Practice Makes Pretty Close To Perfect At Benjamin’s Steakhouse In Manhattan

An old German proverb says, “If everything be done twice, everything would be done better.” Imagine then, if everything were done a thousand, ten thousand or a hundred thousand times with all due diligence, how marvelous something could be. More than any kind of restaurant, an American steakhouse is capable of such feats of consistent excellence, even with a broad menu. Unless complacency creeps in, repeating and tweaking items as humble as onion rings and creamed spinach thousands of time each week is going to pretty much assure they are every bit as good this year as last or next.

Of course, the argument begins and ends with great beef of a kind that USDA Prime used to be the epitome. Alas, no longer, since that rating is now stamped on meat that would once have been considered mere Choice.

The beef once only available in the best New York steakhouses like Peter Luger, Palm and Christ Cella is now rarely found outside of the city, least of all in the national chains (that now, sadly, includes the Palm). Fortunately, there are still steakhouses in New York that compete at the highest level to obtain the finest beef, and Benjamin’s Steakhouse—whose owners Benjamin Prelvukaj and Ben Sinanaj both used to work at Luger—is among the very finest.

Taking along one of Luger’s chefs, Arturo McLeod, they opened just south of Grand Central Terminal in 2006 and subsequently just east of the New York Public Library (people often confuse the two upon walking in). They now have another close by, called Benjamin Prime, and one in White Plains, as well as a first-rate seafood restaurant, The SeaFire Grill on East 58th Street.

The two men took over the magnificent Chemist Club building, opened in 1911 as a private enclave for chemists and researchers, which closed in 1987 to become the Dylan Hotel. Its former boardroom, with its splendid mezzanine, is now the main dining room, with 175 seats, with party rooms located in other historic spaces.

The steakhouse setting fits in impeccably with well-set tables topped with double white cloths, fine stemware and good lighting. The noise level can be problematic, unless you’re lucky enough to score one of the recessed curved banquettes. (You can always ask.) And unlike the sit-`em-and-move`em service at many other steakhouses around town, manager John Martinaj and company try very hard to welcome everyone, despite the crush at the host station.

There are civilized touches: generous pats of butter and a dish of olive oil to go with the bread, rolls and sesame crackers; large plates heated to keep the food warm; when I asked for more dressing for my salad, the waiter brought not one, but two, ramekins.

The wine list is extraordinary, which in New York it needs to be in face of the competition around town. Victor Dedushaj is the wine director for all the restaurants. He said that Prime has about 1,000 different wines, Benjamin Steakhouse about 600, SeaFire about 700 and White Plains about 1,000. And he said they have about 200 different liquors. Cocktails are also expertly and generously made.

There’s little on the menu you can’t find elsewhere, but the signature Benjamin salad ($25.95 for two), made with two greens, red onion, apple and a good amount of lump crabmeat, is outstanding. That same sweet crab goes into the crab cake ($29.95) without too much filler. Baked clams are fat and juicy ($18.95), not dried out by overcooking, and the tuna tartare ($26.95) was finely cut from excellent quality tuna bound with just the right amount of seasonings to make it spark. Benjamin’s soup ($17.95) of ground beef, potatoes and onions comes topped with puff pastry, almost like a pot pie.

As already noted, Benjamin’s has top quality USDA dry-aged Prime beef and it is cooked to perfection, with a fine exterior char and an interior that oozes juices and buttery goodness. You can order it for two ($134.95), three ($202.95) or four ($269.95), with the bone, and a good portion of ours ordered for two went home with us that night. The Colorado rack of lamb ($64.95) is a hefty array of equally well-cooked meat whose bones have some of the tastiest bits. I applaud Benjamin’s for not even bothering to serve wagyu, whether facsimiles or true Kobe, because US Prime beef has so much more flavor than those cloyingly fatty cuts.

Beef houses vary when it comes to serving lobsters, and not all do. Benjamin’s does, and a three-pounder (MP) was brought to the table steaming hot and remained so as the waiter deftly cracked its shell and removed the sweet meat with dispatch. (So often elsewhere this ritual takes so long that the lobster cools down.)

Benjamin’s home fries ($15.95) are the potato dish to have, as are the rich creamed spinach ($15.95) and exemplary onion rings ($16.95).

Pace yourself but do have one of the sumptuous desserts, like the cheesecake ($11.95) or chocolate soufflé ($14.95).

Benjamin is not unique in New York—after all, it has a branch nearby—but in a city whose steakhouses compete so intensely so as to keep their menus similar and their prices in line, it stands out among the very best in its league. Add to that the cordiality of the service—not always a given elsewhere—and the careful coordination among host station, captains, bar, kitchen and waitstaff and Benjamin’s is a good template for all newcomers to try to meet.

BENJAMIN’S STEAKHOUSE

52 East 41st Street

212-297-9177

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Tues.-Sat.