Visit #8 · Midtown East, Manhattan
Benjamin Steakhouse
- Score
- 68/100
- Worth a return visit
- maybe
- Ranked
- #5/8
Manhattan, 8 out of 10
Arrived nice and cold in a martini glass (coupe glass is preferred). The Luxardo cherry was on a cocktail pick, but the pick was already sunken into the drink rather than laid across the rim. It was well-balanced and had good bite.
Shrimp Cocktail, 7 out of 10
Four good-sized shrimp. One had great snap; the other three were “OK.” The cocktail sauce was “fine,” but light on bite. No horseradish was offered alongside to adjust it to taste.
Filet Mignon, 21 out of 30
The center-cut filet was cooked to the medium rare I ordered and relatively tender and flavorful. However, it wasn’t a clean barrel cut. The side muscle was left on, with a fair amount of gristle and fat on the chain. There was almost no crust, and it needed more salt. The horseradish I ordered alongside was creamed horseradish (I prefer prepared horseradish).
Creamed Spinach, 6 out of 10
It was a bit “soupy” and too “pureed.” It also tasted too “creamy,” which was ironic given that the menu called it “Creamless Creamed Spinach.”
New York Cheesecake, 3 out of 5
The graham crust was on the bottom only and it was very soft, with no crunch. The texture of the cheesecake itself was very good throughout, and the flavor was good - creamy, sweet, and slightly tangy. The whipped cream was heavy and dense. Oddly, it came with an eight-inch cocktail spoon with a spiral handle and a small bowl.
The Room, 7 out of 10
Classic wood paneling and good partitioning. Both the ambient and task lighting were very well adjusted. The acoustics were not great under the double-height ceiling and additional mezzanine dining area where I was seated.
Service, 6 out of 10
The server was great, but the busy restaurant seemed understaffed and there were a couple of long waits. The shrimp cocktail arrived before the Manhattan. Getting the bill was very slow. The server offered a complimentary after-dinner drink, which I appreciated.
Extras, 4 out of 5
The dinner roll was served warm, but the crust on top was quite hard. The steak knife was very good, with a solid wood handle and a sizable, well-balanced, sharp blade.
Value, 6 out of 10
The filet was $84.95, the Manhattan $26, the creamed spinach $18.95, the shrimp cocktail $35.80 and the cheesecake $15.95. That is $181.65 before tax for the order. At that figure, my reaction was “Hmmmm, feels too pricey all-things-considered”