Peter Luger?

[biosurfer1]

I still love the Golden Steer in Vegas. In a seedy, terrible looking strip mall just off the Strip, but once inside, you are transported to the height of the Rat Pack, all waiters in tux's, top notch service and very good steak and sides to go with it.

[john70t]

Or take a risk and try some steak tartar at Miguel's on Siesta Key, Sarasota for something different.
Get the early bird. It's in a beach mini mall, a bit dark inside, but a dress up place.

There's no way to hide raw meat quality.

[wdfifteen]

By the miracle of the internet a New York Times review of Peter Lugers showed up in my news feed a couple of hours after I opened this thread. The reviewer trashed the place. Basically, “Used to be good, old and dated now, has been passed by by better places.”

[speeder]

Interesting about the old places that have slipped, the smart ones know that they have to always be diligent about keeping their reputation. I’m sitting at the bar @ Little Dom’s right now in LA, waiting for my dinner companion to show up. I’m about to have good steak and it was reading this thread 30 minutes ago that is to blame.

[dan79brooklyn]

I had a great lunch at Lugers last year.
Tried to keep on a budget, so ordered their burger, maybe the best I’ve ever had. A side of bacon, amazing!
Tomatoes and shrimp. Staff was great and very kind to my 5 year old son.
They gave us a fat stack of their gold chocolate coins.
The steak is good just sooo expensive.
They also have free parking.
YMMV

[TimT]

Now this is funny:

Check out the Yelp reviews prior to and after the zero star review...

Looks like a bunch of young "influencers" jumped on to belatedly recall and post about a less than stellar experience...Granted, there were some clunker reviews in the past too... Overall 4 star avereage out of 5600 reviews?


https://www.yelp.com/biz/peter-luger-brooklyn-2?osq=Peter+Lugers

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by speeder

Interesting about the old places that have slipped, the smart ones know that they have to always be diligent about keeping their reputation

Having worked at some higher end restaurants in college, the above is very true. Every new place is looking for signs of decay in the old places, especially in places with a combo of tourists and locals. I worked a few restaurants in and around Ghirardelli Square (my Mom also worked there in the 1940s in the summers as clerical help) and the competition to get and hold a "rep" was ferocious.

Originally Posted by speeder

I’m sitting at the bar @ Little Dom’s right now in LA...

Looked at their breakfast menu - I'm in.

[Rtrorkt]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/peter-luger-review-pete-wells.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Ff ood&action=click&contentCollection=dining&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

seems this guy did not like Lugars

[t-tom]

I've been to PL once, We did steak for 2 and a KC Strip (IRC) With all the sides a couple Shrimp cocktails and a few regular cocktails. Dinner was around 600.00 for all 4 of us. It was really good.

[GH85Carrera]

Dang, $150 per head is a very expensive place all right. I never mind paying for a good meal, but I would have a hard time justifying $150 a head for any meal. We ate a fancy high brow place in Carmel-by-the-Sea that had a fantastic view of the sunset and the ocean. It was not $150 per person. Of course I only had one beer and my wife had tea. A couple of cocktails at many places can be 25 bucks each.

We have a local crazy price steak house. It will be about $150 per head is you do some drinks. Or I can go to Cattleman's down in the stockyard and have some of the best steaks anywhere for a 1/3 that cost. Guess where I go for a nice steak.

[javadog]

Cattleman's is way overrated...

Restaurant prices are getting a little out of hand, though.

[Por_sha911]

Never been to PL but have had some mighty fine steaks in NYC. After reading the recent review: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/peter-luger-review-pete-wells.html?smid=tw-nytfood&smtyp=cur
it seems to me that PL is a victim of their success. They rested on their laurels and forgot to maintain excellence. I have seen this before with restaurants. They start out excellent but eventually become "the place to go" so that you can brag I went to... last night. People are paying for bragging rights and not best of the best.

[javadog]

The NYT reviewer has way too much power. I won't put much credence in a single review.

I once ate at the Forge in Miami. I had one of the worst steaks in my life and the entire experience sucked. Is that true of every steak that they cook and every dining experience? Or did I get a bad steak on a bad night?

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by Embraer

St Elmo's has been disappointing the last few times I've been there. It used to be that waiters had to be able to take a table of 7 people's orders, without writing anything down. Not the case any more. Also, I ordered green beans last time I went...they couldn't even be bothered to trim the ends (like they used to).

I went to a newer place in Indy earlier in the year...Tony's. Terrific meal, and FANTASTIC service. A week after I went, I got a thank you card in the mail from my waiter, thanking me for coming and that he hoped I enjoyed my ribeye.

Sorry to read about St Elmos - Whenever I'm in Indy, I make it a point to go there. I remember the time you could smoke there and buy cigars. It had am ol school feel to it. I have plans to go to Indy in early May - I will check out Tony's

[wilnj]

Originally Posted by Embraer

St Elmo's has been disappointing the last few times I've been there. It used to be that waiters had to be able to take a table of 7 people's orders, without writing anything down. Not the case any more. Also, I ordered green beans last time I went...they couldn't even be bothered to trim the ends (like they used to).

I went to a newer place in Indy earlier in the year...Tony's. Terrific meal, and FANTASTIC service. A week after I went, I got a thank you card in the mail from my waiter, thanking me for coming and that he hoped I enjoyed my ribeye.

Was there last month for the second time in as many years. I go for the shrimp cocktail and the camaraderie of the guys I go with. The rest was meh.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[t-tom]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Dang, $150 per head is a very expensive place all right. I never mind paying for a good meal, but I would have a hard time justifying $150 a head for any meal. We ate a fancy high brow place in Carmel-by-the-Sea that had a fantastic view of the sunset and the ocean. It was not $150 per person. Of course I only had one beer and my wife had tea. A couple of cocktails at many places can be 25 bucks each.

We have a local crazy price steak house. It will be about $150 per head is you do some drinks. Or I can go to Cattleman's down in the stockyard and have some of the best steaks anywhere for a 1/3 that cost. Guess where I go for a nice steak.

To be fair we probably had 100-125 just in drinks. It was a great experience. I have a buddy who is a big wig with Bank of America, he made a call and got us a Saturday night 7pm reservation. He has one of their credit cards.

[MMARSH]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

Never been to PL but have had some mighty fine steaks in NYC. After reading the recent review: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/29/dining/peter-luger-review-pete-wells.html?smid=tw-nytfood&smtyp=cur
it seems to me that PL is a victim of their success. They rested on their laurels and forgot to maintain excellence. I have seen this before with restaurants. They start out excellent but eventually become "the place to go" so that you can brag I went to... last night. People are paying for bragging rights and not best of the best.

My Wife and I went to Peter Lugars on the advice of a co worker who is from New York (Brooklyn). We both thought it was just Ok. We've been back to NYC since then several times and have not been back......

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by wilnj

Was there last month for the second time in as many years. I go for the shrimp cocktail and the camaraderie of the guys I go with. The rest was meh.


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The shrimp cocktail is still great. I used to go often, but now I just go upstairs to the 1933 lounge and grab a shrimp cocktail and a drink. I'm going on Saturday before the Tool concert.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

My Wife and I went to Peter Lugars on the advice of a co worker who is from New York (Brooklyn). We both thought it was just Ok. We've been back to NYC since then several times and have not been back......

That seems to be the consensus, which would be NBD if it was $30-40 a head. But it ain’t.

Bringing it back local, ate @ Arroyo Chop House in Pasadena recently and it was the shizzle. Very expensive but super high end steaks.

[cairns]

Smith & Wollensky's blows Peter Lugar off the map.