A Very Special Peter Luger Birthday

Someone very near and dear to me (okay, it was me) had a birthday recently and a bunch of my friends and I packed into several cabs and made our way to Brooklyn, to celebrate with meat at Peter Luger. This joint tucked under the bridge has been around for over 100 years and is more German beer hall than stuffy steakhouse. The charming waiters carefully instruct/demand what to order and in what size shared portions. Plates and silverware are flung about on rustic, ancient tables and the whole experience is completely marvelous.

Martinis and bottles of Pinot Noir went 'round the table as we sampled a platter of sliced tomatoes and onions, a salad of mixed greens that we doused with a gravy boat of gorgeous blue cheese dressing, and swooned over dazzling, thick slices of Luger's own sizzling bacon.

Here are our Porterhouse steaks, enough to feed an army! It was served with a side of German fried potatoes, similar to hash browns.

After our sprawling dinner, Luger's special "Holy Cow" hot fudge sundae had us simply mooing! Just look at it! Can you imagine? I never got to snap a shot of the cheesecake--it was devoured so quickly!

What a joyous celebration, surrounded by friends!