201 E 49th St, New York, NY 10022 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" VG Upon being seated for dinner at Wollensky’s Grill, you’re immediately presented with the adjacent pricier and revered Smith & Wollensky’s woodbound menu (also available upon request at lunch). Skip to the grill’s paper menu, on each cloth-covered table, and you’ll find that the casual counterpart to the celebrated steakhouse takes its meat no less seriously. Filet Mignon is a lone, juicy, grilled mesa atop a dinner plate. Burgers are made with the same prime beef, house-butchered and dry-aged. And lamb chops, despite their thick cut, are tender all the way through. Accompaniments include satiny-smooth creamed spinach (with emphasis on the cream), a giant, dense baked potato, and a chunky-crisp mash of hash browns. Puzzlingly, steamed asparagus is served dry. Among somewhat lighter fare are soups, salads and sandwiches, shrimp and crab cocktails, and steamed lobster—each presented with all-American simplicity. The 70-seat bar room’s dark wood, brass and green marble accents evoke an Ivy League university club. Testosterone-revved Wall-Street and ESPN types with loosened ties boisterously pack the bi-level space, where it’s first come, first served, and cold bottled beer is served in ice-filled buckets. The all-American wine list features whole and half bottles, plus wine by the glass, at honest prices.
