Seeking the Sizzle: Comparing Two New York City Steakhouses
Where can a hungry diner find the perfect steak in New York City? Unlike the perfect piece of pizza or a bagel, it might seem as if ordering a piece of steak was rather simple and uncomplicated, as dishes go, and so it should matter little where a person travels to have dinner. Yet a visitor in search of the perfect seared piece of meat would not have the same experience at the newly opened Harry's Steakhouse in the financial district of Manhattan, versus the older, tried and true Peter Luger's in Brooklyn, even though the patron might order the same type of beef off of the menu. Harry's caters to a more traditional New York City clientele, while Peter Luger's instead acts as if the last fifty years of fine dining never happened, catering to a little-recognized but still extant group of people who do not care very much about cholesterol, might not even know what a vegan is or nouvelle cuisine, but simply want to eat a juicy, fatty piece of rare red beef. First of all, Harry's Steakhouse does not merely list a simple variety of steaks on its menu. The restaurant, because of its location in one of the wealthier areas of the city, caters to people who are seeking novelty as well as a nice meal. For example, although it models
itself upon a traditional steakhouse, with traditional entries, it also offers a many other types of meat-based entrees, like pork chops. ' The real thing, the true and traditional steakhouse, is Peter Luger's. Peter Luger's offers few options for diners seeking lighter fare and a variety of flavorings, but for people wanting to relax in an unpretentious environment and throw any cares about eating in the nutritionally correct fashion, dining there is like taking a trip back in time, before celebrity chefs and cholesterol dominated the culinary headlines. There are no fancy lettuces or baby vegetables, only plain iceberg and orange tomatoes fresh from the refrigerator, not an organic hot house garden. There is no leanness, no deference to modern appetites. Yes, the chops have applesauce as in an accompaniment, served in a traditional Mason jar for a retro touch. There is also an extensive array of fish dishes at Harry's for diners watching their waistlines if not their wallets, besides the usual surf and turf, like salmon with blood orange glaze and swordfish with cashew sauce, butter and chicken stock. For example, the traditional steakhouse appetizer of a shrimp cocktail was served so that every diner had not simply cocktail sauce, but three condiments: a cocktail sauce, a mignonette sauce and mayonnaise seasoned with Old Bay. Rather than well dressed traders who have just made a killing on Wall Street, the patrons at Peter Luger's tend to be older, less fashionably dressed, and there are more tourists, as the steakhouse is quite famous outside of the city because Peter Luger's has become a name brand for good quality steaks at relatively high prices, ranging anywhere from $60 to $80 for a meal. For a group of people with diverse appetites seeking a comfortable steakhouse atmosphere, Harry's might be more appropriate. The dishes are creatively prepared, with whimsy, even irony. The meal is pricey, although not out of keeping with the rest of Manhattan, with entrees ranging from $12. According to the New York Times food critic Frank Bruni, who recently visited Harry's to see if it passed muster, many of the traditional steakhouse classics were full of "clever tweaks" so that the bond traders felt they were getting their money's worth (Bruni, 2006). The lightest appetizers at Peter Luger's are its onion-and-tomato salads, with blue cheese or oil and vinegar dressing.
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Acceptance Essays
