NYC Best Restaurants for Seafood/Steak
 

Can fodorites please recommend which restaurants are good for seafood or steak in Manhattan. Thanks in advancd.

For steaks either Sparks Steakhouse or Peter Lugers.

Midtown try Ben Bensens 52nd and 6th ave.
John

Peter Luger is the best steakhouse, but it's in Brooklyn, not Manhattan. I'd recommend Spark's.
For seafood, Oceanna is excellent.....but expensive.
You didn't give a price range.

For seafood there is no question of the best in New York -- Le Bernardin.

Manhattan Ocean Club - wonderful seafood, gorgeous room, meticulous service and real Picassos on the wall. A perfect evening.

Seafood=- HANDS DOWN to Le Bernardin!!!
We go every time we are in NYC..



We did do Oceana and felt Le Bernardin was way better- both in ambience,service and DEFINITELY food. JMHJO,though!

I missed the reference to Manhattan in the post. I just saw NYC in the header which is why I included Peter Luger.

If you make the trek to Peter Luger, take cash. They don't take plastic.

For steaks, I'm a big fan of Smith & Wollensky's. Of the restaurants listed above, I've only been to Ben Benson's, and it's much more conventional and quiet than the livliness and general fun of S&W.

I'd love to do a Luger/Sparks/Palm/S&W test.

BAK

Le Bernardin? Very old-school/tourist, and definitely not the best value nor the best seafood.

For great seafood, try FRESH in Tribeca (amazing!), PEARL OYSTER BAR on Cornelia Street (Citysearch #1), RM on E. 60th (#2), or the ever-popular MARY'S FISH CAMP on W. 4th.


Steak -- Spark's, Peter Luger, Gallagher's, Smith & Wollensky, Ben Benson's.

"Message: Le Bernardin? Very old-school/tourist, and definitely not the best value nor the best seafood."

Wow. What an assessment. It has Zagat's highest rating. If you go to Chowhounds, you find nothing but raves from the New York foodie locals including the regular critics there, including a recent thread about how it remains the best.
Old school in that most dishes are classic preparations or with a minimum of "trendy experimentation", yes. But touristy? You've got to be kidding!! And please name the place in New York with classic rosemary and rock salt encased whole red snapper cracked then fileted at your table that is "better value"?

The places Gekko mentions are all great, but in a totally different class from Le Bernardin.

I guess it's a matter of perception. I live in Manhattan (you may too, I don't know) and definitely consider Le Bernardin to be overpriced & old-school, a place to take Mom & Dad or visitors from out of town. (Or perhaps for an expense account meal, but probably not actually.)

Citysearch, where locals rate restaurants, has Le Bernardin at #5 for seafood, no surprise in my book.

I guess it depends on what germanblonde is looking for in a dining experience.


(Because of how it rates restaurants, you're proably aware that Zagat's is always a year or so behind.)

I should have said "a place to take OLDER visitors from out of town." I would never take friends my age (early 30's) to Le Bernardin.

There's some terrific restaurants suggested so far, but two more I would add are: for seafood, Aquagrill in Soho - a bit pricy (but less so than Le Bernadin) but impeccably fresh and inventive food; and Strip House - on East 13th St., which to my mind beats Peter Luger hands down - beefier steaks, better prepared and the side dishes are fantastic (goose fat potatoes!). A great, fun room, although the waits can be long, even with reservations . . .

OK, Gekko, now I understand. Yea, a LOT (but not all) of my friends in their 30's would hate that kind of place,too. They'd have to dress up in a more traditional way, which they hate, and it isn't loud, trendy, and boisterous -- the only kind of restaurant they enjoy. It isn't the place to see and be seen, so they wouldn't appreciate spending the required money there. And most do not enjoy the formality of classic food. Although you should realize that not all 30 somethings are like that. There are some who "get" what a truly classic and beautifully prepared and served meal is and ARE willing to pay for it. When we were there for lunch last it was a surprisingly younger crowd than I expected. Lots of 30 something businesstypes doing lunch there.

more for steak: Old Homestead in the meat packing district (it's been around forever and still excellent). I also like Palm.

For seafood (both good value); Mary's Fish Camp in the west village and Mermaid Inn in the E. Village (I've never eaten here but would like to).

Well said Patrick.
The idea of dining with civility cannot be overstated. There is a reason why certain restaurants become classics. Those with discerning tastes keep them that way.
The title was "Best restaurant for Seafood/Steak." The answer to NYC best seafood is certainly Le Bernardin.
Best restaurant encompasses a lot of different parameters, all of which (IMHO) are addressed by Le Bernardin.

Hilarious! Thanks for the laugh, Patrick!

I'm one of the "younger crowd" who has frequent lunches at LB, and it is wonderful & classic. But that's typical midtown lunch.

I think the generation gap falls in the &quot;youngsters'&quot; desire to try and support <b>new</b> restaurants in &quot;new&quot; areas of town. My crowd certainly isn't interested in the &quot;scene,&quot; but a fresh offering from a named chef will attract attention (WD-50 being an example). If it's not in midtown, all the better.

Atmosphere is also important. Some people, particularly those who no longer hear so well, like to dine in mausoleums. Other people do not. To each his own, and the Manhattan dining experience is so diverse, everyone can be happy!

Good luck, germanblonde, and Enjoy NYC!

Sidestepping this tiff, let me mention that if you want ONE restaurant for both good seafood <i>and</i> steak, most of the steak places also usually have lobster, shrimp &amp; at least one fish dish, but it doesn't work in reverse. Don't go to the fish places &amp; expect a good steak :)

If you're female, I like the Post House for steak (&amp; some seafood). It has a bit less machismo than the other steak places mentioned.

Also, for an out of towner, <b>the Sea Grill</b> at Rockefeller Center is the best place I can think of for fish. Check their website restaurantassociates.com for promos, menus etc. It may be touristy but it's very good &amp; wonderful setting.

You've gotten some good info already. Can't go wrong with any of the top steakhouses--Lugers, Sparks, Smith &amp; Wolensky, Palm. Ben Benson's also is good. I'd also recommend Keen's, on West 36th Street, it's one of my favorites. Another great one, if you're going to be downtown, is Mark Joseph, in Manhattan between the South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge--it's fantastic.

You GO, Patrick.

My vote goes to Mark Joseph. It's fantastic.

I'm a fan of the Palm. There are two locations on the east side and one on the west.

Do yourself a favor and skip Ben Benson's and Gallagher's. Two of the worst steaks I've ever had, and some poor service to go with it, I had at Ben Benon's. I thought the first time I was there the lousy food and service was a fluke so I returned. Almost as bad. Will never go back and certainly can't recommend.

Gallagher's has decent, but not spectacular food, but the place is just too noisy. Also, service seems very rushed here.

I haven't been to Sparks or Peter Lugers in many years, but they very good all-around.

This is such a personal choice. It really depends what your tastes are. If you like your steak floating in butter, then you will love Ruth Chris. I have been to most steakhouses in the city because my husband loves it. I have even been to Robert's (part of the Penthouse Strip Club). You eat your steaks while watching the dancers! It was definitely different! My personal favorite is the original Bobby Van's on 46th &amp; Park. The service is great and the food is consistant. Never had a bad meal and I have probably eaten there about 70 times. My husband loves the sirloin. I go for the crabcake and the seared tuna. The Harry's salad with onions, peppers, stringbeans, bacon, and shrimp is fantastic.

For seafood, I really like Manhattan Ocean Club, Aquagrill, or for a quick, 20 minute cab ride you can be at one of the great Greek restaurants in Astoria. Lots cheaper than Manhattan. Pick your own fish and have a great time. Dress is very casual. For a VERY expensive version of Astoria, go to Milo's on W.55th.

bugswife, we bypassed the taxi ride and took the subway out to the end of the line to Astoria and had a simply spectacular meal at Taverna Kyclades on Ditmars. I think there were more Greeks around us than any restaurant we ever ate at in Greece.

And interesting you mention Bobby Van's, we peeked in there one day near lunch and thought the place looked great, but wondered why we NEVER hear a word about it.

Hi Patrick! Bobby Van's has been around for years and has a huge following. The place is always packed, and they never advertise. There is a new one on 56th St., where Della Femina was, but that one still has the newbie issues. There is also one in Bridgehampton and one in D.C. Give it a try next time you are in the city and let me know what you think. Or, let me know before you go &amp; I will give the maitre d' a heads up--everyone knows us there.

I've never understood why people waste $100-$300 each on froo froo little portions of french fish when there are so many other more interesting Manhattan seafood spots that cost a fraction of the price - Mary's Fish Camp and Esca being my two (not very original) favorites. Are they hoping to catch a glimpse of the mayor? Or the Hyatt sisters?

I don't know, bobludlow, but maybe for me it's because the one time we went to Esca, we had a hard time getting service as a bunch of the bigwigs including chefs from their other restaurants were dining there that night gathering all the attention. They lost our main dish order and were so confused they brought us our check before we even got our main course. Finally after reordering (they admitted they totally lost our order) they eventually brought us our selected fish. Mine was horribly mushy and overcooked. My partner's tiny portion of &quot;rare&quot; tuna was cooked through. But I'm not sure where you're talking about tiny froo froo little portions of French fish -- that certainly doesn't describe any of the restaurants I've mentioned!

Maybe I've been lucky my three times - and I love tuna sushi so much that I never order it seared/cooked anymore. But I just love the combination of Batali's recipes with old school Italian seafood restaurant style (as in, here's a platter of unbelievably fresh fish to choose from today).

As far as steakhouses go, I know better than to choose one of the greats over another. It's like arguing politics and religion with the in-laws. Nothing good can come of it. So I just hope that germanblonde picks one that suits her fancy.

bobludlow, could you be speaking of the Hilton sisters? I've not heard of the Hyatt sisters.

By FAR, Oceana has the best seafood in Manhattan. It recently got the first 4 star review in the NY Post in 5 years. Neal Gallagher is a master chef. Traditional Elegance with a modern twist. I think LB is very old school. snobby &amp; very overpriced.