New York Steakhouse

Make no mistake about it; the New York Steakhouse at the JW Marriott is a real steakhouse like those found in the heartland and major cities of the United States. A veteran of the Bangkok culinary scene, it has long set the standard by which steakhouse wanabees are measured in Bangkok.

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As Frank Sinatra crooned “New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town”, my dining partner and I were greeted and led to our seats by restaurant’s attentive manager Phillipe Saunier. The New York Steakhouse – as the name implies – is built around a New York theme with black and white photographs of the Big Apple donning the walls while music from legends like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and, of course, Frank Sinatra wafts through the air.

The restaurant like any steakhouse worth its salt has a masculine feel. The wing-back chairs are big and comfortable; the place settings are substantial; and the cutlery is heavy with steak knives that look like something Daniel Boone would have appreciated. The kitchen, as is obligatory in a steakhouse, is open to view and is always alive with activity.

A classic gin and vermouth martini is traditional before a steak dinner. The Bombay Sapphire Gin concoction is shaken at the table and poured into a cold martini glass – the perfect beginning to a great meal. Our only complaint is that the restaurant insists on calling anything served in a martini glass a ‘martini’ rather than reserving the term for gin (or vodka) and vermouth creations. Whatever happened to cocktails?

For appetizers we had Lump Snow Crab Cakes and The Steakhouse Salad, a mélange of greens, roast artichokes, Kalamata olives, shaved Parmesan cheese and herbed vinaigrette. With their velvety textured and chunks of tasty crab, the crab cakes were our favorite. We found the salad and its greens a bit ‘tired’. They had been sitting around too long and lacked the crisp sparkle that makes green salads a joy to eat.

The restaurant serves US Government certified prime Black Angus beef; 240 day grain fed superior Australian Angus beef; and a selection of heavily marbled Kobe, Hitachi and Matsuzaka beef from Japan. We decided to go with the Black Angus from the US.

I chose a 16 oz. New York Striploin and accompanied it with a Baked Potato, Sour Cream, Chives and Bacon. My dining companion chose a 6 oz. Filet Mignon. Our meat was everything a steak should be and was cooked to perfection. I found them vastly superior to the pricey Japanese cuts that simply have too much fat in them for my liking.

The accompaniments were superb, especially the crispy broccoli and cheese. The broccoli was neither overcooked nor overwhelmed by masses of cheese, a definite plus in this sort of dish. We also thoroughly enjoyed the sautéed mushrooms and found them a perfect foil for our steaks.

Red wine and steak have an affinity for one another and the New York Steakhouse has an outstanding selection by the glass and an enormous selection by the bottle. We drank a full-bodied Batasiolo Sabri Barbera D’Asti DOC from Italy. Full-bodied, fruity and with a smooth finish, it was a perfect match for our steaks.

Dessert was almost an afterthought, but we decided to throw caution to the wind and go for a slab of New York Style Blueberry Cheesecake. Rich, fattening and decadent, it was everything cheesecake should be. We felt guilty for a moment or two, but after a couple of bites the feeling quickly passed as we succumbed to our hedonistic instincts.

Restaurant manager, Phillipe Saunier, works overtime insuring everyone is satisfied. He stopped by our table a couple of times to chat and insure everything was as it should be. The servers are knowledgeable, friendly and extremely well-trained.

The New York Steakhouse sets a high standard for other restaurants to emulate. If you enjoy good steaks and the atmosphere of an authentic American-style steakhouse, this is where you will find it in the City of Bangkok.