Quality Meats

The Quality Meats storefront.

Graciously invited out to dinner by my brother and sister-in-law, we decide to meet somewhere in Midtown. She pitched Quality Meats, a spot I’ve used for the occasional after-work cocktail, but hadn’t tried for dinner. We said sure, and gave it a run. I probably should’ve looked into the restaurant a little bit before I arrived, because, stupid me, I was a bit surprised that it is a straightforward (if stylish) steakhouse. I suppose I should’ve known, based on the name of the joint… .

With four of us, we ordered quite a bit. For starters, we got the crab & avocado salad, chowder, a tomato/onion ring salad, and the charcuterie. The chowder was very tasty, buttery, and pleasant. The crab & avocado was a big hit – delicious, slightly creamy somehow. The charcuterie, which I’d had before, was delicious and reliable, though I found some of the pieces of meat had a peppery note. The biggest misnomer was QM’s attempt to label the tomato dish a “salad:” it consists of a serving of onion rings, bacon, bleu cheese and some tomatos. Where’s the salad in that?

The sirloin.

For entrees, we got the porterhouse (for two), baked oysters, and the sirloin.

One cute feature of Quality Meats is their method of serving steak sauce. It’s prepared from fresh ingredients at your table, like fresh guacamole at some excellent Mexican joints. I also have to say it is quite tasty – ordinarily I dislike any kind of sauce on my steak (tends to hide the flavor of the meat). However, the sirloin was quite salty, and the sauce really did help. It had a vague worcestershire kick, though perhaps that’s not quite right. Either way, it was very tasty.

I generally find ordering a porterhouse anywhere in New York City other than Peter Luger’s to be a waste of time and meat. I am pleased to report that the Quality Meats porterhouse is surprisingly excellent. They don’t char it the way Luger’s does, so the velvety, buttery texture of the meat – along with its terrific quality – really shines through. If I return to the place, I may actually order it. Either way, it was far superior to the sirloin. Don’t get me wrong – the sirloin was a very fine piece of meat, but just too salty.

Baked oysters

Just look at the baked oysters. What’s that you say? You don’t see any oyster underneath the toast? Well I didn’t taste any either. It was, in my opinion, a waste of oysters. The breading is tasty, but… .

Bubble and squeak.

For sides, the breading bonanza continues – fried asparagus (tasty), bubble and squeak (mistakenly brought to our table) was heavy and breaded, with a surprising cream topping.  However, between the oysters, onion rings, bubble and squeak, and asparagus, I wound up thinking they should rename the restaurant “Quality Breading.”

The surprising star of the show.

On a whim, at dessert, I ordered the Old English lemonade: home-made lemonade with cucumber, mint and jalapeno. Holy moley, it was unbelievably excellent. It was clearly the best thing we had at the table, and a good portion for $4.50. Apparently they make them to go, so if in the neighborhood on a hot day, you’d do well to get one. The blend of flavors is magnificent: the lemonade is sweet (but not too much), the mint awakens it, the jalapeno pops against the cool drink, and the cucumber closes and soothes. It’s fantastic.

I should add that after the meal I had a moment of severe gastointestinal distress. However, my stomach had been upset earlier in the day, so I am not convinced it came from the meal, despite the immediacy of the attack.

All in all, I think I might try the place again. The porterhouse and the lemonade were very good.

Quality Meats