Del Frisco's

Del Frisco's overall score: 91

Ever since I became obsessed with NYC steakhouses back in 2000, I have heard overwhelmingly great things about Del Frisco's "Double Eagle" Steakhouse. I finally nailed down a time to go with a group of old friends and coworkers when one was back in town from California. A nice 25 second stroll from my office took me to one of the best steakhouses in the city.

1) Flavor: 10

I ordered the ribeye that they had on special; a 22oz bone-in cut of heaven. It had a nice seasoned crust, the kind of marbled fat that just melts away and gets really soft, and it was perfectly cooked. It could have rested another 2 minutes, but that didn't effect juice or flavor qualities. My friend ordered the filet. I had a bite of that, and it was delicious and well seasoned too. Del Frisco's certainly lived up to the hype for me in terms of flavor.

2) Choice of Cuts & Quality available: 9

Everything on the menu is prime quality. They only have the four basic cuts (filet, ribeye, porterhouse and strip), but they offer several varieties of each, like the 38oz "longbone" American wagyu ribeye and some specials (see below). This makes up for the point taken for not having anything outside the basics.

3) Portion Size & Plating: 8

The filet comes in two flavors: vaginal (8oz) and quasi-manly (12oz). They also have 16oz strips and ribeyes (boneless) - a bit on the small side but not horrific. They also offer a signature "double eagle" strip at 26oz, as well as a 24oz porterhouse. The relatively smaller sizes make it easy for the eye to wander to the 38oz wagyu ribeye at 2x the price, or the specials at 1.5x the price.

4) Price: 7

In my opinion the price was a bit on the hefty side for the size of the cuts, but relatively on par with other NYC steakhouses of even footing. What they lack in size makes up for in taste, so you kinda even out on price value. The filets are $40 and $47, ribeye $46, and strip $48. The porterhouse comes in at $58, and the wagyu at $92. The specials ran in the mid $60 range. The signature crab cake comes in at a pricey, but worthy $21. My martini at the bar was $18.50. The total bill for two appetizers, three beers, a vodka tonic, two steaks, two sides and a dessert was about $300 (tax and tip included).

5) Bar: 9

The main bar is really beautiful. Del Frisco's has a wide open floor plan with a nice wrap-around bar internally positioned alongside the high windows in the corner of the restaurant. There is also a nice sized second bar on the second floor with a couple of flat panel TVs for sports. The martini could have used a little less vermouth, and was a bit pricey, but overall the bar experience was great. This is definitely an after work spot worth checking out after a hard day at the office, even if you don't eat the meat.

6) Specials and Other Meats: 10

Aside from the wagyu ribeye, the other carcasses were on the order of lamb chops, veal porterhouse, pork porterhouse and roasted chicken. That covers the whole basic range. Those are all standard menu items, so it is a good selection for people who don't feel like being a man. On special there was the 22oz bone-in ribeye, which I had ($65). There was also the conundrum 16oz bone-in filet ($68) and trio of filets (also somewhere in the low to mid $60s range). They also had some seasonal shellfish special appetizers too.

7) Apps, Sides & Desserts: 10

I had been told - no ORDERED - by a friend to get the crab cake, so I did. It was a succulent 4oz ball with mostly lump crab meat and a bit of breadcrumb for texture. It sat upon a nice spicy lobster-based, peppery sauce. The creamed spinach, called "spinach supreme," had bacon folded into it, perhaps cheese as well. Delicious. My friend recommended the skillet potato dish as well - which was like fresh homemade potato chips topped with sauteed caramelized  onions; not too greasy, not too salty. Really tasty. For dessert, we ordered a massive slice of lemon cake that was not on the menu (a secret item they don't generally offer - you have to know about it). For one friend, it was WAY more moist than Starbucks' lemon loaf, that is for damned sure. I'm generally not a cake person but it was yummy, even if rumors say it is made from four boxes of Duncan Hines cake mix.

8) Seafood Selection: 9

An impressive selection of caviar graced the appetizer menu in addition to the delicious shellfish selections. On the entree menu was sea bass, scallops, salmon, tuna and a special catch of the day, as well as lobster. They also offered some special seafood items on the appetizer angle that weren't on the menu.

9) Service: 9

Our waitress may have forgotten a water here and there but it was busy. She was very nice though, thorough, and wanted to personally thank us and email us deals and things. She certainly presented the specials in such a way that they were deemed much better than the regular menu items; perhaps looking for that up charge? Hey, if she did, then it worked on me... but it was worth it. I asked her about the differences between the standard 16oz and special 22oz ribeyes. She showed a well-versed meat lingo, but essentially said that one was bone-in and one was boneless. When our steaks arrived, the server asked us to cut into the center so he could make sure it was cooked properly. There was a warm sesame bread loaf and soft whipped butter as well.

10) Ambiance: 10

Del Frisco's is set up with a nice, classy open design. It is semi-corporate in feel, simply by virtue of the surrounding neighborhood, but it still feels like old, art-deco New York. Despite its vastness, it is still really warm and inviting. There are floor to ceiling windows 30ft high. Beautiful views. This place would be amazing around holidays. There was a bathroom attendant, but otherwise it was a normal style bathroom, nothing fancy. Just clean.