Review of Strip House

As an avid steak lover, last week's first trek to Strip House on 12th Street and University Place was something I had been looking forward to since the reservation had been made two weeks earlier. In the interests of full disclosure, I am a Luger's and Sparks lover. Friends told me that Strip House had the best steak in the city. So I went in with high, but tempered, expectations. In my world, notwithstanding the occasional hiccup at both, no steak can approach Luger's or Sparks. But God put me on this earth to eat red meat. Or make music. One or the other. For the sake of this review, let's assume it was the former.

I walked up to an amusingly unassuming white storefront on 12th st (where is the Sparks pomposity?) with a tasteful neon sign hanging above. The neon sign said RIP -- the other letters were burned out that night. High cholesterol be damned. RIP? This could be omninous.

Upon stepping into the restaurant, I noticed two things immediately: (1) This is not your great grandfather's steakhouse; and (2) Those RIP letters might be prophetic. Let me explain:

(1) This is not your dark wood, white haired waiter, angry service, rush you in rush you out, steak joint (a la Lugers/Sparks). It's an elegant and relaxed room. A nice bar area in the front. You could be stepping into any nice restaurant in the city with a bit of downtown character. This room does not smack of steak house. Reminded me of the not-so-recently demised Hi-Life on 72nd and 1st Ave.
(2) The room has cushioned walls and a red tint. I loved this. The red aura of the room with the RIP on the sign outside -- it was like you stepped into Hell. But the good kind of Hell. This was going to be an evening of misbehaving -- unhealthy food (see below), lots of wine (see below), raunchy humor and guys being guys. We were seated at the time of our reservation exactly (7pm) and I was in the perfect frame of mind for the meal to come. I was ready and, judging the proverbial book by its cover, had high hopes that the meat would live up to expectations. I was able to ignore the (bottle of) beer I had at the bar (I was early) for $8. Ouch.

As we walked into the room I noticed that the elegance of the room should be tempered a bit - it should not be compared to any elegant restaurant in the city. This is a man's room -- so let's say its an elegant version of a postmodern steakhouse. Whatever that means. Loud, busy, a guy's room.

I have found that often the hint as to whether a steakhouse is up to par is the quality of the mandatory raw bar appetizer. Not always. But usually. My expectations were soaring after the raw bar sampler was brought out. Great blue point oysters (melt in your mouth), huge juicy shrimp, tasty crabmeat. Disappointing scallops ceviche, but that's ok. Does everything have to be ceviche these days? Minor complaint: I like my oysters with horseradish and tobasco -- none was offered. The bread that they brought with the seafood was so stale that I almost (literally) hurt myself trying to eat it. Normally this would put me in a foul mood, but to this point, I was high as a kite. The seafood was great, the service was attentive but not overbearing and the steaks were coming. I was psyched.

Out comes the entrees/sides: bone in ribeye (signature cut), goose fat potatoes, creamed spinach and fried onions. RIP. I will do the best I can to describe the steak: It was fantastic. Cooked to the perfect temperature. I asked for medium rare and I got medium rare. And let's be honest, this is the most important factor of the evening. I noticed that there was quite a bit of seasoning on the steak. As compared to Lugers, which has none, and Sparks which has some. This had more than Sparks. Much more. I don't like my steaks in sauces, but I can live with seasoning/rub/etc if it works. This worked. Very tasty. Melt in your mouth. Were there fireworks? Yes. Were they July 4th fireworks? Sadly, no. These were "the Mets are on the road for July 4th so Shea Stadium is celebrating July 4th on July 1st and setting off fireworks then." In other words, I was thrilled, I was loving my steak. But I wasn't quite in heaven -- I was approaching it. This steak was fantastic. But it wasn't the perfect Sparks or Lugers steak. This is hardly a criticism.

All I need to say about the potatoes is that they are cooked in Goose Fat. Amazing. Creamed spinach was stellar. Fried onions were the perfect greasy salty comfort food that cut the cream and butter of the potatoes/spinach. These were the best sides of any steak house I have been to. Not to be dismissed with a sleight of hand. Sides are very important. Best ever.

The wine: I didnt order it and it was ok, not spectacular. Two merlots for four people. Didnt see the breakout on the tab and dont know how much they were so I cant comment on value. I prefer a good cab with a steak like this.

We were all too full to attempt dessert. I am getting wiser in my old age. I usually force a dessert down at steakhouses (nowhere else I have noticed) and end up ill for the rest of the night. Not this time. I walked out full but not ill. That's a nice feeling.

This place is expensive if you go all-out. With the (I am guessing very expensive) seafood platter, and other items I mentioned, you should expect to drop approx $300 on two. I'd say its worth it.

In all, 4.5 out of 5 stars. Definitely go. An evening of bliss. Everything fits well together. There is a nice vibe in the joint. And I can't say I have given a 5 out of 5 to more than 4 or 5 meals in my life. The best night at Lugers or Sparks *might* get you a 5 out of 5, but more often than not its a 4.5 out of 5 and sadly, the 4 out of 5 is becoming more and more frequent. Strip House is definitely in the same league as the big boys. Go now. RIP.