03/10/09

Staghorns is my favorite place near MSG

by score111

This place is spectacular, they are Romanian, they know fine service. Best porterhouse steak anywhere (sorry Ben Benson) and a reasonable number $$$. Within easy walking distance of the Garden (unless it is raining), and never too crowded to take in a special meal. I always make reservations, but I think you could chance just showing up.

• Pros: I can't buy steak like this anywhere else
• Cons: Drinks a little skimpy, wine list fine!!

01/14/09

Over-bearing service and unexceptional steak

by MrsFlowers79

We travelled to New York City from England to stay for a week at New Year. When we asked our hotel concierge if they could recommend a lively American steakhouse for the Saturday night, this is where he sent us. When we arrived, we could not see through the window that the restaurant only had one other couple eating, otherwise we may not have gone in. We went in and the lady who greeted us was friendly and professional, we were shown to our table and given menus. We chose to have a steak each and share the side order of mashed potatoes but we were made to feel as if we should have ordered starters too (my fiance was sure he heard the waiter say to te manager "they've only ordered steak"). Shortly after we arrived, the other couple left and one other group of people came in. The restaurant was extremely quiet and had no atmosphere whatsoever. While eating our meal, it felt as if the 3 waiters were circling our table like sharks, always hovering close by to attend to our every need. We found this to be intimidating and irritating. The waiters were all Italian American and would talk amongst themselves in Italian, which just added to the intimidation for us.

When the bill came, though it was our own fault, we did not notice that they had added 20% tip for themselves and paid by card, adding $40 tip in cash. We only noticed the next day when we looked at the receipt, but I feel that not only was it extremely dishonest not to bring it to our attention that the tip had been added into the bill just to be sure we were aware, but very cheeky to add 20% tip when I would have personally paid a minimum of 15% as the service was over-bearing, over-attentive and intimidating.

There were more staff than customers and I could not wait to leave. I could not have been more disappointed with that choice for a Saturday night, and would recommend it perhaps for business dinners but nothing more than that.

• Pros: Staff eager to please but go too far and service over-bearing
• Cons: Intimidating atmosphere

11/04/08

Perfect for Special Occasions

by JWolfe2002

Last week I was hosted by a business associate and we were seated within just a few minutes of our 8 PM reservation time. My host had calamari and lamb chops , and I had onion soup and salmon. I don't think these items could have been better anywhere--spectacular presentation, freshness, and flavors. The restaurant was very busy--even on a Wednesday night.

Our waiter was professional and efficient--superb and attentive service to match the expertly prepared food. Our table for 2 was comfortable and not too noisy considering how busy the place was.

So, Staghorn is appropriate for special occasions and expense account meals. You get what you pay for and when you buy dinner here, you receive quality dining at its best. So, I rate Staghorn 5 stars.

• Pros: fresh food,service,ambiance

06/25/08

Surprising find in Midtown

by jodyrigdon

I am a frequent traveler and generally stick to my zagat recommended favorites when on the road, but last week, when my boyfriend accompanied me on a trip to New York, I let him pick the restaurant. I had never heard of Staghorn, so I was skeptical, but it was close to the hotel, so we decided to give it a try. Everything was excellent - the wine list was comprehensive but not overwhelming and the owner was well-versed and capable of giving a few good recommendations. The buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad was perfect and plenty big enought to split. We shared the porterhouse for two and some hashbrowns, and again, everything was excellent - including the service. The owner offered us a complimentary dessert that he promised would top anything at Serendipity3 - and he was right - molten chocolate cake with a spot-on consistency of brownie/pudding. Yum. I would definitely go back and take clients or friends.

• Pros: Food, service, wine list
• Cons: Tough to find

02/23/08

EXCELLENT

by alex35

I was looking for a steakhouse where I could take my parents, who were celebrating their anniversary, and came across Staghorn. What a find! The servers were extremely attentive and made our experience delightful. We ordered the porterhouse for 3 (our usual steakhouse order). It was perfectly cooked and practically melted in our mouths. We ate an amazing creamed spinach and a large heaping of delicious hashed browns. I can not wait to go back!

• Pros: Great steak
• Cons: none

02/15/08

Modern Peter Luger's in Midtown

by PeterB201

If Peter Luger's is the standard on what all steak houses are compared against, then this place is a close second. French onion soup had excellent flavor and texture with the broth containing thinly sliced onions. The fried calamari was freshly cooked. We decided on the Porter House for 2 so we can compare to Peter Luger's and it was excellent. Even the steak sauce had excellent flavor with a nice crips bite of horshradish.

Hash brown and onion rings excellent side dishes.

Glass of red wine only $10, compared to $24 at Capital Grill for there house wine.

The staff there can be a bit overattentive, however, they are polite and unlike other people who reviewed this place, i never felt rushed nor did they take food away while I still eating.

So over all for two people we spent under $150 without tip for a great dinner. If your coming in from NJ, its easy to get to from the tunnel and easy to get back home.

Parking across the street is very convienient and they will even validate your ticket at the restaurant, so you only pay $15, which is a deal to park in midtown on a Friday nite.

• Pros: Excellent food! Great Ambience! Easy access to and from the Lincoln Tunnel
• Cons: The staff can be bit more relaxed, but its not too overbearing.

02/15/08

Highly recommended

by saucykins

We decided to check out Staghorn on a recent NYC trip, I chose it because of the ratings on here and I was so glad we did! The french onion was amazing and ceaser salad was just as good. We chose the filet and although it was very tasty, it tasted a little off from some other $40 steaks that I've had. All in all, it was a very relaxing atmosphere and I would highly recommend.

• Pros: great service and atmosphere
• Cons: a bit pricey

12/08/07

Great Midtown steakhouse

by greeny79

I heard there was a good steakhouse near Penn station and decided to check it out. The location seemed unusual, but worth the gamble. Four of my friends and I went on a Thursday night. It was pretty crowded but not jam-packed, which made for a comfortable meal. The waiters were quick and professional. The maitre de was helpful with choosing a wine from the pretty impressive list. The canadian bacon appetizer was the perfect starter. ALso I stuck to the classic porterhouse (medium rare) and was happy to find a juicy and generously sized cut. Only one friend went for seafood and loved the Dover sole. Onion rings were crisp and not greasy. The hashed browns were definitely among the best I have had in NY. Defintely reccommend this restaurant that stick to fair prices, good service, and great steak.

06/23/07

Best Steak Ever!

by midtowngirl5

I went to Staghorn yesterday with a group of friends and we were suprised at the quality dining experience we had. To start we had the seafood bouquet with some of the best shrimp and oysters. Then we moved to the Porterhouse steak for four, perfectly cooked. The wine list was also very good. Such a great surprise in the Garment district. We will be back!

• Pros: food and wine
• Cons: none

06/16/07

Give this one a pass

by kturner008

Based on the good reviews my fiance and I checked this place out last Friday. After our dining experience I seriously question the legitimacy of the prior reviews.

While friendly, the service was incompetent. I know nothing about lighting, but the florescent lighting at the bar was horrible and the light they kept flipping on the "wine cellar" under the stairs was very distracting. It appeared that one of the servers spent a lot of time sitting in there in the dark on a stool as there was no one in the restaurant.

Both of our steaks were severely over cooked and there were all kinds of bone shards in my crab. Uncle Jacks is a few blocks away as is Keens. Both would be a much better dining experience.

• Pros: none
• Cons: food, lighting, service