TBar Steak & Lounge located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York features Executive Chef Ben Zwicker as the talent in the kitchen. Since its opening in 2007, TBar Steak & Lounge has attracted Upper East Side locals with its enticing food, comfortable yet upscale attractive ambience, and excellent service.
The ambience is welcoming with its well-stocked bar, wall of windows at the front of the restaurant, wrap around black leather and swirled fabric banquette that runs along two sides of the main dining room, with additional standalone tables in the middle. In addition to the main dining room, there are also tables on an upper level and also in the back of the restaurant for small parties looking for a more intimate setting.
TBar Steak & Lounge
Tables are dressed with pristine linens, frosted glass votive candles, green water goblets, and sea salt and black pepper grinders. However, it is the little niceties that add to the restaurant’s overall charm which include throw pillows for guests seated on the banquette to create more cozy and inviting seating.
Executive Chef Ben Zwicker as the talent in the kitchen honed his culinary craft at the California Culinary Academy followed by stints working at BLUM Enterprises, LLC, Aureole, Petrossian, the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, and the Mandarin Hotel Group in San Francisco, before joining TBar Steak & Lounge where he clearly shines.
Executive Chef Ben Zwicker
We had dinner at TBar Steak & Lounge on Saturday, October 15, 2016, when the restaurant had a steady flow of clientele that created an exciting, vibrant energy. The restaurant is clearly a neighborhood gem on the Upper East Side with its upscale and attractive ambience, excellent service, and diversity of Chef Ben Zwicker’s menu designed to appeal to a wide variety of diners, whether tastes run to more classic steakhouse cuisine, i.e. Classic Chopped Caesar Salad or Iceberg Salad with blue cheese, bacon, and tomato, or to the more adventurous, Kale Salad with apple, sesame, chili-lime vinaigrette, or Roasted Beets and Endive with goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, as examples.
Entrees include pasta, risotto, fish, poultry, and pork dishes, in addition to their Burger Bar, and Steak Bar offerings. The Burger Bar section includes a selection of abundantly oversized burgers: Prime Aged Angus Burger, Colorado Lamb Burger, and Amish Turkey Burger. TBar Steak & Lounge uses Certified Black Angus beef seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper for their Steak Bar menu which consists of an 8-ounce Filet Mignon, 14 ounce Aged NY Strip, 24 ounce Prime Aged Rib Eye, and a 40-ounce Black Angus Porterhouse – for two.
Sides include traditional steak house, comfort food fare of French Fries, Baked Potato, Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese made with parmesan and gruyere cheeses, Spinach with mascarpone, as well as healthy choices like Sautéed Haricot Verts, Braised Lentils with carrots and onions, and Roast Brussels Sprouts with bacon.
Debra C. Argen – Cheers!
TBar Steak & Lounge has a nice selection of wines by the bottle as well as by the glass that are perfect for pairing different wines with each course or for couples who like to go their separate ways when it comes to their wines, namely "bubbly," red or white. There is also a selection of domestic and international beers as well as signature cocktails. Martini drinkers, who prefer their cocktail shaken not stirred, will appreciate that martinis are brought tableside in individual shakers; just another small detail that has a big impact.
The restaurant makes its own breads and focaccia, and while bread is often overlooked at a restaurant, when it arrived warm and redolent with herbs and served in a perforated square metal basket lined with a napkin, accompanied by a round butter pat in a small, round butter dish, we could not resist. The bread had just enough salt to add flavor and appeal, and wake up our taste buds for more good things to come.
Blue Point Oysters
For our appetizers, we selected the Seared Spanish Octopus and a half dozen of Blue Point Oysters. The octopus was stunning; it was richly browned and placed on a bed of chopped celery, green and black olives, and potatoes. The oysters were plump and sweet with a hint of brininess presented on a bed of crushed ice with a lemon half garnished with parsley leaves, a mignonette as well as cocktail sauce.
Seared Spanish Octopus
For our entrees, we went by land and sea, by selecting the Mediterranean Branzino and the Prime Aged Rib Eye steak from the Steak Bar menu, both of which were outstanding. The Mediterranean Branzino was gorgeous, presented as two fillets with crispy skin. The fish was seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, grilled, and presented on a bed of diced tomatoes, with chopped olives, and capers, accompanied by grilled fennel, and a lemon presented in cloth bag. A swirl of herbed olive oil on the plate added to the visual appeal and added another element to this delicious dish, which was a harmonious and exciting mélange of flavors.
Mediterranean Branzino
The Prime Aged Rib Eye had a rich, charred crust with a succulent, perfect medium rare interior, presented with a roasted head of garlic cut in half and garnished with fresh rosemary and served with a trio of accompanying housemade sauces: steak sauce, béarnaise sauce, and poivre sauce. Paired with a generous side of creamy mashed potatoes, which we shared, it was perfection on a plate.
Prime Aged Rib Eye
For our wine, we had the Bordeaux Blend, 2010, Château de Malengin, from Montagne Emilion, France, which was well structured with a heavenly blend of 70% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet and had a rich aromatic bouquet of dark fruits on the nose and on the palate, with soft tannins, and a delectable finish.
The dessert menu offered a selection of comfort food favorites: Strawberry Sundae with shortcake, meringue, and cream, Banana Parfait Mille Feuilles with coconut and caramel sauce, Chocolate Sundae with brownie, cream, and chocolate sauce, Warm Apple Crisp with caramel sauce and ice cream, Ice Cream and Sorbets, and Assorted Cookies.
As we were dining at the restaurant in the fall, we had the Warm Apple Crisp which was a herald of the autumn season. Served piping hot and topped with a generous mound of vanilla ice cream, and drizzled with warm caramel sauce, it was the perfect finale to a very enjoyable evening of dining at TBar Steak & Lounge.
Warm Apple Crisp
Read the Chefs’ Recipes section where Chef Ben Zwicker shares a delectable taste of TBar Steak & Lounge to entice you to visit the restaurant.
TBar Steak & Lounge is open for Lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm, for Brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm, for Dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:00 pm until 10:30 pm, and for Dinner on Sunday from 5:00 pm until 9:30 pm.
TBar Steak & Lounge
1278 Third Avenue
(between 73rd and 74th Streets on the Upper East Side)
New York, New York 10021
United States
Telephone: +1-212-772-0404
Email: manager@tbar.nyc
Website:www.tbar.nyc
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/TBarNYC
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