NYC Restaurants

At Pepper Lunch, a fast-food Japanese steakhouse in Midtown, your dish comes with a warning. A collar surrounding the sizzling cast-iron plate proclaims "CAUTION HOT" because the meat is actually cooking on the plate. Each diner uses tongs to turn the meat until the desired outcome; rare, medium or well. This is much more my speed, than let's say trying to catch a fish for dinner. Different cuts of angus beef are offered, along with chicken, salmon and eel. There's also a classic beef pepper rice dish. I went with the Angus Sirloin Steak which arrived with a dab of "steak butter" made with crispy fried garlic. I must say, this DIY steak is much better than I anticipated. It was nice and jucy and cooked throughout. It's sort of like Tad's on steroids.  Pepper Lunch also offers two steak sauces; a sweet garlic sauce and a soy-based version. Other items like rice, sunny side up eggs and vegetables can also be added, along with an ice cold beer, which I highly recommend.  Service is extremely friendly. They even give you a shout out as the walk through the door.

- Thomas Rafael