Spark's Steakhouse

I always thought that if I were starving in midtown east, I would have to resort to stale pizza and M&Ms, but fear not, fellow food lovers. You can have surf and turf. There are steakhouses tucked around around every corner... they seem accessible only during off peak hours, and don't forget to suit up!

Spark's Steakhouse is like a time capsule. The modern suits almost look out of place. The atmosphere is corporate with a healthy amount old school flair; ornate red patterns line dish ware and match the worn but plush red carpeting. Oil paintings cover every inch of the walls and are individually lit by long incandescent lamps.

We started with a butterflied 3 pound lobster. If it weren't for the propriety of everyone around us, I would think that the lobster is over the regulation size.

It was delicious only because it was a massive lobster. The cooking was rather plain, and slightly overdone. It was somewhat amusing to watch someone pull the meat out and cut it into bite size pieces by the table.

For my entree, I ordered (practically) the only thing on the menu - steak. I picked the one with roquefort cheese melted on top. I heard that it's a house special.

The steak was perfectly cooked and extremely high quality. The pungent cheese provided complexity to the mild meat. (and it went excellently with the wine selection!) All of the portions were massive. I actually almost finished my steak despite the lobster and various sides.

Overall, I loved the steak. I would go there for just the steak, but it almost feels wrong to get it alone - and I do think the restaurant tries to send not-so-subtle hints by placing the lone steaks without much decoration on the side of the plate.

At the end we had a couple of chocolate desserts which were pretty good but not mind blowing by any measure. I had too many glasses of wine at this point and forgot to take a picture.

Well at least I know that I won't starve if I need to eat unless it's between 6-11pm on a weekday.