by Ben Hymowitz
One of my favorite times of the year here in Westchester is Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. Unlike the name implies, the promotion lasts for two weeks instead of one. The promotion, offered at participating restaurants, is a “pre-fix” menu costing $29.95 or 24.95 for lunch and $44.95 or 39.95 for dinner.
This year, I selected Benjamin Steakhouse in Hartsdale to review. Owner Benjamin Prelvukaj has five locations: two in NYC, one in Westchester, and two in Japan.
Immediately when you walk through the door, you feel like you’re part of the family. The non-commercial aspect that you would find at a “high end” chain steakhouse was unquestionably not found at Benjamin Steakhouse. My server, Vincenzo, has been with Benjamin for many years and his experience was evident in the way in which he served me.
For the prefix, I had the lobster bisque, filet mignon with a $7 supplement, creamed spinach, and chocolate mousse cake. I also chose to add on their signature thick cut bacon for good measure. Benjamin has a signature cooking process where the steak is salted and then cooked under the broiler on a ceramic plate for an extra thick layer of crust. It is then served with a splash of butter.
When the steak hit the table I could immediately smell the crust of the steak. My knife cut through the filet like butter while being cooked to a perfect medium rare. The filet was seasoned perfectly and the creamed spinach tasted better than I’ve ever had. Lastly, the homemade mousse cake was an equal balance of the crunchy, chocolatey crust, with the soft and creamy mousse, served with whipped cream that the spoon literally stood up in.
This Benjamin Steakhouse experience made me want to come back for more. I plan on returning to Benjamin very soon to see what new things they have up their sleeve.
