Unauthorized

For at least 20 years my benchmark steak had been the New York Strip at Manhattan’s Sparks Steak House. Then I went to Las Lilas in Buenos Aires and was totally bowled over by the awesome flavor of a free-range Ribeye cooked over charcoals followed by several other meals featuring the extraordinary beef of Argentina. It was clearly time to revisit Sparks to see how their beef stacked up against my new gold-standard.

Sparks has been renowned for the quality of their dry-aged prime beef (aged in the restaurant’s cellar), the freshness of the shellfish and lobsters, and the remarkable and fairly priced wine list. Even in the days prior to personal computers Sparks would reprint the lengthy list when only seven items went out-of-stock.

The ambience at Sparks is old-school with dark wood paneling, plenty of space between tables, and testosterone filled air. Service is as impeccable and professional as it always was with many of the wait-staff having spent their entire careers at the restaurant. The menu is brief with just a handful of appetizers and entrees so decision-making is uncomplicated.

My guest and I decided to split a 3-1/2 pound lobster as our appetizer and I ordered the New York Strip as my entrée. Although the wine list printed on the menu has many exceptional choices, Sparks does have a reserve list but you do have to ask for it. I found a 2002 Domaine Rougeot Meursault-Charmes to accompany the lobster and a 1970 Chateau La Lagune (a mere $170) to match with the steak.

The lobster tasted fresh and sweet as if it had just been pulled from the water. Sparks’ presentation (done tableside) obviates the need for any special utensils ensuring that the disappearance of the lobster is accomplished without muss or fuss. The 2002 Rougeot Meursault-Charmes was a superb match with its excellent balance and depth the product of a great vintage.

Sparks New York Strip is simply outrageous. It is as tender and richly flavorful as it gets. The wine pairing proved to be quite sublime. The 1970 Chateau La Lagune is mature at this stage of its life (I remember purchasing and drinking a bottle in 1975 for $10 and being shocked by its youth) with the secondary aromatic nuances of well-aged claret. The color is still deep ruby and the mid-palate has plenty of depth and richness. The long, pure finish suggests that this wine should continue to drink well for at least another decade.

There are desserts and other finishing touches at Sparks but I had met my match. Half my steak went into a doggy bag to be finished at home. So how does Sparks look now having had the Argentina experience? To my personal taste, this is the finest steak I have had anywhere in the USA. And the total Sparks experience is worth every cent that you pay. To put it in context, the following evening I had dinner at Per Se. The extraordinarily creative food absolutely merits the Michelin 3-stars but, for pure hedonistic pleasure, give me Sparks Steak House every time.