GREAT EATS HAWAII: GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE

Saturday, June 23, 2012

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE - NEWARK AIRPORT

GALLAGHER'S STEAK HOUSE

NEWARK AIRPORT TERMINAL

NEW JERSEY

A lifetime resident of New York recommended Gallagher's Steak House as a must try steak house in New York City. We did not have time to visit Gallagher's in the city, but were amazed to find a Gallagher's in the Newark, New Jersey airport terminal. With several hours to kill before our flight we decided to splurge a bit and have a nice steak lunch. The restaurant features a dry aged steak display in front and then wraps around to rows of tables overlooking planes lined up to take people all over the world. Photographs and autographs of the famous line the walls. Seems like everybody who was anybody has dined at Gallagher's in New York. I started with the Caesar Salad ($12). This salad is huge. Really enough for two or three people. Served rather warm and covered in Parmesan Cheese shavings. No anchovies but I could taste anchovies in the dressing. Not my favorite Caesar. The Filet Mignon ($36) was one of the worst steaks of my life for this price. Absolutely no seasoning or flavor. I ordered the steak medium rare and it was fully cooked on the outside to almost dry and a bit pink when you got to the very middle. I was craving for some A1 Steak Sauce to give this meat some flavor. I poured more salt and pepper on this steak than I have ever done before. The steak still had no flavor. THIS WAS ONE OF THE WORST STEAKS OF MY LIFE PERIOD!!!!. The Gallagher's Potatoes ($9). That is correct my friends, $9 for a potato. Once again absolutely NO SEASONING AT ALL. You could tell by the staff working and in the kitchen that no one here really gives a shit. This is my honest opinion. We voiced our opinion about the lack of seasoning and flavor to our waitress and she really did not seem to care. Don't waste your money at this place.

Here is a bit of history from their website.

For over 80 years, they’ve come for the Steak

In 1927, at the height of Prohibition, two things were pretty hard to find in New York- a good stiff drink and a great steak. Except, of course, at a speakeasy that came to be known as Gallagher’s.

This storied gathering place is where New York’s famous and notorious assembled to indulge themselves in pleasures of the palate and forbidden spirits. A place where gamblers, sports figures, show people, novelists, playwrights and judges sat at tables across from gangsters, strippers, ballerinas and business titans.

In 1933 prohibition ended and speakeasies across the country began closing their doors. Gallagher’s, however, became more popular than ever. A simple truth became clear: while anyone could now get a drink everywhere, a great steak was still hard to find.

Today, they still come for the steak. A steak that is USDA Prime Beef and dry aged for 21 days at a constant temperature of 36 degrees. This all-natural process ensures tenderness without any of the “fiddling” that occurs at the vast majority of steakhouses in New York and across the country.

Additionally, Gallagher’s is the only steakhouse in New York City that grills their steaks over hickory coals. This combination of all-natural dry aging and hickory coals makes a steak you cannot find any place else in the New York area.

Much of the credit for maintaining this historical establishment and its incredibly high standards goes to the legendary restaurateur Jerome Brody. Under Mr. Brody’s guidance Gallagher’s décor and ambience have been passionately preserved. This celebrated restaurant remains exactly the same as it always has been and so does the extraordinary mix of our clientele- showbiz and entertainment people from all over the world, sports figures in the boxing, horse racing, football, baseball, basketball and hockey world, and business professionals.

USDA Prime Beef

Annually less than 2% of US beef is worthy of earning the grade of USDA Prime. This is determined by several factors: the amount of marbling inside the meat and the age of the animal. Marbling is the flecks and streaks of white fat you find distributed throughout the beef. The higher the degree of marbling, the more tender, juicy, and flavorful the beef will be. Gallagher’s Steak House hand-selects all of our beef. Only beef that meets our specifications in terms of marbling, texture and color, is served to our customers.

Gallagher’s Dry Aging Room

All of our steaks are USDA Prime and remain in this aging room for 21 days at a constant temperature of 36 degrees.

The Dry Aging Process

Dry aging is the natural way to tenderize beef and enhance its flavor. It is a relatively simple, but time consuming procedure. The drying process, which slowly eliminates moisture from the meat, causes the beef flavor to become more concentrated and pronounced. Additionally, this process allows the beef to actually tenderize itself and gives it Gallagher’s signature taste.