Ben Benson's

Ben Benson's overall score: 83

Ben Benson's opened in 1982 and has been known in the steak industry ever since. Nestled in the heart of midtown's active workplace environs, and close enough to the theater district, it has become just as wildly popular as any other steakhouse in this highly competitive area of beefery.

1) Flavor: 7

I had the ribeye. Surprised about that? Nope. All you assholes should know my ordering habits by now if you are keeping up with this blog. The steak was perfectly and evenly cooked to medium, and it had a great crust on the outside, but the meat was under seasoned. This was the first time I ever had to use the salt and pepper shakers at a steakhouse. Damn! But once seasoned, it was good. I noticed a general lack of salt in a few other dishes actually (sides in particular), though the lobster was just right. I guess not enough salt is better than too much salt though. In any event, despite an overall satisfying meal, I took some points off for that basic cooking 101 blunder.

 

2) Choice of Cuts & Quality available: 10

Ben Benson's has a wide variety of cuts available. They have strip, filet and porterhouse - all three cuts available for both one or two - as well as a roasted prime rib (for pussies) AND a ribeye (for real men). They have several preparations of filet, "steak a la stone," a skirt steak, a chopped steak, and lots of alternameats (see below). They even had a cajun ribeye and a bison ribeye. All the beef is aged prime, so you are good to go. To top it off, they also offer smaller portions of most cuts listed here. NOTE: if you go with bison, know that there is less marbling in the meat, as it is leaner. That means less flavor. The bison is also not aged or prime like the beef is. It is also a smaller cut. So there you have it.

 

3) Portion Size & Plating: 8

Sizes here are good for the beef. They don't list the ounces on the menu, but I was told the ribeye is about 22oz (bone-in), and the buffalo ribeye (which I was considering) was about 14 or 15oz. The sides are a bit small for the price of $11.50.

 

4) Price: 8

The price is average to a bit on the high end here. However they do offer a steak dinner for two, 7-days a week, for only $95. You choose between a filet with shrimp, or chateaubriand. It comes with soup, salad, and two sides. That is a fantastic deal. Our total bill for 2 apps, 2 entrees, 2 sides, a dessert, a lemonade, coffee, tea, and a martini came to $276 (tax and tip included). The 3lb lobster rang in at a whopping $73.50. KABOOM! As noted above, sides were $11.50. Martini was $15. Steak was $52.50.

5) Bar: 7

The bar is a little disjointed. When you walk in it is on the right, and it wraps around making a squared off U-shape, but the bottom part of the U is essentially a narrow hallway type thing to the other side. There is also an unsightly entrance into the corporate office building lobby on that side, but no big deal. The $15 martini was made well, though could have been made colder. They also serve some cool homemade french fries/potato chips at the bar, which were interesting. The bar also attracts some after work people from midtown, so it IS lively for socializing, mingling, finger-banging, and all that other bullshit.

6) Specials and Other Meats: 10

The $95 steak for two special is available every day. In addition they had a bone-in strip steak, salmon, mahi mahi, soft shell crab, shrimp bisque, and broccoli rabe on special. For other meats, they had veal, pork and chicken - each served a few different ways - as well as "winter wild game," which I assume were the bison ribeyes. A really great and diverse mix. This place really has a big selection.

7) Apps, Sides & Desserts: 7

We had the house cured gravlax and the soft shell crab for starters.  Both were good, though I think the lox could have been cut a little thinner and chilled a bit more, perhaps topped with some capers (though it did come with garlic toast). The crab was a little bit heavy (meaning buttery like a belly bomb), but the portion size was good (one 5 inch crab I would guess, point to point across the top of its shell - that'd be blue claw, assholes). As such it wasn't overwhelming to the gut. On the side we had creamed spinach and broccoli rabe. The broccoli rabe was a simple saute in garlic and oil. It was light and not too potent or bitter. The greens were barely wilted, so it had a crunch. The creamed spinach was similar; also very light - lightest creamed spinach ever actually - and non salty. For dessert we had key lime pie. I'd say all of it was average. Nothing really shined or stood out as exceptional, but also nothing was disappointing. I've been to a lot of places, and not every meal is going to blow your mind. It is terrible when you pay that much and they completely ruin shit. But here, nothing gets ruined. On the other hand nothing is mind-blowingly jerkworthy either. The sides did seem a bit small for the price, however (not like we could finish it anyway).

8) Seafood Selection: 9

Ben Benson's is the first place where I have seen crab on the menu as an entree. This made me very excited. Crab, I feel, is one of the only things you are allowed to order if you aren't getting a steak at a steakhouse. And when I say crab as an entree, I don't mean crab cakes, or lump crab meat (which they have as well) - I am talking REAL crab. Stone crab. I was down when we were told it was currently not in season/unavailable. They did have soft shell crab though (both as an app, and as an entree). I may have to come back just to try the stone crab someday. They also had several preparations of shrimp, some scallops, filet of sole, fish of the day (plural - they were salmon and mahi mahi), 3-7lb Maine lobsters, and a variety of typical shellfish (calamari, Blue Point oysters, smoked salmon, salmon tartare) on the app menu. The only thing missing was a "seafood plateau" or sampler, which is what my wife likes to get. Point off for that. BUT - the lobster was incredible, and it was a nice touch for them to crack it table side.

9) Service: 10

The host upgraded us from a small table in a central area to a booth up on one of the elevated dining areas once he realized we were there for our "anniversary" reservation. The waiters are all male, and they all had ties on with some kind of beige jacket on their shoulders. It almost looked like outerwear. Our waiter was great. He cracked my wife's lobster at the table and pulled out the meat for her (that sounds awesomely perverse). Later, he and another waiter sang a happy anniversary song for us, and more importantly, they knew their steak. Our waiter spoke with me about the difference in quality and marbling between the buffalo ribeye (on special) and the beef ribeye. He was attentive and friendly. In terms of bread, which I always mention in some way, it was not warm and the butter was not cold. It was somewhere in the average area. A crispy ciabatta type bread was in there, a raisin walnut, and bread sticks. Their steak sauce tasted like dark red cocktail sauce - I generally don't dig steak sauces so I just tried it with the bread.

10) Ambiance: 7

This place is somewhere in between a new steakhouse and an old steakhouse. The decor says it is trying to be the older type, the classic chop house, but the location and environs says the opposite. Contrast this with a place like Del Frisco, which embraces its corporateness and blows it out the water in terms of ambiance. It works there. I guess it didn't help that the entire front of the building was covered up by the scaffolding on 52nd street, which, by the way, never seems to go away. The bathroom was basic - nothing fancy. Thick paper towels though. You know I like that shit.

Anniversary Post

Dear Loyal Meat Eaters & Readers:

 

It has been one year since I started this blog. Many cuts of beef have come and gone. Many delicious bites have passed my lips and, ultimately, exited my ass and entered into the NY sewer system. On to greener pastures. There have been new additions to my personal favorites list (Del Frisco's, George Martin's and Strip House). Many strong and steady NYC standards have held their ground as well (Delmonico's and Keens). There were also some disappointments (Cattleman's and J&R), but I must say that, after having been to 32 steakhouses in 52 weeks, there were very few all out FLOPS. In general, NYC is a great place for steak, and Long Island ain't so bad either.

 

This post is meant to serve as a general thank you to all the waiters, waitresses, bussers, hosts, and chefs that have served me through phase one of this lifelong journey. It is a difficult lifestyle, but it is a glorious and noble one. I have a new-found appreciation for the food service industry, a deeper understanding of the restaurant business, and a much better skill set when it comes to cooking, especially cooking steak. I was good before, but now I am pretty awesome. So thank you for that!

 

In addition to more steakhouse reviews, phase two of this meatventure will likely involve some trips to Brazilian churrascaria joints (which have an unfair advantage when it comes to variety of cuts), some out-of-area reviews possibly contributed by various minions and other trusted meat eaters, and even some cooking tips. The economy is rough, and it has hit the meat industry hard, causing steak prices to rise about 15% over the course of the year. This will deter people from going out for expensive dinners, and make a bad experience feel much worse; if you pay $55 for a steak and it comes back messed up, that is pretty horrible. As such, some people will stay home and try to cook their own ribeyes and porterhouses. I will help make those meals the best they can be with some instructional posts and tutorials.

 

Stay tuned. Keep reading. Keep eating. And keep shitting it out and getting hungry again.

 

Yours in Beef,

Johnny Prime, CC

Capital Grille (Wall St.)

Capital Grille (Wall St.) overall score: 84

My wife and I spent the weekend in the city to watch a play and have a nice meal. We decided to try Capital Grille's Wall Street location despite my bad experience in midtown, mainly because she had a 30% off coupon. I figured: different location, different chef, different ambiance... means most likely a different experience. I was right. See below:

1) Flavor: 7

I had the porterhouse, simply because I wanted to mix it up. I had the ribeye at the other location, and was hoping for a better experience here for our anniversary. They likely use the same supplier for their beef, and have the exact same menu, so by that logic I figured I might as well try something different. It was good, but not great. There were one or two bites that were just odd and bad tasting. Perhaps due to grizzle proximity. I ordered medium rare but it came medium. I didn't mind that so much since there was still some pink, but others might get pissed off at something big like that. The steak should have rested a bit more, as there was a puddle of juices under it when it was served. It wasn't sizzling, but it was on a hot plate.

 

2) Choice of Cuts & Quality available: 8

They have the essentials: strip, porterhouse, filet and ribeye. They also have a few variations on how they prepare them: au poivre, oscar, porcini rubbed, kona crusted, sliced with mushrooms, etc. Also, each is dry aged, so that is a bonus. Could have benefited from some flank or strip selections.

 

3) Portion Size & Plating: 8

My porterhouse was 24oz, and the ribeye is 22oz. These are good sizes for steaks. For some appetizer items, however, there were some issues. The smoked salmon had 4 small to medium sized slices for $17 - seems lame. Also the crab meat app for $21 only had 4oz, which seemed too small. On the other hand, the sides and desserts were nicely sized portions.

 

4) Price: 9

The prices here are really fair for NYC fare. The ribeye and porterhouse are $48 as opposed to $55 in some places, and it is exactly the same size. I guess being a chain steakhouse does have some benefit for the customer - similar to the point I made in my second trip to Ruth's Chris. Also we had a discount for 30% off, because my wife is a-freaking-mazing when it comes to finding deals on stuff (our 3rd row theater tix were only $30 each too). I have also taken into consideration that the food was better here, thus making the price more worth it as opposed to the midtown location. We saved $50 from the online deal at Savored, and we also got our coffee, tea, and dessert booze (Stoli Boli) for free. So our bill was only $127 after tax (2 drinks, 2 apps, 2 entrees, a side, and a dessert).

 

5) Bar: 8

The bar is a nice circular deal here, with high ceilings since he second floor overlooks it. It sits close to the open-windowed kitchen, so you can watch all the cooking (similar to Maloney & Porcelli). For $11 the martini is great - one of the cheaper martinis in all of NYC steakhouses, and it is made well.

 

6) Specials and Other Meats: 8

On special there was a scallops and broccoli rabe dish, and a king crab appetizer. I was expecting leg meat, but it was lump style, from the body. It was good but not worth $21. For other meats there is chicken, lamb, and other preparations of steaks not in the traditional steakhouse manner (see above).  For example porcini rubbed delmonico, kona crusted dry aged sirloin, etc. Good for other meats, or at least other preparations of the same meats. I would have liked to see a special cut of steak though, or some variations like flank or skirt.

7) Apps, Sides & Desserts: 8

We had the smoked salmon (delicious but small), and the special crab meat (expected leg meat but it was still good - just small) for apps. My wife had the shellfish plateau for her entree, which was a full half-pound lobster,  shrimp, and 6 oysters. A bit pricey at $50, but it all tasted great. On the side we had grilled asparagus. I make better at home, but this was interesting in that it was served with a lemon oil. For dessert we had the coconut cream pie. It was awesome.  I wish I still had room to finish it. It was served with a nice big coconut almond sugar cookie too, but the best part was he crust under the pie - soft yet crisp at the same time. Not too sweet - just right.

8) Seafood Selection: 9

This is essentially the same as the other restaurant. We tried the seafood tower, smoked salmon, and crab meat apps (see above and midtown review). 

9) Service: 10

Our waiter was great. He said Happy Anniversary to us several times. Despite getting a whopping 30% discount from Savored, they still gave us top notch attention. For dessert, they gave us complimentary Stoli Doli drinks (pineapple infused vodka that they soak fresh on site), and our coffee and tea were on the house as well. SWEET! The table breads were a good mix of onion loaf, seasoned rolls, pumpernickel raisin, and flat breads. The butter was soft and light, and seasoned fresh with salt and herbs/greenery.

10) Ambiance: 9

The ambiance at the Wall Street location is very similar to the midtown west location. The waiters and waitresses wear the classic bow ties. There is nice dark wood paneling on the walls, taxidermy and paintings on the walls, and a red patterned rug. The second floor has great views and a spacious set up. The music is a good selection of jazz. The bathroom had cool "Capital Grille" printed towelettes, and down on the lower level near the bathrooms is a great private dining room inside the old massive vault doors.

Uncle Jack's (midtown)

Uncle Jack's overall score: 83

Uncle Jack's has three locations in New york. My buddy and I decided to give the midtown location a try. Overall the food was better than good. I'd definitely give another location a shot, especially since I was pretty hammered toward the end of the meal.

1) Flavor: 8

I had the ribeye, and my friend had the bone-in strip. Both were pretty good, though I liked mine better. There was a slight marinade flavor to the meat that I wasn't sure I liked too much, but the fat was good and melty, and there was nothing left on the bone when I was through with it. Can't complain too much.

 

2) Choice of Cuts & Quality available: 9

Uncle Jack's has filet mignon in 2 sizes, a big ass ribeye, 2 sizes of strip, porterhouse for 2 or more, and a kobe selection as well. Everything is USDA Prime, and dry-aged for 3-4 weeks. Top notch stuff.

 

3) Portion Size & Plating: 9

For the steak, the filet comes in puss-bag size (10oz) or awesome size (16oz). I must say, ordering a filet here is manly. That's a full pound of no-waste beef. The ribeye is 30oz (bone-in), the strips are 16oz bone-in or 16oz boneless, and the porterhouses start at 48oz (24oz pp). Everything is pretty much on the large side here, which is good.

4) Price: 8

The price is a bit high, with the ribeye at $55, but this seems to becoming all too normal in the NYC steak world. Inflation is hitting the industry hard. Our total bill for a dozen oysters, the two steaks, two sides, and several martinis was $240. One great thing I noticed was that on Sundays they offer a $99 price fix lunch for two that comes with a shared caesar salad; crab cakes; choice of 10oz filet, 16oz strip, or a 2lb lobster; 2 sides; and dessert + coffee or tea. Freaking sweet!

5) Bar: 8

The bar is a little small; not the kind of place that will generate a crowd. But the bartenders are really nice, and they mix a good cold, crisp martini ($14). They offer a nice bar menu with things like kobe meatball pops and kobe sliders. A bit expensive, but it is nice to see the quality. They also have a pretty good single malt scotch selection.

6) Specials and Other Meats: 7

On special there were some appetizer items, and a veal steak. As mentioned earlier, they had kobe offerings, which is fantastic. This place doesn't fuck around. On the entree menu there is NOTHING BUT BEEF (and lobster under surf & turf). Good for them, but not good for everyone. I like the boldness but I can't give full points when the only thing regularly offered is beef.

7) Apps, Sides & Desserts: 9

We had a dozen Bluepoint oysters, and they were creamy, crisp, cold and refreshing. The creamed spinach was fantastic too - just right with the creamy and savory balance. We also had the sauteed mushrooms, which went really well with the spinach when you mixed them together. We skipped dessert.

8) Seafood Selection: 7

Uncle Jack's has no real seafood entrees, aside from a surf and turf item. I am fine with that, but it's a good thing I have balls between my legs, otherwise I might have wanted something more gay, like fish. For apps, they have the usual smattering of shellfish and seafood cocktails, but I can't give a high review. See #6 above. Without anything to offer, I can't give full points, even though I dig their boldness for holding strictly to beef.

9) Service: 9

Our waiter was good - he knew his meat well. He talked about the need to cook ribeyes a little longer than strips, so that the fat has a chance to melt away a bit more. On the table we had a nice selection of warm breads and rolls. The butter was a bit hard though.

10) Ambiance: 9

Uncle Jack's has a nice "exposed brick" look on the outer walls; elegant but classy and old fashioned looking. There's a beautiful half-spiral stairway that winds up to a second floor when you first walk in, and it looks over the bar from the balcony railings. The downstairs has a patterned tin ceiling, and the upstairs has ornate molding and recessed trims with dark cherry and marble accents. They rock the traditional all-male wait staff with bow ties and vests, black and white. The crowd was slightly touristy based on the cougar count, and based on the fact that the older couple next to us was up from WV for a 3-play weekend. Bathrooms were nice and clean, and smelled like apples and cinnamon due to a huge glass bucket of potpourri.