This place: in short, American-approved--and then some! They speak fluent English, so even if you're not a native convert like me and are just visiting, you will be absolutely fine.

You know how a good American-style steak has a tiny bit of good crunch from that nice char, and tons of flavor even beyond that of perfectly-cooked rich beef that you can't quite place (unless maybe you're a high-class chef)? Well, this has it. This is authentic. A little slice of home but with a perfect European flair to enhance the mastery even further, and it almost brought a tear to my eye, truly. I have badly missed the fireworks of flavor that characterize the best American cooking. Here I was spoiled; Broadway gave me the best of both the worlds I love.

What was the European flair? Delicious peppery arugula rather than tasteless lettuce, plus flash-seared tiny on-the-vine honey tomatoes, both of which tasted amazing with the steak and its lime mayonnaise which is SO much better than it even sounds. Lime is an underrated flavor already; in many contexts {amaretto sours aside} it kicks lemon's a$$ just like arugula kicks lettuce's a$$. Yes, I know that sounds silly, but it's the purest truth. Just try it: just dip that piece of luscious steak into the lime-mayo and wonder what all the secret ingredients could possibly be. This is what you want when you spend your hard-earned judiciously-saved money: something you absolutely COULD NOT have made at home. You want culinary genius that makes you feel like the trip away from your cozy little abode was worth it. Here, you will find it. Here, the steak is worth the expense. You will close your eyes, you will savor each special bite, and you will find the Nirvana of flavor. You will thank the universe as you deserve to.

That goes for at least one of the two cocktails I tried on this special occasion. The Bacon Old Fashioned, I had high hopes for but was disappointed; it was nice, but the bourbon was maybe a bit too low on flavor, and the bacon bitters could not overcome the sugar taste. I would have wanted more maple flavor (though that is expensive) and more bacon taste (/crunch) rather than a chewy pale pink bacon garnish. The American Negroni, however, was the first Negroni I have ever liked. I have made Negronis for myself and never felt impressed; this one, however, opened a whole new world for me. Bluecoat Gin and Doragrossa Vermouth are new names to me, but Tanqueray (which I usually LOVE in a gin & tonic) plus Martini & Rossi just didn't work for my palate when I used them at home. This gin & vermouth combo was much more subtle and let the Campari shine as it should. Bravo; I am a convert.

My American friends: I know what you've heard, I am a former "well done" junkie too, but--don't don't DON'T ask them to burn your steak. Do not listen to the silly paranoia; proper quality beef that isn't ground up is safe to eat as long as the surface bacteria are sufficiently murdered with heat. If the inside is a rich juicy red but still warm and chewable, someone has cooked it perfectly. Trust the chef. Enjoy the masterpiece of a slightly black exterior and a marvelous red inside. I promise, as long as you aren't like 85 and/or ignoring any special doctor's orders, you're fine to just enjoy the heaven that is a glorious diversity of beef colors.

I sneaked in w/my Dutchie for a celebration of 2 yrs together this side of the pond, and we splurged a bit of our savings on the 2-person Sirloin & Lobster menu. He was not impressed with the lobster, and I admit, I have had better at Red Lobster where they give you butter and cut it in the other direction and separate the parts you should eat from the parts you shouldn't--but it was still delicious to us, and we both loved the steak. Next time it's steak all the way.

Aside from small service errors (forgetting smoked butter/regular solid butter as a replacement; forgetting our water, not asking about drink refills) this was a fabulous experience. Extremely friendly service, charming visuals, amazing flavors, cozy atmosphere with decent volume.