Gallagher's Steakhouse NYC (Lunch Special)

While dining at places such as Penny, Le Bernardin and Le Veau D'or gave us a taste of the best places to eat in NYC, they weren't a cheap proposition.  By no means do I think they weren't worth it.  Believe me, we truly enjoyed them and don't regret it.  However, we also need to check out other more accessible places as well.  Yes, we did some pizza and pastrami sandwiches, but we are talking about a proper sit-down dinner that would not break the bank.  Enter Gallagher's Steakhouse in the conversation.  They are well-known for their $34.00 3-course lunch special.  Yes, you heard me right.

Even though the actual meal is already a steal, they don't nickel and dime you.  We were started out with a Bread Basket that was loaded with different options.  It included a multigrain, sesame and plain white, but the star of the basket was the date nut bread.  Oh so sweet and a bit cake like.  All of this was served warm and went really well with the generous amount of butter.  You could ask for more if you wanted.

For myself, I started my meal with a small Wedge Salad sporting a quarter of an iceberg lettuce.  It had the usual items like bacon, blue cheese and blue cheese dressing.  Although this wasn't the biggest version of a wedge salad, it was more than enough, especially for lunch and the multiple courses with bread.  I found the lettuce to be crisp while the tomato was ripe.  That bacon was meaty while the amount of blue cheese was just enough for sharpness.

Viv went for the Manhattan-style Clam Chowder that featured a fairly decent broth.  It probably needed a bit more brininess, but there was no mistaking what type of soup we were drinking.  There was enough veggies and clams to make this hearty.  This was a bowl of chowder and not a cup.  Once again, they did not skimp despite the pricing of this 3-course meal.

For my main, I opted for the Chicken Paillard only because I wanted something different than Viv's choice.  The best way to describe this dish would be that it was "fine". The chicken breast itself was lightly grilled and a bit dry. The outside texture wasn't slightly crispy as it should be.  It pretty much ate like a plain grilled piece of chicken with very little flavor (lemon helped though).  The side of green beans were solid though being still a bit crunchy while being cooked through.

Viv had the Sliced Filet Mignon, which was pretty good, especially for the price.  The meat was closer to medium, but still tender and well-seared.  It was served with crispy roasted potatoes and buttery sauteed mushrooms.   On the side, it came with a red wine sauce that had A1 vibes.  Hence, it was thick, tangy and sweet.  If you wanted to spend some more money for a whole 8 oz filet mignon, it would be a $22.00 surcharge.

I was rather impressed with the size of the NY-style Cheesecake slice.  In addition in being large, the cheesecake itself was pretty good.  In true NY-style fashion, it was dense and rich with lots of smooth cream chese goodness.  However, at the same time, it wasn't so dense that you could kill someone with it.  Lots of cream cheese flavor while being accented by the strawberry sauce and some whipped cream.

Viv had the Key Lime Pie and it was a bit similar to a lemon meringue pie, expect with much less meringue and a noticeably more tangy flavor.   We found this to be a bit on the denser side, almost like a cheesecake.  However, it didn't eat heavy due to the light and tangy sweetness.  Overall, the 3-course lunch at Gallagher's isn't going to blow your socks off.  However, the food is more than acceptable given the pricing.  They do not skimp on the portions either.  If you had an extra lunch slot to fill while in NYC, give Gallagher's a try.

The Good:

- Super reasonable price on their 3-course lunch

- More than enough food

- Service was pretty good

The Bad:

- Food is generally good for the price, but I thought my chicken was meh

- There is a lineup to get in, even with reservations, so it becomes a bit chaotic