Steak House: The People, the Places, the Recipes

Steak House: The People, the Places, the Recipes

The New York Times bestselling author of Foodheim returns to slide into red leather booths across the country in search of the ultimate expression of a beloved American icon: the steak house. In Steak House , Eric Wareheim takes you on a road trip across the country, exploring what these local institutions mean in an age of cookie-cutter restaurants. Join him at New York classics like Peter Luger's, local stalwarts like North Carolina's Beef 'N Bottle, and over-the-top iterations like Bern’s in Florida. From these journeys Eric has collected 45 of the best, most decadent recipes, which are accompanied by glorious images of the food, the restaurants, and most importantly the people behind them. Discover why the martini is THE drink to order and why Mexico should be a stop on your next steak house road trip. Hear about Jerome Williams, the bartender and server at Beef 'N Bottle who made Eric start this steak house journey in the first place. When you're ready to make the steak house standards at home, you'll have options like the Prime Rib , Parker House Rolls , and Thick and Thin Onion Rings or go for newer additions like Pollo Asado and The Crown of Pork . With every visit, Eric uncovers regional character and shows you why a steak house's hospitality remains unmatched. Steak House transports you to a night of revelry and good fun, whether dining in or out. Eric Wareheim is a director, actor, comedian, and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, who have been making TV shows, movies, books, and music for twenty years. Wareheim also acted in, produced, and directed episodes of the Netflix series Master of None . His first cookbook, Foodheim , was a New York Times bestseller and one of the best cookbooks of the year for The New Yorker and New York Post. Introduction I love a big ol’ bone-in rib eye, nicely marbled and grilled to perfection. I love how I can never really have more than a few bites of it because I always go too hard on the sides. I love telling the server that the cheesecake is for the table and then scarfing down the whole glorious thing by myself—and then ordering a second slice to take home “for tomorrow.” (Only for it to disappear from the fridge before midnight.) This book is about the place that offers these and many more delights: the steak house. It’s a kinder dimension, a universe where the portions are always generous—and sometimes friggin’ huge—the chairs are the type you can sink into for hours, and the volume on everything worldly that might be worrying you has a way of magically getting muted. There’s no better rush than settling into a dimly lit dining room, nibbling on some garlic bread, and hearing the rumble of the Caesar salad cart coming your way. Everyone at the table becomes fully alert. Could that be for us? I think so . . . Wait, it’s moving left. But didn’t we order before them? Oh, now he’s coming. Here we go . . . SHOWTIME. The star performer this evening may not be famous the world over, but their skills are unmatched. Witness how the grand gestures come naturally. Notice how they can time a joke perfectly while in the middle of lighting a gigantic slab of hanging meat on fire. Get ready to celebrate. You can also hide in the steak house’s darkness, alone but never lonely. Unwinding without talking to a soul, focusing your senses on just how nice it feels to sit atop a leather stool at the bar while you nurse a martini and decide whether it’ll be the petit filet or the lamb chops with mint jelly this evening. Don’t feel bad about skipping dessert so you can get home at a somewhat reasonable hour. You can swing by for a sundae tomorrow. It won’t be out of place there. A back-to-back visit just means you’re one step closer to becoming a regular—and being able to call yourself a regular is, to me, one of the best things in this life. Pretty soon, the bartender will greet you with a smile and start stirring your martini the second you walk through the door. The kitchen will be more than happy to do half portions for you. They showed you that move when you were there with your niece last year. Even after her mom explained to her that it would be too much food, the servers could tell that she wanted the onion rings really bad. So they surprised the both of you with a mini-pile instead of the full tower. Those onion ring moments reflect the kind of care you can’t really teach or put your finger on. But you can always tell when it’s there and when it’s not. In my experience, the first sign is receiving a real hug—not one of those quick, half-hearted embraces from an ex you see at a party—I mean the profound variety of hug. The wizardry of a good steak house is that you get that hug without even having anyone’s arms wrapped around you. It’s a vibe-hug and it’s intoxicating. That’s what originally sparked the idea for this book: I wanted an excuse to settle into a handsomely upholstered red banquette, chomp on a wedge, g