Checking out top steakhouses in Philadelphia

Jessica Boyington Image
Friday, June 23, 2023
Top steakhouses in Philly: All you can eat; farm-to-table
Jessica Boyington visits two more steakhouses in Philly: one that's all-you-can-eat and another that's farm-to-table!

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- If you're a meat and potatoes kind of person, this week's Top 6 is for you.

We celebrate an American staple: the steakhouse.

FOGO DE CHAO

In Center City you can have a traditional Brazilian steakhouse experience at Fogo De Chao.

Having a specialty cocktail with some bites out of a seafood tower or a visit to their enormous salad bar would be filling enough, but I would suggest coming hungrier. That's because the glory of this space is all-you-can-eat meat - and it's hand-carved tableside!

URBAN FARMER

If you weren't sure what the entire menu at Urban Farmer consisted of...you don't have to wonder anymore!

Head Chef Sonny Ingui has been at the Logan Square farm-to-table restaurant since 2015, and let me tell you...he hooked me up with the biggest spread of food I've ever received!

I had a few favorite appetizers: Wagyu carpaccio, pork belly with grits, and octopus with chorizo. The sides that got me: twice-baked fingerling potato tart, mac and cheese and creamed spinach.

But of course, steaks are what they do best, and they do LOTS of them.

Pair a 30-day dry aged ribeye with a side of bone marrow and toasted garlic bread or order the New York steak taster.

Then order a warm butterscotch blondie for dessert...if you have room!

Steaks are on the menu as Jessica Boyington visits two of the top steakhouses in Philly.

STEAK 48

Off of Broad Street in Center City is Steak 48, just about as high-end of a steakhouse as you can find. They set me up with an assembly line of what seemed like their entire menu!

For appetizers, the biggest seafood tower I've ever seen, braised pork belly, deviled eggs with crispy shrimp, and one of my favorite bites in Philly...the chicken fried lobster tails!

For sides, they sent out mushrooms, twice baked potatoes with truffle, cheesy potatoes au gratin, and Brussels sprouts with bacon. The pork chops, the 45-day dry-aged ribeye and the Australian wagyu filet are all presented on 500-degree plates, so each bite tastes like it's right off the grill. If you can manage to fit some dessert in, spring for a crispy banana split or a cookies and cream popcorn sundae.

BUTCHER AND SINGER - STARR RESTAURANTS

At Butcher and Singer, you will dine immersed in an old Hollywood ambiance.

At this steakhouse, it felt right to start with a sip of a Cacio e Pepe Dirty Martini. Followed by a mouthful of buttermilk biscuits, a classic wedge, broiled oysters Rockefeller, tuna tartare, and a monster hashed brown...stuffed with more potatoes, sour cream and sweet Vidalia onions!

Their steaks are broiled and flavored so simply with only salt, pepper and butter.

I sampled the 18-ounce Delmonico they called the "flavor beast", a 22-ounce porterhouse, and a 16-ounce bone in filet. (Don't worry, I counted. That's a grand total of 46 ounces of meat!)

Hungry? Jessica Boyington visits two top steakhouses in Philly, including one you may miss trying to find it.

DEL FRISCO'S DOUBLE EAGLE STEAKHOUSE

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse is a Center City staple for their bar alone, but it's also a historic landmark! It sits inside what used to be the First Pennsylvania Bank, with the old vault still maintained for dining.

If you get a chance to witness its extravagance, try a bottle of red from their extensive wine list and a brilliantly cooked prime strip.

ALPEN ROSE

If you can secure a spot at Michael Schulson's Alpen Rose there's no doubt you'll have an exclusive experience.

It's a 42-seat boutique steakhouse with a small bar, and a sophisticated speakeasy feel coming from the library books and dark wood.

Grab a Manhattan or a maple old fashioned while you wait for your table-side carving of 38 ounces of 35-day dry-aged tomahawk.

Jessica visits two more steakhouses next Friday on Action News Mornings!