Peter Luger's: The standard of excellence
Written: Feb 02 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The best steak dinner you will ever have
Cons: It's 3000 miles away from where I live
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| mgreber's Full Review: Peter Luger Steak House |
Ask anyone who's ever lived around the Tri-State area where the best steak is, and 90% will tell you it's at Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. It's won the award for the best steak in the tri-state area from Zagat's 18 years in a row. Mention to anyone that you're going there to dinner, and watch the envy slide across their face -- in fact, I've tried to have dinners there with two or three people, but it always turns into a group of eight or ten. People want to eat there; it's a life experience.
As with any great restaurant, it's not just about the food -- it's the complete dining experience. Those expecting luxury may be suprised - the restaurant isn't about white linens and candlelights, it's got wood paneled walls, waiters who have just the right amount of an attitude problem, and simply fantastic food.
You're also not going to get the displays of T-Bones, Porterhouses, Filet Mignons, etc. That also sets some folks off -- when you order steak here, you do it by how it's cooked -- e.g., "Steak for one, rare." It's a porterhouse cut, but it's prepared differently, so they bring it sliced up. (They also tilt the plate so the juice runs into a corner for dipping. Yes, this is completely unhealthy, but so is the entire meal. Get that silly thought out of your head NOW!)
The first thing most waiters will ask you there is, "Do you need menus?"
The only acceptable answer here is, of course, "No." If you are there without any veterans, here is the essential Luger's meal (I'm assuming there's at least four of you there, though everyone should be prepared to eat A LOT.)
Side orders:
Tomatoes and Onions: Huge slices of both, delicious to eat on their own or to dip into the Luger's steaksauce. Mmmmm... This is so essential that waiters generally won't take no for an answer.
Hash Browns: Crispy to perfection, these complement the steak like they were part of a grand scheme.
Creamed Spinach: I can't even describe for you how unbelievable this is. I never even enjoyed this as a side dish until I had it at Luger's.
Shrimp Cocktail: This is a general stand-by; I can take it or leave it (though, in general, I'll take it), but as far as Shrimp Cocktail goes, these are delicious.
Main Course:
It's steak, of course. If you don't want to eat steak, I'm sure the lobster or other dishes (I honestly wouldn't know what else they serve) are fine...but, you'll probably do better elsewhere. This is all about steak.
Again, order by how you want it cooked - and, if you are a big eater, you can bump it up a bit. I've been a few times with a good friend, and we generally order Steak for Three, rare, for the two of us. If you've never had rare steak, this is really the place to try it, as it's done to perfection and is simply like no other steak you've ever had.
Desserts:
They have a few, but the cheesecake is without question one of the best I've ever had. They serve it plain, but just ask for strawberries and they bring out an orchard. Ask for whipped cream and they bring out the metallic bowl they whipped it in and dump a bucket on your plate. Things are done BIG and in style here.
Other notes of import:
Luger's is somewhat out of the way, and not in a great (read: safe) location. Since most people in Manhattan don't own a car, it's easy enough to cab it out there, but getting back will require calling a car service or a cab, since not a lot of cabs patrol the area. This just takes a bit of advance planning, nothing like what it will take to get a reservation!
Also, be forewarned that Peter Luger's does not take credit cards! They actually do, but the only one they accept is their own Luger's card, which I am pretty sure almost nobody owns. Bring cash, and a lot of it - although it's not as pricey as Sparks, you will run up a nice bill.
In short, if you like steak, you need to get to Peter Luger's. It's almost worth a trip to New York on its own.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mgreber
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 - Top 1000 |
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