Reasons to shell out some money for a Luger steak:

They start with good meat. The meat at Lugers is Prime (the top classification) short loin (in the approximate area of where you would sit on the saddle…if you are the kind of person who rides around on cows.)

They dry age it.
Letting cold air circulate around the meat causes a lot of evaporation, which means that you need to use more beef for each steak. The flavors develop and the enzymes break down and tenderize the meat. Luger's has their own cellar and do this in house.

You’ll find that there are places that try to do it like Luger’s but they fail by cutting corners. They may butcher their own steaks but not age them properly or they may reduce the amount of weight loss through evaporation by getting “wet pack” meat (in plastic) followed by an abbreviated period of dry aging.

There aren’t any other restaurants that butcher and dry age their steaks fully the way they do at Luger’s. This is why this place has earned its reputation as the best steak house ever.

Service: Swell. I heard from a number of sources that the servers were rude, but my waiter was tops. The other bit of misinformation I came upon with was that menus had to be requested by folks who don’t know enough to just order. I walked in the door prepared for this, but the nice host handed us menus as I settled in.

You don’t order different types of steaks here. You order “steak for _____” (the number of people in your party.)

Beware: Leave home without your American Express. They accept cash or Peter Luger charge cards ONLY.