Peter Lugers?

Is it really worth going to PL's steak house in NYC. My wife is begging me to go. The waiting period for reservation is long,and every time I see a story on PL's there seems to be no women in the place (is it tabo to bring a woman).

Peter Lugers is great. I have been there several times and there are always plenty of women there. It is a fun experience andI am sure that you and your wife would both enjoy it very much. Be sure to bring cash as they do not accept credit cards.

In NYC?
I thought its only in Brooklyn and Great Neck.
I love the steak sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by fabulousoyster
In NYC? I thought its only in Brooklyn and Great Neck. I love the steak sauce.

Brooklyn and Queens are two of the five boroughs in NYC. But you may have been making a joke.

Definitely go to Peter Luger!

Kevin

quote:

Originally posted by fabulousoyster

In NYC?
I thought its only in Brooklyn and Great Neck.
I love the steak sauce.

Brooklyn is in New York City. It's been that way for over a hundred years.

Great Neck is in Nassau County (Long Island)

quote:

Is it really worth going to PL's steak house in NYC. My wife is begging me to go. The waiting period for reservation is long,and every time I see a story on PL's there seems to be no women in the place (is it tabo to bring a woman).

Peter Lugers is absolutely worth a visit, as it is one of the finest steakhouses in the world. The idea that there are no women in the place is preposterous.

I meant Manhattan.

I think they have their own In-House credit card...Make sure you like the porterhouse cut of steak..that's what they serve. There are lots of great steakhouses in NYC..I suggest you check them all out on the Internet before making this expensive decision. If you like a NY Strip Steak, Lugers is not for you. If you want a fancier atmosphere, there are others to consider, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben
I think they have their own In-House credit card...Make sure you like the porterhouse cut of steak..that's what they serve. There are lots of great steakhouses in NYC..I suggest you check them all out on the Internet before making this expensive decision. If you like a NY Strip Steak, Lugers is not for you. If you want a fancier atmosphere, there are others to consider, too.

You are right about the in-house credit card. And while it is almost exclusively porterhouse, there is a rib steak and a couple of other choices. And truly it's NOT upscale, though every steak lover should try to go at least once (IMO)

Demerit to me for forgetting Great Neck is just outside of Queens.

Kevin

http://www.peterluger.com/menu-bklyn.cfm

Peter Luger's serves steak that I will be able to taste in my memory until the day I die.

luger's accepts debit cards, although they don't publicize that fact. they also accept woman. those stories are from the 70's.

if you appreciate dry-aged porterhouse then Luger's is for you. if you don't care for dry-aged steak or can't generally discern between dry-aged/wet-aged/not-aged then you might not see what all the fuss is about.

if you go please don't put the "steak sauce" on anything but your bread and shrimp cocktail.

quote:

Originally posted by tommyeats

luger's accepts debit cards, although they don't publicize that fact. they also accept woman. those stories are from the 70's.

if you appreciate dry-aged porterhouse then Luger's is for you. if you don't care for dry-aged steak or can't generally discern between dry-aged/wet-aged/not-aged then you might not see what all the fuss is about.

if you go please don't put the "steak sauce" on anything but your bread and shrimp cocktail.

Right on with the last comment, Luger's Porterhouse needs no sauce.

If you want a bit fancier atmosphere, go to the original Wolfgang's. Very similar food/menu (plus it's in Manhattan). My second favorite steak after Luger's.

Wolfgang's as reviewed on this site and their website:

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=3445

http://www.wolfgangssteakhouse.com/

quote:

Originally posted by tommyeats

luger's accepts debit cards, although they don't publicize that fact. they also accept woman. those stories are from the 70's.

Their owner was just on Travel Channel's Steak paradises saying no credit cards other than their in house one. More than a storie from the 70s.

This may be a dumb question but how does the meat stay juicy when they slice it before it is served? Does it rest for long enough before they slice it that the juices have re-distributed and don't run out? I have always wondered about this.

The juice is on the uber hot serving plate and your waiter will spoon it over your meat as he serves it on to your plate.


tommyeats, you just brought up a subject I have been wondering about ever since I went there. Are there two sauces, one for the tomato and onion salad/shrimp cocktail and another one for the steak? Or is there just the one "steak sauce" that is used for both. It seemed there was just the one and it tasted to me like it had horseradish in it which threw me off when trying it on the steak. Of course I didn't douse the steak in it. I tasted the meat by itself first, then lightly dipped a subsequent piece in the sauce on the side of my plate. In all honesty, I don't know much about the differences between wet vs. dry aging and how that is supposed to come across on the palate, so Luger's may have been lost on me. I wasn't crazy about it.

It is one sauce but they would prefer you kept in on their salads and not on the meat. They should have called it salad sauce.

I use the "steak" sauce on something besides the bread and shrimp cocktail (come to think of it, I have never had the shrimp cocktail).

Order the tomato and onion appetizer and a slice of bacon. Slice the tomato and onion into bite size portions. Add a small piece of the bacon and a touch of the sauce. It is the perfect combination of flavors. I also sometimes use a small dollop of sauce on the burger served at lunch, but the burger doesn't need it at all.

And, for those who say that there are BETTER steak houses than Luger's, please tell me where they are. I have a pretty impressive list of steak houses that I have visited over time - great independent steak houses - but, I have yet to find one that is BETTER than Luger's, and I am not sure that I have found one that is AS GOOD AS Luger's.

Some examples include...

Ringside - Portland, OR
Vito's Chop House - Orlando, FL
Drinkwater's - Scottsdale, AZ
Metropolitan Grill - Seattle, WA
Johnny's Cafe - Omaha, NE
Angus Barn - Raleigh, NC
Smith and Wollensky
Morton's
The Palm
Ruth's Chris...and many, many more. Understand, I like these places a lot - but, they don't compare to Luger's.

quote:

Originally posted by The Travelin Man

And, for those who say that there are BETTER steak houses than Luger's, please tell me where they are. I have a pretty impressive list of steak houses that I have visited over time - great independent steak houses - but, I have yet to find one that is BETTER than Luger's, and I am not sure that I have found one that is AS GOOD AS Luger's.

I agree with you. Peter Lugers is a wonderful experience; quite unlike any "upper end" steahouse that you have even been. My favorite steakhouse is Bern Steakhouse in Tampa, Fl, but for a most wonderful steak and atmosphere, I would go to Peter Luger's any day of the week.

I haven't yet been to Bern's (and living in Florida for nearly 20 years, it even surprises me!), but Tampa is not usually on my route for upscale dining. I need to make an effort to do it.

quote:

Originally posted by divefl

quote:

Originally posted by tommyeats

luger's accepts debit cards, although they don't publicize that fact. they also accept woman. those stories are from the 70's.

Their owner was just on Travel Channel's Steak paradises saying no credit cards other than their in house one. More than a storie from the 70s.

i guess i've eaten there for free, then, since they obviously didn't run my debit card through. but hey, it was on TV, so it must be true.

as far as the stories from the 70's go, i was referring to the "no women" point. unless the guy also said that they frown upon women entering their restaurant, which I'm guessing he didn't.

billyboy, i think there's just one sauce. i could be wrong though, as i don't pay much attention to the sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by hatteras04

This may be a dumb question but how does the meat stay juicy when they slice it before it is served? Does it rest for long enough before they slice it that the juices have re-distributed and don't run out? I have always wondered about this.

they actually slice it during cooking, and then they throw it back under the blazing heat. it then sits in a super hot plate (and continues cooking on your table to some extent). this process essentially spits in the face of the widely accepted theory that you have to let meat rest.

I think you have to let meat rest when it cooks for a long time. however, when you order a steak medium rare, the middle isn't going to be gushing fat and juice any more than an uncooked piece of steak will. and the pool of clarified butter they serve the steak with doesn't hurt, either.

Peter Luger is a must see and eat, plain and simple. Even if you don't like it afterwards. It has been well over 12 years since I went, but I would definitely go again.

YES ...Russ

it is peter lugars "sauce" NOT steak sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by sk bob

it is peter lugars "sauce" NOT steak sauce.

you can see on this link that peter luger's does not necessarily agree with your assertion: http://peterluger.com/petlugsauc.cfm

although they seem to be as confused as anyone else.

the bottom line is that they give every table that sauce regardless of what you order and i've never heard a waiter say "don't put that on your steak for god's sake". they promote its use merely by placing it on every table.

Travelin Man..Just a point. I do not think Metro in Seattle serves prime beef. I'm pretty sure about that. I've been there and yes, I was not impressed with their NY strip steak, either. I know the Capital Grille doesn't serve prime grade either. Perhaps some others on that list of your's may not either?

I feel this is a very important distinction in making a comparison and touting Peter Luger's as the "Best Steakhouse" in America. You are pretty firm on that. But, it has to be an "apples to apples" comparison right? That should take into account the cut of meat, the grade and I firmly believe price. Especially the price. Anyone can serve the best quality, if you charge enough for it. Show me a place that serves a great steak at a fair price and that place would be on any list I'd put together.

Hey, I'd love to have tried many of the places you are mentioning that "do not compare" to Luger's, but frankly I never had a business expense account. I'm retired and there are choices in life we all make. I never could deal with NYC steakhouse prices on any type of frequent basis. My visits were usually "event driven." I've been to Luger's several times, Bern's, The Old Homestead, Ruth Chris, Metropolitan and a few others. My point is more about "lists" or "Best". Hey, I'm an offender, too. I contend Bob Cat Bite is the best burger in the USA. Many also agree. But, it is easier to compare a burger..There are no grades, cuts, etc. Apples to apples..That's all I'm saying here.

I noticed you had very, very few NYC restaurants on your list. Luger's steak is a porterhouse..that's how they've made their bones. Contrary to another poster, who mentions they have a "few" other cuts. When you go to Lugers folks, you order "steak for 2, 3, 4." That brings out a porterhouse to the table every time..

Perhaps the comparison should be a porterhouse from Luger's to say a porterhouse from someplace like Doe's in Mississippi? I'd think a comparison should also take into account the price. Anybody want to chime in on this? Please feel free. THIS POST IS NOT MEANT TO START AN ARGUMENT!

I've been to Luger's and loved the steak...Parts of it, that is. No, I do not like a porterhouse steak and would never order one, if I had a choice. I happen to like a Kansas City Strip Steak, a NY Strip Steak...Call it what you will. It's from the short loin and I like the texture much better. It is a much firmer, meatier taste IMHO. No, you'll not get a combination of textures that you'll get with a porterhouse.

Travlin Man, I don't think you've compared apples to apples so while we can all appreciate that it gets your vote as The Best Steakhouse in the country, I think that may not be correct. It may be the oldest, the most traditional looking and most famous....I'll grant you that. And, it may serve the best prime grade "porthouse" steak in the country..It was the best I've ever had, too. But, I never got to Doe's in Mississippi through the state (my bad!). Anyone been to Lugers and Doe's? Boy, I'd love to hear from them. Compare the price, not atmosphere, of course. Just the steak.

As for me, I would love to hear from other roadfoodies as to who they think serves the best Prime Grade "Strip Loin" in the country? If this has already been done, just refer me and forget duplicating the same post. We've had enough "I'm Starting a Restaurant" and "Harold's" posts for a lifetime already.

Roadfoodies..What about a NY strip from Spark's, Del Frisco's, The Homestead, or a KC Strip from a palce in Nebraska, Kansas or Colorado?.....Thanks and no disrespect to The Travlin Man.

Tommyeats..I know they put clarified butter on the steak before it reaches the customer and they use radiant upright broilers..there is no charcoal taste to their meat. Extremely high BTU burners. Use to be specially made for them by Franklin Chef..I have no idea who makes them now, but they do not last that long with the volume that place does.

I had no idea they cut up the broiled porterhouse and then return it to the broiler. Very interesting. Avoids having customer returns though doesn't it...At the heat those broilers are generating, it would work. There is no way you can duplicate that process at home no matter how great a piece of meat you buy. Well, there was a poster who filled up his apartment with smoke trying..That was fantastic! He showed us pictures, etc.

I also saw on FoodTV or the Travel Channel the women who own the place go to the market a few times a week before dawn and get first dibs on the meat they want. They have a stamp fopr each piece of meat so the suppier cannot make any mistakes on which they deliver. Then they dry age it, etc. There's a lot of shrinkage (weight) and waste and that's one of the reasons a dry aged steak is more $$.

I find this thread to be interesting and bizarre. If I go somewhere and get my food I'll use whatever sauces I want on anything I want it on, and if anybody cut up my steak for me I'd send it back or jam my fork in their eyesocket.

quote:

Originally posted by Baah Ben
I've been to Luger's and loved the steak...Parts of it, that is. No, I do not like a porterhouse steak and would never order one, if I had a choice. I happen to like a Kansas City Strip Steak, a NY Strip Steak...Call it what you will. It's from the short loin and I like the texture much better. It is a much firmer, meatier taste IMHO. No, you'll not get a combination of textures that you'll get with a porterhouse.

Baah Ben, is the strip that is commonly called Kansas City Strip or NY strip different from the strip in the porterhouse?

i'm a strip guy too, and turn up my nose at tenderloin. however, when those two pieces of meat are dry-aged on the porterhouse, i just love it. in fact i'm not afraid to say that i often enjoy the tenderloin side more, if only because it seems to take to the aging much more, and tastes funkier than the strip side.

quote:

Originally posted by tommyeats

is the strip that is commonly called Kansas City Strip or NY strip different from the strip in the porterhouse?

Nope.

quote:

Originally posted by jimsock9

I find this thread to be interesting and bizarre. If I go somewhere and get my food I'll use whatever sauces I want on anything I want it on, and if anybody cut up my steak for me I'd send it back or jam my fork in their eyesocket.