The BLT restaurant group is all over New York City including BLT Prime, BLT Steak, BLT Fish and BLT Market. Darren has eaten at Fish before but I’ve never dined at any of their restaurants. Since this weekend is our six month wedding anniversary, we thought a great night out was in order. Darren thought ahead and we made reservations at BLT Steak which just opened in the Ritz-Carlton in White Plains. We were very excited to try this steakhouse and see if it lives up to its reputation. We called over a month ago for a reservation. Surprisingly the night was fairly booked but we secured an 8:45pm reservation. This is still early by city standards but a bit on the later side here in suburbia.

From the moment we arrived at the Ritz, we were greeted with spectacular service. The valets swarmed our car as we drove in and whisked it away to an underground parking garage. This was the first time either of us had been in the White Plains Ritz-Carlton and we both thought it was beautiful, although somewhat out of place in the heart of downtown White Plains. The lobby was open with light wood paneling, hardwood floors and some nice art deco on the walls. A moderate seating area for cocktails and lounging is available for residents and guests. The lobby was peppered with people waiting to assist you and that certainly reflects the high quality service that the Ritz is known for. Still I have trouble with the hefty price tag of $800K-$10MM to live there especially when there are gorgeous homes and estates within 10 minutes from the building.

From the lobby area we walked down a long corridor leading to the restaurant. We checked in with the hostess but our table wasn’t ready yet so we had a drink at the bar while we waited. Looking around the crowd seemed to be mainly in their 30s or 40s and most were dressed like you would find at the city hot spots only most guys wore a jacket with their jeans or pants. Drinks were very high priced – $32 for two glasses of Pinot Noir. That’s even steep by city standards. About 15 minutes later, the hostess came to find us since our table was ready. As we walked into the dining area it reminded both of us of many different restaurant’s decor all rolled into one. The white curtains and lighting reminded us of Asia de Cuba, the tables and chairs were just like Ruby Foos and the open air kitchen and blackboard could have been any restaurant in Manhattan. We had a table near a window so we could gaze outside but who really wants to see the streets of White Plains and the movie theater. Within moments of sitting down, our waiter was at our table to take our drink order and to give us menus. The menu had an excellent array of choices. Appetizers included salads, shrimp cocktail, oysters, tuna tartare and beets with goat cheese. For entrees they had a large selection of steaks including hangar, fillet mignon, porterhouse, strip steak and sirloin for two. There was also a nice selection of fish for those that don’t want red meat.

We started off by sharing the oysters and the tuna tartare. The oysters were a combination of half a dozen shells from the west coast and east coast and served with cocktail sauce and a signature oyster sauce. Delicious. The tuna tartare is their signature appetizer and it was outstanding. A generous portion of fresh ahi tuna chopped and seasoned with the right mix of wasabi, soy sauce, honey and other flavors to tempt your palette. Served with potato crisps we thought this dish was tasty and wonderful. We also munched on delicious fresh popovers that were brought to the table in lieu of traditional bread – a signature trademark of BLT’s. For our entree we shared the sirloin for two cooked medium rare. The 32oz portion was precut and served with the bone. It was excellent although a slightly modest portion but still plenty for the two of us. We ordered the three mustard dipping sauces for the side and all were very tasty and brought out the flavor of the meat. To accompany our steak we had hash browns that came in its own skillet and cut into four large servings as well as a portion of sauteed spinach which was also delicious. For dessert they were out of our first choice – the peach crisp so we went with chocolate chestnut sundae instead. Darren being the huge sundae lover, thought this was the best sundae he’s had. When the bill came we were not shocked at all…in fact it was slightly lower than what we had expected. The prices were very on par with a NYC steakhouse give or take a few dollars. Overall, we really enjoyed our meal and loved going out and having a city experience only 10 minutes from our home. I am sure we will be back for another special occasion or with friends when we want a great meal and a suburban trendy experience.