For some free-spending carnivores, Peter Luger in Brooklyn is the totemic steakhouse in America, a claim I would rebut by saying that although its famous sliced porterhouse is a nonpareil piece of beef, the décor, the side dishes, the restricted menu options, dreary décor, rudimentary service and the month’s long wait for a table keep it far from my list of America’s best steakhouses.
Still, Luger’s stylistic influence has been significant in New York, and it was a smart move when Luger’s long-time headwaiter, Wolfgang Zwiener, opened his namesake steakhouse at 4 Park Avenue fifteen years ago. The menu, much enlarged from Luger’s, mimicked the service of sliced porterhouse served on a tilted, sizzling platter, but in its décor achieved a grandeur Luger’s never dreamed of. The space was once the old Vanderbilt Hotel, whose lower vault was tiled in Della Robbia-style tiles by R. Guastavino, who also did the magnificent tile work at Ellis Island and the Grand Central Oyster Bar.
The ceiling is uniquely beautiful but low, so that when Wolfgang’s is full—which is pretty much every night of the week—with an overwhelming number of large men who prefer bellowing to conversation, the noise level can be fierce. Fortunately, on my last visit, I learned of a small back room, just as beautifully tiled, where one can enjoy an evening enjoying your guests’ company.
The veteran staff has learned all the nuances of coping with the rush of men and Martinis that fuel the atmosphere. You’ll be well greeted and seated, and, with a large complement of Eastern European émigré waiters, each with his own buoyant sense of humor, getting your drinks, wine and food has become a matter of canny timing.
There are now 22 units of Wolfgang’s around the world, all claiming to serve the finest USDA Prime beef, as do all their direct competitors. I haven’t the first-hand experience to guarantee that the quality elsewhere is the same as at this Park Avenue original, but the original serves dry-aged beef as good as any in Manhattan.
All the usual cuts are in evidence, from New York strip, rib-eye, filet mignon and the porterhouse for two or more, all cooked on a 1600º grill that renders the outside as charred as you wish it to be. The tradition of putting those gorgeous steaks on a red-hot platter is not, to my mind, a boon, for it continues to cook the meat. I therefore like to get it off those plates ASAP.
Start off simply with jumbo crabmeat ($24.95) or shrimp ($24.95) or the crab cake ($22.95) packed to the right texture, without much filler. The lobster bisque ($13.95) is richly flavored with lobster, if a little thin, and the chopped salad ($15.95) is big and abundant with greens, bacon, cheese and vegetables, easy enough to share for two. So is the massive slab of fat-rich sizzling bacon (a steal at $8.95).
Not all New York steakhouses serve lobsters these days—Luger doesn’t —but Wolfgang’s always has the big ones (market price), steamed to perfection and expertly cracked ($53.95). (I like to take the meat out by myself; otherwise, it loses heat fast if done in the kitchen or at the table.)
Our table of four had a porterhouse for two ($53.95 per person) and took much of it home), a very juicy, a huge rack of lamb chops ($49.95), and a five-pound lobster with clarified butter.
The side dish of onion-inflected German potatoes ($12.95) is very generous, and the creamed spinach ($11.95) has a that nice hint of nutmeg in a well-balanced mélange of spinach, cream and butter.
Desserts are what you’d expect and the cheesecake ($11.95) is the best of them.
Wolfgang’s wine list is long and deep and top-heavy with big Cabernets at hefty prices, with little under $100. The commodious bar is where you’ll find an impressive collection of international whiskies and other spirits.
I don’t think of Wolfgang’s as a competitor to Luger, because to that Brooklyn institution’s basics Wolfgang’s has added beauty of décor, excellent, amiable service and an expansive menu with something for everyone. That, and the fact that you can pretty easily get a reservation, makes it a far more appealing option for a whole lot of people who don’t live in Williamsburg.
Wolfgang’s Steakhouse is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
WOLFGANG’S STEAKHOUSE
4 Park Avenue
212-889-3369
