Steak 48 - Review - Center City - Philadelphia - The Infatuation

"Steak 48 has everything you’d expect from an upscale Broad Street chophouse: chandeliers and walls of wine, abundant menu items listed at “market price", and silver foxes in glass-walled private dining nooks telling their girlfriends that they once did Madonna’s taxes. But the Center City steakhouse also has thoughtful touches, like staff members who are happy to take a picture of your big group dinner, and remember your old fashioned order from the last time you dined. photo credit: Steak 48 photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN photo credit: Steak 48 photo credit: Steak 48 photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Pause Unmute We like gold fixtures and custom-stamped ice cubes as much as the next person, but none of these details matter if they can’t cook a steak. Turns out, they cook them perfectly, and the same goes for the crispy shrimp, pan-seared scallops, corn crème brûlée, and parmesan asparagus. The food is all high quality and well executed, though none of it will blow your mind (the shrimp cocktail at $12 a piece did rattle us a bit). Avoid the raw items, which are just okay, and expensive even amongst the steakhouse set. Stick to the cocktails, steaks, and any side you set your sights on, and you’ll have a dinner that feels worth it—even when the bill ends with a number that resembles a pin code. Food Rundown Old Fashioned There are four old fashioneds on the menu, and like most cocktails here, they’re well-blended and go down smooth. We like the orange rye option— the orange liqueur and bitters give the whiskey-forward drink a citrusy balance. photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Oysters Basic. Sometimes watery. And unremarkable for a $5 per oyster price tag. photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Caesar The gift is that the warm poached egg makes this salad richer and creamier. The curse is that the romaine here already comes super coated in dressing, making an already wet salad more slick. It’s not overwhelming, so it’s a tradeoff you can likely stand—especially when nothing but a salad will do to begin a meal. PlayMute video credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Crispy Shrimp What’s the opposite of spreading the wealth? You’ll want to do that with this batch of golden, perfectly crunchy shrimp. A syrupy sweet thai chilli sauce covers every inch. But they’re also fried perfectly, so we’d probably be happy to eat them bare. photo credit: CANDIS R. MCLEAN Corn Crème Brûlée The servers talk about this side dish so much that you’d think they’re in competition to sell it—and the winner gets to take a vat of it home. It’s essentially sweet, creamy corn with a brittle, caramelized sugar crust. When our parents wanted us to eat our veggies, they should’ve cooked them this way. Steaks If you want a reliable meat fest, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you go for the New York strip, or crank it up a few ounces—and a hundred dollars—with the bone-in waygu tomahawk, you’ll get a precise and juicy cut that’s on point when it comes to the char and temperature. photo credit: Steak 48" - Candis R. McLean