Went to a local steak house the other day….Steve’s Steakhouse in Carlstadt. Very close to home for me and one of my favorite places. I am a regular here and no longer need a menu. I always get the 16 oz. NY Strip with a side of sauce (similar to a Magy sauce) and the steak fries are put on a side dish. They are usually served on the steak dish with mushrooms, but I like having it served separately. This is not the norm though, I am probably a pain to them…but judging by the good service, I don’t think they really mind. I like sitting at the bar while I eat and watch a game that is usually playing on the TV’s that they have hanging on the walls. Anyway, another favorite steakhouse of mine. If you ever get by there and you sit at the bar, Tommy the bartender serves a mean drink along with a great steak. Until next time folks….
Pat’s Steaks
I recently went to Philadelphia with the track team that I coach and I took the athletes to have Philly cheesesteaks at Pat’s Steaks after they ran, a must visit when anywhere in the Philly area. The kids that have been lucky enough to go back to back years remember this experience more then the fact that they ran at one of the most prestigious track meets in the US, they share with their fellow athletes that they went to Pat’s Steaks in Philly!!! They stand on line, no matter what time of day it is, and study how to order their cheessteak from the first window (with or without onions, cheese whiz, american, or provolone cheese)….they place their order and then go to the next window for fries and drink…and then proceed to sit down and take a bite out of a true Philly experience. I have been blessed with this tradition since my high school track coach took me when I ran at this same meet and like the athletes that I take there now, it was all I could talk about when the other athletes would ask how my trip to Penn Relays was…the first thing that I would talk about was not the crowd or 20,000 fans that would cheer on all the athletes, but my experience at Pat’s Steaks where I would sit with my coaches and other members of the team and talk about whatever came to mind. The common denominator was that we were all experiencing a true Philly experience that I would remember for a lifetime. On Thursday when I had my cheesesteak, it tasted as good as it did 30 years ago when I ran there as an athlete. And I wathched as my athletes and coaches shared experiences of their run, missing school that day. meets that are on the horizon and most importantly, how good these cheesesteaks really are!!! Until next time…
Steak or steak???
I love steak….my blog is going to be about steak. Steak houses will be my first blog. I recently went to my favorite steakhouse in Brooklyn, NY…Peter Lugers. By far the best steak I have every had, although on a teacher’s salary, I do not get to go as often as I would like to. I try to get out there twice a year. I usually start off before dinner with a drink at the bar, that in itself is like watching a great cable channel. What is great about the atmosphere is that there are people dressed up, as well as people dressed down and both dress attires work. After a stiff drink at the bar while waiting for the reservation, steak is not too far away. The appetizer of choice for me is always the “healthy” bacon. It is ordered by the strip and cooked to perfection. Peter Lugers has their own wine that works great throughout the whole meal, red of course!!! The steaks come in servings of 1, 2, 3, and 4….steak for 4 is two steaks for two….not brain surgery there. My favorite side dish is the creamed spinach, it is served for the table but I can usually finish a side dish on my own. Other sides are usually oredered like the potatoes and things but I for the most part stick to the spinach. The steak is served in a butter sauce that when you dip the steak into it, it is fantastic. Peter Lugers sauce is on the table in a bottle, but it would be a shame to use it in the restaurant when the steak is served. You have to be there to really appreciate that comment, but trust me, you don’t want to use the sauce when you are there, although I would recommend there sauce as a marinade when cooking at home, I have tried it and I love it. All that being said, I love steak and Peter Lugers rocks. In my next blog I will try to cover some local steak houses that I love to frequent. Let me know your thoughts on some of your favorite steak houses….and by all means if you have every been to Peter Lugers, please share your thoughts, I would love to hear your thoughts. Cheers!!!
jlevitzk 