Chops/Lobster Bar

Chops has always drawn a frothier crowd than most steakhouses, perhaps because it strutted onto the scene at the end of the overblown eighties. The finest among its beef options is the dry-aged porterhouse, a cut that encompasses filet mignon and New York strip. Dover sole, dressed with lemon and capers, will tide over displaced fans waiting for the much-delayed reincarnation of Pano’s & Paul’s, where the fish was a signature dish. Chops has an ace sidekick: the downstairs Lobster Bar, an homage to New York’s tiled, vaulted Grand Central Oyster Bar. It’s the ideal mood-setting space for a glass of Champagne before dinner.

Photo by Amy Herr