Archive for 'Tad’s Steak'

Tad’s Steaks Makes the Grade

Making jokes about how dirty Tad’s Steaks is standard practice around these parts. After all, any place that serves steaks within the Midtown Lunch price range is bound to raise some eyebrows. But Zach was a huge fan, and the DOH agrees as the 47th and 7th location is proudly displaying an A in their window. Maybe this will finally put to rest all those nasty rumors about Tad’s making people sick. Making people dodge falling light fixtures is a different story, of course.

Airing of Grievances: Cafe Duke & Tad’s

griveances

I try my best not to be too negative on this site, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to vent. Every once in awhile I’ll share some of the more angry useful emails I get in a post called “Airing of Grievances”. (If the Eater Complaints Dept. would like royalties, I’ll be happy to pay up…)

“I just went to Cafe Duke yesterday and I bought a mini black forest cake for $5.50!! I went home and wanted to surprise my husband with a little cake for dessert and what happens?? We bit into the cake and it tasted like sour bleach! The whole cake layer inside was alive with greyish blue mold! Needless to say, it not only ruined my evening but it spoiled my appetite for anything Duke in the future!!”

Ooops. Not sure if this was the Cafe Duke on 51st btw. 6+7th (which is one of the few generic Midtown delis I will eat in) or the one down on Broadway and 41st, but either way, it may be a good idea to stay away from their baked goods. If you’re headed to the one on 51st, stick to the by the lb. buffet, and the Korean food in the back left hand corner.

After the jump, a Tad’s complaint you knew would come eventually… Read more »

Expect the Worst From Tad’s Broiled Steaks, and You Won’t be Disappointed

Tad's Steaks

Life is all about expectations. Go into a meal expecting greatness, and 9 times out of 10 you’ll probably leave disappointed.  Go into a meal expecting to die, and you’ve got a good chance of walking out feeling like a winner. In those special cases, leaving without feeling sick is a pleasant accomplishment in and of itself. And that is how I felt walking into Tad’s Steaks on Thursday. I was scared. Real scared.

I would call Tad’s a fast food steak place, but that doesn’t really do it justice. It is a Midtown institution- if by institution you mean place everyone knows about.  If a restaurant has to be eaten in to qualify, than maybe institution isn’t the proper term.  In fact, while most people have a very strong (negative) opinion about Tad’s, few people have actually eaten there. See, there are three kinds of people who lunch in Midtown:

1. Those who have braved a meal at Tad’s, and come away sick or disgusted (a few people I know.)
2. Those who have braved a meal at Tad’s, and thought it was good enough to return (uh, only one person I know, and he accompanied me on this trip.) 
3. And everyone else.  The haters who have never been, but will not hesitate to tell you how terrible Tad’s must be.

I’ve always been a card carrying member of that last group. I didn’t need to eat at Tad’s to know it was terrible. Whether it’s the already poured glasses of wine, stacked on the counter, covered in saran wrap; or the interior that hasn’t been changed (or probably cleaned) since 1974, Tad’s is not very welcoming.  Even the $7 steak lunch special, which should be selling point enough (for its cheapness), ends up doing the opposite. Why is this so cheap? How can they make a steak so cheap?  You know what?  Scratch that. I don’t want to know.

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At Lunch Now: I’m A Tad Bit Nervous…

So, I’m about to enter the cauldron of doom. My stomach has been tested and pushed to the limits time and time again… but nothing holds a candle to Tad’s Steaks, the bastard child of Midtown Lunch’ing. The only place that makes you think “some things just shouldn’t be that cheap.” But the challenge was issued, so I must oblige.

If I don’t make it, you’ll know I went out doing what I love best: eating disgusting food in Midtown Manhattan.