Brutal. The Department of Motor Vehicles is a block party compared with the line at Peter Luger...lol.
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Haven't been to Lugers in maybe 10-12 years, if not longer than that.
When I first moved to NYC after college (in 1999), it was a maybe once a year treat from my parents. Back then, I think it was fairly rare for the NY steakhouses to offer dry-aged steaks. Some, like Sparks, still don't sell dry aged. So it was worth the trek to Williamsburg and dealing with the cash only policy.
But since the mid-2000s when dry aged steaks became more and more popular and more and more readily available in any number of steakhouses and non-steakhouse restaurants, so you don’t need to go to Williamsburg and deal with the cash only policyComment
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I sha'n't go there then. And yeah unfortunately waiting with a reservation is pretty common at nice places. Especially the places that have a bar area: "We'll seat you at the bar while we prepare your table".. For 25 minutes...Comment
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Can't read the article, but I get the jest. Sad to hear, has been one of my favorite restaurants in the past. Have a framed menu in my office...Comment
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I wanna tell you, that's a bunch of BS. If you think the steak is better somewhere else, do me a favor and go eat there! PKEASE!Comment
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Peter Luger owners & staff responds: https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/p...k-times-reviewComment
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Kind of a "We can serve whatever we like and people will still eat it, so eat it, Pete Wells," response. -
Potkettleblack yeah, no. The guy is clueless and trying to build a rep by posting a controversial review of a timeless restaurant. Once more: If you think somewhere else in NYC has better steak, I encourage you to never return to Luger's and eat steak only in your new favorite place . . . PLEASE! More Luger's steak for me and others who know what's what. -
Pete Wells hardly needs to make a name for himself, tbh. That was cemented with Guy's American.
Personal preference is personal. So, Wells take is no less or more valid than yours. I am told Keen's is better in NYC, but the next time I go back home will be maybe for my 30th HS Reunion, and probably won't do steak. Got plenty of good steakhouses in Chicago.
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This is maybe another example of where "things" have gotten to. I did mention how brutal that review was, before I read or heard the cacophony of brutals. Was there a bit of group think that developed and or piling on? Could the reviewer be spot on in his assessment? I think not. The response to the "other" newspaper showed that people worked there & cared & the owners cared about their product & service. As far as the wait time goes, I had to wait 40 minutes to get thru the line at a newly opened Popeyes in town. And the place is jammed packed a week & a half after it opened. If it’s popular, you will have to wait in line. I wonder how horrible it is at Lugers.
And fer you purists our there, we like spicy fried chicken with a Louisiana theme to it! 🕶Comment
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Since there aren't enough drugs, alcohol, or wild horse to drag me to NYC Dewesq55 can eat any steaks I could have to his hearts content!Comment
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Mr. Bones Your absence duly noted, brother. Even posted an old Demento classic to let you know I was thinking of you. Hope all is well and only gets better.
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Bein from th Prairie, an only bein in NYC once, returnin home from Iraq, I have never visited Peter Luger's, although th Rep is quite widely known...
I don't know what prompted that review, i.e:, if things actually have changed, degraded, etc., or as previous stated, th reviewer was jus tryin to 'go viral', so to speak...
Don't really care, either...Ain't goin to NYC in this foreseeable lifetime.
I will tell ya, that I'm not one who derives any kind of pleasure, or satisfaction from other's failures...
YMMV
Out.Last edited by Mr. Bones; October 30, 2019, 09:36 PM.Comment
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ok so have to weight in here as someone who has been to Lugers (both Williamsburg and Great Neck ) many many times. The article starts by painting a fond picture of the place in the 90's and then goes on to trash just about all the EXACT same things that its been doing since the 90's and I go back to the 80's! Seriously, the one thing I have to give kudos to Lugers for is inventing what has become the ubiquitous NY steak house and has spawn literally hundreds of imitators. There is nothing wrong with imitators, in fact Wolfangangs(which was started by a long time Luger employee) is a welcome addition to my neighborhood and a favorite( it saves me a trip to Brooklyn from NJ). The fact remains Lugers' is as consistent as ever. Its an experience that takes me back to the many times I've dined with family and friends there. However, the days of being one of just a few are well behind it and now it suffers from hundreds of steakhouses all right in the NYC area all serving very very similar fare(like German potatoes and desserts with schlag(whipped cream)). Also I am really tired of people who are unfamiliar with an excellent grade prime aged T-bone for two suggesting their home cooked steaks are better. That's just utter nonsense. Is it worth the premium price, well its always been a premium price establishment but I think with all the added competition in nyc and even in local neighborhoods like mine in NJ , there are just very good and similar alternatives. I still love a Lugers meal but I don't always feel like driving from NJ to Brooklyn when these days I can dine locally , spend just as much and get a similar experience. Its the curse of having spawned the genre.Comment
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Nice review of your own. I have never been to Lugers. I know that iconic restaurants hold a special place in some people's hearts. Events and moments shared over a quality meal are priceless. Since it sounds like you have had those experiences at Lugers as still enjoy it you have every right to defend it.
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What I wonder is what someone who has zero sentimental attachment to the place walking in off the street would think? So if this reviewer is trying to make a name for him/herself by writing a controversial review, is there any truth to their words or is it really pure sensational bologna? It seems there are avid opinions both for and against the review here. I'm most likely never to go since I have no reason to go to NYC, but I am curious what I might think having no 'for' or 'against' predispositions...Comment
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The "reviewer making a name for himself" is just a defense mechanism for the Luger supporters. There was nothing inflammatory about the review (unlike say the Guy Fieri restaurant review a few years ago). Pete Wells has been at the job for like 8 years. People can differ on the opinions but I don't know how you can object to him stating that his steak or burger was often cooked unevenly, the potatoes were cold or mealy, etc, the service was mediocre. -
Pete Wells has a name for himself. He is well known. Lugerites saying he is out to make a name for himself are not really making an informed argument.
I would note that Frank Bruni gave them a 2 star 11 years ago, which was down from 4 a decade before.
If I had to guess what's happened, it's not that Luger's standards have dropped, it's that the market has raised it's game over the last 25 years.
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For me watching the fall of popular (and chain) restaurants is fascinating. You would think think owners would stop and look at the charred remains (pun intended) of restaurants that made ‘small changes’ for economic reasons they thought no one would notice.Comment
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that's what is so disingenuous about that article. Lugers is just as busy as ever with more business than they can handle. -
Jon Liebers - a crowded restaurant =/= a good restaurant. The Applebee's in Times Sq is always crowded with long waits and no one would mistake that with a great restaurant serving good food. So to use a restaurant being busy as proof that the review was disingenuous, is itself disingenuous. -
a non chain, high end (expensive) restaurant that still maintains a fully overbooked reservation profile always , IS by definition doing things right. My guess is Luger's is rightly, not about to change anything,
Can't compare a packed $125 a head restaurant with a $35 dollar packed chain for mostly tourist on a budget in Times Square.
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First of all, Pete Wells, the NY Times reviewer, made a name for himself LONG ago. He did not write this to make a name for himself, I can assure you. He is extremely knowledgeable and astute and very well respected. He usually eats at a place multiple times with several people before writing a review. He takes his job very seriously. Critics know they can damage people and their livlihoods so they are especially hesitant to write negative reviews. That is why I have never written a resto review. He has sung the praises of steakhouse, ribjoints, pizza by the slice joints, as well as the fancy restaurants so he is not a snob. It is clear from the article that he has eaten there before and liked it. As for the response in the Post, an idiot waiter said "When [Wells] was here taking pictures, we had bets in the back on how much garbage he was going to write.†It is HIGHLY unlikely he took photos. When the Times (and most other major papers) does a review they send a photographer in AFTER the reviewer and the restaurant knows the photog is coming. Wells makes the reso under a fake name and he dines anonymously although he has been photographed, so sometimes restaurants know when he is in the house.Comment
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A good bad restaurant review is a thing of beauty.Comment
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I'm agnostic on Luger's - never been, probably never will. But I wonder about this assertion you made. How would you know? Have you been to all those homes and tried all those steaks? Not saying you can't have that opinion, but you're putting it out pretty strongly as if it's fact.Originally posted by Jon Liebers View Post
The restaurant has the advantage in equipment, processes, and experience, but disadvantages in the need to please a broad market, staff turnover, and a ton of things they have to worry about other than just the steak. Sure, casual grillers will miss more than they hit. But are you really saying that a home grillmaster who is dedicated and willing to put in the time to learn won't be able to regularly cook steaks that are better than steakhouse product? I'm not convinced.Comment
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Jon Liebers Sales guys w/ expense accounts took me to top steak houses in Tulsa, OKC, Chicago, Dallas, LA, Indianapolis, Vegas...
I buy prime ribeye roasts, dry age & grill on the PK. (Not T-bone, but I like ribeye.) I'm sure others are better than me (e.g. pkadare ), but I get steak house quality for around $20 per serving. You like driving, parking, waiting? Fine - that takes time & effort too. And that's not about steak - it's your preferred experience.
Now I'm less convinced. -
i remain unconvinced in the slightest. But to each their own, right? I do think some could really benefit from a side by side comparison. Also I have NEVER had anything but good service at Lugers, can't say the same for some other old NY establishments. Maybe that's just me. -
Peter Lugers does not have a monopoly on high grade prime dry aged beef. It is possible to buy a piece of dry aged beef from a good retail shop of a similar quality in NYC. I've cooked steaks both professionally (everything from top sirloin to A5 grade wagyu) and at home that are easily just as good as what Lugers serves. The gap between what a reasonably skilled home cook and what a high end steakhouse serves is not that great, depending on the quality of dry aged beef one can source retail.
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