"steakhouses" news and stories

• In spite of the economic woes the country faced during 2008, the restaurant scene in New York City flourished, with a number of three star restaurants finding their place in the city's scene.
• A list of the top places in NYC to eat well while keeping an eye on the bottom line.
• Diamond Jim Brady is one of histories most famed eaters, known to eat enough food to fuel a small city for his morning repast. However, could he truly have eaten that much? David Kamp looks into his gluttonous ways.
• Salted caramel has gone from elite flavor profile to one of the country's favorite combinations.
• These are not your grandmother's sherries.
• Will steakhouses survive the blue economy? Alex Witchel sits down with Ben Benson to talk about his eponymous steakhouse.
• The Minimalist makes Pizzocheri, a rich, butter-laden buckwheat pasta dish that has the veggies and noodles cooking in the same pot.

If ever you needed an alibi when you're caught flipping through Maxim magazine, don't say "Jessica Alba." The men's magazine has picked the 10 Best Steakhouses in the US. Strangely, there's only one from Chicago and one from Texas, but multiple places from...Florida? Who knew? Here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Del Friscos, Orlando, FL - www.delfriscos.com
   
2. Grill 23 Boston, MA - "beef comes from a small herd of purebred steer," www.grill23.com
   
3. The Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, TX - "If you can eat a 72-ounce steak and all the trimmings in under an hour, it's free. In 46 years only 7,000 people have done it." www.bigtexan.com
   
4. Dickie Brennan's Steak House, New Orleans, LA - www.dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com
   
5. Gene & Georgetti Chicago, IL - www.geneandgeorgetti.com
6. Strip House New York, NY - "silhouettes of naked women adorn the napkins"
   
7. The Forge Miami, FL - "known for nude oil paintings and a wine cellar with 380,000 bottles,"
   
8. Bern's Steak House, Tampa, FL - www.bernssteakhouse.com
   
9. Peter Luger Brooklyn, NY - www.peterluger.com
   
10. Donovan's Steak & Chop House La Jolla, CA - www.donovanssteakhouse.com

Pizza?!?! He's taking you out to grab a slice of pizza?!?! Forget it. What kind of cheapskate/Peter Pan/unimaginative guy is he!??! Drop him!

Don't pretend like you haven't done it before -- judged a guy (or girl) before you've even met, based on where they want to go on the first date. Fancy expensive reservations-30-days-in-advance-only and you're impressed, right? KFC drive-thru and...well, you get the picture.

Though they don't have an opinion about pizza, AOL has put together a short feature about what his restaurant/cuisine choice could say about him. If you don't have the time to read through it, here's the lowdown:

• Tapas - "don't expect a commitment from this professional dabbler anytime soon"
• Seafood - "it's nice to spend time with somebody who believes money is no object, but if he never lets you forget it..."
• Pancake house - "a guy who knows what he wants, and exactly where to go to get it"
• Sushi - "an eclectic lifestyle, so he wants to try everything"
• Mexican - "hot and spicy guy is the kind that will dance the night away"
• Chinese - "he needs a little motivation"
• Steakhouse - "since he won't stray too far from the norm, he could be a huge bore"
• Italian - "you've got a serious romantic on your hands"
• Burgers and fries - "likes it straight, so he can save himself for the BMX race he's in"

The Steakhouse of My Dreams is a special place -- but you can't go get a reservation.   It is my secret sanctuary. I repair there when the world is too much. Let the buxom belles of Avenue B ignore me; let editors repulse my pitches, and copy crones mangle my best phrases. I see what my life is like. I know that my Cadillac has a broken grill, and a big crack in the windshield. Indian boys pelt my windows with durian. I don't care. I just close my eyes, and I see that place of my most fevered meat-dreams.

Here is what it is like.

1. Mastro's - They hold Awards Show parties here because it's located in ooh la la Beverly Hills. It's dark and steakhouse-y, but bring a sweater; for some reason, it feels like a meat locker inside. 246 N Canon Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (310) 888-8782 www.mastrossteakhouse.com  
2. The Palm - Fun, with caricatures all over the walls, so you don't feel like you have to be wearing a silk smoking jacket and holding a cigar. 9001 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90069 (310) 550-8811 www.thepalm.com  
3. BOA Steakhouse - The one at The Grafton Hotel is swanky, and you might want to bring your sunglasses for all the bright bling inside. The Santa Monica location is much less stressful (on your wardrobe, that is), catering to laid back westsiders and tourists. 8462 West Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA, (323) 650-8383, www.boasteak.com  
4. Nick & Stef's - It's downtown, which is a sort of pain if you don't live downtown, and not very inviting, since downtown LA after dark isn't quite happenin' (yet). However, they put their beef out on display, which is very very sexy. 330 South Hope Street Los Angeles, CA (213) 680-0330 http://www.patinagroup.com/nickStef/  
5. Sizzler - Just kidding. Wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
6. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - When there are more than say, five of a certain restaurant, you can't help but feel like you're eating at Outback Steakhouse. However, Ruth keeps it real. For goodness' sake, the steaks come out in pools of sizzling butter! 224 S Beverly Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (310) 859-8744 www.ruthschris.com  
7. Morton's Steakhouse - Ooh la la. It's like an observatory with all the star sighting you can do there. Luckily, the steaks are good, too. 435 S. La Cienega Boulevard Los Angeles CA 90048 (310) 246-1501 www.mortons.com
8. Pacific Dining Car - There's one downtown, which is better than the Santa Monica location according to S. Irene Virbila (LA Times critic), but Santa Monica is closer to the westsiders. It may not be the best of the eight, but if you're craving steak at 4 am, Pacific Dining Car is open. 2700 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90403 www.pacificdiningcar.com

Of course, if you're not in LA, you can always check out the best steakhouses near you, here!