The return of the Steak Knife to Lakeview in 2008 made a lot of people happy. It was the last and biggest missing piece in the Katrina-flooded (eight feet!) Harrison Avenue restaurant community. Even though it resumed operations about two years ago in West End, all was not right with the world until it returned to its accustomed corner, and started making drinks and grilling steaks again.
New Orleans has more steakhouses than it really needs. This one stands out in a number of unconventional ways. The most important of them is the community of hangers-out that it supports. While only its most devoted regulars would claim that the Steak Knife served the best steaks in the city, the quality is beyond reproach. And everything else they do is good enough to make the place float into one's consciousness when in Lakeview at dinner time.
The Steak Knife is the longest-running player in the Lakeview restaurant row on Harrison Avenue. With an obvious (but not exclusive) specialty, it's long been a social center of Lakeview. The menu can't be called especially original, nor is any dish the best of its kind, but it is very good and consistent.
After running a Lakeview bar for years, Bob Roth opened the Steak Knife in partnership with Ernie Masson (of the memorable, now-extinct Masson's) in 1972. Both men passed in the 1990s; the restaurant has been managed by Roth's sons Bobby and Guy for over 20 years. It moved from its original location across the street (now Mondo) to a former bank lobby in the 1990s. Like everything else in Lakeview, the Steak Knife had deep Katrina flooding, and took a long time to return. Its first post-storm opening was near the marina. It moved back into its pre-storm quarters early in 2009.
Marble floors, rich wood paneling, and heavy columns--all inherited from the bank that used to be here--dominate the main dining room. Smaller rooms surround it. The building is big enough for a substantial lounge, one of the more pleasant hangouts in Lakeview. There’s even live music some evenings. The service staff is welcoming and eager to serve, but always seems one or two people short.
It's usually a bad idea to eat seafood in a steakhouse, but not here. Don't hesitate to order the fish or anything else. You usually don't need a reservation, but it's a good idea. The place can pack without warning.
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