Keen's Chophouse (Steakhouse) for mutton chops

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Thursday, January 19. 2012

Keen's Chophouse (Steakhouse) for mutton chops

A fine old New York carnivore's delight, on W. 36th St. since 1885. Actually, it was a club before that, back when Herald Square was NYC's theater district.

Keen's is famous for their mutton chops (photo). How do you like your mutton done? (don't say "Dressed as lamb").

I'm getting hungry. Need to get back there soon. Remember when manly pubs were termed "watering holes" and hearty meat-eaters were termed "trenchermen"? The good old days, before wimpy metrosexual scaredy-cat men, and before we had a President who eats arugula. (Confession: I like arugula, and dandelion greens too, but I could happily live the rest of my life without salad or vegetables.)

Everybody in the NY metropolitan area has his own favorite steakhouse, and NYC has tons of them. It's a guy thing. Wives prefer their favorite Italian or French bistros, and those are fine with me too.

Posted by Bird Dog in Food and Drink, Our Essays at 17:37 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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Currently, it's Carmen Anthony's in New Haven and Waterbury (three fishhouses, too): http://www.carmenanthony.com/content/home -1 point for annoying recording here, though.

Chicago? Kansas City? Miami? Fort Worth? I've had faves there, too, but it's hard to beat Ruth's Chris Steakhouses almost anywhere.

Even before I lived there in the 60's and 70's, there was The Cattleman. Read the comments about the place here:
http://www.askanewyorker.com/phorum/read.php?34,70771

The cookbook: "Adult Western.
Larry “Cat” Ellman’s New York City institution recaptured the charm and manly elegance of a plush San Francisco saloon or hotel at the turn of the century, and became one of the nation’s most successful restaurants. Naturally, beef was its specialty, and The Cattleman’s Steak Book’s 200 recipes capture the flavor of distinctively Western dining from “the adult Western restaurant.”
http://www.newyorkfirst.com/gifts/9071.html

It was in the Fred F. French Building, 551 5th Avenue.

#1 Steve in CT on 2012-01-19 21:21 (Reply)

Chicago is famous for The Stockyards Inn, a place I've been to more than once. Carl Sandburg talks about it in one of his poems. In my turbulent youth, I had a beau who owned interest in The Stockyards Inn, and he taught me quite a bit about beef, on the hoof and off. Most folks aren't aware today that in the 1960s the U.S. Government [those guys -- wouldn't ya know] changed the quality grading of American beef and downgraded it all by one grade, so what we buy now as prime, was choice, today's choice was yesterday's 'good' and today's 'good' was 'cutter and canner' and not available in butcher shops, but rather canned. As far as top grade, or prime, is concerned, it supposedly is unavailable to the general public, and it goes to the White House, of course, and a few extraordinarily exclusive restaurants, probably like Keene's Chophouse.

I think it was "dirty pool" of the government to do this so secretively but, sadly, typical of the "elite" who have to have the best of everything. I do know that midwestern beef, from Wisconsin and Illinois is really lovely and I miss it.

Marianne

#2 Marianne Matthews on 2012-01-19 23:20 (Reply)

I remember hearing the stories of the changed beef grades; thanks for the reminder, Marianne.

Also, almost all good restaurants had a beef "aging room." In the really old days, these were a cool cellar that the mostly grass-fed beef hung in for a few weeks, while bacteria naturally tenderized the proteins. When commercial refrigeration became practical, these rooms could be put anywhere near the kitchen, and there was a bit of art in designing them - too much airflow or too great a difference between the refrigerating surface and the room temperature, and the meat dried out. Slime on the meat (biofilm for you scientists) was scraped off when you wanted to slice some off for a customer. Can you imagine what the gummint agencies would say about those rooms today? (I know, I used to listen to them for a living! But, that was before the Nanny State ruled us all.)

#2.1 Steve in CT on 2012-01-19 23:39 (Reply)

There are several great steakhouses in New York. I like Keen's for many reasons, but I have never been to one of the most famous: Peter Luger's.

I will get there. I've heard it's overrated. But even if it is, the name is legend and for that reason alone it's worth a visit.

The Striphouse is one I've been to several times, and enjoy. Also, The Old Homestead is another.

Then, of course, there are my industry hangouts like Smith & Wollensky and Ben Benson's. Both are just terrific, though I spend very little time in that part of the city anymore.

New York's political gangs congregated at steakhouses for the reason BD mentions - women were never big carnivores. Steakhouses often served as the 'local chapter' of whatever political club was in the area.

My favorite steak of all time was at Simpson's on the Strand, in London. But that was a good 30 years ago. I was lucky enough to be taken there as a young student by my father. I'm sure part of my memory was the ambiance rather than the steak itself.

#3 Bulldog on 2012-01-20 10:26 (Reply)

Had the great pleasure to have dinner at the bar with a coworker last week. My first time there...

#4 Cabincurt on 2012-01-20 16:24 (Reply)

Lorenzo's, in Trenton NJ, right next to the train station. Had a famous aging room, all wood.....superb steaks, outstanding atmosphere.
Destroyed by the inevitable influence of the liberal democrat policies that render cities uninhabitable.
So sad.
BTW, Peter Luger's original Brooklyn establishment is excellent. Over rated only due to the fact that generally speaking Brooklyn is 30-50% cheaper than the City, and PL's is not cheap.

#5 nj mike on 2012-01-20 17:38 (Reply)

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Thursday, January 19. 2012

Keen's Chophouse (Steakhouse) for mutton chops