I don’t normally compare two restaurants in the same post, however, when two NYC transplant restaurants appear in the same town, the comparison is begging to be written.
I ate in BLT over Memorial Day weekend and I ate at Delmonico’s this past weekend. This undoubtedly gives Delmonico’s a leg up, for the sheer fact that it was opened more than two days when I visited. Both restaurants are offering the same meal at face value: A New York City steak house in the Hamptons. We already have one of these, Bobby Vans. Do we really need two more?
BLT Steak is in the old Nobu at the Capri Hotel. The décor changed very little, if at all, from when it was Nobu. Its beachy, its warm, its pretty. When you sit down they offer you chicken liver pate with your bread and with your meal you are given their famous popovers (with the most enormous salt shakers known to man). The popovers alone are worth the visit to BLT. The menu at BLT is limiting. If you do not want to eat steak you have very few other options; one fish and one chicken option. The steak portions are also huge, comically so. The meal is very expensive, however, you get a lot of food for your money. The caesar salad, tuna tartar, and the slice of double cut bacon were all great as appetizers. They refused to split the caesar in the kitchen, which seems like an easy request. The hanger steak was tasty and not chewy, but I am warning you, it is ridiculously salty. Coming from a family that salts everything, this was the saltiest steak I’ve ever eaten. I was drinking water all night. To me, nothing ends a meal on a better note than when the check is served with a small cookie. And man, did BLT surpass a little cookie. They serve warm blondie squares with the check and they were incredible bites of warm chocolatey goodness. BLT was pretty empty on Memorial Day weekend, but it was Sunday night and early in the season. As the season continues, I believe the crowd will pick up (if it hasn’t already).
Delomonico’s is in the old Savannah’s location. I was very sad to see Savannah’s go, so for me, it will be big shoes to fill. Unlike BLT Steak, I have never been to Delmonico’s in NYC, so this was a completely novel experience. Delmonico’s updated the décor and made it feel more “beachy-farm chic,” if that’s a thing. The menu at Delmonico’s has a wider range of non-steak items to choose from. It is still very expensive, but the portions are somewhat small. The tuna tartar was incredibly tiny. It was actually three bites. The caesar salad was an average size. The salmon, filet, and burger were all decent and we each enjoyed our meal. The food is certainly good enough, but nothing that exciting. There were a lack of waiters and our waiter was always in a rush and never stayed at the table long enough to answer a question. Overall, the meal at Delmonico’s was just slightly better than okay.
The winner of round 1 of the Steak-Off is BLT Steak. The extra perks when dining at BLT along with the portion sizes make dinner a better bang for the buck. At both places you will get a good crowd, good food, and a slight nostalgia for the restaurants that were.
