Local Steakhouses Get Burned In Recent ‘Best Of’ Poll

It's been a really long time since I've gone out to a quality steakhouse and sliced into a  delectable piece of seared beef. Searching for some inspiration, I took a look at a recent poll of the '35 best steakhouses in upstate' and the results were rather bland.   This poll, for the most part, gave a 1.5 star review to the Capital Region in terms of steakhouses.

Personally, I'm a NY strip guy, but I'll get down with a ribeye because I like a little extra fat content on occasion.  I want it charred perfectly on the outside and thick, succulent and juicy (rare to medium-rare) on the inside.  I don't need it drenched in heavy sauce or loaded with seasonings, just gimme a simple, delicious, flavorful steak.

I stumbled across a poll recently and it listed the Top 35 Upstate Steakhouses and I figured it would be a decent source some inspiration.  I just assumed that this list would be bursting with local flavor and that I'd stumble upon a place I've either never heard of or have been longing to try.  Considering all the great new restaurants that have opened in the last few years in the Capital Region, combo'd with the traditional steak powerhouses we've had around here for years, I assumed the Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and Saratoga Springs area would be well represented.

Boy was I wrong.

This particular 'best of' list on NewYorkUpstate.com, highly ranked a place that served 'Philly-style steak sandwiches' and a litany of hibachi and or sushi style restaurants. It was implied that basically any quality restaurants that served steak would be up for consideration.  Only a few from the 'immediate' Capital Region made the list and those included:

The Alpine Grille in Northville at #35, Kinjo Japanese Steakhouse in Saratoga at #34, Max London's also in Toga at #30, The Glass Tavern in Schenectady at #28, and Angelo's 677 Prime at #23.

That's it. Only 5.  Our highest ranking didn't even crack the top 20!

Morton's Steakhouse, Black and Blue, 15 Church, The Bear's, Salt and Char, The Barnsider, Jack's, Yonos, and even Delmonico's got seared by this poll. I'm sure I left out many others as well.

I'm not saying that the 518 is some sort of steak haven, but I didn't  think we'd be perceived this grisly.