I stepped into Monday, with a sense of tired contentment. It was a good warm holiday, with a houseful of children, my brother, cousin and some friends. As with everything else in life, it is the simple pleasures in life that matter.
The first time that I recieved my invite to a media event for Benjamin Steak house, I passed it over most because I am not a huge red meat eater, however the second time around possibly because I must have felt I needed nourishment to get through the holidays (joke!), I took a look at the menu and the huge selection of seafood won me over. If you are like me who believes that steakhouses are only for red meat lovers this place will change your mind. Of course, they have great steak, but the fun begins there.
As mentioned, I went to the dinner as a part of an event that was put together by Ruby Kris Media Group and our charming hostess was Kristen Ruby and the attentive staff at the Benjamin Steakhouse. We were started off with this lovely, creamy lobster bisque that was rich and satisfying in just the right proportion.
An assortment of appetizers followed, begining with these thick cut Canadian Bacon slices. They were rich and Anshul and I actually split one, since we knew that the best of the evening was yet to come.
This was followed by mini-crabcakes that were moist but not necesarily outstanding. The two serving sauces that accompanied the crabcakes offered a nice balance of flavors. In fact, this was a nice highlight of the flavors they were nicely nuanced without being overwelming.
These flavors were nicely rounded off with a seasonal salad, made with roasted beets, crunchy walnuts and goat cheese. The sweet and earthy flavors were nicely rounded off with balsamic drenched croutons.
One can count of Anshul, to read the fine print and requested the servers to bring us their seafood platter. If you are a seafood lover like me, I would highly recommend returning just to make an evening of the platter with sparkling wine.
Moving onto the main courses, we of course had the porterhouse steak, and the waiters had a bit of a shock since I passed on them. Anshul, did his share of justice and prounounced that the meat was moist and cooked just right.
I did have their lamb chops, which was perfectly done. I was very surprised to hear that the chef had cooked them with just olive oil and salt, this light combination allowed the well grilled meat to offer the perfect foil for the mint sauce that accompanied the meat.
The fish based main course was a platter of perfectly done salmon and Chillean sea bass. They proudly pronounced that they use wild caught salmon only. A gentle note here is that, Chillean sea bass or the patagonian toothfish is an endangered fish and we should try to consume it with some moderation.
We took a walk to their wine cellar, which was really lovely and they actually have a special table for a wine tasting meal, that can be done on request only and my guess is for special occasions. Another highlight here the vegetables that accompanied the meal were very flavorful, in particular their “Creamless creamed spinach” and the chef has been kind enough the share the recipe. I shall certainly make it up one of these days.
Finally, the sweet ending a platter of the most amazing desserts. To persuade diners to eat dessert after such a wonderful meal takes some very good dessert and this is exactly what they had. I tried some key lime pie with their German style whipped cream and Anshul had their chocolate mouse cake and commented on the light and rich flavors.
Overall, their was a lot of photo action on our table, it is worth mentioning that the place is large enough to not not cramp everyone’s else style. The decor is warm and classic with a touch of contemporary. Their flavors are definitely worth checking out, do not take my word for it, pay them a visit.
610 W Hartsdale Ave
White Plains, NY
mmon. The seekh kababs were what sealed the evening. They were moist and wonderfully seasoned. The rice is warm and buttery, however there could be a side salad that was more than a few leaves, maybe an Indian style cucumber salad might work too! The buttery rice and the succulent bites of seasoned lamb made me want some more, so we ventured further to order the Shammi Kabab, a lentil and lamb creation, a great cocktail bite, in fact it’s name translating to evening kebab. This one was good, but the previous one was better. I also felt that if they let customers unbundle the platters and allowed just a kabab option, it might work better. All in all, this newcomer is one we shall be back to visit.
