Any recommendations on a great steakhouse in lower westchester? I’m ruling out the larger chains Ruth’s Chris, BLT and Mortons. Trying to decide between Benjamin in White Plains and Blackstone’s in Greenwich. I am looking for Prime Dry-Aged steaks (porterhouse or ribeye).
Blackstone’s menu (on their web site) doesn’t say Dry-Aged … does anyone know if they actually do Dry-Age their steaks? Benjamin says Dry-Aged but doesn’t indicate the number of days (would want to see at least 28 days).
I have been taken to Benjamins several times, but not again. I think it is overpriced, and not as high a quality as it should be. Steaks weren’t cooked to the proper degree as ordered. Also not the best service. Lousy cocktails. I didn’t enjoy the meal on any of the visits.
Best way to find an answer to your query about the quality of the beef is to ask them directly. I often enjoy seeing their faces cringe when they answer. If you are avoiding the other high-end groups as you say, you might also want to check out Gabriele’s Italian Steak House in Greenwich. But be mindful of sky-high prices going in.
As an aside, you just might find what you want at Alex’s Bar & Grille in North White Plains. They are related to the Blackstone group and their steaks are quite good and less expensive.
If you are still searching for a good hunk of beef I would also suggest Frankie & Johnnie’s Steak House in Rye. Was driving by recently and I recalled this post. Had a hearty meal there last year. My steak and sides were quite good.
So we ended up at Blackstone’s in Greenwich. Here is my review.
We were a large group, so before dropping $800+ for dinner I wanted to do a little due diligence. I had narrowed my choices to Blackstones, Benjamins and Frankie & Johnnies. They all serve dry-aged prime steak and they all age their beef on-site (22-28 days). I ruled out the chains (Mortons, Ruth Chris, BLT). All 3 options had a mix of great and not-so-great reviews. I remembered that we had a Groupon at Benjamins last year and I wasn’t impressed with the environment (one large room with a bunch of round tables, and it all looked a bit tired; also looked like a catering hall) and the service wasn’t great (although it seems diners with Groupons don’t get good service at a lot of restaurants). So I decided to try Blackstones and next time I’ll give F&J a shot.
The steaks were excellent – we had the porterhouse, rib eye and the NY strip. All had the funky dry aged taste (especially the porterhouse) which you only get with a proper dry aging for at least 3 weeks. And they were tender, and (mostly) cooked to order. The porterhouse was slightly overcooked - it arrived rare but then continued to cook in the sizzling butter/rendered beef fat on the hot platter, so some pieces were medium-rare. Also with the porterhouse the filet will always come a bit more cooked as it’s smaller. But overall the steaks were excellent. I dry age my own steak at home (I buy prime 20-pound primal cuts of porterhouse or ribeye and age them in a dedicated fridge) so I have I pretty good sense of what to look for. Surprising how many well-known steakhouses serve un-aged (or under-aged, or wet-aged) steak.
The sides were fine - the typical potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, etc.
Service was OK.
Ambiance very nice – it’s a modern space with comfortable chairs which is a nice change from the typical stuffy steakhouse
Wine list – they were out of a few bottles that I wanted. Prices were high.
Overall, very happy and we would go back.
I’ll try F&J in Rye next time and will try to post a review.
I’ve heard Blackstone’s in Greenwich and on LI are very good. There was a Blackstone’s in Mt. Kisco a couple of years ago, but not related and not good.
In my quest for finding a great local steakhouse, we tried Lenny’ Steakhouse in Larchmont. They have prime 21-day dry aged steaks on their menu. But this isn’t strictly a steak-house, they also have a pretty big menu of seafood and italian food. Here is my summary:
Appetizer was disappointing. Mozzarella and tomato. The mozzarella was cold and hard, didn’t taste fresh or home-made at all. The tomato was cold and not very ripe.
Steak was disappointing. We ordered the porterhouse for 2. It arrived rare, as requested, so that was good. It was very tender. But it didn’t have the traditional dry-aged funk.
