Quality Steak in a Warm, Old-Boys Club Setting
Written: Mar 01 '02
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Pros: Excellent food; Gracious service
Cons: Can be crowded; Long wait for a table
The Bottom Line: A true New York steak house experience!
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| partypatty's Full Review: Sparks Steak House |
My husband & I went to Spark's Steak House last night to celebrate his 31st birthday. He chose the location of the birthday dinner quite a while ago without hesitation. Spark's was his choice, so I made a reservation for two about a month in advance.
We arrived at Spark's last night promptly at 7 p.m. for our 7 p.m. reservation. My husband went to check our coats, and I let the host know that we were there. The gentleman checked our name off on a notepad and said they'd need a little while.
I set off through the large main dining room in search of a ladies room, and the birthday boy fought his way to the bar. Walking through the spacious dining room, I noticed several things. First of all, I was greatly outnumbered in the gender department. I would say there were five men present for every woman there. (Too bad I am married now because those odds are great!) I also noticed the warm wood paneling, covered in landscape paintings. I very much felt like I was in a library, and I liked it. It is a comfortable atmosphere.
Another thing worth noting is that Spark's is huge. There are several dining rooms plus a private area downstairs where I finally found a ladies room. One good thing about dining with mostly men -- there was no line at the ladies room. Actually, there was no one else even in the ladies room either time I went.
Back up at the very crowded bar, my husband was rubbing elbows (literally as it was 6 deep) with Wall Street types as well as a good amount of shady-looking guys in dark suits. As an aside, Spark's is infamous for the mob hit of Paul Castellano that took place right outside. There is a large portrait of Paulie C. right over the main entrance actually. I had a lovely house chardonnay, and the husband had a Beck's beer. And we waited and waited and waited. At about 7:30, we reminded the host that we were there for our reservation. He just nodded again. In the meantime, my husband saw numerous people that he knew from the Wall Street world. I think Thursday night is prime Wall Street male night at Spark's. Cigars were everywhere also. When my husband was talking to someone, he stepped away for a moment, and the sharks moved in. At least three guys offered to buy me a drink. It was amusing!
Finally, we were seated at about 7:40. We were lead to a nice table for four in the right side dining room. There were several waiters attending to our needs, but the main one was Kevin. An older man, he was very nice and knew his food. I love that in a waiter. Warm rolls were placed on our bread plates, and a bowl of butter was put in the middle of the table. The rolls were not outstanding, but they were a perfect opener.
The physical menu at Spark's is large as it includes their famed wine list. The actual food menu is what you would expect at a legendary New York steak house. For starters, there are numerous seafood options, like shrimp cocktail and crabmeat cocktail. There are also several salads including one with Spark's famous blue cheese dressing. Entrees are all about the meat at Spark's -- sirloin, lamb chops, filet mignon and so on. Spark's is famous for Steak Fromage. It is a hunk of beef smothered with blue cheese. I have not had it, but people are addicted to it. They also feature a few seafood entrees like enormous lobsters and swordfish steaks.
The birthday boy and I started with a hot crabmeat and bay scallop cocktail. All food is brought out on these neat rolling carts and plated tableside. It is an elegant touch -- certainly compared to Peter Luger's where they throw the food at you sometimes. (See my earlier review of Peter Luger's). Our appetizer was quite good. Tender scallops and lump crabmeat in a lemon butter sauce. My husband goes to Spark's fairly often for work dinners, and he is always raving about this appetizer. Personally, I didn't think it was rave worthy, but it was tasty. I would like to try the cold crabmeat cocktail next time.
We both chose the sirloin steak as our entree. We also ordered creamed spinach (not on the menu, but they make it) and hash browns. My sirloin was medium rare, and my husband had his sirloin medium. Honestly, there was not much difference between the two steaks, but they were delicious. Perfectly charred on the outside with a salty crust, the meat inside was tender and pink. I brought 1/2 mine home as it was a large cut of meat. I am really looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow (maybe I will share with the birthday boy).
The sides that we ordered were both stellar examples of steakhouse sides. The creamed spinach was more spinach than cream -- an intense green color, it was just the way I like it. The potatoes were crusty and delicious. I have had the steamed spinach at Spark's as well, and it is good. Their asparagus is also delicious.
We were quite full at the end of the meal, so we opted to take a slice of their famous cheesecake home with us. We ate it late last night, and it was creamy and perfect.
The entire dinner for two was just under $200. We had appetizers, entrees, and we split a dessert. I had three glasses of the excellent wine, and the birthday boy had 4 Beck's beers. All and all, it was a fairly good value for a true New York steak experience. I am looking forward to my next trip to the old-boys steak house!
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Best Suited For: Business
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Epinions.com ID:
partypatty
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 19 members
About Me:
I am a 30 year old female who loves to eat, cook and read.
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