"Steakhouses serve a few purposes: your carnivorous friend is celebrating their birthday, your corporate job is taking you out to a client meal, or maybe your parents are in town and you want to treat them to a fancy meal. All of those are valid, but we would never send you to Alexander’s Steakhouse first. This Union Square meat palace is overpriced even by steakhouse standards, and the meats are tough, dry, and disappointingly cold, regardless of ordering them medium rare. The sides, like the Hokkaido milk bread, creamed spinach, and thin french fries, range from pretty good to average, but the cheesecake is a surprising highlight. Still, you can almost always get a table, the service is great, and the red-lit, leather-boothed interior does make you feel like an extra in American Psycho in an upscale-for-the-'80s way. So, if you find yourself needing a last-minute ribeye with someone who doesn’t want to stray too far from their FiDi hotel, Alexander’s Steakhouse could fit the bill. Food Rundown photo credit: Ricky Rodriguez Hokkaido Milk Bread Fluffy, warm, and served with black sesame and yuzu butters, this bread is actually quite excellent. But at $12, it’s a bit pricey for a few rolls. photo credit: Ricky Rodriguez Creamed Spinach Exactly what the menu promises—spinach cooked down in cream. Not necessary by any means. You should skip. photo credit: Ricky Rodriguez Steak With domestic, dry-aged, Australian wagyu, and Japanese wagyu options, their menu of 13 steaks has plenty of range, but they’re all on the expensive side. Even the most basic steak frites will set you back $65, and the porterhouse will run you $132. We could justify the prices if these steaks were cooked to perfection, juicy, and well-marbled, but they’re not. So, if you find yourself here on your own dime, don’t waste your money and stick to something from the domestic (read: cheaper) side of the menu. photo credit: Ricky Rodriguez Berries Cheesecake We would return solely for this deconstructed cheesecake. It’s an orb that’s coated with a berry outside layer and a berry filling. It’s tart, it’s sweet, and much more than a gimmick." - Ricky Rodriguez
