Carnivoraciousness

I hadn’t been to the Peter Luger Steak House in years. Luger’s is often rated as the number one restaurant (for steak) in the NYC area, with occasional lapses into second or third over the last century or so. Established in 1887, it’s a carnivore’s dream, with huge, juicy steaks of various cuts, precisely aged, cooked to medium-rare perfection (they don’t even ask your preference and tolerate no deviation). Luger’s is one of those places so well established that customers have gotten used to the confident and slightly insouciant waiters who plunk down your food with little ceremony but, hey, Luger’s is a sellers market and, anyway, they seem to always get the orders right so we have no reason to complain. And why would they not get it right? The menu is comparatively tiny with steak and a few side dishes; one fish offering (a catch-of-the-day), a shrimp cocktail and two or three salads. What’s to remember?

This is a photo of my dinner, or would be if you replace the tomato and onion dish with my key lime pie dessert. Although offered, no doggie bag was utilized by me or my companion who had exactly the same selection as I did (we shared the pie—I ate most of it). The steak is perfect, the potato dish is crispy and tasty, the creamed spinach is creamy and spinachy and the gravy boat of steak sauce spicy and special. To further threaten your arteries you can order a topping of bacon on your steak if you dare (we didn’t). A basket of delicious rolls of various ilk and a fine glass of cabernet sauvignon were the perfect additions to the overall table-top ambiance. I even admired the china pattern.

You would never know we are suffering through a recession because the place was packed with customers on a very cold Tuesday night at 8:30 (as they were kicking out the 6:30 flight of patrons) and the prices are nothing to be sneezed at. Upon consultation with diners nearby the conclusion was that, although we didn’t see any empty seats, things have changed in that reservations are fairly easy to come by nowadays since, at one time, you needed to call at least two weeks in advance to get a table, especially on weekends. We called on Monday and our nearest dining companions actually called the same day which is seemingly unheard of for the aficionados of this particular restaurant. No, they do not take on-line reservations, just in case you were wondering.

Although pricey, you have to admit the steak is fabulous and we carnivores need that once in a while. Red-blooded men need red-blooded meat at least once a month, even though the reality is that we often have to make do with the various chopped versions at home or between lame sesame seed buns.

Oh, yeah, as a farewell gift they give these chocolate coins covered in gold foil to each customer. I got four of them because the first two got drowned in a whipped-cream miscalculation by our waiter (which wiped off easily, by me, since the waiter didn’t want to bother). They look cool in their shiny foil and the chocolate is delicious just before bed. One has to keep up the bloat for the midnight hours, don’t you know.