S Prime - a new steakhouse in Astoria

Image source: S-Prime

We had the chance to spend some time at S Prime, a new steakhouse in Astoria on 36th Street near 35th Ave. It’s just next door to 5 Napkin and up the street from Studio Square, an extremely popular beer garden and event space in the area. S Prime is in the location that used to be Island Lounge.

S Prime has redesigned the interior and for those that knew this space as Island may find it hard to believe that this is the same place, it looks so different. Here are a couple of shots of the interior of S Prime, which is classic and beautiful. First, the bar area, which you see when you enter the restaurant.

Image source: S-Prime

The dining room is pictured at the top of this article.

Upstairs there are also three private rooms that are good for parties, bridal showers, Superbowl parties, and the like. Each comes with its own sound system, television, and climate controls.

S Prime is proud of their wine list, the wines on it chosen to pair well with their food. We enjoyed a very nice red wine while there. We also tried some of their cocktails. They have a great version of a margarita and a cosmopolitan, both of which were very nice. And pretty.

Their twist on a margarita.

Their interpretation of a cosmo, with raspberries.

Appetizers range from French onion soup to a variety of salads, as well as richer items such as roasted bone marrow and foie gras. We were taken by the chopped salad, which is dressed with their homemade ranch and comes with a disc of fried goat cheese on top.

It’s a very sturdy salad and does well as a leftover, which is rare for dressed salads. It has a great mix of fresh and rich, including lardons, tomatoes, romaine, and cucumber.

The mussels, served in a sauce made of white wine, shallots, garlic, and parsley, are nice and light. There’s quite a number of them, too.

We also enjoyed a selection of tartares – salmon, tuna, and classic beef, all of which were delicious. The salmon is served with a bagel chip, the tuna with a toasted flatbread, and the beef with toast points.

The main event is the beef, which is dry aged on the premises and is from Creekstone Farms. Our meat was cooked absolutely to our liking. It also had a wonderful crust on it.

One thing that is unique about S Prime is that the chef will cook a piece of meat at two temperatures. So, if you want your meat cooked medium rare and your dining partner would like it cooked well-done, they can accommodate both of you. The serving shown below of sirloin is half a portion. It was served with a side of roasted asparagus.

It was juicy and flavorful, and full of umami.

The chef told us that he is very proud of his fish dishes. We had a plate of wild striped bass served with a celeriac puree that was extremely tasty.

On the menu, the sides are grouped into “good” and “bad.” The asparagus above is an example of the “good” and the lap cheong fried rice was one of the bad. Tasty bad.

Despite it being “bad” it was lighter and much less greasy than your average Chinese take out joint’s fried rice. Loved all the scallions in it, too, as well as the pieces of lap cheong, a Chinese sausage.

We couldn’t leave without trying dessert, and opted for both the chocolate bourbon pecan pie and the key lime pie. The key lime pie was a super standout, as the chef brings in fresh key lime juice every morning. And yes, they make all their desserts in-house.

It was tart, creamy, and sweet, all at the same time. One of the best key lime pies we’ve ever tasted.

It was nice to end the meal with a cappuccino, too.

The chef, Joel Reiss, is a Queens native and really enjoys running the ship there. He’s worked on both coasts, including San Francisco and Manhattan. In the city he’s worked at places like Smith & Wollensky, Park Avenue Cafe, and Artisanal.

The wait staff was incredibly professional and friendly. We felt very well-taken care of here.

S Prime Steakhouse, 36-15 36th St., Astoria, NY 11106; (718) 707-0660; sprimenyc.com (GMAP)

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