Peter Luger in Brooklyn (food, MomVisit09)

A good steakhouse is a must-visit on any NYC food trip. While I really like Keens and it's more conveniently located in midtown, we went to Brooklyn for the most famous and best, Peter Luger. Having made a call two weeks in advance, the best I could get was a 9:45pm reservation. We got there at around 9:30 and the bar area was loud and packed as people waited for the tables to turn over. While Luger is famous for its brusque service, I found that the reputation is overrated and the servers are not as gruff as has been described in the past. The place is bright and simple with no tablecloths. There were many tables of just 6-8 men having some good steak, beer, and a laugh. This is not a date place.

This is, however, a place for really good meat. Pictured above is a slab of bacon, nicely charred on the outside, not too fatty, not salty. We also ordered a caesar salad to get some greens in, and it was serviceable, but nothing spectacular.

The crown jewel, the porterhouse for two. Arriving and still staying hot from their intense broiler. Some pieces came a little closer to rare than the requested medium rare, but a quick swipe across the hot plate made it all good. The filet part was truly tender while the sirloin had terrific flavor for a simply done piece of meat. The steak is really robust and cut thicker than I was used to. Sometimes I cut a normal-sized bite and got overwhelmed when I put it in my mouth, so I recommend cutting the steak into smaller bites than you would normally.

In addition to the gorgeous steak, we ordered the german fried potatoes and the creamed spinach. The potatoes were like home fries but crispier, while the spinach is the best version I've had, with full spinach flavor rather than tasting and looking like dip. I don't remember the total bill since it's cash only, but it was really reasonable at around 150 or so. Well, actually, you have to factor in the trek to Brooklyn, but it's well worth it and still one of the best places for belly-filling high quality meat and tasty sides.