374962 Mon Feb 26 04:52:06 -0800 2007 21 18 Manhattan 0 2329337 I've just enjoyed a good 5 day vacation in Manhattan and had the pleasure of a really good steak here, the service was really good and the waiter (Carl) really knew his stuff, we took the kids along and he made a great fuss of them and treated them well, the only down side I thought was that the tables were really crammed in and close together, other than that it was very good Just wondering what you other Chow Hounds thought of the place? We also had a very enjoyable evening in Virgils bar and grill just off of Times Square (I know but I was a tourist!) the food was great and my wife and my kids had a really enjoyable time there, anyone else out there had a meal or two in Virgils and if yes what did you think? Mon Feb 26 04:52:06 -0800 2007 39921 Terry44 1 2329475 Virgil's is a perfectly fine place to grab a bite and a beer. it's not mind-blowing BBQ, but it's pretty solid overall (and they serve Kentcuky-style lamb, which is a rarity in these parts). i actually like their brisket quite a bit, and think their fried chicken -- while hit or miss -- can be pretty great. ribs kinda suck, though. atmosphere is fun and service friendly, competent, sometimes scattered....wouldn't travel for a meal there, but you can do a whole lot worse in times square Mon Feb 26 06:42:21 -0800 2007 2329337 12064 david sprague 2 2341550 What is Kentucky style lamb?? Thu Mar 01 09:55:53 -0800 2007 2329475 18154 prunefeet 1 2329761 S&W has the best steak in the city in my opinion. The bone in cajun ribeye is to die for. Mon Feb 26 08:21:07 -0800 2007 2329337 67865 bakedbeans 1 2330179 excellent steaks Mon Feb 26 10:00:38 -0800 2007 2329337 55914 marlie202 1 2330228 S&W is one of the best in my humble opinion, blows the doors off of lugers! Mon Feb 26 10:09:51 -0800 2007 2329337 38432 angelo04 2 2332500 That is just silly. Mon Feb 26 19:57:05 -0800 2007 2330228 50328 tpigeon 3 2333695 Why is that silly? Luger's is out of the way, over priced, they expect me to share my steak, and most irratiating, they slice it for me. I want my steak whole, in one piece. The waiters have snarky attitudes which is suppose to be part of the allure. Please. Tue Feb 27 10:08:27 -0800 2007 2332500 38432 angelo04 4 2334928 Luger's is a quick taxi ride over a bridge and it's not a big deal to get there, unless you are so Manhattan-centric that any travel over or under water is a big deal, in which case there is so much good food that you are missing. Luger's price is competetive with other NYC steakhouses; it is not over priced. Also, there is no expectation that you share, except if you order a porterhouse which would likely be too big to eat by yourself, but then again you are getting both fillet and sirloin. As for the slicing, have you ever asked them not to slice it? I have never had a gruff waiter at Luger's, which is surprising given the folklore about snarky waiters, and I've been there 10+ times. My complaint about Luger's is that the winelist and glassware positively sucks, and they have no interest in changing it. Tue Feb 27 14:13:09 -0800 2007 2333695 74446 Vinous 5 2335206 i am not thinking wine when i go to lugers! Tue Feb 27 15:33:49 -0800 2007 2334928 74051 jsmitty 6 2335222 I am. Steak and . . . beer? Coke? Water? Not for me. Give me a Bordeaux or Barolo to pair with the steak and the meal is complete. Tue Feb 27 15:36:35 -0800 2007 2335206 74446 Vinous 7 2345070 i hear you Fri Mar 02 08:41:26 -0800 2007 2335222 74051 jsmitty 5 2341530 No problem heading into any of the borough's. I just don't think Lugers' is worth it. I just hate it. (Hates a strong word. I would eat it on your dime.) I am dissaponted that you suggest that the porterhouse is too big for one to eat. You underestimate my eating abilities, after all I am a hound. Thu Mar 01 09:51:44 -0800 2007 2334928 38432 angelo04 4 2335408 Because the fact of the matter is on S&W's best day it is not as good as Lugers. It is silly to think otherwise. Tue Feb 27 16:22:22 -0800 2007 2333695 50328 tpigeon 1 2330785 Enjoyed the prime rib at the S&W grill more than Keens Mon Feb 26 12:23:53 -0800 2007 2329337 10173 guttergourmet 1 2332086 Is the grill at Wollensky's markedly different than the restaurant proper? Mon Feb 26 17:36:40 -0800 2007 2329337 74051 jsmitty 1 2332513 i'm not usually a steak person, but S&W is great. the only place where i will actually go out of my way to order red meat! Mon Feb 26 20:01:09 -0800 2007 2329337 50537 NiKoLe1625 1 2333351 Smith and Wollensky used to be really good when it was Manny Wolf's Chop House! Tue Feb 27 07:11:21 -0800 2007 2329337 12001 rootytootyfreshnfrooty 1 2334865 There are much better steak restaurants in NYC......I found S&W very disappointing and mostly a tourist trap. Try Wolfgangs, Lugers, BLT Prime, Craftsteak, Stiphouse, Del Friscos......all better than S&W in my opinion Tue Feb 27 13:58:35 -0800 2007 2329337 65203 sherm13 1 2334891 S&W and their grill is overrated. Go to Strip House. Tue Feb 27 14:04:16 -0800 2007 2329337 14446 NAtiveNewYorker 1 2334936 S & W's steaks are very good indeed, but within the context of NYC steakhouses, there are too many others that are more compelling that S&W. However, if you factor in that they allow BYOB (provided that the wine you bring is not also on their wine list), then S&W becomes extremely compelling for oenophile carnivores. Tue Feb 27 14:16:01 -0800 2007 2329337 74446 Vinous 1 2335034 Smith & Wollensky is mediocre at best and the Grill is worse. If you want a decent steak, go to Sparks or for a chain, Capital Grille. Tue Feb 27 14:50:33 -0800 2007 2329337 12296 steakman55