Reserve Cut at The Setai
In 2000, 12-year-old Albert Allaham emigrated from his native Syria to New York City to live with his brother in Brooklyn. He eventually took up his family trade - butchering. The name Allaham means, "butcher" in Arabic, and the Allahams take pride in the family legend that their butcher business in Damascus began over 200 years ago. The family butcher shop, The Prime Cut, still thrives in Brooklyn, but Albert has taken the business to new levels. And Albert's cousin Joey Allaham is well known for his Prime Hospitality Group which now consists of 7 restaurants in the New York area.
In the fall of 2013 Albert Allaham opened Reserve Cut at the Setai, a 300 seat upscale steakhouse. It is located at 40 Broad Street in lower Manhattan in the heart of the Wall Street Financial District. The space is contemporary – spacious and, elegant, but not stuffy by any means. We were there for dinner on a Monday night in July, and every table of this restaurant seemed to be full. Indeed, we spotted a waiting line as well.
As for the food, our accolades go on and on - each course was exceptional. Our party of 3 enjoyed a sumptuous feast.
Starters included two kinds of sushi: a platter of classic tuna sushi rolls, and Red Dragon Rolls – crab, avocado, almond, spicy tuna with a special sauce. We also sampled the wagyu beef potstickers served with a sweet Thai chili sauce - a memorable dish you should not miss.
For the entrées, the veal chop cote de veau arrived perfectly cooked (medium well) topped with a sweetbread croquette and a sage cognac sauce. The steak, the Prime Reserve Cut was flavorful, and perfectly cooked as ordered (medium rare). Reserve Cut steaks are all prime beef, and aged for a minimum of 36 days in the restaurant's dry aging room. Sides included creamed baby spinach with artichoke hearts and French Fries.
Portions are large, and as much as we wanted to sample items from their extensive dessert menu, we could not eat one more bite. So, if you go, and you should, bring along a large appetite and yes, a wallet to match.
Reserve Cut at the Setai – Open for lunch and dinner
Reservecut.com 40 Broad St., New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212.747.0300