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Where to go for great steak

BY LINDA PERNEY | amNY.com Staff Writer

March 22, 2006

Peter Luger's Steak House in Brooklyn. (File photo by Howard Hollenberg)

Everybody likes steak - well, just about everybody. Whether you're looking for tradition or up-to-the minute, here are some of our favorite places to get a great piece of beef.

MANHATTAN

Les Halles. Chef Anthony Bourdain made the place famous with his book "Kitchen Confidential." Before you stop by for dinner, remember this isn't the place to go for a romantic dinner: It's always crowded and noisy. Even with the recent expansion, you still feel shoehorned in. The steaks, though, are very good, and the prices fair. The service is engaging even when the room is at its most anarchic. (Expect to pay between $45 and $55 for a three-course dinner; 411 Park Avenue South; 212-679-4111)

Wolfgang. This clone of Peter Luger, opened by the ex-maitre d' at that shrine to great beef across the river, has found its midtown feet. The dining room, which used to be Vanderbilt Station, is crowded lunchtimes and dinnertimes with a power bunch of execs; the bar is jammed with after-work drinkers just about every night. The beef is just fine. (Expect to pay between $50 and $70 for a three-course dinner; 4 Park Avenue; 212-889-3369)

Dylan Prime. The restaurant has none of the usual steakhouse atmosphere. It calls itself the sexy steakhouse, and pretty much lives up to its billing. The bar is a busy, buzzing scene, with neighborhood folks, the odd celeb or two, and the usual Wall Street crowd. House cocktails range from the traditional to the outré. For really big drinkers, there's the ultimate martini, served in a 48-ounce glass. The dining room keeps big appetites in mind, too, with hefty portions of filet mignon, ribeyes, strip steaks, and T-bones. Once you choose your meat, you can add a sauce (bordelaise, béarnaise, black truffle beurre blanc). (Expect to pay between $45 and $90 for a three-course dinner; 62 Laight Street; 212-334-4783)

City Hall. Chef Henry Meer grills a great steak, but that's not all. This Tribeca restaurant has the soul of an old-timey New York place, with its spacious-feeling dining room and friendly bar. In addition to the beef, there are pan roasts of oysters, or clams, as well as shellfish platters that are truly colossal. (Expect to pay between $40 and $65 for a three-course meal; 131 Duane Street; 212-227-7777)

The Old Homestead. You'll know the place by the cow on the awning. Long before the artists' cows appeared, the Old Homestead had one, which may be a clue to the restaurant's sly anticipation of hipness: It was in the meat district before there was a meat district. Since 1868, in fact. And there's a reason it's still going strong. Terrific meat, and lots of it. The dry-aged steaks, are of course, the main event: enormous sirloins, ribeyes, and a gargantuan porterhouse they claim feeds two, but make that two with a supersized doggie bag. (Expect to pay between $50 and $90 for a three-course dinner; 56 Ninth Avenue; 212-246-9040)

The Knickerbocker. With its old-fashioned dining room and its busy bar, this is a Village standby. The menu offers plenty besides first-class steaks, so even if you're dining with a non-carnivore, it's a good choice. Looking for a bargain? Have a burger in the bar. (Expect to pay between $35 and $60 for a three-course meal; 33 University Place; 212-228-8490)

BROOKLYN

Peter Luger. You only have to go as far as Williamsburg to get the best beef in America. For more than 100 years, Peter Luger has been dispensing its dry-aged beef in a beer-hall setting. There's not all that much on the menu -- only one cut of beef, porterhouse - and the variety comes in the size: steak for one, steak for two, etc. There are also fried potatoes and tomatoes served with the restaurant's famous sauce. Looking for a lunch bargain? There's a tasty burger during the week for $7.95. (Expect to pay about $100 for a three-course dinner; 178 Broadway; 718-387-7400)

Embers. The folks who run this place know plenty about meat and it shows. There are filet mignon, T-bones, and sirloin. Also prime rib and pork and lamb chops. Sides stick to the usual steakhouse faves, although the potato pie is its own creation, a creamy mix of potatoes and bits of ham. This is Brooklyn, so it's probably not necessary to say that the portions are enormous. (Expect to pay between $40 and $50 for a three-course dinner; 9519 Third Avenue, Bay Ridge; 718-745-3700)