New York City: Porter House Steakhouse (August 2016)

My spouse and I joined three family members for a celebratory lunch on a Sunday afternoon in mid-August 2016. Porter House is open for lunch and dinner daily. You can make a reservation using the online Open Table system or via telephone.

Chef/owner Michael Lomonaco worked at restaurants 21, Windows on the World, Wild Blue, and Guastavino’s, before he opened Porter House in 2006. He is one of the original Food Network and Travel Channel chef personalities with shows called “Michael’s Place” and “Epicurious”. Lomonaco also appears regularly on “The Chew” and “The Today Show”. Along with Porter House Bar and Grill, Lomonaco also operates Center Bar (in the same building).

Porter House Bar and Grill (previously called Porter House NY) is located in the Time Warner Building at the Shops at Columbus Circle. (Formerly, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s V Steakhouse occupied the Porter House space.) The front of the space houses the large Porter House Bar, a great place to enjoy a drink either before or after your meal, or to eat a more casual meal at the bar itself or at one of the round lounge-type or long communal tables. The spacious dining room features high ceilings with beamed rafters and offers tremendous views of Columbus Circle and Central Park. The dining room spans two levels, one level is a step higher than the other. The higher level spans the corner of the restaurant space and features tables set in front of large windows, whereas the lower center section features booth and table seating. A private dining room is also available.

Porter House serves American cuisine with an emphasis on steaks, seafood, and pasta. (New York is the origin of the famous porterhouse cut.) Our group started with the small chilled seafood plateau (7 pieces each of clams, mussels, crab legs, lobster, shrimp, with dipping sauces; the large size offers 12 of each item) and the tomato and burrata salad (with heirloom tomatoes of various colors and sizes, amazingly creamy burrata, and a dressing of olive oil with a tiny smattering of pesto sauce). As entrees, we ordered the Amish chicken (with frites and gravy), hanger steak (with frites and chimicurri sauce), cobb salad, gulf shrimp salad, one 3-course $24 prix fixe (with Caesar salad, petite filet and mashed potatoes). For dessert, because we were celebrating two birthdays, the restaurant brought us two desserts to share: cheesecake (with blueberries) and chocolate lava cake (with whipped cream).