New York: Peter Luger Steakhouse
Getting a reservation at Peter Luger Steakhouse takes some patience. The phone line will seem to always be busy, but you just have to keep calling until you finally get through. And when you do get through, you'll have to wait some more before someone actually picks up.
Given that we were attempting to make a reservation just around one month before our trip to New York, Abby and I expected Peter Luger to be completely booked. We got lucky, however, and scored a table at 4:30pm on a Saturday:
We were a bit worried because our friend AF was running late and your party needs to be complete to be seated. But everything turned out fine since we ended up waiting another 30 minutes or so from our reservation time before we were finally called to our table upstairs:
What is a steakhouse without a basket of complimentary bread?:
For the five of us, we ordered steak for three ($164.85), medium rare of course:
And the rib steak ($60.95), also medium rare:
If it looks like pieces of the steaks are missing, you're not imagining it. When the steaks were brought to our table, servers descended on us in a flurry of activity. Before I could even take out my cell phone, they'd already set up the plates to sit slightly at a tilt, spooned butter and meat juice sauce onto the steaks, and served each of us choice pieces:
The creamed spinach for two ($11.95) never even touched the tabletop. The spinach was divvied up and the dish whisked away as we sat there gaping.
The only thing spared was the lamb chops ($54.95):
Also spared was something not pictured here, the mixed green salad ($11.95). When AF requested the salad, we all gave her the side-eye. But we acquiesced because the alternative was to order either the sliced tomatoes ($15.95) or the sliced tomatoes and onions ($16.95). I don't care how special Luger's own sauce is, I'm not paying 16 bucks for tomatoes. Oh, hell no.
To my great surprise, the mixed salad ended up being precisely what we needed. Instead of the salad dressing, we drizzled the greens with lamb juice and that was a REVELATION. If all salads came with lamb juice, I probably wouldn't mind them so much.
With all that food, we should have been full. I mean, we were full. Really full. But when T asked whether we could add on dessert, not a single person protested.
Which is how we ended up with the "holy cow" hot fudge sundae ($13.95):
The sundae itself wasn't anything special. Just vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge. What made us unable to set down our spoons was the schlag or Peter Luger's homemade whipped cream. We were so obviously appreciative that our server brought us extra:
Everything about Peter Luger is old school, from its decor to the chocolate coins they give you at the end of the meal to their insistence on only accepting cash (there's a Peter Luger card that you can apply for, but that's the only card that they'll take):
Is Peter Luger worth all the hype? It's expensive, there's no doubt about that. The sides and desserts are crazily overpriced. The service could be friendlier, much friendlier (or at least pretend to give a damn). And carrying that much cash around is terrifying.
But the steaks! That melt-in-your-mouth texture! That let-me-gnaw-on-the-bone flavor! (Yes, we left no bone un-gnawed.) The steaks make it all worthwhile. The lamb was pretty damn amazing too.
I have zero regrets about the serious moolah I dropped at Peter Luger. While I'm not sure if I'll ever return, I'll always look back at my experience there fondly.
Peter Luger Steakhouse
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 387-7400
https://peterluger.com/
Given that we were attempting to make a reservation just around one month before our trip to New York, Abby and I expected Peter Luger to be completely booked. We got lucky, however, and scored a table at 4:30pm on a Saturday:
We were a bit worried because our friend AF was running late and your party needs to be complete to be seated. But everything turned out fine since we ended up waiting another 30 minutes or so from our reservation time before we were finally called to our table upstairs:
What is a steakhouse without a basket of complimentary bread?:
For the five of us, we ordered steak for three ($164.85), medium rare of course:
And the rib steak ($60.95), also medium rare:
If it looks like pieces of the steaks are missing, you're not imagining it. When the steaks were brought to our table, servers descended on us in a flurry of activity. Before I could even take out my cell phone, they'd already set up the plates to sit slightly at a tilt, spooned butter and meat juice sauce onto the steaks, and served each of us choice pieces:
The creamed spinach for two ($11.95) never even touched the tabletop. The spinach was divvied up and the dish whisked away as we sat there gaping.
The only thing spared was the lamb chops ($54.95):
Also spared was something not pictured here, the mixed green salad ($11.95). When AF requested the salad, we all gave her the side-eye. But we acquiesced because the alternative was to order either the sliced tomatoes ($15.95) or the sliced tomatoes and onions ($16.95). I don't care how special Luger's own sauce is, I'm not paying 16 bucks for tomatoes. Oh, hell no.
To my great surprise, the mixed salad ended up being precisely what we needed. Instead of the salad dressing, we drizzled the greens with lamb juice and that was a REVELATION. If all salads came with lamb juice, I probably wouldn't mind them so much.
With all that food, we should have been full. I mean, we were full. Really full. But when T asked whether we could add on dessert, not a single person protested.
Which is how we ended up with the "holy cow" hot fudge sundae ($13.95):
The sundae itself wasn't anything special. Just vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge. What made us unable to set down our spoons was the schlag or Peter Luger's homemade whipped cream. We were so obviously appreciative that our server brought us extra:
Everything about Peter Luger is old school, from its decor to the chocolate coins they give you at the end of the meal to their insistence on only accepting cash (there's a Peter Luger card that you can apply for, but that's the only card that they'll take):
Is Peter Luger worth all the hype? It's expensive, there's no doubt about that. The sides and desserts are crazily overpriced. The service could be friendlier, much friendlier (or at least pretend to give a damn). And carrying that much cash around is terrifying.
But the steaks! That melt-in-your-mouth texture! That let-me-gnaw-on-the-bone flavor! (Yes, we left no bone un-gnawed.) The steaks make it all worthwhile. The lamb was pretty damn amazing too.
I have zero regrets about the serious moolah I dropped at Peter Luger. While I'm not sure if I'll ever return, I'll always look back at my experience there fondly.
Peter Luger Steakhouse
178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 387-7400
https://peterluger.com/
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