There's nothing better than a huge hunk of meat so I was beyond excited when my friend said she got us reservations at Peter Luger steakhouse. I've heard mixed reviews about the place with many claiming it's well past its prime but I figured any New York steak is better than the average steak in Hong Kong so none of the bad reviews dampened my enthusiasm. Luckily, the meal was everything I could have wanted from a steak house.
The room is far from upscale, with long wooden tables and a whole lot of noise, but I loved the chaotic atmosphere and the smells that hit you the minute you walk into the seating area. There were five of us so we decided to order the the USDA Prime porterhouse steak for four, along with two side dishes.
Some complimentary bread to start which I tried really hard not to eat as I wanted to save all my stomach for as much meat as possible...unfortunately our dinner reservations were for 9:00pm and I was starving by the time I got there so I dug into some very stale, cold bread :(
Luckily, our steak was right around the corner! First came the "special house sauce" which was amazing. Usually I'm a bit of a steak purist but this sauce was too good to ignore. Slightly sweet, it tasted almost like a cocktail sauce but so much better. I wished I had bought a bottle to take home to slather over all my burgers, hotdogs, meat patties, salads...
Our waiter was delightful :) Super efficient, attentive, and always with a smile on his face (probably because he was having fun hitting on one of my friends :P)
Steak for four! I believe this was USD170. It was a huge plate that we failed to defeat despite having five very hungry diners.
It was broiled to a perfect medium rare and just oozing with flavour. The steak was really well aged and marbelized. So tender, buttery, absolutely delicious! While it might not have been the best steak I've ever had, it definitely ranks among the top. Sure it's kinda greasy, kinda fatty, and very very big... but that's all I would want in a steak!
Our two sides were the German fried potatoes and creamed spinach (both about USD9). The potatoes were pretty good, but I've had better home fries at NY brunches. Creamed spinach was better and you definitely need it to get through all that meat.
Ended a deliciously heavy meal with something even heavier - ice cream sundaes :D The amount of whipped cream they top this with was extraordinary!! And I loved that they gave us Peter Luger chocolate coins as well :) The sundae was pretty much what it looks like in the picture - very fudgy, very thick, very yummy.
All in all, this was a fantastic meal. Sure, it might not be the best steakhouse in NY but for USD60 per person for the quality and quantity of the meal above, I thought it was well worth a trek out to Brooklyn.
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Peter Luger
178 Broadway,
Brooklyn, NYC
