BLT Prime

111 E 22nd St., Gramercy, NY

8.6

map & more

Neighborhood
Gramercy

Cuisine
American
Steaks

Nearby
Gramercy Theatre

212-995-8500

Official Website

By Andrew Steinthal
August 18, 2009

First and foremost, the popovers at BLT Prime are the single greatest table bread ever – hands down, no contest. These hollow, softball sized treats are warm and doughy on the inside, with a hard pretzel-like shell outside. Served with whipped butter and sea salt, they’re an unbeatable first impression and deserve first ink in this review. As a bonus, Prime includes a small recipe card, welcoming others to attempt to recreate them at home.

My love for BLT Prime grows deeper with every visit. Although it completely destroys your wallet, Prime is an ideal venue for annual celebrations. You get the vibe that everyone is genuinely excited about the meal they’re about to eat. The crowd is buzzing with return customers, most of them young, lower Manhattan types wearing jeans and button downs who prefer BLT Prime’s modern take on the steakhouse to the more traditional spots uptown. In other words, this is not your grandfather’s steakhouse. Prime serves only the best in beef, with all their cuts being either USDA Prime or Certified Black Angus. All beef is naturally dry aged in an in-house dry aging room which you see when you walk in. Let the drooling begin. Bonus points to Prime for serving every single hot dish in its own cast iron skillet. Personal pans are underrated.

Food Rundown:

Popovers
See above.

Chopped Vegetable Salad
A large bowl of fresh radicchio and iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, hearts of palm, crispy shallots, etc., this is definitely the salad to order. The oregano mustard vinaigrette is great, but the salad comes heavily dressed, so you may want to order it on the side.

Tuna Tartar
A+ for presentation. The tartar comes served on ice, with a tangy soy lime dressing and waffle-cut potato crisps. Not surprisingly, it tastes as good as it looks.

Jumbo Crab Salad
There’s nothing quite like a cold, refreshing seafood app to whet your appetite for a big, juicy steak. This special is solid, but unspectacular. The corn and cilantro that’s mixed into the king crab salad is a bit overwhelming, but that won’t stop me from happily cleaning my plate.

Braised Short Ribs
Enter the biggest short ribs you’ve ever seen in your life. Seriously, these ribs are in a whole different league when compared to those you’d find in your typical French Bistro. Served in a cast iron pot the size of a large La Creuset slow cooker, these ribs fall off the bone the instant your fork touches them. I don’t think it’s possible to execute this dish any better. Don’t sleep on the short ribs.

Rib Eye
If you’re dining at BLT Prime for the first time, I highly suggest the rib eye as your introductory beef entree, as it’s the consensus best cut on the menu. Again, we’re talking about a massive portion of cow here. Finishing this 22 ounce beast in one sitting is no easy task, and there’s no shame in bringing half home for lunch the next day. Along with the steak, you get to choose two of BLT’s ten sauces to kick up the flavor. We’re suckers for the chimichurri and bearnaise.

Filet
This 12 oz filet is mint. No complaints.

Onion Rings
Love yourself some onion rings? Order these. Stacked one on top of the other and served in a cast iron pan. Good stuff.

Creamy Spinach
My go-to side dish here. BLT Prime does more than meat well. Their take on spinach is salty, creamy, and delicious.

Potatoes
We’ve tasted the fries, the mashed potatoes, the potato skins, and the creamy potatoes gratin, and they’ve all been great. Also, if you’re a fan of blue cheese, the tater tots are where it’s at.