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“Parlor Steakhouse”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Upper East Side	Moderate	Good

season.

I suppose the true test of any steakhouse is what they can do with their beef, and theirs is good. The bone-in 16-ounce prime strip loin ($34) is salty and juicy, with a smoky charred crust from the grill, though we ordered it medium rare and it was served rare. Steaks come with a choice of sauce (Bearnaise, horseradish, red win, herbs and fresh lime) and sides are served a la carte. The sautéed spinach was fine enough, but the twice-baked potato ($8) didn’t meet my expectations. When I think of twice-baked potatoes, I imagine the inside being whipped up to creamy, but these tasted baked once, if at all. The potatoes were lumpy and not especially good. What a bummer.

A cheeseburger ($15) gives a beautiful visual, served inside a big brioche bun that’s marked on the grill, with a bowl of French fries (topped with fried onions that seemed to be fried a few hours ago). Again, I was disappointed. The burger is served sliced in half, with toothpicks in each half, sort of like a deli sandwich, which does not make sense to me. This lets the juices and the heat escape through the center of the burger and means that by the time you are through with the first half (which is not especially flavorful), the second half is ice cold, and a bit dry.

The burger also recalled the “where’s the beef” commercial in some ways. When I lifted the bun to apply a layer of mustard and ketchup, what was revealed was a burger far too small for its bun. There was about an inch margin of beef-free bun there. Either use a smaller bun, or make a bigger burger.

But there were high points. Not surprisingly considering the chef has been cooking at Lure Fishbar for a while, my whole grilled branzino was excellent—crispy skin wrapped around quite moist and luscious flesh, brilliantly seasoned with herbs, chiles, and lemon and dressed with lime segments. My dad’s pan-roasted chicken ($23) was also good—a juicy breast and the thigh deboned and pan-fried and served over sinfully rich ricotta whipped potatoes and a ragout of patty pan squash and maitake mushrooms.

Despite the misses on the menu, there’s certainly enough to like at Parlor, what with the friendly staff and attentive service and fine steaks (and soups). This is a place that’s clearly cultivating a neighborhood clientele, as the bar was filled with friends watching games and sharing icy platters of raw ... [more, click below]

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Posted: October 11, 2008

Other restaurants in Upper East Side :
+ Sfoglia   + Zoe Townhouse   + Accademia di Vino   + T-Bar Steak and Lounge   + Parlor Steakhouse   + Le Caprice   

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