Good food, but let's not make a cult of it
Written: Jan 10 '03
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Pros: Good food, efficient service.
Cons: No frills. Looks like my uncle's basement rec-room from 1965
The Bottom Line: Its excellent, but so are a lot of other places.
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| ctroise's Full Review: Peter Luger Steak House |
I finally had my first meal at Peter Lugers last night. Overall I liked it but I don't think it is a near religious experience as some might tell you.
As you probably know by now it is very easy to order as there's only a few things you can get. For appetizers we had the tomatoes and onions, shrimp, and bacon. The tomatoes were fine (how much can you really do with a tomato slice?) With the Peter Lugers special sauce they were tasty. The shrimp were respectable. The bacon was great though. They come as quarter inch thick slices, nice and crispy edges. Probably 1,000 calories right there but so what?
For entrees the four of us had the porterhouse for four cooked medium rare and medium, and butterflied lamp chops (butterflied means they split them in two so they're thinner, otherwise they're 2 inches thick). They served us two porterhouses. We had hash browns, and creamed spinach with them. Both were good. I didn't have the special sauce with the steaks, I just could not imagine how anything, outside of a little salt, could make them taste better than they were. The lamb chops were fantastic also.
I was waiting for gruff waiters but outside of waiters plowing through the bar area with plates of food yelling out "Watch it!" (as if standing next to the bar was somehow an inappropriate place for a customer to be) the service was perfectly fine and polite. Maybe that was because we went with someone who has been there many times before and the waiter-customer interaction was fast and efficient.
The decor inside is a joke. It looks like my uncle's basement rec-room 1965/Brady Bunch style with wood panelling and a thin shelf with beer steins running along all the walls at about the seven foot level, gold foil "sculptured" plates every now and then (remember those?) Cold white linoleum floors. Plain wood tables. I know, you're not there for the decor, but we figured that with at least 40 tables there, serving four meals a day, with an average table bill of $400 (that all comes out to more than $20,000,000 a year) they could afford to drop a couple bucks to make it look nice.
Now concerning the "schlag". There is nothing mysterious about it - its fresh whipped cream. My wife makes it at home in two seconds. Just pour some heavy cream into a mixing bowl, mix it, and you got yourself some schlag (throw in a little vanilla in if you want). The only surprise is how we've come to accept Miracle Whip as what whipped cream is supposed to taste like.
So overall I say it was a perfectly good meal, very delicious, with good service, but let's not go crazy. There are lots of perfectly good meals out there and most of them are easier to get to and get away from. I think everyone votes Peter Luger's as #1 steak house because most people do not have the chance to also go to Ruth's Chris, or DelFrisco's, etc.
[BTW, do these steak house waiters really take home hundreds of dollars in tips a day (a $100,000 all cash salary) or do the restaurants demand a portion of that? That's a pretty good gig for just bringing out plates and all. I wonder if they have to bribe someone to get a job there otherwise].
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Ask for the butterflied lamb chops as an appetizer.
Best Suited For: Business
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Epinions.com ID:
ctroise
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 2 members
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