Let them eat steak! New York restaurants offer cheaper cuts to attract inflation-hit red meat fans

Record steak prices have forced savvy Big Apple restaurateurs to serve cheaper options — like steak and fries — to attract money-conscious diners who still crave a red meat fix, Side Dish has found.

The popular French-inspired dish, usually made with a cheaper cut of steak such as hanger or sirloin, has been appearing alongside pricier menu items at restaurants run by renowned chefs on both sides of the East River.

At Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke, the chef is offering a steak and fries for $24 – including a “petite filet mignon” with endless fries as part of his daily happy hour menu from 4pm to 7pm. That represents a significant savings over the $160 the restaurant charges for a 40-ounce tomahawk steak for two.

The special has become so popular that Burke is adding steak and fries to the regular dinner menu at Park Ave Kitchen and his other restaurant, David Burke Tavern.

“I think people are buying for value now — including me,” Burke told Side Dish. “I eat a lot alone and an app(etizer) plus a main course and a soda – I don’t drink – can cost $100. Everyone is worried about the price in this economy.”

The trend comes as sirloin steak has soared to $11.79 per pound, up from $6.77 a decade ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, the U.S. livestock inventory is the smallest it has been since 1951.

The high prices are fueled, experts say, by drought, high grain prices – thanks in part to the war in Ukraine – and rising interest rates that increase the cost of raising livestock.

The price of potatoes, meanwhile, is relatively low thanks to excessive planting by farmers last year, which led to a glut of potatoes.

“Steak and fries adds value. It’s a smaller cut of meat, but it comes with a side dish and you leave satisfied. It may not be the highest cut, but the fries are a good bang for the buck and are satisfying,” Burke said.

Kings of Kobe founder Etai Cinader has taken the steak and fries craze to another level. Your Wagyu Kitchen & Bar, at 650 W. 42nd St., offers unlimited Wagyu sirloin or strip steak – along with unlimited fries and mac and cheese balls – every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for $55 per person.

The discount is a huge drop from the restaurant’s everyday prices: A 12-ounce wagyu steak sells for $88, while a 14-ounce sirloin costs $108. Each comes with a side and sauce — but no fries .

“These days people can go out to dinner and leave without feeling satisfied. I don’t want anyone to feel like that in our restaurant,” Cinader said. “With the economy the way it is, people are looking for deals – and quality. This is a way for us to generate more revenue on slower days while still providing a fun experience for our guests.”

Chef Laurent Tourondel’s Skirt Steak has been serving steak and fries and nothing else since its launch. The restaurant — on the corner of Sixth Ave. and 29th St., near the Avanti Hotel — has become a cult indulgence for steak lovers who line up to pay $45 for a prix fixe skirt steak menu , field vegetables and endless fries. They have to pay an extra $12 for the “continually” changing sides, according to the website, and another $12 for the desserts.

Another restaurant that only offers steak and fries is Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote, at 155 E. 54th St., which serves an entrée, salad and bottomless fries for $33.95.

The newly opened Medium Rare, at 488 Third Ave. at 33rd St., also has a prix fixe menu of culotte steak, bread, salad and fries for $34.95, plus $12 dessert.

In Brooklyn, restaurateur Matthew Glazier of Tiny’s Cantina only recently added steak and fries to the menu — and it’s been a huge hit.

Tiny’s offers a $28.95 hanger steak marinated with garlic herbs, a $32.95 sirloin or a $34.95 strip (USDA Prime). All come with three Mexican-inspired sauces – Jalapeno Green, Cranberry Mole and Red Habanero. The starter comes with fries with a free refill.

“We saw a hole in the market and tried to fill it. It’s been a huge success for us,” Glazier said. “Primary meat is still very expensive, so steak and chips is like a value proposition. It’s not a perceived value, it’s a real value, and in this kind of economy, that’s what people care about.”

We listen …. Toast to the annual citywide 20th anniversary New York Comedy Festivalfounded by charming comedian Caroline Hirsch with three festival-inspired cocktails that will be available at festival headquarters, the Hard Rock Hotel in Midtown, from November 7th to 17th for $20 each.

The Opening Act is a pear Prosecco spritz, made with sugar, cinnamon sticks, pear vodka and LaMarca Prosecco, while The Resources Law is a mezcal apple cider made with maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, cardamom, spices and berries and The main attraction, a blood orange margarita is bitter and sweet infused with lime and orange juice and tequila—pretty in pink but with a twist, like Hirsch herself.

In addition to The Venue, where the comedy will take place, cocktails will also be available at The Venue, where the shows will take place, and at Sessions, a bar on the second floor of the hotel with views of 48^the Road.

Acts at The Venue at Hard Rock Hotel include: Sommore: The Chandelier Experience – (November 8th and 9th) “Queen of Comedy.” There are also Before We Get Started – (November 10) premiere of a film by warm-up comedian Ryan Reiss presenting Judd Apatow, John Oliver, Amy Schumer, Leslie Jones, Seth Meyers, Leslie Jones, Ray Romano, Ramy Youssef, Rachel Ray, Jim Gaffigan, Howie Mandell, Bob Saget, Mark Summers, and Colin Jostand much more.

This year’s New York Festival lineup features more than 200 comedians in more than 100 shows across the five boroughs and includes headliners Tracy Morgan, Bill Maher, Ms. Pat, Zarna Garg, Gabriel Iglesias, JB Smoove, Jeff Arcuri, and Jimmy O. Yang. The festival’s official kickoff on November 7th will celebrate the comedy icon Joana Rios with a special tribute, Dead Funny Benefiting God’s Love We Deliver at the Apollo Theatre, featuring Michelle Buteau, Rachel Brosnahan, Nikki Glaser, Matteo Lane, Randy Rainbow, with Melissa Rios and Erich Bergen serving as executive producers.