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Listen, Luger is the ORIGINAL. They buy their own primal cuts and stamp them with their own stamp, butcher and age in-house.

There are other fine steak houses in the Luger style-- Mark Joseph down at Peck Slip and Water street, which has the advantage of serving Bassett's ice cream from Philadelphia (it's worth going just for the Bassett's.) Wolfgang's, which I have always found a bit noisy, not just due to the crowd, but to the acoustics of the Gustavino vault that you sit in.

Sparks is different, it's a steak fromage, totally different presentation than Luger's, not really comparable.

Anyway Cliff to answer your question it's butter, that is about 500 degrees when it hits your table. The waiter will flip over a small bread plate and use that to angle the serving plate up on one end, so all the juice runs to one end, where it's then scooped up and drizzled on the steak.

Fifteen years ago I went to Luger's with some summer interns. The waiter sidles up and says, "what are you having?" Without prompting, one of the interns says, "Steak." At which point the waiter says, "Of COURSE you're having Steak, this is Peter Lugers!" Waiter looks at me, I say, without hesitation, "Steak for four medium rare eight pieces bacon tomato and onion." He nods, approvingly. Should have ordered a salmon for that kid.