Peter Oh Peter

Just when you think you’ve had the best steak of your life…you haven’t. At least not until you’ve been to Peter Luger in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This place is old school, so old school they don’t take credit cards…These guys have been around since 1887 serving the finest USDA prime meat available on the market. Only short loin is served up and anything chosen goes through a crucial selection process only done by members of the family. Once the meat is selected it is brought up to the restaurant premises where the dry aging process begins. What is dry aging? The loins of beef sit in a temperature controlled cooler where air circulates around them for a certain amount of time (undisclosed and probably a family secret). After the aging process is complete, the meat is butchered and taken up to the kitchen for broiling. Yep, broiled!

 

…and the result…this beautiful thing right here. Crispy on  the outside thanks to the broiling, as soft as you like it on the inside. So flavorful you’ll wanna scream, but you won’t because you won’t even want to open your mouth unless there’s more meat coming. I’m really not kidding, it’s that delicious. What else is on the menu? Who cares! Kidding, the menu is pretty straight forward. You have your starters which include bacon, tomato, salads. You have the meat OBVIOUSLY, selection of for 1, for 2, for 3…You also have a small selection of seafood items like shrimp cocktail. Truthfully I’ve only gone for the meat and the sides…oh the sides!

Speaking of perfect, how about perfect french fries? Crispy and potato-y, exact thickness, no extra oil. No wonder the menu is short, they stick to what they know perfectly and don’t try to experiment.

The creamed spinach, that’s my other favorite. Really, no way to explain this. Lots of spinach and not overly creamy, you can see in the picture above it’s more green than white right? That’s how I like it!

Now, yes this place is expensive at about $100+ per person. But if you had to splurge in food, do it here, you will never ever regret it! Don’t forget to make a reservation for that special occasion…the place is huge but tables fill up in the blink of an eye.

All In All Perfect

Yeah, I said PERFECT – You will get nothing less at Houston’s. This succulent location is easily in my Top 5 ‘Must Eat Here’ restaurants when in Miami. Every one of my trips down in sunny paradise starts with Houston’s and ends with Houston’s. How boring you say? No, no…you don’t know…

You see, Houston’s is not just about the food (but, really it is). Your entire experience here is perfection. They have ‘a long standing interest in art and architecture that factor into the dining experience to enhance the senses’. So true…from the moment you walk in the door everything you see, smell, taste, touch, and hear (had to think about those), mish-mosh together and create ideal sensations.

At the Aventura location you can see chefs preparing every piece of your platter…from the grill to plating…they work like an orchestra.

Another little interesting piece of info you might not know…Houston’s is one of a whopping thirteen restaurants that make up Hillstone Restaurant Group. And I’ve only been to one?! Ugh…guess I’ll have to keep eating (shoulder shrug)…

So let’s get to the food huh?! I know the image above can be a bit overwhelming. I couldn’t help it, I just had to show it all! I’ll guide you through them, left to right – top to bottom.

You’ll start your meal off right with their famous Spinach Dip. A creamy, cheesy, comforting dip…I also think it’s healthy cuz ya know, the spinach! haha You’ll also find big bits of artichoke in there that will make you very happy!

Next is the Tuna Salad…my mom’s fav of course! You can see the pieces of fish perfectly rare bathed in a delicious dressing that I’ve never been able to decipher. On the side, a fresh salad with mango and avocado. Yum!

Double Cut Pork Chop, remember Armen the Superhero?! This is his favorite, very very very well done please – that’s how he likes it.

Their Veggie Burger is super hearty and filling. Brown rice, beans, and beets…yeah I really do think so…make this burger delicious! Pair it with some shoestring fries…you’ll forget meat ever existed!

Smoked Salmon, my daddy’s go-to!

And finally MY favorite, Grilled Chicken Salad uuufff. With extra dressing duh! Fresh crispy greens, thinly sliced grilled chicken, corn, and tortilla strips…all drenched in a peanut lime dressing. Seriously no words, just try it!

Good news, I just found out they have a NY location! Woot woot!