Porter House New York

After Strip House, this is the best steakhouse in Manhattan. The meat here is incredible, and there is a substantial variety of porterhouse cuts of other meats as well. Side dishes are well above avg--I suggest the creamed spinach, portabello with polenta, and hash browns. Atmosphere is very classy/old-fashioned: dim lighting, all oak, nice view of the park if you're lucky enough to get a seat near the window, etc. Best part about this place is the value. For a steakhouse of this quality in NYC, the steaks should be $10 more each. Try the porterhouse steak for two ($68)--it's the best cut and the best value on the menu.

I had a nice meal at this place, which just opened last month. It's on the third floor of the Time-Warner Center, and overlooks Columbus Circle and Central Park. The view is to die for and the restaurant if very smartly decorated. It has an upscale appeal without seeming stuffy. Here's what I had/tasted: First they served a plate of flatbread with ricotta cheese. It was light and refreshing, but didn't really contain any interesting flavors. The bread basket consisted of white, wheat, olive, and raisin bread rolls.Ceasar salad - standard, nothing special but definitely passable. The chopped salad was nice, and had a great selection of veggies you won't usually find in, well, a chopped salad (asparagus, beets, etc.). Next was the meat. Two of us had the steak for two (porterhouse- which for me is the cut by which you must judge any steakhouse). Also ordered were the filet and the strip. Everyone was satisfied, though not impressed, with the meat. The filet was nice, I must admit, but not the kind of melt-in-your-mouth experience that it should be for the price. The sides were also sort of ho-hum. Yukon Gold mashed potatoes were really creamy, but failed to wow me. The hand-cut french fries and creamed spinach were mediocre. The mac and cheese and ginger carrots were the lone standouts among the sides. For dessert, the cheesecake was perhaps too thick and rich. The pinapple upside-down cake with butter pecan was fantastic. The service was friendly, knowledgable and attentive, with several people checking up on us throughout the meal. I can't comment on the wine list as I have no real experience with wine. The experience of eating here is great. If you can score a table with a view, the food would probably be secondary...which would probably be a good thing. Though passable and even enjoyable, none of the dishes brought any flair to my palate. It is a by-the-book, safe steakhouse. The meat doesn't justify the price tag.