braslvr

There are many, myself included, who think this is an absolutely terrible method to cook a steak.

nyc2socal

Don't quite get your comment. There are many, myself included that think it's a great way to eat a steak..

LarkSFO

jologolf: Esca was excellent! We moved our reservation up to 5:15 just to be safe, and had plenty of time to eat and walk over to Eugene O'Neill theater for the 7:00 show.

http://www.esca-nyc.com/

We started with the Crudo tasting, which I highly recommend. 6 different selections chosen by the chef, and all were very good (well, mackerel was not to our taste). They had gotten fresh John Dory that day ('very rare to see' according to the waiter) and they brought us each a tasting of this as well. It was probably our favorite. Very fresh, excellent flavor.

This was followed by the selections below. (I don't list what the kids ordered off menu: buttered pasta... They ate the salads first, and the chicken to go with the pasta and were perfectly happy.)

The only dish that was not to our liking was the squid ink spaghetti. Cooked very nicely, but overly salty.

The monkfish was fantastic.

Service was excellent as well, our waiter going out of his way to make sure we were happy. (brought tastings of multiple wines for both of us until we arrived at one we liked. Took our order initially, then came back and suggested we cancel one item and change the timing so make sure we got out on time.)

Excellent whole wheat focaccia.

Verdura Mista
Organic salad of fall vegetables, sheep's milk ricotta and herb garden vinaigrette

Insalata Di Amara
Salad of Italian and local fall greens, butternut squash and apple cider vinaigrette

Spaghetti Neri
Squid ink spaghetti with seppia, green chilis and scallions

Bucatini
House made fat spaghetti with Rita’s spicy octopus sauce

Pescatrice
Whole pan roasted local monkfish with Nueske’s smoked bacon, red cippoline and sage

Pollo
Four story hills farm chicken with primo olives, fregula and lemon


Yes, this is completely off topic. Sorry.

braslvr

Yes, I know. Enough that it has become the default method at high end steakhouses in the US. I only commented because your post suggested that that cooking method was one of the 3 main reasons that a high end steakhouse is superior to grilling at home. I was pointing out that it is by far the biggest reason I and many others shun such establishments.

jologolf212

Awesome! Glad you liked it.
Love Esca. Realizing Esca is Italian and Le Bern is French, I think Esca is 90% Le Bern at 30% the price. Yes, Completely off topic.

greg0ire

Of all the chains, Mastro's is my favorite. When you walk through that door you can smell that aged beef aroma...damn, now I need to make a reservation for next week.

My favorite restaurant is Lawry's. I don't know if it counts as a steak house. I've been going to the Beverly Hills location for 35 years. On a rare occasion (pardon the pun), you can get a medium-rare end cut which, in my opinion, is the best tasting cut of beef out there. Love their salad and mashed potatoes too.

Moderator2

A few years ago my wife and I sat down in the Beverly Hills glassed in room upstairs fairly early, about 6pm. We were the only people at the time in the room. Just about five minutes after arriving a chef came into the room with a sizzling cast iron pan, with nothing in it other than meat drippings and garlic. His task it appeared was to allow that aroma in infuse itself in the room. He then exited the glass door and took about a 30 second lap through the main upstairs dining room.

Thought it was a great marketing strategy.

greg0ire

That's terrific...fyi, I remember going to Fromins on occasion in the 80s. We were members of Maarev Temple nearby. I believe it's a big empty lot now.

Moderator2

My wife and I still visit "Uncle Bernies" / "Fromins" about 7-8 times a year. We started going there in 1986 when we moved in together just north of the restaurant on White Oak.

The same waiter - "Hal" who served us in the 80's is still there. He started working there in 1980. Thirty-four years as a waiter in the same deli. That is amazing! And I'm pretty sure Hal is no older than 61 years old. The Fromins' family sold the Encino restaurant ten years ago (and that has since changed hands). However they still run a store in Santa Monica.

As to the temple, I'm not 100% positive but I think it still exists, but may have moved into a building just past where it used to sit, on Magnolia - slightly east of White Oak.

factory81

I just felt the need to reply after going to Keens in NYC and spending like $80 on a single huge steak (and sharing it with my girlfriend). The steak is a bit too....I don't know, in your face it felt like? And then I realized halfway through that they obviously don't use a grill here, they cook this in a pan (or something).

I wasn't all that impressed and neither was my girlfriend. We are interested in trying a good place out.

I know J Alexanders is not exactly upscale upscale, but I have had better steaks there than the one at Keens.

nyc2socal

When in NYC, and you know with enough advanced notice to make a reservation, Peter Lugers in Brooklyn is where I go for steaks.. period...

frontrangeFF

They do have a special method for cooking steaks at Keen's. http://screen.yahoo.com/steakhouse-s...100000346.html

We use this method at home with bacon wrapped filets, and get excellent results.

socalduck

+1 for J. Alexander's. I have been to both the Troy, MI and Franklin, TN locations multiple times, and the food and service have always been quite good. They also have a surprisingly good wine list for what is essentially an upscale family dining chain.

I_Can_Fly_US_Airways

There Bone-In-Filet (dry aged) is simply the best!!!

Fitstylist5

Did you end up making it to Next 'Chicago Steakhouse'? I wasn't that impressed. Del Frisco's wins for me. The tomahawk steak is pretty perfect...