NYY Steak – The New York Yankees Steakhouse

Yankee Stadium is always quite an unique atmosphere. The wealthy Manhattanites who usually never travel outside their urban island make an unique exception for some baseball. However, dining has always been an issue. If you try to fit a meal in before the game in the city, chances are you won’t make it to the stadium until the 3rd or 4th inning. If you take your million dollar clients to Yankee stadium on an empty stomach, chances are some won’t appreciate the standard stadium fare of hot dogs and beer. Restaurants nearby are a rowdy crowd, and the subway tracks emit a huge noise every 2 minutes or so.

Feels like a big problem, luckily George Steinbrenner agrees.

With the arrival of the new Yankee stadium, came a wide variety of dining options. There are seriously too many (is that even possible) vending facilities around the stadium. You can literally describe the seating/walking arrangement as a “ring of food”. However we did not arrive at the stadium for $8.50 crackerjacks, we came for some upscale dining, something good enough to satisfied the taste buds of people sitting in the legends box.

Situated above Gate 6 in the New Yankee Stadium, the NYY Steak restaurant is open year round, but mostly silent on non-game days (I cannot even image what it’ll be like in the winter). During home games, you can simply hop onto an elevator from within Gate 6. If it’s a quiet day at the stadium, head through Hard Rock Cafe to reach the elevator. Don’t worry about getting lost, Steinbrenner has security detail on every corner, including inside the elevator.

The Great Hall

As soon as the door opens, you find yourself whisked from a rowdy sports stadium into an upscale steakhouse, complete with the usual decor of wine bottles, and dark, wood toned decor. Look closer, and you’ll see the many attributions to baseball excellence from the years across the street. Windows with views of the subway track serve as constant reminders that you are still in the Bronx.

Autographs adorn the wall

Elevated train tracks visible from windows

For the menu, expect the usual steakhouse fare of meat, symbolic seafood, and sides. Notice the pinstriped menu, baseball field shaped bread plate, and bread shaped like pretzels. One cannot help but respect such attention to detail.

Every baseball fan loves this plate

Appetizers were quite tasty. The  crab cakes had huge lumps of crab meat and was seasoned very well. The lobster soup was exceptional. The French onion soup was, well, French onion soup. A good one, but still that familiar taste of salty, cheesy, beef stock. Each plate and bowl had a retired number of a Yankees legend, another great detail.

Now serving, number 7, crab cakes, number 7...

Exceptional lobster soup

Bring on the meat! We went with four cuts of meat,  which included a long bone rib-eye, a filet mignon, and a NY strip. The cut and aging was exceptional, each bite was unique and tasty. However the interpretation of medium rare was a bit more on the medium side. I really recommend the long bone rib-eye, an exceptional steak. Lisa, our lead writer on the Chinese side, decided to have fish. The way it was cooked was spot on, but the flavoring was very normal. Nothing out of the norm for steakhouses.

LB-Ribeye

The dessert menu was a big conversation topic. We asked what a YooHoo float was (turns out to be the drink Yogi Bera endorsed, made into a float), and was attracted by the watermelon Jolly Rancher flan. Both were more eye candy than tasty.

A float made with Yoohoo

Tasted just like watermelon jolly ranchers

At this point we certainly hope you’re heading to a game. If you came just for steak, it’s always a bit sad to end on a down note.

Best way to cap off the evening

All in all, it’s a good steakhouse, definitely holding its own against some of the better known steakhouses in Manhattan. For steak lovers, the Yankee heritage makes it a must, when you’re in town for a game. However, it’s not quite that good enough to warrant a subway ride to the Bronx and nothing else.

From the Notepad: Dining in the off season, especially the winter months, is quite odd. This restaurant is best experienced during the season. The score takes into consideration the unique atmosphere that is dining at Yankees Stadium (+0.5).

CS

Rating:  

NYY Steak
Yankee Stadium – Gate 6
The Bronx, NY 10451
(646) 977-8325