Holy cow, Catman!*

Are you talking about Don Pepe on New Jersey highway 21 (McCarter Highway)?

If so, I had one of the best seafood paellas that I have ever had in my life (the other was at a Spanish restaurant on Bleecker Street in New York, but I forget the name of it — if it even still exists.

However, one of the people with whom I was dining ordered the steak. I thought to myself, “Now who would order a steak here?”

I do not remember the price, but the price indicated to me that an average-sized steak with an average flavor is what one would receive for such a low price. Of course (no pun intended?), this was at least 18 years ago since I was last there. On the current dinner menu, the closest item I can find to what I remember is the Costilla de Lomo, which is the Broiled Sirloin Steak served with their Chef's Special Sauce.

My Paella Marinera (seafood paella) had to have been enough food for at least two people, and it was excellent. However, out comes this tremendous steak that overflowed over the edges of the plate as the waiter brought it out, and it was cooked to perfection. I was offered to try it and, while I was definitely not sorry that I ordered the seafood paella by any means, I was sorry that I did not order the steak.

If one can still get a huge steak at an incredibly reasonable price, I also cast a vote for Don Pepe in Newark, New Jersey.

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I notice you mention Charley’s Steak House in Tampa, Catman. I believe the original one is in Orlando?

Many of the independent steak houses are opening new restaurants in different locations and thus becoming chains, such as Charley’s Steak House and Shula’s Steak House. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that even though the newer locations have excellent food, they just do not seem to be as good as the original location.

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*A rare double pun, which has just become a triple due to this little footnote...

It's got to be Cabaña Las Lilas, Bs As
 

My vote goes to

Cabaña Las Lilas
Av. Alicia Moreau de Justo 516
Puerto Madero - C1107AAL - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tel.: (54-11) 4313-1336 - Fax: (54-11) 4315-6045
e-mail: [email protected]
web:

If they have it as a starter, ask for the "Jamón Ibérico Pata Negra" almost as good as the best in Spain (mountain-style dry-cured ham from black-footed pig.) For the tastiest beef cuts, ojo de bife (ribeye), bife de lomo (filet mignon), bife de chorizo (rump steak - but plain chorizo is a sausage), medallón de lomo (tenderloin.)

We also had a very nice red with our beef (bife de chorizo) - Bodega Cavas de Weinert, Malbec Estrella (1977!) Aged 15 years in French oak... yummy! Probably gone today... The several times I have eaten here the service has been excellent and the food the same. From some comments here, I'd guess they occasionally have an off day (Mondays and days after big holidays are good days to not visit "the best" places in Latin America; we even laughingly say they are "celebrating San Lunes.;))

They partnered up with the owners of Rubayat restaurants in São Paulo, and say they are coming to the US and Europe, but I am not holding my breath... and their roots are in raising and seeling fine beef cattle (brangus, angus, hereford, etc.) Wouldn't it be nice, to have a Cabaña Las Lilas near you... :D

I'll add La Caballeriza (there are at least two or three in Bs As) and Las Nazarenas *Asador Criollo) - it looks like a tourist trap with the fogata in the window, but the humungous grill puts out so some good meat and the gentlemanly waiters will give you good service. (And though I think it may have closed, it's "Los Años Locos" - without the tilde ñ - Alt-1 6 4 - it becomes "the crazy anuses" in English, and you don't want to go there.)

Canarsie.. that's the place. They have locations in Parsippany and Newark, NJ. They still have THAT steak. It's very good and a good value.

From Don Pepe's menu on the web:

Costilla de Lomo
Broiled Sirloin Steak served with our Chef's Special Sauce 22.95

If you are ever in the Newark area you should pay Don Pepe's another visit. Or let me know. I'm always up for Don Pepe's.

Another great place with lots of food for a good price is Jockos in Santa Maria, CA. Another Flyertalker introduced me to this place!

I am not a fan of Peter Lugars (I can hear Dhammer groaning.) I need to be convinced on why this place is so great. Surly waiters, CASH ONLY for payment, old atmosphere.

No miles is the clincher ;)

Another thing: Before discovering the independents I was a Ruth's CHris fanatic. In fact I hosted the second Catman Do 2 at Ruth's in NYC. But I have had one or two bad experiences since. Not much for the chains lately (the bigger than the smaller ones.)
Guess tastes change over time.

It's not your tastes, I think. I've been disappointed by my last
visits to RC. In Vegas last year, could my steak have been
[gasp] previously frozen??? - it certainly had no juice to
speak of and a funky texture.

Cheers
violist

My vote in FRA goes to M Steakhouse: http://www.the-steakhouse.de. Great meat, large (!) portions and an excellent winelist. They exclusively serve Nebraska corn/grain or grass fed beef. The porterhous is stunning.

In Cape Town it's a toss-up between The Wooden Shoe and Nelsons Eye....

NYC=Steak Houses
 

As others have said, SPARKS is one of the best places around for steak in NYC. I also enjoy the Palm Steak House as well as Smith and Wolenskys(not as good as SPARKS but still very good)

Peter Lugars in Great Neck is better than the one on Brooklyn(IMO) because they serve Lobster.

Dan

It has reopened, and it is still excellent :cool:

My vote goes to Coles Chop House in Napa - was about 4 years ago, but I am still to better it :D

I like good steak very rare (blue as we say in Europe). When I was in Houston a while back, kanebear suggested Churrascos which was absolutely superb. They don't give you steak knives - the steaks are so tender that the edge of a fork can cut them Highly recommended.

I can attest to Churrascos, too ... great place. South American style. Terrific restaurant. And virtually next door to one of the best wine shops in Houston, too.

Kincaids
 

I'd like to recommend Kincaids in the Twin Cities. There is one in downtown St. Paul and another in Bloomington. There might be others, but thats all I know of .... food is to die for!

Visit www.kindcaids.com

- Brian

No question that El Gaucho was probably the dining experience I havae talked about the most in the past year -- and I was dining there with the VP Marketing and Regional Manager from Morton's!

Bern's is incomparable

A recent discovery was Shelly's Steakhouse in NY. Awesome prime aged steaks and a great raw bar

And Morton's is consistently great. Once did a night-after-night comparison of Morton's, Ruth's Chris and the Palm (believe it or not, this was work-related!) and there was no question the steaks at Morton's were better quality...at least that week.

Hawk's Landing -- Orlando, FL
 

I was originally a filet mignon eater but have evolved into a ribeye man. However, the best filet I'v ever had was at the Hawk's Landing restaurant that's adjacent to the Marriott World Center in Orlando. It was fabulous!

How appropos of this thread to pop up again!

I have a whole strip loin of Australian grass fed beef that was delivered today sitting in a cooler container outside my office. :)

We have been ordering from places like Niman and a few other places that have grass fed or at least not animal bioproduct fed beef. We had a Australian whole ribeye a few weeks ago that was spectacular. Cooked most of it on the grill after cutting it into a bunch of steaks.

Kincaids in DC and every Mortons I have ever been to is excellent!

Here's the steakhouse that probably serves the most complicated food:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/14/dining/14REST.html

username: flyertalk
password: flyertalk

It's a shame that it got such a poor review, because M. Vongerichten other restaurants, especially his top end one at the Trump Hotel and Jo Jo are outstanding.