Mastro's Steakhouse - Finally it's in New York!

My fiancé has a lot of family in Southern California and has visited the Mastro's Restaurants several times with his cousins. I, on the other hand had never heard of this restaurant. While sitting on our couch on a random night, my fiancé's cousin texted him announcing the opening of Mastro's  in New York (1285 6th Ave. at 52nd St.) the following week and how we should rush to get a reservation for opening night. Ben immediately jumped on the opportunity to get a reservation for the opening night. I was surprised that we didn't have issues getting a reservation, but was very happy we were able to! 

Long story short, my fiancé ended up having a major issue with his appendix later that week, and had to get it removed just a few days prior to the opening of Mastro's. While in the hospital, which we were stuck in for 4 nights, he kept praying he would be out in time for his reservation at Mastro's. His excitement for this restaurant really made me look forward to this meal, and made me a little surprised that while in the hospital, that this was the most important thing to get out on time for! He ended up getting out of the hospital on the Tuesday afternoon, just a day before the opening. 

With the intense pain in his abdomen from the surgery, he still made it to the restaurant on opening night. It was crowded and definitely a scene. We were happily sat downstairs where it was much quieter and away from the live band upstairs. I wonder if the band is always there, or just for opening night, because that would be way too loud for every night! 

The staff was very friendly and the service top notch, while you could tell they were still working out kinks and adjusting since it was the first night. 

Complimentary Bread - Included Pretzels Rolls! 

The bread basket was placed on our table while we were looking at the drink menu. I liked this, since I prefer when restaurants give you the bread while you are perusing the menu, instead of making you wait until you have ordered. I tend to arrive at meals starving because I'm saving my appetite for the meal ahead, so I welcome a nice basket of bread on the table! The bread was made with love. It included baguettes, crunchy dinner loafs, and pretzel loafs! The pretzel bread was definitely the highlight!

Mastro's Boulevardier -
High West Barrel-Aged Bourbon, Vya Sweet Vermouth, Gran Classico Amaro, and bitters chilled and served neat with an orange zest

• The drink menu had many many options, and offered a huge selection of wine, cocktails, and a large variety of liquors. 
• I chose the Mastro's Boulevardier, which took longer than the other drinks at the table, because apparently the downstairs bar had not been supplied with all the ingredients to make this drink. The bar tender had to have ingredients brought down from the upstairs bar. I didn't mind this, because I knew it was the first night, but I do hope that they have corrected all these little kinks for the future! The drink was strong, and mixed perfectly, although was missing the orange zest :( 
•  To add to the humor of our week long torture at the hospital, there was a drink on the menu called "Penicillin", which was funny because my fiancé learned he had a mild allergy to Penicillin and kept spiking fevers every time  he was given it in the hospital, which prevented us from going home for days. He of course had to order this drink, and he enjoyed it! 
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Lobster Mashed Potatoes

As one of the main sides to share for the table, we ordered the Lobster Mashed Potatoes. This was the dish that was most talked about in the days leading up to this dinner, so I was mostly excited to try this one! It was everything that I expected and more! It had many chunks of lobster claws in it, while the creamy sauce added so much flavor! I also loved the vegetables that were added, although they were there more for the flavor and texture, definitely not for the nutrients, since this dish was far from healthy! We shared this dish between 4 of us, and felt that each of us got a decent amount of lobster on our plate, so they definitely were not stingy! I will choose this over Lobster Mac anytime! 

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Our other side, the beer battered onion rings were coated in batter, and almost tasted like donuts! They were so good, and so large! The onions also stayed inside the coating with each bite, which is a very important thing in onion rings! My fiancé's father is an onion ring connoisseur and he enjoyed these very much and would definitely order them again!

Porterhouse

The Porterhouse was cooked just as we had asked. It came out with the edges piping hot, plate steaming, but with the center nice and rare as we love! Unfortunately, Ben's father's porterhouse did not come out as requested. It was overcooked for him, since he likes his meat practically "moving" on the plate. The waiter gladly took the porterhouse back and remade his order and brought it out done perfectly for him! Everyone was happy!

Sauteed Mushrooms

The sautéed mushrooms were honestly the best mushrooms I have ever had in my life. Each bite melted in my mouth. They were probably coated in butter and oil, but they were just so good, that I would eat them this way everyday! Such a treat!

Signature Warm Butter Cake

The waiter brought us the Signature Warm Butter Cake on the house due to the mix up in the preparation of Ben's father's Porterhouse. I had heard so much about this cake, and wondered how a cake with butter in the name could be good? It was very sweet, lemony, light, fluffy, and definitely buttery! It was delicious! To make things even sweeter, it was accompanied with homemade cream which was the freshest cream I have ever tasted! I normally go for chocolate desserts, but this was such a wonderful treat!

Fresh Cream on the Side of the Butter Cake

I definitely will return to Mastro's! This steakhouse does not only have great steak, but their appetizers, sides, and desserts are amazing! Run, don't walk! Get to Mastro's!