Funny Bar just opened up nearby. The Cake Dealer and I recently wandered in here and had a few drinks, and we knew we wanted to come back.
It’s a live jazz bar with no cover charge, and a really sleek, streamlined menu of STEAK!
Literally, there are like four items on the menu: steak for one, steak for two, french fries, and a wedge salad. Oh and they surprised us each with a free small chocolate brownie sundae at the end of the meal, but it wasn’t on the menu.
We started with the wedge salad, which is simple but delicious.
The steak for one is a petite filet, or shoulder tender/teres major. I love this cut.
It has all the flavor of the chuck, from where it hails, and all the tenderness of a filet mignon. At $29 for about an 8oz steak that comes with fries, this is a great deal. 9/10.
The steak for two is a larger cut. The server told me it was a flatiron, and the host told me it was a strip steak. I don’t think either is correct.
At first I thought maybe it was a tri-tip based on the shape, but the muscle striations seem to go the wrong direction for that. Based on the muscle fibers, I think this is in the sirloin family. Perhaps top butt/sirloin, or top sirloin. Either way it was perfectly cooked, had a great crust, and was artfully topped with a maitre’d butter and herbs. At $69 this is also a great deal for people to try the best of what can be on an otherwise under-utilized cut. 8/10.
Although it might be better to get two of the steaks for one instead of one of the steaks for two, satisfaction will be guaranteed. The fries are perfectly cooked as well. This is the large plate that comes with the steak for two:
They even brought us a free dessert on the house afterwards – miniature brownie sundaes!
The Cake Dealer and I finally made it over to Beauty & Essex after living down here since late 2020. She had been to the bar once before, but I had only ever been inside to make a meat delivery when I was working at Golden Packing in 2021. The chef, Derrick Prince, was on some cooking competition TV shows back in the day, and since then, I’ve always enjoyed following along on his social media and trying out his food whenever I could. He’s a really talented chef.
First off, the service here is impeccable. This is the same for all Tao Group properties. Really great staff that genuinely cares. They started us off with complimentary glasses of bubbly. It was a nice glass too, not some cheap garbage. I ordered a martini as well, and it was made very nicely.
We ordered two apps, but Derrick sent out three more! We had the pleasure of trying the French dips on toast. the shishito peppers, the sea bass tacos, the grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, and the steak tartare quesadillas. I think my favorites were the French dips and the sea bass tacos, but The Cake Dealer preferred the dumplings. All of them were great though.
For our mains, we ordered the Peruvian chicken and the beef Wellington.
Both of these were delicious, but I think the winner for both of us was the chicken. Shocker! But there was just something about the jalapeno salsa verde, the squash, carrot and zucchini ribbons underneath, and those little shreds of crispy potato and peas on top that just came together in a magical way. Incredible.
And that’s not to trash the Wellington at all. It was cooked to an absolutely perfect, butter-knife tender medium rare. The sauce was velvety smooth, the pastry was crispy and light. A really great representation of that this dish is meant to be. This is a 9/10, especially since the price was shockingly low to me at like $65. The beef alone would cost more than that at a steakhouse, not including all the prep and labor to make it into a Wellington. Great value.
On the side, we ordered the caulilini, which consisted of broccolini and cauliflowerini (a cross between cauliflower and broccolini), served in a parmesan broth. This was really nice, but Derrick sent out these roasted Kyoto carrots that blew us away. They were roasted for hours and served with some sort of blood orange agrodolce sauce. Good enough to make you understand vegetarians.
For dessert, we tried these beauties that were shaped like cherries, which had either a vanilla or white chocolate mousse inside of a chocolate shell that was covered in a cherry glaze and plopped on top of a hazelnut and chocolate crumble. Perfect way to end the meal.
I highly recommend this place, and I will definitely be going back to try more of the menu. They even offer a brunch pre fixe, which comes with an app, an entree, a side, and a glass of sparkling rose for $35. Another steal of a deal in my opinion.
Rocco’s recently opened up a new location on 57th just east of Park Avenue. My friend Dom Pepe is the head chef there, so I went in with some other friends to visit.
Flavor: 9
We tried the porterhouse and the rib eye. Both were mildly aged, but perfectly cooked.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8
Everything here is prime except for the filet, which is common at most steakhouses. I only know of two that serve prime filets (Keens and Lugers). There’s a great selection of cuts here.
Portion Size & Plating: 8
This place is on par with most midtown steak joints when it comes to portion sizes and plating. Nothing is too small, and if anything the portions tend to lean toward the large side.
Price: 8
Again, this place, like their first location, has pricing that’s on par with all the big major steakhouses in the area. I feel like, with Dom at the helm, you’re getting much better bang for the buck, since he is an amazing chef.
Bar: 8
The bar here is actually nice. Big. I would definitely have a drink there again, and the cocktails, spirits and wine selections were excellent.
Specials and Other Meats: 9
The lobster ravioli special was incredible!
I would definitely go back to try more from their specials. Especially if they’re in the meat department.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9
We tried the creamed spinach, sauteed broccoli rabe with cherry peppers, beef fat german potatoes, and the mac & cheese for sides. All were incredible, particularly the mac and cheese being my favorite. It was crack!
For starters, we did shrimp cocktail, baked clams, thick cut bacon and the crab cake. All were great, but I think my favorite were the baked clams!
For dessert, we had a tray of assorted cakes, pies, ice cream, and fruit. Classic.
Seafood Selection: 9
Every piece of seafood we tried was delicious, from the cold starters, to the cooked apps, to the pasta.
Service: 10
Service was excellent. These guys are the real deal. They also serve a nice basket of fresh/hot potato chips at the bar, which I love. And the bread basket is a good mix of Italian bread and onions rolls.
Ambiance: 8
They did a really nice job with the build out here. It definitely feels like a mix between midtown and mom and pop steak joints. They have private rooms available upstairs, and a really cozy dining room in back.
ROCCO STEAKHOUSE
106 East 57th St.
New York, NY 10022
I didn’t take great photos here, but the food, atmosphere, service and overall vibe is outstanding. The martinis are great, first off.
Second, the bread service is incredible. There’s semolina Italian bread, focaccia, and cacio e pepe babka, all service in an edible sourdough basket with whipped butter and a labneh onion dip.
We started the meal with a nice array of seafood to share: lobster tails, ebi shrimp cocktail, razor clams, baked cherrystone clams, and caviar service.
The pasta was killer. We did the butternut squash agniolotti, the frutti di mare spaghetti, and the baked shells. The baked shells tasted like French onion soup! Wild!
We also did some scalloped potatoes along with a burger and fries that they generally only serve downstairs to the exclusive Crane Club members. A real nice steakhouse style classic, and the fries are perfectly crisp and well seasoned.
For the mains, we tried the aged rib eye, the dover sole, and the parmigiano-aged NY strip steak. All of these were excellent, but the real stand out winner for me was the strip steak. It was so tender, so perfectly cooked, and so uniquely flavored. I can’t wait to go back for more! 10/10 for that baby, with a solid 9/10 for the rib eye.
For dessert, we tried the banana layer cake, the apple crisp, and the cheese cake. It was hard to choose a favorite here, but I think I was leaning toward the apple crumble the most.
I can’t wait to go back here to try more shit. This place is a real winner, and it makes for a perfect replacement to Del Posto.
Leonetta is Chef Ed Cotton’s new restaurant, located in Murray Hill, where the old Brother Jimmy’s used to be located.
Ed Cotton was on Top Chef season 7, and he also heads up the kitchen at Jack & Charlie’s as well, which os one of my favorite places to eat.
My wife and I came here after the new year to run through the menu. Here’s what we tried:
Grilled Octopus Salad
This was a warm salad that ate almost like a salsa. The octopus was cooked perfectly.
Lamb Tartare
This was one of our favorites of the night. The lamb was super tender, and the added items really made it pop, especially the pomegranate seeds.
Tuna Puttanesca
This was my favorite of the three “raw bar” items that we started with. The Kalamata olive and raw tuna combination was divine.
Next we moved on to a pasta dish made with tiny rigatoni and lamb ragout.
The stewed/braised lamb was really delicious. My only critique here would be to make the chic peas fried crispy for some added texture.
We did some charred broccolini on the side here, which was the best broccolini I’ve ever had. Great char, cooked perfectly, wonderful bright flavors.
For our mains, we started with the 14oz strip steak with zataar-seasoned steak fries and harissa ketchup.
This was cooked perfectly. Although there was no dry-aging involved, the flavor still popped due to the seasonings. This is an easy 8/10.
We also tried the fried pork shank shawarma with pickles and zataar-spiced pita bread.
This dish was a home run. The exterior was fried to an amazing crisp. The skin crackled as you cut it.
The meat was cooked perfectly, and paired well with the street-style red and white sauces, like you might see at a halal falafel, lamb, chicken and rice cart.
On the side, we did some roasted mushrooms, which were absolutely delicious. Ed always nails the mushroom offerings.
For dessert, we tried the special panna cotta.
This was topped with orange caramelized pistachios. I absolutely loved it, but it did have a thicker than expected texture. Almost thicker than Labneh or Greek yogurt.
The cocktails here are amazing, so don’t miss the opportunity to go downstairs to Leo’s Famous, their beautiful lounge with a fireplace, for a night cap.
I can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu.
My wife and I took a short trip to San Diego to celebrate a friend’s retirement from the Navy, so we spent a bunch of time walking around, eating and drinking our way through the city.
Here’s what we tried:
Donut Bar
This spot was pretty good. We liked the lemon pistachio better than the raspberry cheesecake.
Tacos El Gordo
Great spot for tacos, and reasonably priced considering that this place gets a lot of hype and crowds. The al pastor tacos was the winner for us, but we also tried cabeza (face), lengua (tongue) and tripe.
Mike Hess Brewery
The barrel aged Vietnamese coffee stout was our favorite.
San Diego Burger Co.
This wasn’t that good. Skip this joint. I had high hopes, but the patty was a little under seasoned and the bun was dry and crumbled.
Dinner at Greystone Prime Steakhouse is detailed HERE.
Senor Taquero
This spot was probably my favorite place to eat of the entire trip. I wish we had some regular tacos here too. They were so cheap (3 for $7.99)! The rolled chicken tacos and adobado burrito were killer. The churro had a nice vanilla pudding type of filling inside.
Ballast Point Brewery
We had a short pit stop here while we were waiting for Swagyu to open. Speedboat was like a corona with a lime in it. Refreshing.
Swagyu
This was great but pricey at $23. I’d much rather have gone back to Senor Taquero to try the tacos.
The World Famous I-Bar
This is where the retirement party was held. The bar was the inspiration for the scenes in the movie Maverick that take place in the Air Force bar on base. Very cool spot.
Not bad for a weekend trip! We hit a lot of spots.
My wife and I came here with another couple when we were in San Diego. We tried a bunch of shit, so let me get right into it…
Flavor: 8
We shared a porterhouse for two and a 20oz bone-in rib eye among three people.
The Porterhouse was a 7/10. The strip side had some grey-banding on the edges, and was definitely a bit toothsome in parts. The filet side, however, was magnificent. The only down side was that it lacked the flavor that the strip side had.
The rib eye ate almost like cured ham. It was cooked a bit under, but none of us minded. It was lean in the eye, but there was a ton of flavor in the cap. 8/10.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9
There’s a good selection of cuts here; wet aged, dry aged, large format, single cuts, everything. Everything is also prime grade. The numerous selections available are why I chose this place over others in the area.
Portion Size & Plating: 8
The portions here were good, and measured up nicely with what I expect from a NYC steakhouse, only a bit cheaper on the budget by about five or ten bucks, which was a nice change of pace.
Price: 8
The total bill was $713 with tax and tip included. As I mentioned above, this would be up a bit if it were in NYC.
Bar: 6
The bar here is actually nice, but the bar tender sucked. He was ignoring my wife when she tried to order (three times), and the drinks were sloppily made. Two of our glasses had massive cracks in them too, and the one we had at the bar as just dumped hastily into a new glass, not re-made from scratch. Cocktails were meh too. Could use some work!
Specials and Other Meats: 9
I had to jump at this elk chop dish.
It turned out to be my favorite item of the meal. It was a nice lean but flavorful cross between lamb and venison. 9/10.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8
We should have ordered our sides better, because the elk came with both mashed potatoes and spinach, and we ordered bot mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. They were all pretty good, but the versions on the composed elk chops dish were better.
For dessert, we tried a yuzu cheese cake and a delicious chocolate and peanut butter mousse pie that was perfect.
Seafood Selection: 9
Delicious tower for four, which included massive shrimp, a whole lobster, oysters, and tuna tartare.
Service: 8
Service was great at the table, but less than desirable at the bar. The bread came after our appetizers, which was odd, but we were glad it came. It was tasty with a whipped, soft garlic and herb butter.
Ambiance: 7
Ambiance could use a little kick in the balls, as the place glows neon red and purple at times. It feels sort of like a club. But over all it was a good vibe, and I’m glad we went. Here’s the other couple below – we were celebrating his retirement from the Navy.
GREYSTONE PRIME STEAKHOUSE
658 Fifth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
I’ve been meaning to eat here for so long. After seeing the menu during a short visit with The Cake Dealer for a drink, I was even more convinced. So we finally made it happen.
We started with the lamb loin chops (two t-bones) and the beans.
The lamb was perfectly cooked to medium rare, and came as a composed dish with grilled escarole. I loved this. No game flavor, just really simply grilled with salt and pepper.
Next, we had the rabbit pot pie, which was on special. It was beautifully presented, but here’s a shot of the pie after we cracked it open.
…I should call her…
Anyway, lots of nicely cooked rabbit – which I love – totally under utilized protein – as well as assorted mushrooms, celery, carrots, and onions.
We also did a side of artichokes, which also came with onions, carrots and celery, served as a cold dish with a hint of curry flavor.
And finally, the rib eye.
This 18oz boneless cut was dry aged and grilled to perfection. The aged flavor was mild, but it was all so tender and delicious. Very nicely seasoned, and the fried onions and garlic that come with it are heavenly. 9/10. The only down side to this steak is that it cost $86. Crazy!
I can’t wait to come back here – already booked my next reservation.
I came back for the porterhouse! It was a solid 8/10. The rib eye is clearly the winner here.
My wife and I came here almost immediately after discovering that the place existed. It’s relatively new, having just opened up, I think, in June or July.
Flavor: 7
We had the rib eye.
This had a nice crust despite being slightly undercooked. I didn’t mind the flesh being rare, but I prefer the fat to render out a bit more than it had, that way I can eat it all!
The menu didn’t note any steaks being dry aged. There was a hint of that aged flavor in some bites, but it was not pervasive by any stretch.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 8
There’s a good selection of cuts here to cover all the basics that you should expect at any steak joint, along with some flourishes like a gorgonzola strip, or some special filets cooked in various ways. I think they could boost their special cuts section a bit with some dry aged selections.
Portion Size & Plating: 9
The rib eye was 20oz on the bone, which is just right for a single serving steakhouse cut of beef. The porterhouse is listed at 28oz, which I think it nice for sharing. The plating here is nice and simple, nothing too crazy!
Price: 7
The price is a bit hefty at $125 for a bone-in 20oz rib eye with no significant aged flavor. Same goes for a martini at $25, and the crab cocktail at $30. I imagine this is a really high rent location, and a mom and pop spot like this needs to cover their food costs, overhead, etc. You really can’t get too upset. But, sadly, we have seen several restaurants turn over recently on this stretch of Lafayette, and I hope there aren’t any more that fold.
Bar: 8
The bar here is really nice. They did a nice job on the decor, and I was almost wishing we sat at the bar rather than the small 2-top, as we may have had a little more elbow room. The wine pours are very generous, and their cocktails are also great, albeit pricey.
Specials and Other Meats: 8
We ordered the Long Island duck that was on special, and we were glad we did! The breast part was perfectly cooked; the fat was nicely rendered, and the skin was crisp. As for the confit portion, I wish they had left it on the bone and kept the skin intact for some crisp. It needed a bit of seasoning, too. I took two points for that.
Other than duck, they also had some nice looking lamb chops on the menu, some chicken, and other animals worthy of consumption.
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8
We started with the Peekytoe crab cocktail. This scoop will run you $30, but it is indeed delicious. I loved it.
We also had the thick cut cajun bacon. This was nice, but again the fat needed to be rendered a bit more. Some parts were stringy, chewy and just unappetizing. I usually love eating fat, but some of this I just could not.
The creamed spinach and “potato skins” (similar to wedge fries) were both awesome. We coursed these out separately because of table space concerns (the potatoes came with the duck, then the spinach came with the steak). I think if you dipped the potatoes into the spinach you’d have a winning combo!
We decided to skip dessert, but I was definitely eyeballing the menu.
Seafood Selection: 9
There’s some nice looking seafood on the menu, and based on the quality of the Peekytoe crab, I would venture to say that these items would be similarly delicious.
Service: 10
Service was excellent, and every staff member we interacted with was really knowledgeable and helpful. Our waiter, Thomas, was awesome!
I think their table bread needs a little work though. The skillet brioche was a bit dry, as if it might have been baked earlier and reheated. It was still tasty though.
Ambiance: 8
For a small spot that almost looks more like a dedicated bar than a small restaurant, this place was really beautiful inside. The music was good and the place was packed at 6pm on a Sunday. That bodes well for Lucky’s!
I would definitely come back to try the porterhouse.
Bourbon Steak is a brand new spot that just took over the restaurant and bar space at the luxurious Essex House/JW Marriott hotel on Central Park South. They opened two weeks ago. Check out the review below!
Flavor: 8
We had the 20oz bone in rib eye.
While it was a bit thin, it packed a punch for flavor. Good crust outside and lots of juiciness inside.
Not dry aged, but still a good one.
Choice of Cuts & Quality Available: 9
There’s a great selection of cuts here, but only one was dry aged (the 40oz porterhouse). I took a point for that. I was impressed to see domestic, Aussie and Japanese wagyu on the menu as well. Great stuff!
Portion Size & Plating: 8
The sizes are all pretty standard for NYC steakhouses, and the plating was a mix of simple/elegant, and modern.
Price: 8
Everything is so expensive now, so this category is going through a big renovation, but here is the bill:
Bar: 10
The bar here is big and gorgeous. They offer a lot of really unique signature cocktails as well as standards, and there’s a huge wine list.
Specials and Other Meats: 8
This place offers veal and duck as far as other meat items go. We tried the veal, which came out very late (we were already done with our steak). It was good/tasty, but a bit overcooked (we asked for medium rare, it was closer to well done).
Apps, Sides & Desserts: 10
We started with a custom seafood tower with items we selected from the seafood cart:
We went with clams, oysters, abalone, prawns and uni/sea urchin.
Everything was incredible! Our next app was the soft shell crab, which is stuffed with crab cake. Very unique and delicious! They said there were two here, but that was not the case… I don’t know where they learned to count…
For sides, we went with the very unique creamed spinach souffle, which ate similar to a popover.
We also did some mushrooms.
For dessert, another unique item, the banana tart with macadamia nut ice cream. Really nice!
Seafood Selection: 10
Based on the apps we had, I would definitely suspect the entree fish items are great as well. The tuna foie-poivre sounds insanely good.
Service: 10
Service was great despite the restaurant opening just two weeks ago. We had two staff members attending to us. One seemed seasoned, and the other seemed new (he was good – very attentive). The only hiccup we had was the veal coming out much later than we expected. We thought maybe they forgot it, so we told them to cancel it if they hadn’t fired it. But then brought it out anyway as we were finishing our steak, and they took it off the bill for us in the end. Totally unnecessary! We made sure to tip well for that.
Also worth noting here is that the table bread is scrapped in favor of a trio of French fries! Knowing this was the case, we skipped a potato side altogether. These were amazing.
They also give you some chocolate bars with your check. These toffee and caramel milk chocolate bars blow those Peter Luger chocolate coins out of the water.
The staff was also great at wishing me a happy birthday. They had a card for me, signed by the staff, and there was even a little miniature ice cream cone that came out with dessert (forgot to take a pic).
Ambiance: 10
This place is absolutely stunning inside. Really beautiful. I can’t wait to go back and try more stuff.
BOURBON STEAK
160 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019
