“Look, horns!” A blonde gestures to the gleaming white fiberglass priapic shapes jutting above the heads of the testosterone-fueled bar crowd at the glamorous new Meatpacking steakhouse STK. “How apropos!”
With its sleek, dramatic design, STK exemplifies the new female-friendly, NYC steakhouse geared to a younger, hipper crowd.
Under the direction of executive chef Todd Mark Miller, cuisine is playful and creatively presented. Grilled steaks come in three sizes—small, medium and large—and can be paired with six choices of sauces. In keeping with the new steakhouse trend, Miller gives equal focus to innovative non-steak cuisine.
A starter of chunky roasted beets ($11) arrives atop a tangy pool of curry-accented yogurt. Jumbo lump crab ($18) with avocado and kefir lime plates up on discs of green melon. Shrimp cocktail ($16), thick and meaty, and seductively silky raw tuna ($14) are day-boat fresh, both served on ice in an unconventional rectangular platter.
Our order of the “small” T-bone steak (10 oz. for $26) looked so big we asked the waiter if we received the large by mistake. Accompanied by a red wine sauce ($2) the meat was fine, but usurped by the decadent and addictive side order of savory, plump, rectangular shaped parmesan truffle fries ($9) stacked log-cabin style on a round plate. Skate wing, the “it” fish of the moment, is served with ponzu and shitake brown butter. Other alternatives to steak include chicken, Hudson Valley duck breast, roasted lamb, lobster and wild striped bass, ranging in price from $24 (including both the organic chicken breast and the skate) to $46 (the intriguing sounding “surf, turf, & earth”—tuna, black truffle and foie gras.)
STK’s wine list is impressive in both its layout and inventory, many bottles reasonably priced. A short header explains what characteristics to look for in the bottle selections that follow, organized by grape varietals. For example, Syrah/Shiraz is described as “powerfully flavored and full bodied, known for its flavors of spicy blackberry, plum and pepper,” while flavors attributed to Cabernet Sauvignon include black currant, dark berry, cedar and vanilla. Though the servers seemed well versed on the wines, the descriptions make it easy for a beginning oenophile to select wines on his or her own.
As good as the service and cuisine is, the main attraction here is the upbeat scene in the sensual, candlelit lounge as well as the main dining spaces. New York-based Icrave Design Studio created an exaggerated, theatrical look based on the starkly lit set designs of Robert Wilson. Large parties may enjoy the white leather “pods” in the center of the dining room. At these comfortable, elevated tables, diners are illuminated by soft spotlights and reflected by a large mirror in the back of the room, thus becoming players in the restaurant-as-theater motif.
If you’d rather play the role of a voyeur, ask for a table in the garden room near the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which overlook busy Little West 12th Street. Here, especially late nights on weekends, you’ll be treated to a parade of shiny stretch limousines and “Page Six” quality celebrities heading towards TenJune (located directly below STK) and the other hip clubs lining the street.
What makes STK a “modern steakhouse” instead of simply a stylish restaurant that also serves steak, are the design and theme. Traditional cattle horns of the old-style steakhouse now take form in the fiberglass horn-like sculpture on the wall above the bar. Baked potatoes have been reborn in the parmesan truffle fries. And the option of ordering a small or medium sized steak instead of having to deal with a single-sized, huge chunk of meat is clearly a plus when your post-dinner goal is to party. And at STK, you don’t even have to leave the restaurant to do so. Sweet.
STK
26 Little W. 12th St. (betw. 9th Ave. & Washington St.) 646-624-2444
