This pizza is almost hilariously bad. There was an article in the times a couple of days ago about stoner food. Well...I like tuna fish on saltines sometimes, that doesn't mean I open a restaurant featuring THAT high minded favorite. This is melted cheese on a cracker, the pretentious toppings list notwithstanding. And what's with the service? Has anyone else noticed that it's inept? Look, this place went on a hog wild pre-opening marketing campaign, opened this gigantic, nondescript dining room and is in no way prepared to handle the crowds, from either a culinary or a service standpoint. Shame on Michael Ayoub for such a shabby, poorly thought out and even more poorly executed homecoming.

I second Keene's. Also, check the brooklyn boards for a fierce debate right now about Luger's. Seems they are only serving the porterhouse to customers who have booked in advance-- very bad form, if you ask me, but consistent with their arrogant attitude. I agree that the atmosphere is what makes the place. The porterhouse is an admittedly great piece of meat, but all the luxury steakhouses in NY have certainly narrowed the gap if you're just looking for quality meat. Last thing I'll say, places like Craft Steak and BLT Prime, while serving great steak, also have very good appetizers and non steak options-- something Luger's really does not.

Let's see, here's a few places that can hold their own when it comes to quality prime meat. As an added bonus, you might actually get what you came for:

Porter House New York
Craft Steak
Wolfgang's
BLT Prime
Keene's Chophouse

And, novel concept though it is, they actually have other things on their menu worth ordering, unlike Luger's.

Luger's is garbage now. It's an industry joke that they still garner the attention they do. It's basically a tourist and baffoon trap. Try Keen's Chophouse for a good "old school" experience and a quality steak.

This is correct, although Greg did have some ownership involvement in Minnow.

The best place I've found for tamales in the city is on 5th avenue on the corner of forty second. In the summer they have a little outdoor area (painted deep red) and in the winter there's a restaurant right around the corner, also with a red sign, on fifth avenue. They sell Oaxacan tomales which aren't served in corn husks, but banana leaves and the masa mixture is thick and flavorfull, not unlike scrapple, with a spicy and flavorful pulled-pork-like center. Take a couple up to sunset park with some fresh juice for a great picnic, but bring plenty of napkins, these things stain your hands their trademark red color. Fantastic!

Many great restaurants use Tom Cat. Stone Park Cafe and Al Di La, for example and a full list would be quite long. The two contenders for great wholesale bread in this city are Tom Cat and Sullivan Street, and not coincidentally, they are the two most expensive wholesalers around.

The food here is solid, especially considering they just opened. However, the prices are not cheap. Twenty three dollars for a hanger steak is a bit steep for a cut that retails for about four dollars a pound. One caveat: the chef who conceived the menu and helped get the kitchen up is no longer around. He was just a consulting chef, and while this is a fairly common practice for a place of this caliber, it remains to be seen weather they will stay the course without the guidance.

No, I didn't read the article in the Times and unfortunately, it's no longer available online so I won't speak to it. I will say that no matter what the article said, any nutritionist with any sense will tell you that the problem with butter is with its saturated fat content. I don't think this is really debatable. I'm not a nutritionist, but it seems to me that if you find trace elements of naturally occuring trans fats (last I checked, hydrogenation didn't happen in the pasture) objectionable, I'd watch out for those lattes.

Why do they not cut their pizza's? Does this annoying habbit have some basis in tradition? And if they aren't going to cut them (our server told us this was not possible) why don't they give you something other than a cheap steak-knife and an undersized plate? Aside from that, the pizza is quite good and the service seemed knowledgable and unabtrusive. I'm personally not someone who is looking to make friends with the service staff, nor do I really care how hip the place is or isn't. I think too many critics get hung up on superficialities like these and forget that professionalism (as opposed to obsequiosness (sp?)) and a good product are what it's about.

Butter is not a trans-fat (it's a saturated fat) and Tomcat is under no obligation to remove it from their bread under the law.

Hey, I'm looking for a really good Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights-- forget about Jackson Diner, it's bogus and highly over-rated. I used to go to a place called Bombay Harbor on Roosevelt and 74th but last time I was there it was gone. Maybe this place moved? Anyway, anyone who appreciates really fresh, vibrant Indian food, I would welcome your suggestions.

Second Fiscatis

This is one of the more un-professional restaurants in the world. Closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and two for one on Thursday? Give me a break.

Grocery, hands down. Saul is strange.

French/African, Italian, what's the difference? Why don't you try Ocean Palace in Bklyn China-town?

Are the first two places you mention even open for lunch?