10 BEVERAGE MEDIA December 2007

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE STEAKHOUSE

By Alia Akkam

W hen sitting down to a steak dinner,usually the beef is the main event.Surely, savoring each bite of a rib-

eye with a glass of red wine is a natural inclina-tion, but steakhouses don’t typically conjureimages of modern wine lists and bustling bars.While beverages may have played second fiddleto the meat served at legendary old steakhouses,a slew of new ones, led by a pack of Peter Lugeralums, are proving that what you drink is just asimportant as what you eat.

Wolfgang Zwiener, with more than 40 years under his belt ashead waiter at Peter Luger, clearly learned a few things about keep-ing customers happy and embracing their insights. When it cametime to open his own steakhouse, Wolfgang’s, in midtownManhattan, Zwiener transferred those stellar service skills to allfacets of the restaurant, including the wine list. Scott MarkBrown, the GM at the second Tribeca location, emphasizes that a

Benjamin Steakhouse,

52 East 41st Street, NYC

At Wolfgang’s, Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse and

Benjamin Steakhouse — all modern spin-offs

of the legendary Peter Luger Steakhouse —

the goal of their ever-evolving beverage pro-

grams is to turn sophisticated palates on to

high quality, more obscure wines and spirits.

12 BEVERAGE MEDIA December 2007

successful wine list is an ever-evolving one. “Ifthere’s something people are enthusiasticabout, whether it’s from Chile or Washingtonstate, we’ve got to have it,” he says. The winelist, one simple sheet, is not extensive, butcustomers have come to rely on it for qualityCalifornia reds, comprising 80%-85% of theofferings. “Because of the way the list is slant-ed, it’s geared towards Cabernet Sauvignon.I’ve never seen so much,” adds Brown. Agood Burgundy or Bordeaux is also withinreach, and Brown is quick to point out the listis constantly growing.

Red Wine & Red MeatAt Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse, also in mid-town, the restaurant created by two long-time waiters at Peter Luger, Harry Sinanaj,who handles purchasing for the restaurant,also puts together the wine list. “Ninety-fivepercent of people order red wine with theirsteak,” he says. “Steak and red wine just fol-low each other.” Even if more customers arelikely to order a red over a white with theirporterhouse, offering a variety of options iskey. Sinanaj’s wine list, one he deems “shortand smart,” doesn’t flood customers withchoices. Diners can choose though frombottles like a 2001 St. Supery CabernetSauvignon to a 2004 Francis Coppola RedLabel Zinfandel to a 2002 AustralianPunters Corner Spartacus Reserve Shiraz.Having the freedom to select an affordable$49 bottle, or one for $3,000 when a deca-dent mood strikes, is one of the reasons thelist at Ben & Jack’s is so well-received.

A few blocks away, at BenjaminSteakhouse in the Dylan Hotel, VictorDedushaj, the GM who works very closelywith owner Benjamin Prelvukaj to puttogether the wine list, says the leaders of thepack on his menu are high-end California

Cabernets. “Diners come to have a high-quality steak and feel inclined to order one,”he says. But, his customers are also experi-mental. Especially in the summer, he notesthe trend of Pinot Noir-sipping, as well asthe return of the Merlot crowd. With thestigma from the movie Sideways finally over,guests are ordering bottles of Frog’s Leap andDuckhorn Merlot. Dedushaj, who’s workedin Italian restaurants for the last 12 yearsbefore joining Benjamin’s, also likes toextend the Italian offerings on the menu,which currently hover around 20 bottles.There are warhorses on the menu like SilverOak that will never go out of fashion, butDedushaj is thrilled to add new ones. “If anew wine doesn’t get great feedback, wetake it off,” he adds matter-of-factly.

A Focus on CocktailsFor Prelvukaj, who still has great respect forhis former employer, Peter Luger, he’s happyto make his own steakhouse distinctive bycontemporizing the overall beverage program,focusing more attention on cocktails. “I

always thought that their wine list was quitelimited, and that their bar and cocktail pro-gram needed a dose of modern elegance,” hesays of his old restaurant. “I work very closelywith Victor in adding both products of greatrenown, as well as new and exciting ones,that match the steakhouse expectations toour beverage program.” After the holidays, heplans to build up the mezzanine bar as a desti-nation in its own right. They’re off to a goodstart. Evening happy hours at the restaurantare celebrated by half-off drinks.

“It’s mostly old-school, a martini crowd.Most people know what they want and it’straditional — a Manhattan, an Old-Fashioned,” notes Dedushaj. In the after-dinner drinks category, he notices high-endtequila has had incredible pick-up, andequates it with Scotch now.

According to Sinanaj, most of thepatrons at Ben & Jack’s start out at the bar,sipping bourbon and single malt Scotches inthe cold weather, and vodka martinis andbeer when it’s warm out. Around 4:30 p.m.,Brown says Wolfgang’s starts filling up withtraders who order plenty of martinis, singlemalt Scotches and draft beer.

The Best of the BestAt the end of the day, a steakhouse is still aclassic experience and adventurous sippinghabits are best indulged at other venues.The goal of these modern steakhouses is toturn sophisticated palates on to qualityproducts that are more obscure. AsDedushaj says, “We have the best productsof what will be most requested, like whiskyand Scotch, because that’s what peopledrink. But, you might as well try Bulleit orBlanton’s bourbon and have a waiter or bar-tender introduce something new to make ita growing experience.” n

EVEN IF MORE CUSTOMERS ARE LIKELY TO ORDER A RED OVER A

WHITE WITH THEIRPORTERHOUSE,

OFFERING A VARIETYOF OPTIONS IS KEY.

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Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse

219 E 44th Street, NYC