Starched white table cloths and waiters with French accents; delicate slices of fish placed on top of little mounds of rice; organic local produce picked up at the local green market. Scenes from New York dining.
Apologies in advance to all the vegetarian readers, but sometimes you just want a big juicy steak. In New York, that usually means Peter Luger.
Peter Luger at dusk.
Over the past years, I’ve reviewed and dined at many steakhouses that try to emulate the Peter Luger formula. Ben & Jacks and Wolfgang’s have each found success copying the original, while each making little changes to improve upon the Luger experience. It’s important to note that these changes are not on the menu, the menu works and for most clones they perform a blatant copy. These copycats make trivial changes like the willingness to take credit cards, and a slightly friendlier staff.
There’s still something about the original that keeps me coming back.
Simple, truly classic decor.
With two locations, one across the bridge in Williamsburg and the other in the affluent neighborhood of Great Neck, Long Island, Peter Luger has the steak eating crowd (bankers) covered. The sourcing of the meats and preparation at the two locations are identical, however in my few visits to both location, the Brooklyn Luger is still preferred. The meat had better flavor, the environment more lively. It’s a special place.
The big moment.
There’re already far too many blogs and food guides that talk about the steak at Luger’s, so I’ll be concise and authoritative just like the wait staff. Start the meal with slabs of Canadian bacon, follow that up with tomatoes and onions drenched in the Peter Luger steak sauce (watch the heartburn), then get the Porterhouse for however many is in your party. For dessert, get the Holy Cow sundae. Don’t give any excuses about watching your weight, you just had steak.
Let there be steak.
A meaty interlude to trendy dining, this is a timeless classic.
CS
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Peter Luger Steak House (Williamsburg)
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
http://www.peterluger.com
Peter Luger Steak House (Long Island)
255 Northern Blvd
Great Neck, NY 11021
(516) 487-8800
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