My son recently moved back to the general area and wants to take me to Peter Luger’s as a thank you. Sent him this review and he called within 10 minutes ( a record by about 48 hours). We agreed we’d go somewhere more local that’s just as good at 1/3 the price. My one and only time there, about 15 years ago, was not dissimilar to Wells review. As to service, there’s a fine line between classic/memorable curmudgeon waiters (as the Palm did best) and just jerkoff service.
oh, and thanks Victor. You saved my son a lot of money and both of us a big disappointment.
Us Salomon guys gotta stick together.
1/3 the price for what?
I have issues with people criticizing the pricing. ~100 for a 24-30 oz USDA prime porterhouse is not expensive, even for an uncooked steak. For example, holy grail sells a dry aged 24 oz porterhouse for $89 w/o shipping. Snake River Farms sells a dry aged wagyu porterhouse for $160 and bone in dry aged rib steak for $99.
Context: I live in Central NY where price are much lower. Wasn’t comparing to NYC prices.
That’s just what USDA prime porterhouse costs, anywhere. If you are talking about a non-steak restaurant being cheaper, that’s fine, but it’s not comparing apples to oranges.
Point taken. I guess I was referring to having a great steak dinner (albeit maybe not the same exalted raw materials), with better service, without the hassle of driving to Brooklyn for a lot less money.
Once a brother, always a brother.
I enjoying reading Pete Wells, and all the more so when he’s taking down the sacred cows. And let’s be honest, even the best steakhouses are pretty mediocre, especially given how absurdly expensive they have become.
Restaurants are for entertainment; critics can be too, while accurate.
Been there a couple of times. I think you are right in that Pricing are similar to other steak restaurants, not worse. The price isn’t the issue. It’s what u get for the price.
Service is meh. Cook on steak is meh. Overall vibe is meh.
If I want steak, there are better steak restaurants with better service and vibe. . If I want a nice meal, there are clearly much better restaurants.
To each their own. I’d argue the quality of the steak is better than any steakhouse I’ve been to (haven’t been to APL yet, though) and the service is fine. I don’t need obsequious wait staff. I want my orders taken correctly and efficient service and that’s it. I’ve gotten exactly that in each of the 10+ times I’ve been there.
Based on your statement, and how the review described Peter Luger’s, would you thereby agree with its writer?
I like Peter Luger, and would happily return there, but it has major faults. The steaks do not seem quite as good as yesteryear, but still very good. The wine list is poor, and they don’t offer BYO, and if there is anything worth drinking, I have never found it. And of course seriously overpriced.
So overall, there is no reason not to get a great Flannery steak, grill it yourself, provide a superb wine from your cellar, add a few duck fat potatoes and garlic spinach. Look at the steak porn thread. We may not fire at 1600 degrees, but we can still make great steaks.
And if need be, to get the authentic Luger service, I can always find some hard-up curmudgeon to yell at me.
Basically agree with Well’s review. Went to Peter Luger’s a few years back because my wife loves steak. Thought I would treat her to a meal at the “best” steak house in the country. We left restaurant thinking that it was way overpriced for only an okay steak. Both agreed that my wife’s home cooked choice cut Porterhouse was way better at one quarter the cost.
Waiting for an invitation…
You probably need to visit more/better steak houses 
kidding dude… agree, different strokes… all good!
Traditional steakhouses – showcasing cornfed prime beef and traditional sides – are almost inherently overrated these days. Consumers can find great meat and, with some practice, it’s not hard to cook it very well. Heck, even the Whole Foods down the street from me pretty regularly gets phenomenal prime beef (sometimes Wagyu-level beef) for ~$20/lb (sometimes less than that on sale). The Central Market that’s five minutes away has great Wagyu strips and ribeyes. It’s hard to justify $100+/person at a steakhouse when I can feed the family on prime beef (or better) and drink from my cellar for a fraction of that.
To really stand out these days, a steakhouse needs to feature specialty beef (e.g., real Kobe etc) and/or offer a multi-faceted experience with great and interesting sides/apps/drinks/atmosphere (like Georgia James here in Houston).
The fundamental issue I have with the review is regarding the quality and value of the meat, which I think is phenomenal.
Regarding service/lack of amenities that the writer (and everyone else) knew/knows exactly what they would/wouldn’t get before going.
My biggest disagreement with the review (and comments on this post) is regarding quality/value.
Do I think that it’s possible to make as good or better a steak at home? Absolutely. That said, I think the value you get there is actually very good; USDA prime porterhouse is expensive and the ~110 they charge for a ~30+ oz porterhouse is about what you’d pay sourcing one, uncooked, unshipped, from a good source.
One could easily make the argument that you’d rather eat at home and have access to a better selection of wine, and I get that. If they allowed BYO with a reasonable price, it’d be that much better a place. My point was that I’ve paid similar prices for much worse steak at other steakhouses, such as JGVs, and have always had fun there. I also think the steak is still very good and I was there last week. I don’t think paying $600 all in for 6 ppl for steaks, sides, 2 bottles of wine, and dessert is out of line for NYC at all, and my friend took back at least 16 oz of steak.
I haven’t been there for decades and I have no comment about the restaurant or the food, but if you go to Luger’s and order Dover sole, you are an idiot, not a food critic.