Restaurant Critique Tuscany Steakhouse 117 West 58th Street New York, NY Author: Pamela Goldman Photos: Gerald Feldman Patch.com In Midtown of NYC, there is a great new addition to the Gotham steakhouse scene. Inside the cozy, white-washed brick dining room of Tuscany Steakhouse, perfectly aged porterhouse steaks are being served most deliciously with all the fantastic fixings and then some. Tuscany Steakhouse, owned by the Albanian transplant, Steve, there is a certain simple elegance, yet sophisticated. During the week between the hours of 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, this restaurant is packed...you can’t even get a seat at the bar!. Mostly an after-work crowd finishing up their meetings and business deals, we were lucky enough to get a table as this was still considered winter holiday season. The service was warm and friendly and we were treated like royalty! Modern yet classic, the restaurant is bordered by white brick, repeating archways each holding within, highly polished mirrors.
First, for an appetizer we had the iceberg lettuce wedge with bleu cheese dressing, topped with diced tomatoes and many large bits of bacon sprinkled throughout. It was very refreshing and made to order as was everything we chose from the menu. Wow! really old-school done in an exciting new way.
Then we had the porterhouse steak for two. So tasty, served sizzling hot, this was prepared with the great aged steak flavor permeating the dish. We learned a little secret that night. The reason steakhouses use butter as an addition to their steaks is less for flavoring but more to keep the stoneware from cracking in the broiler while finishing the preparation. The owner also confided in us that they get their steaks from the same supplier as the famous Peter Luger Steakhouse of Brooklyn. The steak was succulent and juicy and the sides were marvelous: Creamed Spinach and caramelized home fries. They aced everything but what really took the meal to a level of paradise was the dessert.
We had simply ordered NY cheesecake and apple strudel. But what arrived was an enormous platter. The strudel was piping hot and the cheesecake was as creamy as ever but on the platter was a jumbo portion of schlag, (homemade whipped cream) and loads of fresh fruit in every color imaginable topping the whole masterpiece….manna from the heavens!
Ironically, this NY steakhouse expertise was composed by an Albanian immigrant owner and an Ecuadorean Chef whose combined experience in the restaurant business totals 55 years. To us this speaks very highly of the great melting pot of Manhattan where people come to reinvent their lives, purpose and passion. Bravo to Tuscany Steakhouse a local gem which is just a few blocks away from Carnegie Hall.
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