It all started at Peter Luger, the legendary 125-year-old steakhouse in New York. Head waiter Wolfgang Zweiner learned from the best and decided to open his own place. Thus, Wolfgang's Steakhouse was born.
With four restaurants in New York, one in Beverly Hills, and one in Hawaii, Wolfgang recently opened in downtown. Tonight is its invitation-only grand opening at the One Miami building.
One of the owners is Lydia Damato, who worked in New York's fashion industry for years. She said that Wolfgang's always knew it wanted to open a location in Miami. She said the firm has, in fact, been scouting locations for ten years.
"We had looked all over Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Downtown, but couldn't find the right location. When we saw this one, both of us agreed. It was perfect."
The place is delightful in its splendid, old-school, cognac and mahogany glory -- if people were still allowed to smoke in Florida restaurants, you could imagine lighting up a pricey stogie. Wolfgang's is where one goes to eat steak (although, the chef is kind enough to prepare vegetarian dishes for less than carnivorous companions upon request).
What's unique about Wolfgang's is that beef here is dry-aged for 28 days on site. Each restaurant has its own aging room, where ventilation and humidity are carefully controlled. Meat, which shrinks substantially during the process, is ordered mostly from the Midwest.
Of course, you can expect to pay a hefty price for such hefty beef. A filet mignon or rib-eye steak for one will run you $49.95, but don't expect a petite filet, although a petite version is also available -- this one weighs in at 16 ounces. Wolgang's signature steak is the porterhouse, however, you'll need help for this one. It is served for two ($93), for three ($140), and for four people ($187). Side dishes run the gamut from creamed spinach ($11.95) to Canadian bacon ($4.95).
We were treated to a sneak preview of the menu last Thursday, where we sampled lobster, shrimp, and porterhouse. The food was fresh and flavorsome, and the service was impeccable.
Wolfgang's namesake and Commissioner Marc Sarnoff are hosting the invite-only grand opening of Wolfgang's Steakhouse Miami tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the restaurant, located at 315 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami, but the restaurant is already open to the public.
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