmonico/boneless ribeye. Just the right amount of crisp and seasoning (salt and pepper – nothing fancy – they respect the meat), and just the right temperature when the plates arrived. The meat was well rested and cooked just right. The filet was ordered rare, and the ribeye was ordered medium. They were both delicious. The strip I had on my third visit was amazing as well. Cooked a little under from what I ordered, but I kinda knew it would come out like that so I went with it, and I enjoyed it. Still perfectly rested, nice and juicy, and packed full of flavor. On my fourth visit my wife and I shared the 36oz double ribeye. I was shocked at how nicely cooked it was. Some places, like Quality Meats, tend to overcook the edges and undercook the middle, due to the thickness of the meat. But this place didn’t suffer from that problem. it was just right. The fat on it was unbelievably delicious. It was like a jiggly, melty pork or duck fat with super-thin crispy brown edges that just melted in your mouth. Sticky and yummy!
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9
Delmonico’s has all the basics and then some. They have the signature delmonico steak (18oz boneless ribeye), as well as a 36oz double cut bone-in ribeye (which I plan to get if I go there again). The double porterhouse is about 36oz, and there are also filets (in the 10oz-12oz range) and strips (16oz). The strip, porterhouse and 3-pounder are all listed as dry aged and the strip is listed as prime, but I think all of the cuts are prime and aged. Delmonico’s pretty much just covers the basics, but they do it well. On the third visit they even offered a t-bone in their specials, so I upped this by a point.
Portion Size & Plating: 8 (now 9)
The portions here are normal. As mentioned above, the steaks broke down as follows: 18oz boneless delmonico; 36oz bone-in ribeye; 36oz porterhouse; 16oz strip; and 10oz-12oz filet. The plating was elegant but restrained; good for men, nothing too fancy.
Price: 9 (now 10)
The prices are average to slightly high, but given the exceptional flavor of the steak, it is totally worth it. I thought the foie gras was overpriced and small ($21 on first visit, $24 on fourth visit), but hey – it IS goose liver. We were nice and full, but not uncomfortable, like lions after devouring a wildebeest. That said, I got 30% off through Village Vines, which was a bonus. They also offer the same deal for (aged.) by the way. The total spent for four martinis ($13 and $14 each), foie gras, special oysters, creamed spinach and two steaks came to around $190, tax and tip included. We skipped dessert. On our third visit, we had a party of four and the bill felt like it was less than I expected; probably due to having a 15% discount ala Savored. As a result, I upped the points here a little, since it seems Delmonico’s is generous in terms of offering and participating in price specials and online deals. A fourth trip proved yet again to involve a great deal through the web: Groupon had a four-course meal for two at $50/pp (I think we only ended up paying $92 for the deal too, since there was a coupon code for the coupon – then our bill was only $62 at the end for drinks, tax and tip – incredible deal). Amazing, since there were very little restrictions on what you could order. In fact they even let us grab both the fois gras AND the king crab mac & cheese, both of which are over-and-above items that usually cost more than the other apps.
Bar: 10
Delmonico’s has a really fantastic old-school bar. It is sunken down a few steps from the main dining room, and it has a side entrance through a revolving door off the corner from the main entrance. They serve a great steak sandwich there to boot. This is the kind of bar every steak man or lover of “ye olde tyme” things should visit. It is, simply put, an American classic. One look at the lounge and bar pics on their website should have you salivating for booze and beef. They made a good martini too, despite a missing olive on our second round, but I take that into account more in my service section rather than changing my bar rating. On my third visit, the martini had three olives right off the bat (they learned!), and it was still mixed perfectly.
Specials and Other Meats: 10
In the “other meats” category, Delmonico’s offers a fat veal chop, which is nice, lamb chops, and chicken. Standard plus, I would say. For specials, I would call the 3lb ribeye a special, but other than that, they do offer some off-the-menu items. The Chicken a’ la Keene (served with a pimento cream sauce) is also a signature dish created in the 1880’s and with a rich history: the dish ultimately became known as “chicken a’ la king.” Yes – Delmonico’s invented that dish too! On special, there was a 5lb lobster for sharing (or not!), and some special oysters for an appetizer: three pairs from different regions. We ordered the oysters. On special for round three there were some different items; the “Kobe carpaccio,” a lobster cocktail, cucumber soup, and a t-bone steak for one. Well played for mixing it up; I added a point here. I also got to taste a bite of their famous Chicken ala King/Keene; crispy skin with a juicy and delicious inside. It was almost like duck. Since we pretty much tried all the specials and enjoyed them, I am giving full points here now.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9
We started with the oysters special. One was briny and fishy, one was normal, and one, called a stingray oyster, was awesome. All were on the small side, however. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: I just expected one or two to be a little larger. Then we had foie gras. It was sort of small, and sat on a hunk of bread that was a little too thick in proportion, but it tasted like the really good, soft, melty fat of a ribeye that you can eat. My cousin wasn’t that impressed with it, and said he probably wouldn’t order it again. I probably wouldn’t either for that price ($21), but I definitely liked it. With dinner we had the staple: creamed spinach. It wasn’t that good: kinda bland. It was made fresh, but it lacked roundness and creaminess. We skipped dessert this time around. On the third trip, we started with grilled marinated octopus. It was delicious, and really nicely presented. Cooked perfectly tender with NO chew, and served in little pretzel-like curls. I also had the “Kobe carpaccio,” which was absolutely amazing; dressed nicely, salted well, and topped with a healthy amount of shaved truffles. I also tasted a small spoonful of the cucumber soup, which was really light and refreshing, and the lobster cocktail was a nice one-pounder. We shared grilled asparagus as well, which was good. Last, on recommendation we tried the famous baked Alaska (apparently the dish originated here as well), which was good but it didn’t change my life. I’ve upped the score from 7 to 9 here. On a fourth visit, we tried the king crab mac & cheese, which was made with a broad spital pasta and folded with light, creamy and melty cheese and cream, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs. It was nice! We also had the spaetzl, which was good and firm, made with a crispy pancetta, and peppered with sauteed greens to boot. Delicious. For dessert we also tried the chocolate bread pudding (not so great), and a rice pudding pie (really great). The best non-steak items I tried on that fourth visit, however, were the “Jim Brady Oysters.” Creamy, bacony, cheesey goodness through and through. It changed my entire outlook on whether oysters are permitted to be cooked. They’re fantastic.
Seafood Selection: 9 (now 10)
Lobster, halibut, and snapper were listed under entrees in addition to the seafood towers and shellfish on the appetizer menu. The lobster dish, Lobster Newberg, also a signature dish with a unique sauce, has a great story to go along with it (also originated here at the restaurant). They also offered the 5lb special lobster for two, which seemed like a fun thing to order if you are a giant pussy. My wife tried the seafood plateau appetizer as her main course on our third visit and it was great. It came with oysters, shrimp, lump crabmeat, and lobster.
Service: 10
A quick note about the actual servers here… John, Igor, and Reno are amazing, professional, and seasoned waiters. If you have the good fortune of getting any of them to take your order and serve your table, you are definitely in good hands. The service is great here – really top notch. Everyone knows their meat, and they are right there whenever you need something. Literally – you can see the waiters lined up near the doors to the kitchen watching over the dining room. They stay out of your way, yet they know when you need attention. All male waitstaff, ties: the classic steakhouse experience. The check getting and paying process was fast as well. I’ve dropped a point off here only because our second round of martinis were missing an olive. A martini should always have at least three olives, regardless of size. The olives here are nice and big, fleshy and fresh, but we still must have three. When we ordered our first round, at the bar, they came with three. Our second round, ordered at the table, only had two. My cousin pointed out that it is bad luck to NOT have three. The waiter wasn’t aware that martinis should have three olives, but he quickly remedied the situation and brought over a couple more on a small plate. The little things make a difference. I should also note that martinis are like tits: one is not enough, and three is too many (unlike olives). Heed this wisdom. I had a hard time deciding if I should knock the point off in the service section or in the bar section, but ultimately decided it should be taken from here. And since I didn’t want to take a FULL point off for that minor infraction, I figured it would round out the point to mention that the butter served with the bread was cold and hard (but the bread was semi-warm and crispy). Two half points off make a whole point off. Bread was better on the second trip; nicely seasoned rolls and buns, and also seasoned pretzel-like onion bread with a nice crispy, yet soft outside. Service has gone up to 10 from a 9 because the waiter was dead honest when I asked about the steak special; he told me it was a t-bone, emphasizing that it was NOT a porterhouse because it had a smaller filet side. Also the martini olive situation seems to be fixed.
Ambiance: 10
Delmonico’s is known for its private dining rooms and alcoves, its fantastic bar, and rich history. Both times I ate here were in the main dining room, which is adorned with a huge mural of 1920’s style fanciness, great wood paneling on the walls between windows, wide spacious floor, and high ceiling. It is very elegant yet still maintains a classic steakhouse feel. It is similar to Sparks in that regard, but without the gaudy mafia overtones. The bathroom, through the bar area, was small, but it had nice dark tiling all the way up the walls, a fresh cinnamon smell, and medium quality paper hand towels (not the thick, cloth-like stuff).
