Quality Meats - New York, NY

Rosemary Rolls at Quality Meats in New York

If I hadn't been paying particularly close attention to the numbers on the buildings along 58th Street, I would have walked right by Quality Meats. The restaurant's facade is unassuming and blends right into the buildings on either side of it. Based on its simple exterior, I wasn't expecting much when I pushed through the restaurant's heavy wooden doors.

But the warm interior, with its industrial feel and mixture of textures and materials -- wood, steel, and marble -- made my jaw drop in awe. While my photos didn't turn out due to low lighting, you can browse through photos of the restaurant on their website.

Rosemary Roll at Quality Meats in New York

Before we could decide what to order, our server brought out a small cast-iron pan of just-out-of-the-oven rolls that were seasoned with a sprinkling of fresh rosemary and sea salt. The aroma of the warmed rosemary was intoxicating and the rolls were heavenly. It took a lot of restraint on our part to not ask our server for another helping.

Crab and Avocado Salad at Quality Meats in New York

Crab and Avocado Salad at Quality Meats in New York

To start, we split the Crab and Avocado Salad ($13). Lusciously sweet chunks of crabmeat were piled on thin slices of tomatoes, topped with thick, buttery slices of avocado, and then lightly drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. One plate for three people just wasn't enough, as we cleared the plate in record time.

If you're going to order the Crab and Avocado Salad as a starter, then I highly recommend that you order two plates. At least.

Corn Crème Brûlée at Quality Meats in New York

Corn Crème Brûlée at Quality Meats in New York

Now, we were about halfway through with our meal when I realized that I had completely forgotten to take a picture of the quality meat that I had ordered.

Oops.

Although I had received recommendations from multiple people to get the Aged Bone-in Sirloin ($39), I couldn't ignore the Filet Mignon ($34) and decided that 10 ounces of steak was much more appropriate for lunch than 18 ounces. The filet was cooked perfectly and came out of the kitchen completely unadorned. Just a blisteringly hot plate with the filet in the center. I started feeling underwhelmed, but then our server wheeled a cart up to the table and began preparing their house-made steak sauce right in front of us. I've never had anyone do that for me before, and it was fascinating.

Grilled Asparagus at Quality Meats in New York

While the steak was great, it was completely overshadowed by the Corn Crème Brûlée. Whole kernels of sweet corn were mixed into a smooth custard that was baked and then torched until the top blistered and browned. After just one bite, I was in love. And when Stephen had a taste of the leftovers I brought him (I was feel especially generous), he uttered, "You need to learn how to make this. Immediately."


I agreed and vowed to try and recreate that side dish in my own kitchen.

But for now, I'm just going to have to convince him to meet me in the city for dinner one night so we can have it at the restaurant. Corn Crème Brûlée is definitely worth scheduling a date night.


Quality Meats
57 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 371-7777 | Online Reservations | Map



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