The Theodore Newsletter

March 1, 2020

Steakhouses? A recommendation? I can close out this article right now with my answer: stay away from steakhouses. Period! They are a group of restaurants not to be frequented.

Despite my above recommendation, many of you will still want some comments and analyses. So here goes with a baker’s dozen, although it hurts to say anything positive about this class of restaurant today. In earlier times, nearly ¾ of a century ago, Italian restaurants had the best steaks; however, I can’t remember ordering a steak at any Italian restaurant in recent years.

1. Blackstone, Melville. Overpriced. Mashed and creamed spinach good. Highly recommended in the literature. It’s all yours.
2. Bryant & Cooper, Roslyn. Overpriced. Try the hamburger with onions or the lamb chops. Not for me.
3. Burton and Doyle, Great Neck. One of many along steakhouse row on Northern Blvd. Decent, perhaps.
4. Butcher’s Bar & Grill, Williston Park. Celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary there. Everybody loved it, except yours truly (who was not paying). Not for me, ever again. Really disappointing.
5. Capital Grille, Garden City. Grossly overpriced. Formal, decent service. Excellent steak ($69, ouch) the one time I ate there.
6. Frank’s Steakhouse, Jericho. A bit expensive. One of our son’s favorite. Not for me, although the least expensive of the “overpriced” group.
7. Jake’s Steakhouse, East Meadow. There during restaurant week. Decent.
8. Majors, East Meadow. A poor man’s steakhouse. Casual, comfortable, and decent service. My friend’s favorite haunt but I’ve yet to have a good steak there.
9. Morton’s, Great Neck. A bit expensive. Formal. I’ve only gone there during Restaurant Week ($29 for 3 courses). The drinks are hellaciously expensive and a major rip-off – stay clear of the bar!
10. Outback, Merrick. Another poor man’s steakhouse. If you go, order the lamb chops, not a steak.
11. Rothmann’s, East Norwich. Expensive. Formal. A favorite of one of my friends. Not for me.
12. Peter Luger’s, Great Neck. Very expensive; salad ($20, ouch) and steak for two ($115, ouch). Poor service. Not for me – it’s all yours!
13. Ruth Chris, Garden City. I’ve never had a good steak here. Definitely a good one to avoid.

I apologize if I’ve missed a few. But, you get the picture. My recommendation is that you stay clear of these restaurants.

I know. Many of you complain that much of my stuff are put-downs without offering any alternatives or solutions. So here goes. If not a steak, is there another option? I have come to really enjoy hamburgers. What could be better than a hamburger with fried onions on a crusty roll? Add some ketchup, french fries and a sour Jewish pickle and you’re in business. My favorite burger spots? Wendys, (Dave’s Single) and Shake Shack. You might also think about meatballs with spaghetti (actually, linguine for me) in Rao’s marinara sauce, from a jar, (I prefer Mary’s rich tomato sauce) and grated cheese. Finally, you might think about (as I usually do) an Angus ribeye from a supermarket and putting it on your own grill at home. All of these suggestions carry another feature. There is no tipping! Today, good service requires a 20% tip. I go for 25% if happy with the service. Thus, 2 – $15 glasses of wine (I no longer drink) doesn’t cost $30 – they cost $40. A $200 food bill costs $260 with tip and tax. Bottom line: you make the call, but there appears to be some merit to frequenting “fast food” restaurants (next Great Eats article later this year) and eating in.

I hope this helps those of you who requested this article. Let me know what you think.

Note:  The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect

those of the editor or publisher.

Visit the author at:

www.theodorenewsletter.com

or

Basketball Coaching 101 (Facebook)

NEXT POSTINGS:

APRIL 1:                     On the Hofstra 2018-19 Basketball Season

MAY 1:                       On the 2020 East Williston School District Budget Vote

JUNE 1:                      On Memorial Day V

JULY 1:                       On Four Issues II: The New York Racing Association (NYRA)

————————————————————————————————————–

Here are this month’s three defensive suggestions from the upcoming second edition of my “BASKETBALL COACHING 101” book.

1. Keep “score” on each defensive player’s ability to prevent a pass to the man he is defending.
2. Each defensive player should “scout” the player he will be defending.
3. When losing near the end of the game, know when and who to foul.