We have not been to Strip House in what we think is 13 years?  Our first visit was well before blogging and even Smartphones.  Wow.  One thing remained the same; we left as stuffed as we did the first time.  The first occasion was our Wedding Anniversary and this time we tried Thanksgiving Dinner at Strip House.  The Thanksgiving Menu was their standard steak-centric offering with a Turkey special for $42.  Absurdity, but this is to be expected.

The decor there is bordello all the way with red brocade, red lighting,  and black and white photographs of burlesque dancers on the walls.

We arrived 10 minutes early for our reservation and were told to go to the bar until it was ‘closer to six’.  We assumed they’d retrieve us when our table was available.  20 minutes later the Manager came over and asked us if we wanted to eat at the bar.  We said no, we have a reservation.  And he said he knew, but we had the option.  We thought that odd.  It seemed to be clearing out and they still don’t have a table?

So by 6:20, Steve went to the hostess and asked if our table was ready.  He got an ‘Are you done at the bar?  Are you ready for your table?  Have you closed your tab?’  Apparently they were waiting for us.  That was some very poor communication; twice.  It might have been nice if the Manager asked ‘Are you ready for your table’?  And we’d have said ‘Yes’. We had no clue we needed to pick up a drink and go back to the hostess station!  But what do we know, right?  We don’t get out much.  We let it go.

Also a bit mind-blowing, the male staff stopped at the bar every free moment to stand and watch the football game.  Manager included.  At any given time while we were at the bar there were at least 3 guys in standing there watching.

We were then seated in the bar area, next to the bussing station and between two families with infants and toddlers.  This is quite the combination of bad seating.  Intentional?  Again, we let it go.

The service was very quick once we were seated, so ultimately we were glad we got to enjoy a dirty martini at the bar beforehand and take our time.  And it was a great dirty martini.

We ordered a bottle of Burgundy first while we decided.  We went with Turkey and a 16 oz New York Strip to share.  Those 16 oz steaks are a killer, but it is the smaller option of two. The other is a 20 oz bone-in for $57.  We started with the special Market Salad which was a nice pairing with the Turkey and a Caesar Salad to go with the Steak.

The turkey was served with stuffing, sweet potato puree and haricot vert.  The portion was generous with 4 slices of white meat on a pile of dark.  The sweet potato puree was the star, buttery and rich.  I was also very fond of the balsamic cranberry sauce, pungent and tart.

This was our only useable photo, as it was quite dark and red lighting.  The balance of photos are all from Strip House’s website.

Pinot Noir – Burgundy, Brialles Savigny $75

MARKET SALAD, $14.00
ORGANIC TURKEY, White & Dark Meat, Stuffing, Sweet Potato Puree & Haricot Vert $42.00

Steve’s steak came with a giant head of roasted garlic and he ordered a side of whipped potato puree.  It was absolutely divine and entirely too much food.  Sharing was smart.

CAESAR SALAD hearts of romaine, paprika croutons, shaved parmesan $14.00
NEW YORK STRIP 16oz $49.00
WHIPPED POTATO PUREE $12.00 

All of the children were well behaved luckily with only a few minutes of crying and screaming.  Our placement by the waiters station insured swift service and table clearing. So in the end it all worked out.

See ya in another 13 years, maybe.

http://www.striphouse.com
Strip House Downtown – University Place
13 East 12th Street
New York, NY 10003