Arielle Kaish Cohen
Dec. 30th 2012 at 11:08am
Had the most amazing dinner last night at W&L. Started with the pastrami wrapped sesame chicken, AMAZING, then my husband got a wonderful tuna and I got the fettucini chicken with spinach and asparagus. The asparagus was PERFECTLY cooked and everything was so tasty and delicious . It really made our night. We tried the fried pickles which were so fun. My glass was NEVER empty and the waiter was super friendly and attentive. We always loved going to W&L but last night’s experience took it over the top. Thanks!
Posted by ben w on 11/17/2011
Solid kosher place, finally
came in from Boston, hadn’t been to this rest. in years. Was very impressed. the maitre d’ was very friendly and concerned that we were happy. The steaks were perfect, the noise level decent, and the service excellent. Even the dessert, pumpkin pie, was perfect. I would choose this rest over the more expensive kosher steakhouses. Very solid performance without walking out with a headache from the noise and from being forced to eat in your neighbor’s lap. I strongly recommend this place if you are looking for a good kosher rest. I even took home some chicken soup for what ails you! Keep it up. I’ll let the Boston people know.
JV Restaurant Review
by Jewish Voice on Wednesday, September 28, 2011
By Daniel and Penina Perez
Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan (just steps away from Rockefeller Center), Wolf & Lamb presents itself as a deli and steakhouse. But calling Wolf & Lamb a deli/steakhouse is like referring to the Smithsonian as a “museum.” In other words, yes, it’s technically accurate; it just fails to adequately capture the enormity of the experience of going there.
Entering the restaurant, we were impressed by the décor, perhaps best described as sophisticated urban casual. With exposed brick walls and a high ceiling, fans and visible ventilation ducts gave it the feel of a high-end residential loft. The black and white photos of happy customers made the restaurant feel more relaxed and down to earth than one might expect at a high-end eatery.
For our first course, we ordered chicken tenders wrapped in pastrami, and for contrast, a little tuna tartare. The former was doused in a delightfully piquant and tangy barbecue sauce (made in-house, of course). It dazzles the tongue without overpowering, though the spiciness does linger for a bit. The latter, served with fresh veggies and a horseradish-based sauce, was just the opposite: cool and refreshing. It was like sashimi, re-imagined with more of a Continental sensibility. As a general rule, I don’t go looking for fish in a steakhouse, but if you wind up here on a business meeting, and you’re not too keen on red meat, this may be just the thing for you.
To wash it down, we had bottle of hefeweizen (wheat beer); “Weihenstephaner,” I think it was called, but don’t quote me, or ask me to pronounce it. In any case, we noticed that the Wolf & Lamb does not have a liquor/cocktail menu. They make up for it with an excellent selection of beer and wine (all the more impressive for those of us familiar with the dismal lack of variety that plagues the kosher dining scene). Of course, if you’re ordering a steak and want anything other than a pint of ale, or a good hearty red to drink with it, odds are there’s something lacking with the steak. That was not the case here.
Between the appetizer and the main event, we tried the W&L Signature Salad. Cool, crisp vegetables, succulent marinated chicken, all tossed in a delicate vinaigrette. Penina describes the salad as “light and summery,” the kind of thing you’d like to have at an afternoon picnic. What we really noticed, though, were the chickpeas. We’ve tried them boiled, we’ve had them blended into hummous, we’ve eaten them dry-roasted, like peanuts. Here, they were fried, acting as little round croutons—delicious, and at the risk of sounding childish, kind of fun to eat.
Okay, enough with the vegetables. Since you’re reading this review of the Wolf & Lamb, you’re waiting for one thing: meat. For the main course, I ordered the aged ribeye (medium rare) and a glass of Merlot, both recommended by the waiter. Penina had the rack of lamb (medium).
The Wolf & Lamb’s 28-Day Dry Aged Ribeye. They should have sent…a poet.
The Wolf & Lamb’s 28 day dry aged rib-eye is kosher in two ways: First, it is under the hashgacha of the OK, which certifies the meat as glatt kosher (Chassidishe shechita, no less). But in a more esoteric sense, for us at least, the ribeye offers proof of the existence of a benevolent and loving G-d. We encourage the reader to go and see for themselves (not as a test of faith, mind you, but as a test of how flavorful, how perfect a steak can be). Upon taking our first bite two of our five senses immediately shut down. I was either struck temporarily deaf and blind by the sheer magnitude of the steak’s aroma and flavor, or the rest of the universe simply faded away in its presence. Either explanation strikes Penina and me as equally feasible.
For those unfamiliar with the dry aging process used for high-end steaks (I have to confess, this was our first), allow us (with a little help from Wikipedia) to fill you in. Dry-aged beef is beef that has been hung to dry for several weeks—about a month, in the case of the W&L ribeye. After shechita, the meat is cleaned, and parts are placed in a cooler (also known, rather counter- intuitively, as a “hot box”). This process involves considerable expense, as the beef must be stored near freezing temperatures. Also, only the higher grades of meat can be dry aged, as the process requires meat with a large, evenly distributed fat content. For these reasons one seldom sees dry-aged beef outside of steak restaurants and upscale butcher shops.
This process has two main effects. One is that natural enzymes contained within the meat break down connective tissue. The result: A softer, more tender steak. The other (and this is our favorite) is that moisture is evaporated from the meat, leading to a greater concentration of the beef’s natural flavor. In other words, it’s the kind of steak that, when you cut into it, isn’t dripping with juices, but rather the taste of the steak, the essential “steakiness,” if you will, is amplified to levels that will make your tastebuds do a happy little dance. Also, I ordered the 12 oz. “medium” steak, but that size probably indicates the weight post-aging. In other words, it was essentially a pound of steak in a condensed package.
The lamb was also quite impressive. Not as life-altering as the steak, but to be fair, that’s a pretty tough act to follow. We also found it to be a little salty, perhaps to counteract the natural gaminess of the meat, but certainly worth ordering again.
The chocolate mousse pie, complete with chocolate shavings, and Oreo cookie crust, and yes, those are caramelized banana slices.
Our heads still spinning from the crescendo of flavor that reached its peak with the steak and lamb, we ordered desserts – a chocolate soufflé and an apple bread pudding, which turned out to be the perfect end for a perfect meal. I couldn’t recommend one over the other (Penina recommends the chocolate), as it’s really a matter of personal preference. The desserts offerings at Wolf & Lamb are, simply put, the finest possibly examples of those dishes, made all the more amazing for their (nearly) undetectable absence of dairy products.
The meal we had at Wolf & Lamb was so good we insisted on meeting the chef, just so we could shake his hand. It turns out the chef, Daniel Espinoza, perfected his craft in the mid-1990’s at Manhattan’s Brasserie Les Halles (a “brasserie” is the French word for an unpretentious restaurant specializing in simple, hearty dishes; a term that ironically strikes us as needlessly pretentious), which is the culinary home base of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.
For those of you who have an itch that your neighborhood deli can’t scratch, we heartily recommend the Wolf & Lamb Steakhouse. With the choicest meats, butchered on site, it’s a kosher carnivore’s dream come true.
Great Food!
by Amy
November 16, 2010 – Likes it
Service was wonderful, friendly and efficient staff! Had a huge steak that was cooked perfectly! Will definitely be back soon!
Recommend
fine dining experience
by scrumpcious
January 19, 2010 – Likes it
we ate out and were truly impressed. attentive hostess with a knowledgable waiter made a perfect evening. almost forgot thanks to the chef for a great dinner.
I give this one five stars
Posted by Hannah on 07/19/2011
Deeeelish!!!
My husband and I came here for his birthday. The ambiance was warm and inviting. Our waiter was very helpful and accommodated us with no problem. We started out with tuna tartare which was delicious. I had the hanger steak and my husband the pepper crusted fillet mignon and they were both cooked to perfection. We ended our meal with a piece of chocolate mouse cake which was absolutely wonderful. My husband loved it! and i cant wait to come here again!!
Posted by Weekly Customer on 07/19/2011
A Lunch at Wolf and lamb
I eat lunch at Wolf and Lamb every other week. and I must say I am impressed almost every time. The servers are very friendly and informative. The food is always great and exactly how I ordered it. I always try the lunch specials and they are always delicious!
Posted by happy swede on 06/23/2011
pure delight!
Love this lovely warm and inviting spot in the heart of heartless midtown. A beautiful gem of a place with fresh and delicious food, friendly staff and nice fellow patrons. I recommend the chef’s specials which were all exceptional. Try the watermelon cocktail drink and the pepper filet. Boy am I happy i’m not a vegetarian!
Posted by Anonymous on 05/26/2011
one of a kind gem
Great American food with good flavors fresh ingredients and nice Jewish home cooking touch. No stuffy French restaurant, fun bubbly atmosphere great for business lunch great for dinner with friends guys take your wife or gf and just chill . As fun as a burger place should be. As yummy as a great NY restaurant should be. And everyone there was smiling, including the waiter. Oooh and don’t forget the spectacular desserts. Warning do not bring boring in laws or sour granny here it’ll just ruin it for u. Can’t wait to go back! Don’t u just love it when something is just done right?!
Posted by anonymous on 02/14/2011
amazing
the entire experience at Wolf & Lamb steakhouse was amazing. best steak dinner, best original delcious desserts, amazing personal service, ambiance was classy but comfortable. wonderful experience. highly recommend.
Posted by mark on 08/06/2010
overall very good
the food was great but a bit pricey; nice time
Posted by Anne T on 07/15/2010
Great Steaks!
We ate at W&L a few weeks ago and had a great experience. Our server was helpful and knowledgeable and guided us through the ample wine list. Tuna Tartar was light and well seasoned, the Dry Aged Ribeye was wonderful and flavorful. Always go for the pastry chefs specials, the berry crumble was fabulous!
Posted by Food Lover on 01/12/2010
satisfying and enjoyable experience
I was in NY for a week with my family, and ate at wolf and lamb twice. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The service was great, and the food was delicious. The first time I had the Wolf and Lamb rib eye burger, I have had a burger like that in years. The second time i had the filet mignon and it was truly amazing and finished it off with a delicious dessert a chocolate souffle. I just wish Wolf and Lamb would open up here in Australia. All of you at wolf and lamb thank you for the special attention and for making our trip so memorable.
Posted by Andrew on 10/05/2009
Great Experience!
We tried this great Kosher Steakhouse recently. The ambiance is warm and inviting. The staff were friendly and even offered a complimentary dessert. The food was fresh, tasty and well prepared….we thanked the chef personally as they have an open kitchen. The place isn’t cheap but for midtown and kosher I rate them a good bang for your buck.
Sandra M.
Jersey City, NJ
9/12/2011
Came here on a Wednesday night for dinner. Had the Tuscan Chicken Sandwich and it hit the spots…didn’t get anything else since it was a school night …my friend had the steak special and she raved about it.
Pascal B.
Manhattan, NY
2/17/2011
Due to being in the Jew crew, my fiance and I decided it wouldnt be appropriate to celebrate the holiday of Saint valentine so instead we went out on Feb 16th instead which also helped avoid the crazy dinner crowds.
We went to the Jimmy fallon show in the afternoon and got pretty lucky when they switched out Rosie O’Donnel for forest whitaker. I knew wolf and lamb was right by the NBC studios so we headed their starving after the show. I didnt have a reservation but we were seated right away.
After eyeing the menu for awhile I decided to get the W &L Burger with pineapple tempura and sweet potato fries and my fiance got the lamb burger with homemade onion rings. After a surprisingly short wait we got our food. Unfortunaltey they gave me a baked sweet potato instead of my fries, but they promptly fixed their mistaked when i informed the waiter. Both our burgers were just insane, so juicy and delicious. They did not have much sense on them, but it wasnt needed because the meat was such high quality. My fiance actually declared it the best burger she has ever eaten!
I didn’t get s drink and only ened up spendign $23, including tip, but with a drink or with the steak I’d definitely be in the $30-50 range.
Menupages.com
Posted by Andrew on 10/05/2009
Great Experience! We tried this great Kosher Steakhouse recently. The ambiance is warm and inviting. The staff were friendly and even offered a complimentary dessert. The food was fresh, tasty and well prepared…we thanked the chef personally as they have an open kitchen. The place isn’t cheap but for midtown and kosher I rate them a good bang for your buck.
Posted by Ann R. on 06/29/2009
Amazing evening! I was in from out-of-town and had heard this restaurant was really good, so I made a point of going. It was well worth it – fabulous food- very fresh, great ambiance and live music. The service was great, and very fair prices. This has definitely become a must-stop for me, when I am in New York.
Posted by Happy Diner on 10/08/2007
Posted by Anonymous on 08/07/2009
loved it
My brother and I come to W&L when we were looking for a relaxing evening with delicious food and we have always gone home happy. The food is superb, the service is generally top-notch and the ambience is comfortable yet elegant. the food took a while to come out of the kitchen but it was well worth the wait. the bread that they recently started giving is burnt. i really miss the garlik bread that they used to searve. I highly recommend the t-bone (medium well) and the pepper crusted filet (medium) which was kind of small for the price.
Posted by donovan on 07/04/2009
Great Solid Choice!
sent here by my concierge and was very happy with the recommendation. Familiar food with a twist. I tried a peppercorn filet and a fantastic lemon tart for dessert. The service was friendly and the mood very mellow. I will be back!
Posted by Ann R. on 06/29/2009
Amazing evening!
I was in from out-of-town and had heard this restaurant was really good, so I made a point of going. It was well worth it – fabulous food- very fresh, great ambiance and live music. The service was great, and very fair prices. This has definitely become a must-stop for me, when I am in New York.
Posted by Ana M on 06/23/2009
Best Kosher meal in Manhattan
Excellent steak and chicken and best Kosher restaurant in Manhattan.
Posted by jaques on 06/21/2009
Great steaks!!!
In from Paris and looking for something familiar…great steaks and wine and loved the music! A definite MUST!
Posted by steakman on 01/06/2009
tried it and liked it
a great kosher steak bistro..nice jazz atmosphere on monday and thursday…innovative menu….bustling and upbeat crowd…reasonably priced and not pretentious burgers were awesome and steak sandwich one of the best koser versions i have ever had… will definitely be back…
Posted by Happy customer on 08/09/2008
Great kosher steakhouse
I have been to many kosher restaurants in NYC and this place is definitely my favorite. The food is excellent and the prices are extremely fair. Additionally, the decor is nice. This certainly is not your average kosher restaurant. I highly recommend the filet mignon it was tender and juicy. The sides are equally as good I recommend the sweet potato fries. Even the parve desserts are so good that you can hardly tell they are parve. A must try for anyone craving good quality Jewish meat in a nice atmosphere.
Posted by Anonymous on 12/19/2007
Great Kosher restaurant
OK, those complaining about prices need to relax. This is a steakhouse catering to yuppies in midtown Manhattan, don’t expect $0.50 soft drinks. If you can’t spend $30 per person avoid this place outright. If you can afford it, it’s a great place to bring those who don’t eat kosher food. The food is usually quite good (every place has its down days where stuff happens) and the service is fine and the atmosphere doesn’t make you wince as it might in your run-of-the-mill pizza/felafel joint. In other words it’s a place to bring non-Jews without worrying you’ll have to explain and laugh off some of the unprofessional restauranteurism of the establishment. My personal favorite is their roasted tongue sandwich. Only those who know how good this dish can be will appreciate how excellently W&L prepare it. It has NEVER disappointed me. I would say 8.5 times out of 10, you’ll leave stuffed and satisfied.
Posted by Alex S on 12/13/2007
Great place!
Wolf and Lamb has a great environment. The staff is very friendly, there’s live jazz and it’s just really nice in general. Having not kept kosher all my life (and having worked at some fancy non-kosher places in my life) I can honestly say Wolf & Lamb is a classy, yet a reasonably-priced place compared to non-kosher places. It’s great for dates as well as a place to take your friends (I do both). I highly recommend Wolf and Lamb.
Posted by Happy Diner on 10/08/2007
Excellent
Delicous! I am exceptionally happy. I was in the mood for a hearty, “real” meal and my friend, who only keeps kosher, thought we should try Wolf & Lamb. Having eaten at some great non-kosher steak houses, I was hesitant. Many of the kosher meat restaurants we’ve been to have been overpriced for what you’re getting – I had yet to even try a decent kosher burger. Well, I am happy to report, Wolf and Lamb totally exceeded my expectations, the price range is right (we spent about $150 after tax and tip for 2 steak dishes, a bottle of wine and dessert), and they easily rival any steak house, kosher or not. Yum! I’m still thinking about the dinner. I can’t wait to go back, and highly recommend it!
Posted by one happy customer on 08/01/2007
great
Just visited Wolf & Lamb on a jaunt to New York. We went on a recommendation and were grateful for the advice. This is a steakhouse in the spirit of the old New York classics with an appreciation of the contemporary. I felt like I was in a movie set. The crowd was friendly and the mood upbeat. The sweet potato fries and Tilapia in chefs tomato caper sauce were fabulous. My date, being a vegetarian, went with the pasta marinara and commented on the homemade sauce. Thanks for a job well done!
Posted by Anonymous on 07/13/2007
Very Good…Except for..
Went on a Tuesday night with family…food was good, portions were huge and the service was friendly; ….only problem was my idiot brother in law sitting across from me.