Review: Steve’s Sizzling Steaks
One thing I’ve learned to appreciate is restaurants with small menus. Some restaurants will offer anything and everything short of grilled panda loin on ciabatta, but the quality tends to suffer when you try to be all things to all comers. On the other hand, eateries that have smaller menus tend to pay more attention to what they prepare and serve.
If you want proof of this, look no further than Steve’s Sizzling Steaks in Carlstadt, NJ. They’re a stone’s throw from a Charlie Brown’s; it’s also not far from a Lone Star, an Outback, and other steak houses, none of which can hold a candle to Steve’s simple formula of preparing basically one thing (steak), and doing it very well (or rare, if that’s your thing).
Sure, there’s a handful of other things on the menu. You can get fries with your steak, and some steamed broccoli. There’re plenty of beers on tap or in bottles, to say nothing of a respectable selection of wines and liquors. But there’s not much else. You want trout? Tough. You want a pork tenderloin? Nope. Penne a la vodka? Beat it. Turkey dinner? Tell your story walking, bud.
But if you want a steak–and not just any steak, mind you, but probably the best damn steak I’ve eaten in a restaurant this side of the Hudson–you’ve come to the right place. It’s a good cut, done to perfection; I like mine just shy of the point where they still moo when you poke ‘em, and I’m glad to report that my New York Strip was exactly medium rare. And yes, it sizzled. Sure, the fries were fine, and the broccoli perfectly steamed, but next to that steak, who cares about veggies?
Only one shortfall: the “secret sauce” isn’t a secret to anybody that keeps a bottle of Maggi seasoning in their kitchen. That’s all it is. You can get it on the side, or on your steak. Maybe if they’d cut it with some worcestershire sauce it wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s a salty distraction, especially on such a good cut of meat.
But that’s a minor gripe. Get the sauce on the side, or just have your steak with some salt and pepper, and you’ll be perfectly happy. Steve’s also features desserts, but as much as it pained me to pass up key lime pie (and if you know this writer, or this blog, you’ll know exactly how much it pained me), I was just a tad too stuffed to chance it. After the main course, though, you’d hardly miss it.
Tags: New Jersey restaurants, restaurants, reviews, steakhouses