The “Sunday Roast” is a classic British tradition brought alive each weekend in New York City by Hawksmoor steakhouse.
Hawksmoor
Few cities in the world have as many great steakhouses as The Big Apple, including classic time honored names such as Keen’s, Old Homestead and Peter Luger, along with branches of every high-end national group, and many independents. But for fans of red meat, there is sometimes a “sameness” to the classic steakhouse experience that leads one top choice to feel like all the others, and after a while, you might crave something more than another New York strip or rib eye with creamed spinach and a wedge salad.
Fortunately, there are myriad variants on the standard model, and as I have been writing on food, quality meat and steakhouses around the world for three decades, I’ve tried many alternatives. For those seeking a change of place, these are four delicious twists on the classic New York City steakhouse dining experience.
Four Delicious Twists on the Classic New York City SteakhouseHawksmoor: A Taste of Old England
Hawksmoor is the premier high-end steakhouse group in the British Isles, and I first tried them in England. It launched in London, where there now a staggering seven locations, along with major cities such as Liverpool and Manchester as well as Scotland’s Edinburgh and Ireland’s Dublin. All are grand temples to meat, with beautiful interiors, extremely well trained staff and the big differentiator, British riffs on the classic American steakhouse menu.
In keeping with its English roots, there are a lot of ways to enjoy bone marrow at Hawksmoor.
Hawksmoor
Hawksmoor is a very well-oiled machine, year after year rated one of the 100 Best Companies in the UK to work for by the London Sunday Times, which also regularly rates it with the highest possible 3-Stars. The group has garnered many other high profile awards for sustainability, charitable efforts and especially cocktails, both for its overall program internationally as well as individual restaurants receiving multiple Tales of the Cocktail wins and James Beard honors. Leave time and room for a pre-steak drink.
Hawksmoor has two U.S. locations, Chicago and New York, and I recently tried the latter and loved it. Like its siblings across the pond, it has an excellent location and absolutely gorgeous space. Hawksmoor New York occupies the bottom of the historic and architecturally significant United Charities Building just off Gramercy Park, with a high vaulted ceiling, ornate plasterwork and beautifully detailed woodwork. In a prominent position on the back wall is the signature Hawksmoor oversized mirror emblazoned with the catchy motto “Beef and Liberty.”
The Fish & Chips special is only available at lunch—one of NYC’s best lunch deals!
Hawksmoor
But it’s the food that sets Hawksmoor apart. Many of the cuts are sold by the ounce, with available size ranges for each displayed daily on chalkboards around the room. There is far more flexibility in this regards than most steakhouses, so my wife and I were able to share a chateaubriand from 14-28 ounces, and we chose a very reasonable 19-ounces, plenty of meat but not so much that it overwhelmed all the delicious sides and apps as these kinds of shared cuts do at many steakhouses where the same preset large steak is often served for two, three or four people.
The day we ate at Hawksmoor we could have opted for a 30-44 ounce porterhouse, 30-40 ounce grass finished rib chop, as well as individual 28-day dry aged steaks, both grass finished or grain fed. The group has a big focus on how its meat is raised, sustainability and animal welfare, and these are among the highest quality steaks in that sense that you will find at any top steakhouse. In the British Isles all the meat comes from small natural local family farms, and it’s the same here, with curated and well sourced domestic beef, raised well.
It is also the only major steakhouse group cooking entirely over live fire, showcasing the simplicity of great meat, great grilling and Maldon sea salt, resulting in an always delicious crust regardless of cut. They also keep the menu very specialized by steakhouse standards with a focus on steak. For entrees there is one lobster and one fish option, no chicken, pork, lamb or extraneous alternatives.
Don’t skip dessert—especially if it is Sticky Toffee Pudding
Hawksmoor
The English fare is what puts a delicious twist on the classic New York steakhouse model and here it comes through in every section of the menu, from oysters to apps, sides to desserts, and of course, meat. Anglo specialties include bone marrow everything, from roasted bones with toast to a standout oyster option you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere, topped with bone marrow and then charcoal grilled, just amazing. The secret off menu specialty regulars know is “Skirlie,” a Scottish dish of bone marrow, onions, gravy and oatmeal, sort of a very rich meaty stuffing, something you should absolutely try on the side. Appetizers include potted beef and bacon and house smoked salmon with Guinness bread, there are delicious Yorkshire puddings (a highly elevated take on the popover), amazing beef fat chips (fries), and mashed potatoes with gravy. The British theme continues into dessert with, of course, sticky toffee pudding, though the to-die-for sweet is a decadent, ultra-rich peanut butter and chocolate homage to the signature dessert at Alain Ducasse’s 3-Michelin-starred Louis XV in Monte Carlo.
Beef cuts also skew English, with options rare at Big Apple competitors, including rump steaks and the traditional English Long Bone Rib Steak, the Hawksmoor signature showpiece. This is an homage to a cut served at Dolly’s in London in 1702, generally considered the world’s first steakhouse, and on the day I dined there they had it in a 48-50 ounce whopper.
They also offer some great values for a restaurant at this level, including bring your own wine Mondays and the very British traditional Sunday Roast every weekend. On Sunday afternoons you get dry-aged roast beef with all the trimmings for $49, or the option to take one of the shareable cuts like chateaubriand or porterhouse and turn it into the Sunday roast with trimmings.
The biggie, though, is one of the very best prix fixe lunch deals in an often unaffordable city, with 1-3 courses for just $25-$55, with entrees including a standout steak frites and an exceptional, delicious double patty dry-aged beef burger with beef fat fries on a wonderful brioche bun. Only available at lunch is another high-end take on classic English comfort food, fish and chips, complete with authentic mushy peas. If I worked in the neighborhood I would lunch here weekly—as many locals do. The food is just fantastic, but another highlight is the amazing staff. As the New York Times aptly summed it up, “Does New York need a British steakhouse? Yes, if it’s Hawksmoor.”
Txula Steak by Chef Jose Andres
Txula Steak is a Basque specialist, so the Basque specialties, like this sausage, are the standout dishes
Nitzan Keynan
Widely regarded as one of the very best chefs on the planet, Jose Andres occupies a rarefied space in the culinary world and has dazzled diners for years with a wide variety of restaurants, almost all Spanish inspired, featuring incredible paella, octopus, and melt in your mouth jamon iberico, all with a heavy dose of cutting edge molecular gastronomy and deep list of great Spanish wines. But at his new venue in Hudson Yards, he skips much of the fusion chemistry experiments and instead goes straight for the very best of Spain’s Basque Country—which just happens to be one of the best, if not the best, steakhouse regions on the planet.
Txuleta is the Basque word for Chuleton, which is turn is the Godfather of Spanish steaks, a 3 or so inch thick bone-in rib steak from extra old (like 8-15 years old!) Galician Spanish cattle that is traditionally cooked over an open flame and served for two to four. This is the red meat showpiece at Txula, a casually elegant sit down restaurant inside Andre’s Mercato Little Spain, a sort of “Spanish Eataly” combination of market and specialty Spanish eateries, many of them stalls with common seating areas. Txula is the fanciest restaurant here, and as you enter you pass a glass refrigerator case with hanging butchered pig, lamb and beef carcasses, a hint of what is to come.
Basque Cheesecake is a specialty of Northern Spain, and even better with some grated Manchego!
Nitzan Keynan
Shockingly, it’s not the Txuleta that steals the show, probably because there is very little imported Spanish beef available in this country and instead they source the same cut from a Texas black angus ranch, which is then aged 60-days, a decadent “ultra-aged” rarity in a world where 28-30 is the norm for luxury meat (the vast majority of restaurant steaks are not aged at all, and ageing is always better). There is also a 45-day NY Strip from Nebraska and a Kansas tenderloin cooked with Spanish sherry and foie gras, and all the steaks are topnotch, but they are not the Spanish breeds the Basque region is famous for and that help make San Sebastian one of the world’s greatest culinary cities.
Where Txula Steak knocks it out of the park and offers a delicious twist on the classic New York City steakhouse experience is with just about everything Basque on the menu, which is just about everything from the most classic pintxos (Basque word for tapas) to the imported specialty meats, and of course the jamon, carved theatrically from a rolling cart. Even the classic dessert, Basque cheesecake, is served here from a tableside cart and adorned with grated Manchego, an incredible touch I never saw in San Sebastian.
The most iconic of all pinxtos is the Gilda, named for the title character of a classic Rita Hayworth film and based on the notion that Hayworth was the most beautiful woman of the time and the Gilda is the most beautiful pinxto. It consists of a world class wild caught Spanish anchovy, olive, and special kind of regional pepper on a toothpick, all eaten in one perfectly paired bite. The Gildas at Txula are exquisite, but even better is when one comes topping a signature martini, especially given that Spain is also the gin loving capital of the world. This is the perfect start to a perfect steakhouse meal, and they also offer a Gilda and oyster pairing appetizer.
Other fantastic standouts you won’t see at most (or any) other New York steakhouses include classic pan con tomate, sobrasada, a spreadable chorizo pate with bread, and nearly a dozen classic pintxos including drop dead creamy bechamel croquettes topped with serrano ham. There’s Basque salad with belly tuna, grilled baby squid with paella rice, octopus of course, and the most classic Spanish steakhouse side dish, the best roasted red peppers imaginable.
How many other restaurants import the finest Spanish lamb and cook it over live fire? Not many.
Nitzan Keynan
But let’s get back to the meat. Unless you go to Jose Andres’ other legendary steakhouse, Bazaar Meats in Las Vegas (I wrote about it here at Forbes but it recently relocated to a fantastic and much better new location in the Venetian), which some reputable critics have called the best in the nation, Txula is probably the only restaurant you will ever eat at in this country that serves both imported Basque lamb and pigs, butchered whole and cooked over open fire. The reason why Spanish cured jamon is the world’s best is the quality of the Iberian breed pigs and their acorn diet, and this also makes for what most chefs consider the world’s finest pork. Here you can try it as grilled pork collar, top shoulder, or the iconic signature dish of the world’s oldest restaurant (Botin in Madrid), whole wood fired suckling pig (cochinillo). There is also even rarer suckling lamb, slow smoked lamb ribs and fire grilled chops, all from Zamora, Spain.
Txula Steak is a delicious dream for lovers of all things Spanish, Basque and meat, with a crazy good cocktail program (think gin!) and deep Spanish wine list too. As an example, I recently ate at another high-end Spanish steakhouse in New York that didn’t have any Txakoli, a signature lightly sparkling white wine the region around San Sebastian is famous for, while Txula had multiple labels.
The Golden Steer: Viva Las Vegas!
Vegas Baby! Why choose between a big steak and huge lobster tail? At the new Golden Steer NYC you won’t have to.
copyright_alex_staniloff
In the 30-plus years I have been deeply covering all aspects of Las Vegas travel, I have seen a lot of dramatic changes in Sin City, but none more than the food scene. I would argue that if money is no issue and you want fine dining, there is no better city in this country, including New York. Vegas just has everything at the highest level, from omakase to fine Chinese to classic French to ultra-authentic Italian, with the best seafood on earth flown in daily, and of course, a crazy slate of great steakhouses.
But ever since Wolfgang Puck presciently brought Spago from LA, immediately followed by the Bellagio and its cloned New York classics Le Cirque and Circo, the Vegas food scene has predominantly been all about replicating the world’s best restaurants here, with an especially heavy dose of New York (Peter Luger, Old Homestead, Aureole, Mesa Grill, Jean-Georges, even pizzerias and Jewish delis).
With a cocktail bar like this you won’t mind being early for dinner at the new Golden Steer
Alex Staniloff
Now, for the first time, the tables have turned, and Las Vegas just exported its most iconic homegrown restaurant and one of the oldest still in existence, the Golden Steer steakhouse, to the Big Apple. It’s a Sin City spin on the classic model, and likely the only steakhouse in New York with an Old West cowboy statue/slot machine as décor.
I have always been enamored of the family-owned original Steer, one of the only longstanding restaurants in the city not inside a casino, and I wrote about it here at Forbes. The Golden Steer sits a block off Las Vegas Boulevard, “The Strip,” and since 1958 it has been THE place for A-List stars to eat beef. Everyone who is anyone in the past six decades of Vegas history—including the “Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, “The Yankee Clipper” Joe DiMaggio, and “The King,” Elvis Presley. Many of them came so often they had their own booths, and DiMaggio famously was the only loyal patron who had two, the one where he frequently ate and drank champagne with his wife, Marilyn Monroe, and the one he switched to for distance after their divorce. Even famed mob lawyer turned Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman had his own booth, which would not be so odd except for the glaring fact that Goodman owns his own high-end steakhouse here.
What is so special about the Golden Steer? Exquisite Prime Rib, stunning cold seafood towers, Prime beef covered mac & cheese, a crazy stuffed potato, and a whole lot more…
copyright_alex_staniloff
But of all the big names who sat in one of the dark wood and red leather banquettes, the most notable was the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra, because he didn’t just eat here, he practically lived here and it was far and away his most regular dining spot. I’ve sat in his booth (number 22) and had his special meal (more to come on that) and the Steer was also the go-to regular for his Rat Pack partners Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.
The New York Golden Steer just opened last week (Friday January 23) in the beautiful old One Fifth space at Fifth Avenue and 8th Street, previously home to legendary chef Marc Forgione’s luxe Italian and before that, a Mario Batali eatery. It’s a great space, but after a long renovation, the Steer has remade it in its own image, including a long thin dining room you walk through in homage to the Vegas Strip. It feels mostly like a classic old school high-end steakhouse, but with Old West touches and Vegas flair, like old silver spurs and cowboy art, the Doc Holliday slot machine, lots of framed photos of Vegas characters and history, and even the same carpet pattern as the original. But all of this is subtle, not in your face, and overall, the feel is intimate and upscale with red leather booths (like Vegas).
In terms of food, what the Steer brings to New York is a show, starting with its signature tableside made-to-order Caesar salads and capped with a theatrical, flaming tableside presentation of Bananas Foster. You can start with one of the decadent multi-tiered seafood towers groaning with crab claws and oversized cocktail shrimp. Vegas is big on excess, and few starters in a steakhouse scream excess like a 16-inch split roasted marrow bone, easily twice the size most peers shoot for. If you suffer from marrow envy, the Steer is for you. Similarly, in terms of starters, they one-up the staid steakhouse shrimp cocktail with their lobster version on the classic.
Save room for the tableside Bananas Foster…
copyright_alex_staniloff
They also serve an excellent prime rib (two sizes), a classic dish sadly missing from many steakhouses today, and keep up the excess theme with lots of rich steak add-on adornments like lobster tail, crab legs and the like. The family owners have Italian roots and this shows up in some other uncommon touches, like one of my all-time favorite appetizers, Sicilian specialty arancini, not a steakhouse standard by any means. Another great “forgotten classic” like prime rib is the veal saltimbocca, which was my grandfather’s favorite dish but is hard to find these days. There are a lot of sides, including the signature grossly oversized double stuffed potato, aka “Vegas’ Largest Baked Potato,” but the standout is the “Prime Macaroni & Cheese,” rich mac and cheese topped with Prime beef.
Channel your inner Rat Pack at the place Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. called their home away from home, The Golden Steer.
Bettmann Archive
But if you really want a departure from the classic New York steakhouse experience, the thing to order at the Golden Steer is not on the menu, though they have served it thousands of times. Ask for Sinatra’s meal and hope they have everything they need to make it on hand (since it has only been open a week it might take a while for things to settle down to accommodate special orders). Old Blue Eye’s signature meal, enjoyed at the original Steer again and again, was a very Vegas starter, clams casino (baked clams with white wine, bacon, diced peppers and breadcrumbs), and for the main course, steak pizzaiola, a New York strip topped with sautéed diced tomatoes, garlic and white wine. He finished with the showy, flaming Bananas Foster, all washed down with his famous beverage of choice, three fingers of Jack Daniels over two ice cubes.
Interestingly, in addition to bringing a bit of Vegas flair to New York, they also created some new dishes just for the Big Apple, the most surprising of which is a fancified haute modern spin on the classic wedge salad. This one is not a wedge, but a cake-like perfectly round stacked affair on a circular bed of lettuce, and it was exceptional. All in all, the New York Golden Steer is a uniquely balanced, classy and restrained take on the “larger than life” Vegas approach.
Cote Korean Steakhouse, New York’s Only Michelin-Starred Steakhouse
Cote is not quite venerable, but it is also not new, the oldest on this list, having opened in 2017. It then immediately won the 2018 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Then came the only Michelin-star for a Korean steakhouse and the rarest kind of Michelin star period, as the famous food guide frowns upon the entire steakhouse genre. There are hardly any across the globe, and only two in this entire country (the other being Capa in the Four Seasons Orlando, FL). Cote was also named the Best Steakhouse in North America by World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants, which doesn’t quite carry the same gravitas as the Michelin Guide or James Baerd, but hey, it’s still impressive.
What Cote basically did was re-invent the wheel—there were already lots of Korean barbecue and steak places in New York and Los Angeles, but Cote took the approach of elevating the concept with the finest ingredients, plus a massive wine list, just as the best “American-style” steakhouses set themselves apart from the myriad lesser steak places with higher quality meats that are dry aged, grass fed, Prime or better, alongside imports and specialty and artisan breeds. Cote serves exclusively USDA Prime (roughly the top 5% of all graded beef), domestic and Japanese Wagyu, and was the first to take this approach to the Korean barbecue model—where there is a live grill in the middle of your table and you cook the food (or have it cooked for you) in front of your place setting. It is also the only Korean restaurant with its own beef dry ageing room—and one of the very few New York steakhouses to do this painstaking process, period.
The food and experience at Cote is just fantastic—and a delicious twist on the classic NYC steakhouse.
Cote
I ate at Cote closer to when it opened and was blown away. More recently, I just sampled the food again and it was a stark reminder how delicious their signatures are. The main event is the aptly named “Butcher’s Feast,” four different cuts of Prime and domestic wagyu beef with a slew of sides such as salad, pickled vegetables, savory egg souffle, kimchi, rice, and more, and you cook the bite sized pieces of meat as you want them, an impressive and delicious spread. One of the extra benefits of the cook your own model is that unlike a big steak, it doesn’t get cold, and you eat each bite at the peak of temperature perfection. At just $78 per person, it is also a great deal for any New York steakhouse, let alone the sole Michelin-starred one, and less than you would often pay for just a steak with nothing else.
Stepping it up a notch, Cote also offers a “Steak Omakase” grand tasting of its best cuts, including Japanese specialties, for $225 with an optional wine pairing available (their award winning list is well over 1000 labels). You can also order a la carte with no less than 17 different options, all of them beef, including traditional steaks, sliced meats, numerous imported Japanese wagyu cuts, and the best galbi you will ever taste. More than just about any other steakhouse you will visit, Cote is beef-centric, with just two alternatives, fish of the day and scallops. The are also some great sides, such as the ultra-creative “Kimchi wagyu paella,” a dish you are unlikely to ever see anyplace else.
The Big Apple location has been such a huge hit that Cote has opened outposts in Miami, Singapore, and most recently, like Jose Andres’s Bazaar Meat described above, they just opened a Las Vegas branch inside the Venetian, which has spent the past few years assembling the single best array of eateries in a city full of food-crazed resorts, no small accomplishment. Once you have tried these four delicious twists on the classic New York City steakhouse experience, you can head to Vegas and the Venetian and try four of the city’s best steakhouses under one roof: Bazaar Meat, Cote, CUT by Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico. Go hungry.