Blair Perrone Steakhouse
885 2nd Avenue (at 47th Street)

I had a totally miserable day on Thursday, ranging from being stuck in the 1st Avenue tunnel due to all the post-explosion road closures to walking home from the UWS in the downpour. Plus, I had not eaten by then, so I wanted a solid, big steak for dinner. Surprisingly, every one of my steakhouse reviews has been of poor quality food and service, such as La Carne Grill, Dylan Prime, Old Homestead, Bull & Bear, and so forth. I was hoping for a lot more this evening at a place I've walked past many times.

It was early but I needed a nice double scotch to start with. The bread for once was excellent, especially the onion ones. Most places have shoddy bread, so tasting nice ones is always nice -- especially when it's the first thing I've eaten all day. For a starter I had some fresh oysters -- 7 to be exact. Not bad.

The service was quite good and attentive, and I enjoyed a few glasses of red alongside my bone-in ribeye. It was cooked a little too much but it was quite good. Nothing fancy, but a good steak. A side of mushrooms done right (especially in light of the mess at Dylan Prime) made it much better.

I left the restaurant happy -- with a doggy-bag with that huge piece of meat. I think if anything, Blair Perrone will be a good fallback steakhouse for me in the future, a good safe bet.

Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: A-